House of the Dragon Season 2 Episode 4 - "The Red Dragon and the Gold"

[Drizzle]

House of the Dragon Season 2, Episode 4 - "The Red Dragon and the Gold"

Directed by Alan Taylor

Written by Ryan Condal


​

Oh hey, the title isn't a secret this week for some reason, though judging from the preview it's not a spoiler at all. "A Dance of Dragons"...not to be confused with Game of Thrones S5E9 "The Dance of Dragons", much like Aegon the Conqueror shouldn't be confused with Aegon the Magnanimous.

EDIT: That "A Dance of Dragons" title was fake news.

 

[OrbOfConfusion]

Cole might want to prepare his cover letter and resume if this is how he protects his king less than a week after becoming the Hand.

 

[CB Fan]

What this show just did was perfect. I’m not even talking about the ep alone but the lead up has been three eps of drama and positioning which made the viewers restless waiting for war. It comes, does what it does, and I’m left heartbroken.

 

[Drizzle]

I knew what was coming for Rhaenys but I didn't expect to get that torn up about Meleys. The look they gave each other right at the end destroyed me.

 

[KaijuDude1992]

God the build-up and payoff in this episode was absolutely perfect and I while I think we all knew something bad was going to happen by the end of it I still didn't expect them to go as hard as they did.

Rhaenys and Meleys went out like a boss and I wasn't expecting Aegon and Sunfyre to get taken out by Aemond and Vhagar but hey that's what you get when you decide to ride into battle after drinking.

I get the feeling this only a taste of the devastation to come too and I also love the fact that Harrenhal is pretty much a creepy ass haunted castle that constantly messes with Daemon's head.

 

[CB Fan]

Yeah I figured it was coming they made sure to give that character their time and show their importance to that side. But dang it I’m going on PTO tomorrow cause I’m in mourning.

 

[Drizzle]

What happened to Sunfyre also broke my heart. The fact that he gets taken off the board the first time we really get to see him in all his glory. It was really sad listening to these dragons in pain.

 

[Primal Slayer]

I'm tired of the best characters losing. They should've said "Forget the book, Rhae Rhae and Meleys will live to fight another day!" They're two of the best characters in this show and I dont want to go on without them.

I assume they are but who knows nowadays....are episode discussion threads....free to discuss w/out spoiler tags or are we needing to tag those for whatever odd reason?

 

[squeekness]

That was quite a banger of an episode that's for sure. Holy crap!

 

[Drizzle]

I assume they are but who knows nowadays....are episode discussion threads....free to discuss w/out spoiler tags or are we needing to tag those for whatever odd reason?

They are, out of habit I just tag major spoilers on the night it airs just in case.

 

[Kane52630]

Team Green & Team Black: *preparing for war*

Dameon stuck in a haunted house trippin:

 

[Mjolnir Reborn]

A great episode to pay off what has been set up this far and it delivered on both the spectacle and horror of what came out of it. The death of Rhaenys was seen long before it came and it was deliciously agonizing feeling the dread of the inevitable but still clinging to tiny twigs of hope that she might withdraw and report what had happened.

Now more than ever I'm glad that I've managed to hold off on reading Fire & Blood as watching a Westeros show without knowing what's going to happen is quite something. Way different from Game of Thrones where I already knew the books on a deep level, as will I with the Dunk & Egg show. I can't wait for next week's episode.

 

[squeekness]

Same here. It was nice not knowing what was coming.

 

[Primal Slayer]

How the hell do they allow Vhaegar to CONTINUALLY surprise attack them!? The biggest dragon and always hiding ready to chop s head off

 

[P Supreme]

Vhagar spamming that sneak attack lol

pour one out for the Queen that never was but should have been

 

[Drizzle]

A great episode to pay off what has been set up this far and it delivered on both the spectacle and horror of what came out of it. The death of Rhaenys was seen long before it came and it was deliciously agonizing feeling the dread of the inevitable but still clinging to tiny twigs of hope that she might withdraw and report what had happened.

Now more than ever I'm glad that I've managed to hold off on reading Fire & Blood as watching a Westeros show without knowing what's going to happen is quite something. Way different from Game of Thrones where I already knew the books on a deep level, as will I with the Dunk & Egg show. I can't wait for next week's episode.

Same here. It was nice not knowing what was coming.

I wish I had that will power but it was too tempting after season 1 of House of the Dragon and I figured if I was going to be spoiled I might as well take it upon myself by reading the book as opposed to stumbling across them online, as I did unfortunately have one major plot point spoiled as the first season aired.

For what it's worth, I recommend both reading it and watching the show because they complement each other pretty well. And the show also changes certain things just enough that even as a book reader I'll start to question if the outcome will be the same. For example, (tagging only for book spoilers just in case but it doesn't spoil anything that wasn't already seen in last night's episode) in the book when Meleys and Sunfyre are tangled up in the air fighting each other, Vhagar crashes into them and joins the fight instead of blasting them with flames from a distance, causing the other two dragons to fall to the ground with no chance of escape for Rhaenys. Since that didn't exactly happen the same way in the show, I got this false sense of hope that Rhaenys could have made it out of the battle, which of course led to...

How the hell do they allow Vhaegar to CONTINUALLY surprise attack them!? The biggest dragon and always hiding ready to chop s head off

Vhagar spamming that sneak attack lol

 

[Mjolnir Reborn]

I don't doubt that the show is great when you've read the book as well. Game of Thrones was too (until it wasn't). I just like experiencing one of Martin's stories on screen first since it's done great and it may be the only chance I'll have to do so.

 

[Kane52630]

The name of the episode was actually The Red Dragon And The Gold

‘House Of The Dragon’ Season 2, Episode 4 Recap And Review: The Red Dragon And The Gold

Sunday night’s episode of House Of The Dragon was one of the most intense so far, with a dragon sequence that rivaled even Season 1’s tragic finale.

www.forbes.com

 

[Kane52630]

The actress for Alys Rivers is killing it. I was looking forward to her, and I'm not disappointed.

She was great on GLOW.

 

[Drizzle]

The name of the episode was actually The Red Dragon And The Gold

‘House Of The Dragon’ Season 2, Episode 4 Recap And Review: The Red Dragon And The Gold

Sunday night’s episode of House Of The Dragon was one of the most intense so far, with a dragon sequence that rivaled even Season 1’s tragic finale.

www.forbes.com

Serves me right for relying on Wikipedia.

 

[Kane52630]

 

[Drizzle]

I don't doubt that the show is great when you've read the book as well. Game of Thrones was too (until it wasn't). I just like experience one of Martin's stories on screen first since it's done great and it may be the only chance I'll have to do so.

Yeah, Fire and Blood/House of the Dragon is a much different beast in comparison to A Song of Ice and Fire/Game of Thrones. For starters, the whole story of the Dance of Dragons is all laid out plus it's told from more of a historian point of view rather than the POV of the characters as in ASOIAF so there's a lot more creative freedom as far as character development in the show. Plus since the whole storyline takes place over the course of about 250 pages or so there shouldn't be much to worry about as far as the show cutting out large chunks of plotline/characters like Game of Thrones did. There have been some minor changes here and there so far but nothing too controversial.

This may be a little blasphemous for book readers but the book makes for an interesting companion piece to the show if you approach it as a history book that's being recounted centuries after it's happened through both reliable and unreliable sources while viewing the show as how those events actually went down. They both bring something fresh to the table.

 

[Weather Witch]

Now we're dancing. With dragons. This episode did an amazing job of contextualizing why so many characters were trying to avoid the war. Very tragic, but absolutely loved it.

 

[Mjolnir Reborn]

Yeah, Fire and Blood/House of the Dragon is a much different beast in comparison to A Song of Ice and Fire/Game of Thrones. For starters, the whole story of the Dance of Dragons is all laid out plus it's told from more of a historian point of view rather than the POV of the characters as in ASOIAF so there's a lot more creative freedom as far as character development in the show. Plus since the whole storyline takes place over the course of about 250 pages or so there shouldn't be much to worry about as far as the show cutting out large chunks of plotline/characters like Game of Thrones did. There have been some minor changes here and there so far but nothing too controversial.

This may be a little blasphemous for book readers but the book makes for an interesting companion piece to the show if you approach it as a history book that's being recounted centuries after it's happened through both reliable and unreliable sources while viewing the show as how those events actually went down. They both bring something fresh to the table.

Yes, I am aware of how the book is written and that it's a flawed retelling of history by three different people within the setting itself so I certainly get that the book and the show can coexist in a better way than most adaptations.

I do enjoy not knowing even most of the larger events though and while I do know the ASOIAF books very well I've actually forgotten exactly what they say when they refer to the Dance of the Dragons so even there I've unspoiled myself for the most part.

We'll see if I can keep this up for the entire show, but even if I do I reckon I'll read it before any other potential F&B stories get adapted. Other than the show my dormant interest for the main series has been awoken a bit so I may have to get some new GRRM stuff again. Especially if the current rumors about The Winds of Winter turn out to be false (again).

 

[Drizzle]

This is exactly why it's funny to me that there ARE plenty of fans who are complaining about every single change, like the show is desecrating the source material. I haven't loved all the changes, but to expect the show to stick 100% to this book in particular is quite silly. It's a list of events turned into a several-season long narrative. Changes had to be made, or I doubt we'd be on season 2 right now. Most of the main characters are unredeemably evil in the book, which is fine for its format, but of course those characters are more complicated and gray in this adaptation; people have to like them after all.

They made some characters more likable in the show, others less so but I don't think the show would work if the majority of them were terrible people. As it is right now in the show, most of them are morally gray except for the kids on Team Black, Helaena (who's too innocent for Westeros) and Aemond (who's on the opposite end, basically an anime villain). The only real jarring change to me so far has been Blood and Cheese because of how much more shocking it was in the book but their reasoning for it being that way in the show is understandable since they didn't want to traumatize any of the child actors.

Yes, I am aware of how the book is written and that it's a flawed retelling of history by three different people within the setting itself so I certainly get that the book and the show can coexist in a better way than most adaptations.

I do enjoy not knowing even most of the larger events though and while I do know the ASOIAF books very well I've actually forgotten exactly what they say when they refer to the Dance of the Dragons so even there I've unspoiled myself for the most part.

We'll see if I can keep this up for the entire show, but even if I do I reckon I'll read it before any other potential F&B stories get adapted. Other than the show my dormant interest for the main series has been awoken a bit so I may have to get some new GRRM stuff again. Especially if the current rumors about The Winds of Winter turn out to be false (again).

Yeah, the references to the Dance in both ASOIAF and Game of Thrones are so throwaway that it's almost impossible to remember them unless you're actively rereading or rewatching them now with a lot more context post-HOTD. It didn't even stop there because the bonus features of the Game of Thrones Blu-rays had animated featurettes that told various stories from the history of Westeros and maybe three or four of them go over major events from the Dance in vivid detail. I definitely watched all of those as the seasons came out on Blu-ray but since it was a good long while before HOTD I had forgotten basically everything.