Babe wake up, new House of the Dragon just dropped! Yes, last night’s episode might’ve given us #TeamBlack supporters an extremely satisfying moment of vindication, but from the sound of it, it’s not going to be enough to prevent the impending war—which may finally come to a head in episode 4.
Minor spoilers ahead for House of the Dragon season 2
At last, our girl Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D’Arcy) is sharing her side of the story in the latest episode of House of the Dragon season 2, “The Burning Mill.” Now that the first blood has been spilled in the Dance of the Dragons, the Black Queen seeks out her former BFF Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke) in a last-ditch effort to prevent a war between the two houses. It’s the first time we’ve seen Rhaenyra return to King’s Landing after her exile to Dragonstone, and also marks the first interaction between her and Alicent this season—and these two absolutely eat up every second of their limited screen time here.
As we all know, Rhaenyra is the rightful heir to the throne, having been named Viserys’ (Paddy Considine) successor in season 1. But thanks to a little verbal mix-up, Alicent mistakenly names her son Aegon (Tom Glynn-Carney) King. So after feuding for literal years, Season 2, episode 4 gives us one of the best oh my god, finally moments in recent TV history: Alicent realizing that her son wasn’t Viserys’ No. 1 draft for the Iron Throne after all. Rhaenyra, having snuck into the sept in King’s Landing, explains to her that Viserys was simply recalling the Song of Ice and Fire prophecy on his death bed, originated by King Aegon the Conqueror, not Aegon II. Oops!
Still, it’s too little, too late, and Alicent refuses to hear Rhaenyra out. Now that the Blacks have delivered on their promise of “a son for a son,” and with Harrenhal loyal to Rhaenyra’s cause thanks to Daemon (Matt Smith), it doesn’t seem like King Aegon and the Greens are in a forgiving mood. Instead, they’ve sent troops—led by Ser Criston Cole (Fabien Frankel)—to claim the Riverlands. So, with the war drawing nearer, when can we expect to see the next episode of House of the Dragon season 2 roll out on Max?
When does House of the Dragon season 2, episode 4 come out?
For those anxious to see what lies ahead in House of the Dragon season 2, get ready, because next week’s episode is scheduled to arrive at its usual time of 9 PM ET/6 PM PT on Sunday, July 7. As always, fans can catch episode 4 on both HBO and its streaming service, Max.
It’s hard to believe that next week’s episode will mark the mid-point of House of the Dragon‘s sophomore season—eight episodes just isn’t enough! Plus, there’s nothing quite as unifying (and strangely comforting) as Sunday night HBO releases, especially in this political climate. There’s a lot left to address before the finale premieres next month, but given that the network has already green-lit the series for a season 3, odds are we’re going to be left on a cliffhanger, whether we like it or not.
Even though the Game of Thrones spinoff is based on George RR Martin’s 2018 novel Fire & Blood, the show somehow manages to keep us guessing, making the internet discourse (and memes) endlessly entertaining. It’s clear that season 2 is building up to an epic finale, but we’ll just have to wait patiently to see what’s in store as House of the Dragon season 2 continues its run on Max.
