What is it about Daemon Targaryen that people are just queuing up to sass him? First, it was Ser Otto Hightower and Princess Rhaenys Targaryen. In their absence, the mantel was well held by Ser Simon Strong of Harrenhal. And now, a mere child, Lord Oscar Tully, has manage to gag the aspiring king in House of The Dragon season 2 episode 7.
“The Red Sowing” is easily the best episode of season 2. And one of the scenes that contributes to it earning this honor is the arrival of the Riverlords, on the behest of their Lord Paramount Oscar Tully, at Harrenhal to declare which side of the Targaryen civil war they choose to fight on. And can I just say that Archie Barnes ate and left no crumbs!
What happens at Harrenhal in episode 7?
The new Lord of Riverrun and Lord Paramount of the Trident, Oscar Tully, a mere teenager, arrives at Harrenhal with the other Riverlords to meet with Daemon Targaryen.
Oscar confesses to Daemon that he is quite green in matters of war, and therefore wants to stick to the oath his house swore to King Viserys. However, the big problem is that the Riverlords are kinda pissed at Daemon because he ordered the Blackwoods to bend House Bracken, which had declared for the Greens, to the Blacks, using any means possible to do it. The enmity between the two houses led Blackwood soldiers to rape, pillage, and murder innocents through Bracken lands at will, angering the other Riverlords. They even came to petition Daemon about it in an earlier episode when he was being haunted.
The scene at the Godswood in Harrenhal, with the Riverlords gathered and unsure of following their new Lord Paramount, is a tricky one for someone who is as green as Oscar Tully. But he surprises one and all, even Daemon (who can’t help but smile at first at how deftly the young lord has maneuvered this) and Ser Simon Strong (providing the perfect reaction gifs to every bold statement that Tully makes). Oscar sure declares for Rhaenyra, reminding the other lords that theirs is a land bound by several oaths that must be kept. But at the same time, he appeases them by seeking justice against Willem Blackwood, by asking Daemon to denounce his crimes.
Daemon, desperate for an army, has to chop the head off of a pleading Willem Blackwood, who, till his bloody end, reminds him that it was Daemon who had given the orders, and he was just following them. But the real “chop” here is Daemon’s ego, because Oscar Tully, in a bid to earn brownie points with his other lords, calls Daemon “loathsome” and declares that he has “no love for Daemon Targaryen.” But the one that hurt the most, knowing Daemon, was when the kid called him “Prince” instead of “My King.” Dude, like, move on?
It was both a nervous and a downright hilarious moment for fans. Nervous because Daemon is that loose, unpredictable canon whose trajectory can never be guessed. And hilarious because there are two things all HOTD fans unanimously love: Hating on Ser Criston Cole and watching Daemon being sassed! With Sir Simon Russell Beale’s facial expressions as he constantly checks to see Daemon’s reaction to Oscar’s speech making it even funnier, this was one of the best moments from episode 7 for fans!
Remember the last time a Westeros kid displayed such gumption? Fans were quick to be reminded of Lady Lyanna Mormont from Game of Thrones!
The fact that a Tully was sassing a Targaryen also reminded fans of the time when Sansa Stark, a Tully on her mother Catelyn’s side did the same to Daenerys Targaryen!
A proposed edit to the words of House Tully, people!
And with the way Oscar was unflinching in dispensing justice even if it meant executing one of his own people? Robb Stark with the Karstarks, anyone?
For those who need a quick refresher, the Riverlands are not just central to Westeros geography but also to the Blacks’ plan, because they are the army on whose back (alongside the dragons, of course), they plan to win the war against the Greens. The Riverlords—which include houses like Mallister, Blackwood, Bracken, Piper, Mooton, Strong, Frey, Whent, and more— are vassals and bannermen to the Lord of Riverrun, who is their Lord Paramount of the Trident. As per the oaths of fealty, whoever the Lord Paramount declares for, the Riverlords would follow suit.
Earlier in season 2, we saw Daemon meet a young (teenaged) Oscar Tully, the grandson of Lord Grover Tully, the Lord of Riverrun, and tell him to get rid of his ailing grandsire, so Oscar can be the new lord, and declare for Rhaenyra. Oscar, of course, was shocked, because he loves his grandsire, so Daemon tactlessly dismisses him saying he then has no use for the young Tully. In episode 6, news arrives that Lord Grover has died, possibly due to the machinations of Alys Rivers, Harrenhal’s resident witch and Daemon’s therapist. And now, Oscar Tully is the Lord of Riverrun, holding a powerful position.
No wonder Daemon had to quietly fall in line and let a child talk to him like that!
Published: Jul 29, 2024 01:51 pm