Top 10 Things You Missed in House of the Dragon Season 2 Episode 7

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Enter the Dragonseeds. Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re talking about callbacks, details, subtext and foreshadowing that you might not have caught in the latest episode of Season Two.

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00:00You stand before the Queen of the Seven Kingdoms!

00:04With a dragon of House Targaryen!

00:09Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're talking about callbacks, details, subtext, and foreshadowing

00:14that you might not have caught in Season 2, Episode 7 of House of the Dragon.

00:18If you don't know the drill by now, there will be spoilers.

00:22But I'm afraid you must work harder.

00:27Number 10. The Dragon Sign.

00:29Aemond and his council might be dangerously underestimating the power of the smallfolk.

00:34Makes you sick, doesn't it? Knowing they're banqueting every night at the castle.

00:39While we go without.

00:40Rhaenyra and Mysaria have been doing a good job rallying the commoners,

00:44and recent episodes have started to show the power of the people.

00:47There's the Queen of Fishes!

00:51Keep moving!

00:52Most recently, Elinda Massey marches through the streets of King's Landing,

00:56and she's intercut with a member of the Goldcloaks tearing a worn sign off a wooden door.

01:01Looking closely, you can see that the poster shows an inverted three-headed dragon with a red mark slashed through it.

01:08This is likely a symbol of protest against the sitting rulers,

01:11with the dragon's upside-down positioning possibly representing the falsity of Aegon's Claim.

01:16It's a cool detail that shows how Rhaenyra's influence in the capital is growing.

01:20Queen Rhaenyra!

01:24Don't leave Queen Rhaenyra!

01:29What do you want?

01:30Adam of Hull's ability to claim Seasmoke has big implications.

01:34So the episode starts with him and Rhaenyra meeting in a Wild West-type standoff.

01:38She attempts to gauge his uncertain motivations,

01:41though we know some of them from a conversation that he's already had with his brother.

01:45Later, as Adam is waiting to meet with Corlys Velaryon,

01:48he takes a moment to admire the room and some ornate table decorations.

01:52He might be thinking about the riches that he just told Alan they could have

01:56if Alan embraced the attention of Lord Corlys.

01:59My brother was ever restless, yearning for some sign of his worth.

02:05More personally, Adam also earns praise from the man he suspects to be his father,

02:10as Corlys ends the exchange with what might be a proud subtextual acknowledgement of his son.

02:15Well done.

02:19Daemon's having a hard time getting support from the Riverlands,

02:22and he turns to the young Oscar Tully to get it.

02:25Unfortunately, Oscar demands that Daemon execute Sir Willem Blackwood for despicable crimes.

02:30But Willem was only ever acting on Daemon's orders,

02:34and he pleads out a reminder of his devotion as Daemon carries out the sentence.

02:38Your Grace, command them. I've only served you.

02:46Command them!

02:47A similar cry came from one of Stannis Baratheon's allies back in Game of Thrones,

02:52who was burned at the stake as a sacrifice.

02:54Fire! I've served you well!

02:57The circumstances aren't exactly the same,

02:59but both cases show men in power choosing to disregard loyalty in favor of their ambition.

03:04That didn't turn out so well for Stannis.

03:06Do you have any last words?

03:18I won't do you duty.

03:20Daemon's choice could signify that his actions are already leading to a potential downfall.

03:28Each of you has left behind a life to answer this call.

03:35A life to which you might never return.

03:39No one knows for sure why dragons accept their riders,

03:42but it seems to have something to do with bloodlines.

03:46Even those with partial Targaryen ancestry are capable,

03:49and learning this causes Rhaenyra to cry out a rally for lowborns with potentially valuable family trees.

03:55The phrase sounds like the Battle of the Bastards title from Game of Thrones,

03:59which makes sense when you think about Jon Snow and his mixed Targaryen heritage.

04:03If you rewatch his first meeting with Drogon,

04:06it looks a lot like Rhaenyra's approach to Vermithor in this episode.

04:10Presumably, Jon Snow's fractional Targaryen lineage helped Drogon take a liking to him.

04:15The more that we learn about both of these shows,

04:17the more the word bastard sounds like less of an insult.

04:29Episode 7 gives viewers a glimpse of King Aegon's recovery process,

04:33and it does a great job of making us all feel his physical pain.

04:46But have you ever thought about why some Targaryens can be burnt while others cannot?

04:52Most notably, Daenerys Targaryen proved to be immune to fire on multiple Game of Thrones occasions.

04:58She even speaks a line that implies true dragons should not fear flames.

05:02That idea is flawed though, since others of Targaryen descent can be killed by fire.

05:07He was no dragon. Fire cannot kill a dragon.

05:13Notably, Dany's brother, Laena Velaryon, and Aegon II have all endured fiery suffering.

05:19Was Daenerys unaffected because she was the prince promised from the prophecy?

05:23Or is there another reason that House of the Dragon might yet teach us?

05:38Having been removed from Aemon's council,

05:41Alicent now contemplates the choices she's made and how they've left her without purpose.

05:52She appears to be in the Kingswood, the same location for a glorified hunt that occurred in season 1.

05:58That hunt honored Aegon's birthday,

06:00so Alicent's choice to swim here indicates that her fractured family is on her mind.

06:05Her submergence into the lake mirrors the way she typically sinks into her baths, almost like meditation.

06:11The most curious detail is the bird that she notices soaring above her.

06:15It could represent a desire to ascend past the mortal world,

06:19or perhaps something more hopeful that has yet to be revealed.

06:22Either way, the sequence is oddly dreamlike and feels provocatively open to interpretation.

06:29Puppets in Westeros?

06:33There are too many names to remember on the House of the Dragon roster,

06:37but here are a few fun ones that might stand out.

06:40It turns out that some of the Tullys share titles with characters from Sesame Street,

06:44including Lord Grover Tully and his grandson Oscar.

06:51The connection may not have a deep meaning,

06:53but George R.R. Martin's co-authors have tweeted that the writer was amused by the use of the famous puppets' names.

06:59During young Oscar's tense scene with Damon,

07:02Oscar assigns a very specific color to his conflicted feelings.

07:10Sesame Street's iconic garbage monster is also green,

07:13and it's a charming elbow nudge to those familiar with the backstory.

07:17Now we just need to meet a Burt and Ernie Lannister.

07:20Number 3. Rhaenyra's Speech

07:33Wrangling a dragon is terrifying business,

07:35but Queen Rhaenyra has some encouraging words for the contenders.

07:39She reminds them of the lives they're fighting for,

07:41and she elaborates that taming the dragons could mean victory and an end to suffering.

07:46It sounds a little like a speech that Rhaenyra's ancestor Daenerys Targaryen makes on the Game of Thrones finale.

08:00Dany perceives her goal as liberation,

08:02but others see how her choices have only bred more violence.

08:06Both Dany and Rhaenyra share the problematic viewpoint that winning a war is equivalent to peace and prosperity,

08:11so their messages are somewhat deceptive.

08:14But Rhaenyra is essentially sending her followers to their probable doom,

08:18and how else can you motivate people to accept that risk?

08:35Number 2. Daeron Targaryen

08:45During Aemond's council meeting,

08:47one of the members mentions a character who could potentially become important to the storyline's near future.

08:52We've not met him yet, but Daeron Targaryen is Viserys and Alicent's youngest son,

08:57and he's actually been referenced a couple of times before.

09:05We know he's grown up in Oldtown,

09:07and Aemond now learns that his dragon may be ready for battle soon.

09:11That news comes right before Aemond flies off to learn of Rhaenyra's new dragonriders,

09:16so this might be foreshadowing Daeron's appearance and participation in the fight.

09:21And should the Greens lose any of Alicent's children that we have met,

09:25Daeron could be the next adversary in line for the Blacks.

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09:53I have nothing more to tell you.

09:55It must be the dragon who speaks.

09:57Book readers have probably been waiting excitedly for the sowing of the dragon seeds,

10:01and season 2's penultimate episode got it started explosively.

10:05As Rhaenyra presents the potential riders before Vermithor,

10:08she ominously declares that the dragon must speak next.

10:12I'm ready.

10:17Many likely assume she's referring to the Bronze Fury behind her,

10:20but dragon has been used to describe both the animals and the Targaryens who ride them.

10:25Her words might thus have a double meaning.

10:28In fact, Hugh Hammer does speak to quell the mighty Vermithor.

10:32It's a sign that riders will go on and prove to be just as ferocious

10:36as the legendary beasts they command.

10:38Come on!

10:44Did you miss anything from our list?

10:46What other small details from this week's episode did you catch?

10:49Let us know in the comments.

10:51Perhaps this is one of those whispers best left to the wind.

10:54Did you enjoy this video?

10:56Let us know in the comments.

10:58Perhaps this is one of those whispers best left to the wind.

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