House of the Dragon episode 2!

Corlys "The Sea Snake" Velaryon, head of the largest fleet in Westeros, is attacked by Myrish pirates, led by a man known as Craghas Crabfeeder. What a name.

Corlys calls the decision to pass up his 12-year-old daughter "an absurdity," striking up a deal with Daemon at the end of the episode. With the standoff at Dragonstone out of the way, we return to King's Landing, where everyone is trying to wed their youngest daughter to the King. Princess Rhaenyra also chose Ser Criston to have a place on the king's guard, seemingly taking a liking to him right off the bat. Otto Hightower escalates the feud, traveling to Dragonstone so he can attempt to bring Daemon to justice. As it currently stands, Daemon would need to kill Princess Rhaenyra if he wanted to ascend the Iron Throne. The Master of Coin is Lord Lyman Beesbury of Honeyholt and the Master of Laws is Lord Lyonel Strong of Harrenhal. He steals the dragon egg that belonged to his late nephew, leaving a note where he proclaims himself the rightful heir to the Iron Throne. Meanwhile, Hand of the King Otto Hightower appears to be the most responsible member of the council. Should he have a son with his second wife, it could challenge her claim to the throne. When Otto spoke out against naming Daemon as the heir in Episode One, the prince challenged and defeated his son Ser Gwayne in the jousting tournament. So much so, that it's sad to think that House of the Dragon will soon age her character, replacing her with Emma D'Arcy. [House of the Dragon](https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/tv/a40941271/house-of-the-dragon-review/) kicks off with a gnarly image of crabs crawling out of a dead man's skull.

House Of The Dragon dives deeper into the court intrigue and scheming that will set the stage for civil war to come in HBO's Game Of Thrones prequel.

“Some Myrish prince is feeding sailors to the crabs,” Daemon replies, and we see the prince in question carrying out his bloody business, hammering men into posts as they scream, crabs racing across the sand. Lord Strong, a man who seems to be a very loyal and pragmatic man, doesn’t outright say he’s against the union, but it’s clear that he thinks it’s a mistake. Sure, Martin always writes “grey” morality and complicated characters, but in Thrones there lots of characters you really wanted to see emerge victorious. She tells him that she came to him “to be liberated.” “From what?” he asks. Only Hightower opposes the union, though he minces words and beats around bushes, telling the king that he also dearly loved “mine own lady wife” and that he cannot comprehend how terribly difficult it would be to be pressured into remarrying so soon. The proud Sea Snake at the end of his rope. Rhaenyra herself, who observes the king and the young girl walking together, also approves, telling her father that she understands his obligation to remarry. Lord Corlys and his wife Rhaenys have offered their own daughter’s hand in marriage to the king. He looks down and then across at Hightower and the soldiers. It seemed clear that Hightower’s motives were that of an overly ambitious man with the skill to play his liege like a fiddle. “I want the same for my child.” Daemon and his men draw their swords; the king’s men draw their own, and then the red dragon, Caraxes, appears, looming over the scene menacingly.

In the second episode of HBO's 'Game of Thrones' prequel, Daemon makes a play, Rhaenyra wins the day, and Viserys gets the final say.

You may click on “Your Choices” below to learn about and use cookie management tools to limit use of cookies when you visit NPR’s sites. If you click “Agree and Continue” below, you acknowledge that your cookie choices in those tools will be respected and that you otherwise agree to the use of cookies on NPR’s sites. This information is shared with social media, sponsorship, analytics, and other vendors or service providers.