'House of the Dragon' Season 2 Episode 7: Why Rhaenyra's trap for Aemond was a risky move
Contains Spoilers for ‘House of the Dragon’
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: 'House of the Dragon' Season 2 Episode 7 aired on HBO on July 28, and it turned out to be one of the most fascinating episodes of the show with a closing image of Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D'Arcy) and her army of dragons waiting to pounce on Aemond Targaryen (Ewan Mitchell) and Vhagar.
Aemond has been a major thorn in the side of the Blacks and is single-handedly responsible for the death of Lucerys Velaryon (Elliot Grihault) and Rhaenys Targaryen (Eve Best).
The biggest reason for Aemond being so dangerous is that he owns the biggest dragon in the Seven Kingdoms, Vhagar. So far, the blacks haven't been able to muster any offense against Vhagar but it seems to have changed now as dragons like Vermithor and Silverwing can give Vhagar competition.
Rhaenyra's audacious plan to trap Aemond and Vhagar
Bolstered by her new dragons, Rhaenyra plans an audacious move to trap Vhagar as Ulf (Tom Benett) flies out to King's Landing on his newly claimed dragon Silverwing.
As Aemond follows him to Dragonstone, he is greeted with the harrowing image of Rhaenyra standing in front of her dragons. Aemond returns in time to save himself and Vhagar from the trap.
Earlier in the episode, Hugh (Kieran Bew) claimed Vermithor who is the second-largest dragon after Vhagar and Ulf claimed Silverwing. Addam of Hull (Clinton Liberty) had earlier become the rider of Seasmoke who chose him.
With Syrax, Vermax, and Moondancer already at her disposal, Rhaenyra fancies her chances against Vhagar although, this might have been a reckless move that could have backfired.
Vhagar is a battle-tested dragon who can dominate other dragons
The difference between Vhagar and the other dragons is the amount of time they have spent in battle. Vermithor and Silverwing have experience but have been inactive for very long.
Besides, their riders Ulf and Hugh are inexperienced and also not fluent in their High Valerian, the language used to communicate with the dragons. Aemond did flee because probably he was taken by surprise but overcoming Vhagar would have been a challenge for all the dragons combined too.
Vhagar is the only surviving dragon from Aegon's conquest and her size is so large that she cannot be contained in a dragon pit like the other dragons. We see Aemond riding to an open field to mount over Vhagar.
Moreover, Vhagar was certainly confident of taking on the dragons and Aemond was the one who backed out. The Blacks might have the numbers but Vhagar certainly remains a formidable opposition for them.
So, the move to trap Vhagar could have resulted in catastrophe for the dragons and their riders. In 'Fire and Blood', the only dragon that does end up matching the prowess of Vhagar is Caraxes, and that can also be attributed to the experience Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith) has in battle with Caraxes.
How to stream 'House of the Dragon' Season 2?
'House of the Dragon' Season 2 has been streaming on HBO since June 16, 2024, with new episodes dropping every Sunday till August 4, 2024.
The streaming platform typically offers three packages that you can choose from depending on your budget.
The low-cost plan that supports advertising costs $9.99 per month or $99.99 annually. The second package, which does not support advertising, costs $15.99 per month or $149.99 annually.
Meanwhile, the third package, titled Ultimate Ad-Free, costs $19.99 per month or $199.99 annually.
'House of the Dragon' Season 2 trailer
'House of the Dragon' Season 2 is streaming on HBO
