House of the Dragon episode 4 takes sibling rivalry to fucked-up new levels

There are few things more terrible than a boy-king. At their worst, they are petty tyrants, all impulse and appetites, like Joffrey in Game of Thrones. At their best, they are mere figureheads, a puppet bandied about by people wilier than he, who understand how to work the levers of power effectively and have little concern for the public good. House of the Dragon’s King Aegon II (Tom Glynn-Carney) is somewhere between the two: self-aware enough that he wants to be seen as a good and noble king, but also, importantly, extremely teenager. He wants to feel like he has power, but all he can feel is other people using it.

This has not kept Aegon from enjoying the trappings of the crown. He loves having his buddies gather around the Iron Throne to talk shit, walking into a tavern and covering everyone’s tab, and giving cush Kingsguard jobs to pals who would probably rather run before they caught a stray for him. In last week’s episode, “The Burning Mill,” we see the kind of king Aegon would rather be, had he no responsibilities, carousing in a brothel and making a cruel spectacle of his brother Aemond (Ewan Mitchell).

In “A Dance of Dragons,” however, Aegon realizes he is being distracted. Handled. Military movements have been made without his input, and Aemond knows the score better than he. At a small council meeting, Aemond turns the tables and makes Aegon feel small, showing off his cunning and command of High Valyrian in a scene that leaves his royal brother stammering impotently, while the other councilors uncomfortably shift their gaze.

Photo: Ollie Upton/HBO

So far in House of the Dragon’s second season, the inevitable war has been treated with the gravitas of a looming tragedy, the gears of fate turning to crush each character’s desires and ambition under its dispassionate machinery. However, this is a show about people in power — tremendous, unmitigated power, the sort that grinds up innocent lives to preserve itself and improve its station. And this is what power looks like at its worst: bickering siblings and conniving counselors, sentencing hundreds to die so they can win their blood feud. (Although they occupy significantly less screen time, Rhaenyra’s contingent is just as prone to bickering and petty power grabs, while her small council is barely effective and Daemon is off taking miserable command of the waterlogged Harrenhold.)

“A Dance of Dragons” culminates in the battle at Rook’s Rest, as Ser Criston Cole’s troops march on the stronghold and Rhaenys and her dragon help defend it. Rhaenys’ fight is one of the few moments of grace and dignity found in this miserable business, and sadly it’s her last. Between the surprise arrival of Aegon and his dragon and the ambush carefully planned by Aemond atop Vhagar, Rhaenys is overwhelmed, and one of House of the Dragon’s most principled characters meets her end.

But so, it seems, does Aegon’s short reign. The battle ends with the king’s fate uncertain, as Aemond held Vhagar back to let his inexperienced brother get torn to shreds by Rhaenys before swooping in for the kill. For the Greens, this pyrrhic victory is symbolic of their internal strife: Aegon obtained the crown with the help of a conspiracy of men with vision, and now that conspiracy is cut off. There is no tomorrow in Aegon’s court, only today, with power given to men like Criston Cole who only understand conflict. Now one boy-king stands to replace another — but this one is all appetites, and smart enough to satisfy them. Westeros will suffer for it.