“That’s Compelling”: House Of The Dragon Director & Actor Weigh In On Aemond’s Motivations At Rook’s Rest

Warning: SPOILERS ahead for House of the Dragon season 2, episode 4!

House of the Dragon director Alan Taylor and actor Ewan Mitchell have weighed in on Aemond’s motivations during the battle at Rook’s Rest in the newest episode of the fantasy series. The end of House of the Dragon season 2, episode 4, sees Ser Criston Cole summon the Targaryen prince alongside Vhagar to help them win their latest battle. However, his brother Aegon also shows up, the King falling after his dragon, Sunfyre, is killed. Aemond seemingly almost kills the King himself, who is saved when Cole arrives just in time.

Speaking with Entertainment Weekly, Taylor and Mitchell, the latter of whom portrays Aemond, offered their perspectives on the young prince’s motivations in House of the Dragon during the battle at Rook’s Rest. The director explained how there are many layered motivations to what he did during the fight, while the actor talked about whether he really wanted Aegon dead. Check out what Taylor and Mitchell had to say below:

Ewan Mitchell:
It was no secret that he felt like Aegon was inferior to himself. He felt like Aegon lacked the perseverance to be a leader. Also, it’s no secret that Aegon was almost the ringleader to a lot of Aemond’s childhood torment and trauma.

I think that maybe Aemond would never have intended to burn Aegon, but it just so happened that Aegon was there tangled with Rhaenys and Meleys when he was on top of Sunfyre. It raises the question of whether or not he would’ve done that or if Aegon was just collateral damage. I think that’s compelling. Maybe it was when Aegon brought in the Pink Dread [as children] when Aemond was like, ‘I’m going to burn him one day for this.’ Who knows?

Alan Taylor:
We wanted to sustain multiple motivations that might have happened there. It’s a battle move, but he did deliberately join the battle late, and he is being a little bit indiscriminate with how he’s blasting fire. So I think you can believe whatever you want to believe about his motivations there.

What Aemond’s Intentions Mean For The Rest Of House Of The Dragon Season 2

Will He Face Consequences For His Actions?

While Aemond’s intentions surrounding Aegon are multi-layered, it appears the young prince really was going to take advantage of the situation and see if his brother would die during the battle. When Cole finds him with his sword drawn, it could be interpreted as him about to finish the job, only to get caught in the process. Since the Targaryen prince was fine burning his brother with Vhagar’s fire, it wouldn’t be surprising if he’s still plotting out how his brother can be taken care of for good.

However, House of the Dragon episode 5’s trailer indicates Aegon survived, although sustaining injuries that will leave him incapacitated for some time. This could mean Aemond’s actions at Rook’s Rest result in him sitting on a throne while his brother recovers. Given how skilled and ruthless a tactician he’s proven himself to be, him getting more power could turn the tide of the war in the Greens’ favor. This is especially true if the Council listens to what he says, perhaps splitting the royal family’s loyalties even more.

It also helps that Aemond seemingly won them the battle at Rook’s Rest, having killed Rhaenys Targaryen and her dragon, Meleys, which in turn crushed the castle the Greens were attacking. Since this decisive victory was also planned alongside Cole, the duo could help turn the war in their favor, even with the king currently out of commission. However, since the prince had Vhagar attack Sunfyre, later episodes of House of the Dragon could include dire consequences for his actions.

Source: EW

House of the Dragon

Taking place about 172 years before the events of Game of Thrones, House of the Dragon tells the tale of the rise of the Targaryens, the only family of dragonlords to survive the Doom of Valyria. The popular HBO spinoff show first starred Milly Alcock and Emily Carey as Rhaenyra Targaryen and Alicent Hightower before they were replaced by Emma D’Arcy and Olivia Cooke, who play the older versions of the characters. Also starring in the series is Matt Smith (Prince Daemon Targaryen) and Paddy Considine as Rhaenyra’s father, King Viserys Targaryen.

Cast

Jefferson Hall , Paddy Considine , Fabien Frankel , Ryan Corr , Eve Best , Gavin Spokes , Graham McTavish , Steve Toussaint , Olivia Cooke , Sonoya Mizuno , Bill Paterson , Matthew Needham , Emma D’Arcy , Matt Smith , Rhys Ifans , David Horovitch

Release Date

August 21, 2022

Seasons

2

Network

HBO Max

Directors

Miguel Sapochnik , Clare Kilner , Alan Taylor , Greg Yaitanes , Geeta Vasant Patel , Andrij Parekh

Showrunner

Ryan Condal

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