House of the Dragon’s brutal latest episode has left the same question on every viewer’s lips.
On Sunday (7 July),the fourth episode of the HBO show’s second season was broadcast, and it featured a climactic death scene that many are branding “unncessary”.
However, alongside this heartbreaking plot twist came an altogether more surprising one that will shake up the forces working against Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy).
*Spoilers follow – you have been warned*
In the episode titled “The Red Dragon and the Gold”, Rhaenys (Eve Best) takes on King Aegon (Tom Glynn-Carney) and his dragon Sunfyre, with the latter heading to battle to prove he is a capable warrior after being belittled by his brother Aemond (Ewan Mitchell).
However, after Aegon is bested by Rhaenys, Aemond and his dragon Vhagar follow close behind, with Aegon assuming his brother will bail him out. Instead, he orders Vhagar to breathe fire upon his brother, which sends him plummeting to the ground.
Once the battle is concluded, Aemond, after killing Rhaenys, lands and approaches a wounded Sunfyre. He draws his sword, seemingly willing to end Aegon’s life should he have survived the fall – but he is stopped by the arrival of Criston Cole (Fabien Frankel).
Aegon’s fate is left up in the air – but did he survive the attack?
The answer is: we don’t know for sure. Speaking in the post-episode analysis that aired on HBO, showrunner Ryan Condal said: “I think it’s a pyrrhic victory for both sides. We lose Rhaenys… we don’t really know the condition of Sunfyre or Aegon.”
A pyrrhic victory is when a victory causes such devastation to the victor that isn’t not really separable from being defeated, negating any truse sense of achievement.
Mitchell said of Aemond’s treasonous act: “The question it raises: did he seize an opportunity where he could take two players off the board or was Aegon just collateral?”
Speaking of what was going through Aegon’s mind after Aemond shouts the fire-breathing order of “Dracarys!”, Carney said: “When he’s plummeting to the earth after being hit by a ball of fire, all of his fears of Aemond’s betrayal come true.”