House of the Dragon Season 2 Episode 4 Review | Recap & Breakdown

Steve Varley gives his review of House of the Dragon season 2 episode 4 "The Red Dragon and the Gold." (Spoilers)
Stars: Matt Smith, Olivia Cooke, Emma D'Arcy
Steve Varley is a film/television critic and a member of the Recording Academy. You will not get more honest reviews anywhere else. Steve also does celebrity interviews with the stars themselves. Subscribe for good fortune.
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[@hnyflvr]

Rhaenys and Meleys RIP 🐉

[@gutterfly91]

I'm so sad we lost Rhaenys she was my absolute favorite character on the show. The show runners are also evil cuz the second they show aemond we all knew she was gonna die so we had to sit for ten minutes on the edge of our seats waiting for it to happen. Fantastic episode but RIP Rhaenys, you were the realist one

[@Flee-the-matrix]

lol they are evil. She actually could’ve got away though because he took off he was flying away she could’ve took off and left as well

[@brandoncline7939]

As Daemon told her: Had she burned them, when she had the chance… Fill in!

[@nubianfx]

Mine too and it wasn't close. A true queen

[@hey1234453]

I loved when they said Cole wasn’t meant for the white cloak and it was really dirty!!!

[@anakavidrine1558]

I thought Aegons fate was a little ambiguous. It seemed like Cole interrupted Aemon thinking about finishing him off. But if he is dead, I wonder if they will assign a regent for his daughter or if Aemon will try to take the throne. Amazing episode!

[@mithril1983]

I’m pretty sure he’s dead- he made sure of it

[@trinidiana]

I was cringing the whole time the dragons were fighting, I mean I know a bunch of humans were dying in horror, but somehow I was really upset for the dragons tearing each other apart!

[@plantbasedhotdog8379]

There was no confirmation that aegon died. In fact when Cole found him almond was walking towards him with a sword, probably to finish the job. I think he’s alive

[@SteveVarleyShow]

i was fooled, usually seeing body means dead!

[@mithril1983]

Rhaenys was such a badass character! So sad to see her and meleys go but at least she had a fitting end- fantastic to see the bond and understanding between dragon and their rider also

[@carebearnc]

Rhaenys knew what she had to do and her fate. The way Meleys looked back at her before the attack was so beautiful and heartbreaking. She went out like a true Queen. 🙏❤️🐲🔥👑

[@vickonstark7365]

My heart is broken with Rhaenys gone.💔 Absolutely outstanding performance.

[@janechoy2073]

thank you for your weekly reviews!! I enjoyed your takes from a no-book-spoiler perspective!

[@SteveVarleyShow]

thank you for being here

[@joyce2837]

no ❌crispy ❌ cole ❌ babies‼️

[@mithril1983]

I was so disappointed when Criston wasn’t dead lol

[@BiscuitsMom917]

Valerian is the language 😊

[@YnotNomis]

What an Amazing episode!

[@hey1234453]

I wonder if Aemond also put Cole in that position for him being with Alicent

[@SteveVarleyShow]

:0!!!

[@silkcatgirl3597]

Fantastic episode!! 😍

[@keebee2348]

Thanks as usual for the review Steve! Love your breakdowns and takes on the episodes!

[@SteveVarleyShow]

thanks so much :)

[@Mic-Mak]

*BOOK FANS: PLEASE DO NOT SPOIL STEVE!*

[@SteveVarleyShow]

hero!

[@tsharacannon2996]

Uggghhhhh😩😩😩😩😩. When I saw Rhaeyns on that dragon flying over the camp at the end in the open sky I KNEW it was too good to be true 🤦🏽‍♀️🤦🏽‍♀️🤦🏽‍♀️🤦🏽‍♀️. I literally screamed out and dropped my remote and when I saw Aemond’s dragon attack her’s.🥺🥺🥺🥺😢😢😢😢😢😢🤦🏽‍♀️🤦🏽‍♀️🤦🏽‍♀️😩😩😩😩😩

[@latoyahammond7229]

I don’t think Aegon is dead. In the next episode trailer, it’s implied he was seriously hurt.

[@Mic-Mak]

7:07 I think you mean Valyrian. lol

[@Miskatonic1927]

The previews for next episode heavily imply that Aegon survived. And it looks like the top Green's conspire to pretend that Aegon is alive and well. So they are clearly not going to keep the common people informed of what happened.

[@lydiaquinn2892]

Great review! Amazing episode, heart pounding and heart breaking. Lots of good stuff in there. Aemon def tried to kill his brother…. twice! Alicent wants to read The story of Fire and Ice.

[@Mic-Mak]

Now that Knight of the Seven Kingdoms has been confirmed to debut next year, I am really curious to find out if they will be faithful to the novellas and finally feature Targaryens with non-blonde hair. In the books, Rhaenys has black hair. The only reason they would make her hair blonde is because they don't think audience will recognize her as a Targaryen, which is silly. Jon Snow was not the only Targ with black hair, and certainly not the first.

[@One_Black_Panther]

They are right to kerp Daemond distracted...they know he is the biggest threat of the blacks. He has the most experience in war and is the smartest war strategist. If Daemond was around the greens plan in rook rest would not have worked

[@marknovak6498]

Pyrrhic victory. Poor dragons

[@carmelapalmer5555]

Great episode and heartbreaking at the same time, legit, veryyyyyy GOT vibes

[@candacedonald4087]

Woa did you watch the after show with the actors and directors? They specifically said Aegons fate is unknown (at the end of this episode). So I 💯 % think he is alive (charred lol but alive).

[@Hochspitz]

The black goat that Daemon sees in his awake weirwood dream is indeed interesting. There is a dark religion in Essos where human sacrifices are made to their black goat god. Also he could be seeing the future when Tywin hires The Brave Companions/Bloody Mummers to guard Harrenhal and their banner is a black goat. GoT merged Locke into this role.

[@robertgarcia9571]

The was a fucking good episode. 😢

[@trinidiana]

right??? I was like damn the dragons are so fucking cool!

[@melgamechanger]

I don’t think Aegon is dead

[@Mic-Mak]

*Honestly, Steve, don't ever read your comments for your **#HotD** reviews. People be spoilin'!*

[@SteveVarleyShow]

thanks for looking out!

[@ajordan1976]

Rip to the queen who never was Rhaenys was the most intriguing character 🖤

[@oliverince1942]

Great review, just letting you know that Aegon isn’t dead though 😁

[@Mic-Mak]

Why the fuck would you spoil him? This is why we can't have nice things.

[@roxanaa.8048]

It’s not a spoiler! It’s in the next episode preview.

[@keebee2348]

@@Mic-MakIt’s not a spoiler for those who’ve seen the preview. However, we’ll still have to see the outcome of his burns, his injuries. Also, Steve may have received the episode in advance like other reviewers and already know what the outcome is for the character.

[@Mic-Mak]

@@keebee2348 I've seen the preview, you can't be sure from it that Aegon is still alive. That's first. Second, you don't know if Steve has seen the previews, which I reiterate, do not confirm Aegon's status. But even if it did, why not err on the side of caution. Why do you want to spoil Steve? Seriously. What does it bring you. I read the books but I don't go out of my way to spoil non-book readers. So many book readers love to spoil. Why?! Why not hang with all the book readers fans who are already in the know? Why do you need to spoil the summer children? It's such a douche move.I've seen critics who haven't read the books do the same too.

[@keebee2348]

@@Mic-Mak The first point you made, I actually covered it- “However, we’ll still have to see…” Second, you’re correct, I don’t know if he has seen it yet. This is why I specifically said “Steve MAY have…”. I understand what you’re saying about other content creators spoiling. This may not have been the intentions of the original commenter, especially since there is a clear hint of what’s to possibly come in the previews. And this was actually a preview. I read how passionate you were about the comment so I shared that with you as did someone else. Sometimes it’s not intentional. For example, one of your other comments explained the significance of the hair color and being destined to ride/have a connection to a dragon. Someone who hasn’t read the book may see this as a spoiler even if it may be covered in the HBO series much later (or if they have not read that part of the book yet). However, I’m sure it wasn’t your intention to spoil it nor would you deserve to be spoken to with profanity. But again, I get the gist of what you’re expressing and also enjoy watching the series, finding out what to come in moment, particularly with series such as HOD. Looking forward to what happens next episode!

[@easiersaidwithmeg]

Shout out to you for a review that’s not 55 minutes lol

[@SteveVarleyShow]

time is money these days!!!

[@trinidiana]

On another note, you have stunning eyes !

[@annabee1896]

Aegon doesn't die...

[@SteveVarleyShow]

:0

[@Mic-Mak]

I'm probably alone, but I was kind of underwhelmed by this episode, in part because the VFX were not up to par despite the stellar acting. This is where animation is a superior medium. Because when everything is animation, if done right, battles and special effects look so much cooler, and so much more realistic. Think of ElastiGirl in _Incredibles II._ There is no way a live action film could make her power look as cool and as fluid as they do in that film. I think the battle could have been better, and it was still cool to watch, but yeah, I was a bit underwhelmed.

[@mithril1983]

Are you kidding?! I was on the edge of my seat!!

[@Mic-Mak]

@@mithril1983 To be clear, I wasn't bored. I just think the VFX were a little clunky. Especially when we saw the dragon riders up close. I wanted more details.

[@margov9423]

Are we POSITIVE Aegon is dead, though?

[@SteveVarleyShow]

no :(

[@Mic-Mak]

12:10 Not trying to be nitpicky. Love your content. Just want to point out that Vhaegar's pronouns are _She/Her._

[@vuyisilenzima8511]

Deomon character aint doing it for me

[@SteveVarleyShow]

wow!

[@rjdub8455]

Crispin Cole actor is not good

[@fabysorin3579]

Amazing actor wtf are talking about😅😅😅