GamesRadar+ Verdict

Not quite as explosive as a traditional penultimate episode, but 'The Red Sowing' certainly brings the fire and blood with its brutal dragon action – and sets the board for what should be an epic finale.

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The dragonseeds are well and truly planted. House of the Dragon season 2, episode 7 is the penultimate instalment of this season, and, though it's not quite as explosive as traditional Game of Thrones penultimate episodes, it certainly brings the fire and blood.

It's been a few episodes now since Jacaerys first thought up the dragonseeds plot, and, finally, we see those seeds begin to bear fruit. Thanks to Seasmoke dramatically claiming Addam of Hull as his rider last episode, Rhaenyra – with help from Mysaria – comes around to the idea that she's more likely to find dragonriders among the lowborn than in the far reaches of her noble family tree. Mysaria, of course, has always looked out for the common people and the smallfolk, but it's a shame that this moment between the duo doesn't develop the romantic shift their relationship took last week.

Soon, an "army of bastards" descends on Dragonstone, ready to try their hands at claiming the mighty Vermithor. Before they can, though, Jace shares his misgivings with the whole scheme in a highly emotional scene between mother and son. I've really enjoyed seeing Harry Collett's Jace come more to the forefront this season, stepping up as the Targaryen/Velaryon prince and heir to the Iron Throne he needs to be in the war, and this confrontation between him and Rhaenyra is a standout scene from his arc. In tears, he challenges his mother on the open secret of his parentage and argues that, if any silver-haired bastard can claim a dragon, his own claim to his inheritance is seriously weakened. An emotional Rhaenyra has no real reply, and Jacaerys is notably absent for the rest of the episode.

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Dragonseeds sprouting

Kieran Bew as Hugh Hammer in House of the Dragon season 2 — (Image credit: HBO)

And then, the dragon claiming begins. Rhaenyra is every inch a Targaryen queen as she soothes the furious Vermithor – which only makes it all the more frustrating that, moments before, a dragon keeper shouted in her face that what she is trying to do is an abomination. Rhaenyra has been consistently disrespected or sidelined this season, and, after slapping one of her advisors last episode, I thought she'd finally turned a corner. Unfortunately, though, she's straight back to being openly disrespected – in front of all the dragonseeds, no less – without fighting back.

Rhaenyra stands and watches her dragonseeds attempt to do the impossible, and this is the episode's highlight: Vermithor is not so keen on being claimed, and a brutal, bloody spectacle unfolds as the huge dragon blasts and chomps his way through the army of bastards. It's a real horror show. Hugh Hammer, though, is brave enough to stand up to the beast, and, as such, wins himself a dragon.

As intense a sequence as this is, I can't help feeling like it should have come a little earlier in the season, and this episode feels a victim of the overall odd pacing of season 2 – entire, repetitive episodes have passed before this with no major developments, while the shortened episode count should have led to more urgency in the storytelling. Nowhere has this been more obvious than the long saga of Daemon in Harrenhal, either – and, unfortunately, that saga still has not come to an end in episode 7.

It is very satisfying to watch young Oscar Tully put Daemon in his place, however, but it's equally vexing that the episode ends with Daemon remaining in the haunted castle. I can only hope that he'll return to Rhaenyra in the finale, as the Rogue Prince languishing in Harrenhal all season has felt like a major missed opportunity. At least he's gathered an army at last, though.

The Lady of the Lake

Olivia Cooke as Alicent Hightower in House of the Dragon season 2 — (Image credit: HBO)

Meanwhile, over in King's Landing, Alicent is seriously suffering. The Dowager Queen has been through a lot this season, between the murder of her grandson, the near-death of her son Aegon, then being displaced from the council by her other son Aemond. Even though they're so separated, the bond between Alicent and Rhaenyra is still clear, too, thanks to Alicent now poetically bearing a scar in the same place she cut Rhaenyra back in season 1.

Alicent escapes King's Landing for the forest, moving in a daze through misty trees to a large lake. Though it looks like she might be tempted to go under the water and stay under, Alicent instead floats on her back, a small figure almost drowning in something so much bigger than her. It's a very apt metaphor for her place in the war, and Olivia Cooke is excellent at subtly portraying Alicent's deeply buried distress. I'm left wondering what Alicent is going to do next – and what she can do next, considering how powerless she is in King's Landing.

There's also a significant development when Aegon is shown out of bed. The Green King is still a long way from being strong enough to sit on the Iron Throne himself, but it's a reminder that the clock is ticking on Aemond's stolen time in power.

Then comes the episode's final moments. When a dragon is sighted over King's Landing, Aemond rushes to take to the skies atop Vhagar – it's dragonseed Ulf taking his first flight on Silverwing, swiftly redirecting to head back to Dragonstone. Aemond and Vhagar give chase, though Aemond soon changes his mind when he sees what's awaiting him on the island, ordering his massive dragon to flee in a major paradigm shift for the formidable duo. Usually, they're unbeatable.

The final shot of the episode, with Rhaenyra standing flanked by Syrax and her new dragons while she stares a retreating Vhagar down, is certainly a rousing one. It's a chills-inducing way to close out the penultimate episode and set the board for what should be an epic finale – whether it can rival the Rook's Rest episode remains to be seen, but 'The Red Sowing' leaves House of the Dragon season 2 poised to stick the landing. Here's hoping it does.

House of the Dragon season 2 continues weekly on HBO in the US and Sky and NOW in the UK. For more on the show, check out our deep dives on: