‘Home of the Dragon’ Season 2, episode 7: Did Rhaenyra know Vermithor would try this?

No one hosts a barbecue fairly like Vermithor.

In Home of the Dragon Season 2, episode 7, after discovering out that Seasmoke’s new rider is Addam of Hull, Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D’Arcy) decides to double down on her dragonrider recruitment technique and collect as many lowborn Targaryens as she will for her trigger.

What occurs subsequent may in all probability be greatest described as a combined end result, however an simple win for Staff Black’s struggle effort.

The query is, did Rhaenyra know the way it was going to all go down when she led these would-be dragonriders down into the cave to face Vermithor?

What occurs with Vermithor on the finish of episode 7?

After sending out a name for anybody with attainable Targaryen heritage to descend on Dragonstone for an opportunity at claiming a dragon, Rhaenyra gathers the respondees and makes a speech stressing the significance and hazard of the duty they’re going to undertake.

“Each of you has left behind a life to answer this call, a life to which you might never return,” she says.

“If you survive, you will be transformed. No man or woman can face a dragon and be otherwise. Some of you may welcome the prospect of change — even death — given the alternatives. Privation, starvation, war. This is our purpose. To end those hardships. For you, for your kin, for all the realm. With these two dragons added to our number, the enemy will have no choice but to give way.”

As soon as they get down into the cave, although, Vermithor rapidly chooses violence. The massive dragon torches and munches his approach by means of a lot of the braised Targaryen bastards till Hugh Hammer (Kieran Bew) lastly manages to assert, whereas Ulf the White (Tom Bennett) runs away and by accident befriends Silverwing.

At this level the bloodshed stops, however Vermithor leaves loads of lifeless and eaten lowfolk in his wake. So the query is, did Rhaenyra know that was going to occur? And is there any likelihood Rhaenyra wished it to occur, in order that she may dispatch every other Targaryen bastards who would possibly attempt to threaten her son Jacaerys Velaryon’s (Harry Collett) declare to the Iron Throne additional down the road?

Does Rhaenyra know what is going on to occur?

Effectively, it is tough to think about she did not not less than think about it is perhaps a chance. Rhaenyra witnessed firsthand what occurred when Ser Steffon Darklyn (Anthony Flanagan) tried to recruit Seasmoke, in spite of everything, so she presumably realised Vermithor would seemingly kill anybody who tried to tame him that he did not like.

Rhaenyra’s speech, too — whereas sort of underselling the hazard — nonetheless means that dying is perhaps on the playing cards for anybody unsuccessful in dragon recruitment.

Our greatest guess? Rhaenyra is aware of that some — perhaps even most — of the individuals she gathered earlier than Vermithor would possibly die, however she’s merely seeing it as a needed sacrifice; her primary purpose is the struggle effort and bolstering dragon numbers. Does she really need to kill off the Targaryen bastards, although? We can’t be capable of say for positive till we see what’s occurred to survivors within the subsequent episode, however this looks like a step too far to us. Rhaenyra will be agency, however to this point she’s all the time been a ruler who favours peace over cruelty, following her father Viserys’ values. It appears unlikely she’d danger angering any smallfolk with pointless dying.

New episodes of Home of the Dragon air Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on HBO and Max.