Rhaenyra the Cruel

"Rhaenyra the Cruel"
House of the Dragon episode
Episode no.	Season 2 Episode 2
Directed by	Clare Kilner
Written by	Sara Hess
Featured music	Ramin Djawadi
Original air date	June 23, 2024 (2024-06-23)
Running time	69 minutes

"Rhaenyra the Cruel" is the second episode of the second season of the HBO fantasy drama television series House of the Dragon. Written by Sara Hess and directed by Clare Kilner, it first aired on June 23, 2024.

The plot directly follows the end of the season premiere, depicting the aftermath of the murder of Jaehaerys, King Aegon II's son and heir.

"Rhaenyra the Cruel" introduced several new cast members, including Clinton Liberty as Addam of Hull, Tom Bennett as Ulf the White, and Ellora Torchia as Kat.

Production

Writing and filming

"Rhaenyra the Cruel" was written by Sara Hess and directed by Clare Kilner, making it their second collaboration in the series after "The Green Council". The episode also marked Hess' third writing credit, following "The Princess and the Queen" and "The Green Council", and Kilner's fourth time as director for the series after "King of the Narrow Sea", "We Light the Way", and "The Green Council".

Casting

The episode stars Matt Smith, Emma D'Arcy, Olivia Cooke, Rhys Ifans, Steve Toussaint, Eve Best, Fabien Frankel, Matthew Needham, Sonoya Mizuno, Tom Glynn-Carney, Ewan Mitchell, Phia Saban, Harry Collett, Bethany Antonia, Jefferson Hall, Kurt Egyiawan, Abubakar Salim, Clinton Liberty, Tom Bennett, Kieran Bew, and Ellora Torchia. It marks the first appearance of Liberty as Addam of Hull, Bennett as Ulf the White, and Torchia as Kat.

The casting of Liberty and Bennett was announced in December 2023.

Reception

Critical response

The performances of (L to R) Tom Glynn-Carney, Emma D'Arcy, and Rhys Ifans in the episode garnered critical acclaim.

The episode received a rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars from Haley Whitmire White of TV Fanatic, 4 out of 5 stars from Alec Bojalad of Den of Geek, and 3.5 out of 5 stars from James Hunt of Screen Rant. Bojalad called it "one of the more thematically-disciplined episodes of the show yet." Hunt, who found the Blood and Cheese scene in the previous episode to be disappointing and led to the episode ending on a disappointing note, praised the aftermath of the scene depicted throughout this episode. He also appreciated the compelling, emotional character work and superb performances, and called the episode "another solid installment of [the series], as the Dance of the Dragons edges closer to truly catching fire."

Katie Doll from CBR gave the episode a score of 9 out of 10, writing in her review, "It's clear by the end of this episode that no one is winning this war. House of the Dragon has moved the pieces so that everyone loses in some shape or form. [...] It's invigorating for a fantasy show to humanize itself by exploring all facets of war and the consequences it has on everyone. With a mix of manipulative politics and soul-shattering action sequences, [the series] is on track to be an arresting fantasy war drama." Carly Lane of Collider scored it 8 out of 10, while Helen O'Hara of IGN gave it 7 out of 10, noting that it was a "heavy-hearted episode, weighed down by the grief of almost all the main cast." Moreover, the performances of its cast were praised by many critics, particularly those of Glynn-Carney, D'Arcy, Ifans, and Saban. Additionally, critics also singled out several standout moments in the episode, including the argument between Rhaenyra and Daemon, Otto scolding Aegon, and the fight between Erryk and Arryk.

External links

• "Rhaenyra the Cruel" at HBO
• "Rhaenyra the Cruel" at IMDb