The ‘House of the Dragon’ Cast Breaks Down Episode 2’s Most Pivotal Moments

After the season premiere brought the long-awaited Battle of the Gullet, House of the Dragon kept the momentum going with this week’s “Queen’s Landing.” We saw some major reunions—and some striking displays of grief.

At a recent House of the Dragon press day attended by io9 and other journalists, cast members Matt Smith (Daemon Targaryen), Emma D’Arcy (Rhaenyra Targaryen), Olivia Cooke (Alicent Hightower), Steve Toussaint (Lord Corlys Velaryon), and Abubakar Salim (Alyn of Hull) talked about the monumental moments facing their characters in episode two.

Maybe the one truly uplifting moment in the entire episode was when Corlys—who managed to survive the Battle of the Gullet, though his castle, High Tide, did not—cemented his relationship with Alyn and Addam of Hull (Clinton Liberty), his illegitimate sons that he’s finally now embracing. His granddaughter, Baela (Bethany Antonia), who lost her fiancé—Rhaenyra’s oldest son, Jace—in the battle, is also part of this newly formed family unit.

“I think in a sober moment … Corlys would be pleased,” Toussaint said of the Sea Snake forging relationships with his formerly estranged relatives. “I don’t know that he’s there yet when we have that scene. I think he’s still grieving his loss, not just of his wife and so forth, but also of [High Tide],” Toussaint said.

“But I think for someone who at this stage now is learning the importance of human, familial connection, I think he would be pleased. I mean, he did offer the ‘heirdom’ to Baela initially in season two, [but] she says, ‘I’m not right for that.’ So I think that he does crave a connection. I think after Rhaenys passes, he’s flailing, just looking for something to hold onto. So I think for him, he would like that. It would be ideal, I think, to create something new.”

Salim thinks Alyn has a similarly optimistic feeling. “I think for Alyn, there is a sense of not necessarily peace, but I think it’s a step towards peace. And I think that there’s a real acknowledgement to that, an acknowledgement to, like, ‘Look, it’s still a journey, but what a journey to be a part of now … at least we’re not doing this alone, me and Addam; we’re doing this together for what we’ve gone through,'” he said.

“I think also just as an audience, as an actor looking at it, it’s the one peaceful family, the one family that is united, a hopeful family, [out] of all of these other horrible families that are dotted around Westeros. So yeah, it’s really, it’s a really hopeful and beautiful moment.”

Far less hopeful in episode two is Rhaenyra, whose quest to become Queen of the Sev