House Of The Dragon Episode 2 Just Hung A Tantalizing Chekhov's Gun On The Mantel
Episode 2 of HBO's "House of the Dragon" (a "Game of Thrones" prequel series which chronicles the bloody history of the Targaryen family) saw Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith) making an aggressive and incendiary move after his niece, Rhaenyra Targaryen (Milly Alcock), was named heir to the Iron Throne. The episode begins with Daemon taking the ancient Targaryen seat of Dragonstone with his army of gold cloaks, and tensions are heightened even further after Daemon steals a dragon egg for himself.
Although the dragon egg is eventually returned to Rhaneayra herself (who flies to Dragonstone to face her rogue uncle, the entire ordeal sent shockwaves through Westeros, as alliances were formed and broken in preparation for the impending bloodshed. Tensions come to a boil by the episode's end when King Viserys I (Paddy Considine) agrees to marry Alicent Hightower (Emily Carey) — driving a wedge between himself and Rhaenyra and causing Lord Corlys Velaryon (Steve Toussaint) to side with Daemon. There's certainly a lot to unpack from Episode 2 of "House of the Dragon," though perhaps the most interesting part of the entire episode was the tantalizing Chekhov's gun that it set up.
One of Aegon's three dragons is still alive, and missing
During a rather unsettling scene in which Corlys Velaryon's daughter, Leana Velaryon (Nova Fouellis-Mosé), attempts to charm the recently-widowed King Viserys, Leana questions Vierys about the legendary dragons Balerion and Vhagar, who first came to Westeros with Aegon the Conqueror. This brief conversation contains one of the most shocking twists of the entire episode, when it's revealed that Vhagar is actually still alive — and nobody knows exactly where she is.
Fans on Reddit were incredibly excited by this bit of foreshadowing, with many theorizing that this legendary dragon will play a major role in the story's future. "The revelation that there's a massive dragon just out there SOMEWHERE is one of the single best Chekhov's guns I've ever seen in television, and I can't wait for it to go off," wrote u/mwthecool. "I get giddy knowing there's an OG dragon just flying around like it's no biggie," wrote u/SerDire. "One of the 3 that helped Aegon forge his kingdom."
Book readers will know that, although the enormous Vhagar originally came to Westeros with Aegon, her most recent rider was actually King Viserys' father, Baelon Targaryen. After Baelon's death, she became riderless and disappeared, and now not even Viserys himself knows exactly where she is now. It seems very likely that this revelation is setting up something big for the series' future, and it's clear that fans are extremely intrigued by this lost legendary dragon — perhaps out there waiting for her next rider.