KING FOR A DAY, DEAD IN THE NEXT: AEGON’S FOOL’S ERRAND ENDS IN DISASTER
In the latest episode of House of the Dragon, Aegon II Targaryen’s (Tom Glynn-Carney’s) pathetic attempt to prove himself in battle ends in a spectacular failure that leaves his fate hanging precariously in the balance.
The feckless king, desperate to assert his authority, takes to the skies on his puny dragon Sunfyre, only to be outmaneuvered and outmatched by the powerful Rhaenys (Eve Best) and her behemoth dragon Meraxes. But just as Aegon is about to meet his maker, his brother Prince Aemond (Ewan Mitchell) arrives on the scene, torching both Aegon and Rhaenys’s dragons before sending the king careening towards the ground in what may be a death spiral.
Or is it? The question of Aegon’s mortality becomes the central mystery of the episode, leaving fans to wonder if the king is truly deceased or just clinging to life.
The evidence is mixed. On the one hand, Aegon takes a serious beating, with Vhagar’s flames engulfing his person and a long fall from the sky, leaving him lying motionless on the forest floor. On the other hand, Sunfyre, his dragon, seems to be alive and well, with no signs of mortal injury.
So, is Aegon dead, or just playing possum? The reactions of those who find him don’t provide much clarity. Criston Cole, the Hand of the King, seems devastated by the king’s condition, which could suggest that Aegon is, in fact, deceased. But could he also be faking his own death to avoid the consequences of his failures?
Only time (and the next episode) will tell. In the meantime, fans are left to speculate about the fate of the hapless Aegon II Targaryen.
