REVIEW: ‘House of the Dragon’ Season 2 Episode 6 — “Smallfolk”

After Aegon (Tom Glynn-Carney) was downed and the astounding impact of Episode 4, House of the Dragon Season 2 has been slowly moving forward. The last episode was focused on establishing the new Regent in King’s Landing while Aegon tries to survive his wounds. There, Aemond (Ewan Mitchell) has taken power, and Alicent (Olivia Cooke) has been left with nothing. However, with Daemon (Matt Smith) throwing a temper tantrum in the Riverlands at Harrenhal and no standing armies to fight the amassing Green forces, Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy) decided to look elsewhere: Targaryen bastards. All of this comes home to roost in House of the Dragon Season 2 Episode 6, “Smallfolk.”

As we’ve seen in the previous episodes, the story is split between King’s Landing and Dragonstone. In the one, a pragmatic and ruthless Aemond has changed the shape of the Small Council. He has decided to bring back his missing grandsire, Ser Otto Hightower (Rhys Ifans), to court and oust his mother from her seat. For the former, he should have never been relieved of his duties. And to Aemond, the latter should not have had hers overstay its necessity after the thrones transitioned past his father.

While I’ve been critical of the events that have happened with the Greens, Aemond, for all of his cold and calculating flaws, is the most suited to represent their house. Unlike Aegon, his anger is shown in moments that he can, in fact, walk back from, and his dedication to winning the war does go beyond his own expectations. Logic is something that has been missing from the Greens, and he brings it. But with that logic, Alicent sees the last of her power be pulled away.

One son may die, but her other son will not take her council, and even as she turns to her daughter and her faith, that is stripped from her still as the Smallfolk begin to revolt. Alicent has long been in an ivory tower, mostly protected from her stupidity. Over the last few episodes, the impact of her decisions has taken root and buried her in the process.

Despite having shown more competency in diplomacy than the Greens, the Blacks are dwindling in strength. With Rhaenys gone, Rhaenyra’s voice has cracked in front of her Small Council, leading them to undermine her. Even with Lord Corlys (Steve Toussaint) at her side as her Hand, she is standing alone.

Her son, Jace (Harry Collett), does not believe in her. The men of her council question her at every turn. And her gender continually hovers over her table at Dragonstone like a noose, dangling. She can not ride into battle, she can not hold a sword, and ultimately, she can not be the warrior that the Greens have in Aemond.

House of the Dragon has always focused its story through the eyes of women. It’s what has set it apart from its predecessor, Game of Thrones, and it’s what continues to keep the series interesting. In fact, the show is at its weakest when it turns its gaze toward Daemon, even though everyone in Dragonstone keeps asking for him. House of the Dragon Season 2 Episode 6 does the same, only now Mysaria’s (Sonoya Mizuno) impact is made real. Now, for the Blacks, two women are making inroads in the road, not in battle but through remembering the Smallfolk of the King’s Landing.

I often take issue with stories that show women only triumphing because of their empathy. Too often, women in both fiction and real life are seen not in what they have but in what they can give to others. However, instead of showing Rhaenyra and Mysaria’s plan as something without teeth, their kindness in sending food to the starving smallfolk in King’s Landing is shown as a wave washing over the Greens.

While their act of kindness and stoking of the people’s anger is passive, the violence the smallfolk enact and their overt rebellion in the streets are a strong message to the Red Keep. If you win the people, you can win the war; if you can only make it to the gate,

House of the Dragon Season 2 Episode 6 pulls Rhaenyra and Mysaria into a romantic spotlight as well. In a monologue where Rhaenyra explains how she always wanted to be Daemon, while he wanted to own her, she lets her mask slip. Rhaenyra yearns to rule, but she does so because she wants to have an impact. She wants to be seen as more than a mother and woman. Mysaria gives her that respect.

To Mysaria, Rhaenyra is a true queen who is both blunt and thoughtful at the same time. While Alicent is a woman to be thrown away by the men who have taken power in the Red Keep, Rhaenyra is a woman pushing to maintain power in Dragonstone. Two halves of one whole, but equally carrying the burden of their gender regardless of their strength or intelligence.

It’s hard to quantify House of the Dragon Season 2 Episode 6. It succeeds in showcasing the intricacies of relationships and the important role that the smallfolk will play in the remaining episodes. However, its stillness doesn’t always reward the viewer with depth. With a new dragonrider, however, and more to be said for Corlys’s sons, the intrigue and development from outside the Blacks and the Greens is sure to start soon.

House of the Dragon Season 2 Episode 6 continues to move the story at a glacial pace, but it does deliver with its performances. And in the end, the dragons may wow us, but the characters are why we continue to tune in. As more pieces move on the set, the implications of democratizing dragonriding and starving your citizens have created a tinder box for something to erupt in the final two episodes of the season.

House of the Dragon Season 2 Episode 6 is streaming now, exclusively on MAX (formerly HBO Max), with new episodes every Sunday.