House of the Dragon season two episode four spoilers follow.
House of the Dragon has just unleashed their dragons onto the battlefield, and the results can only be described as catastrophic.
Rhaenys (Eve Best) wasn't lying when she said: "There's no war so hateful to the gods as a war between kin, and no war so bloody as a war between dragons."
The bitter Criston Cole (Fabien Frankel) may have ushered both the Blacks and the Greens into full-blown war with his plan to take out Rhaenyra (Emma D'Arcy) and claim Rook's Rest, but both sides took a heavy hit when Aegon (Tom Glynn-Carney) and his dragon Sunfyre made a surprise appearance.
Rhaenys' dragon Meleys tore some sizable chunks out of Sunfyre, and things only went downwards from there for the usurper King. Literally.
His brother Aemond (Ewan Mitchell) intervened and let his monstrous, veteran war-beast Vhagar loose. Under this friendly fire, so to speak, the king tumbled down in a ball of flame and was later discovered on the battlefield in a 'laid-to-rest' position, his dying dragon curled around him.
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Rhaenys and her dragon were shortly confronted by Vhagar, whose ferocious bite annihilated Meleys, sending her and the 'Queen that never was' plummeting to what could only be certain death… Right?
So is this the last we've seen of Glynn-Carney and Best's Aegon and Rhaenys, or will they live to tell the thrilling tale of the dance of the dragons?
Did Rhaenys die in House of the Dragon season 2 episode 4?
Yes, Rhaenys was killed in House of the Dragon season two episode four, titled 'The Red Dragon and the Gold'. Sorry, Black supporters, we wish we had better news, but those hoping that the episode's ending was the ultimate fake-out should prepare to have their hearts broken.
Fans who are familiar with the Fire and Blood source material won't be too surprised, as the show seems to be following the on-page narrative pretty closely.
While episode five is yet to confirm that she is dead and that the creators are staying true to the events of the text, Best confirmed the truth during an interview with Deadline.
When asked if she knew that her character was not going to make it out of season two alive, she replied: "Yeah, we knew. It was in my contract that I was only there for two seasons. We always knew that it was going to be finite."
She added: "It's sort of the nature of the beast, really. If you sign up for this franchise, there is a very strong likelihood that you will come to a sick end at some point. I just didn't know the exact details of when, but I knew that it was on a dragon."
Related: Who is Alicent's son Daeron in House of the Dragon?
She explained that she was able to add the final flourishes to her swan-song death scene. When speaking of Rhaenys' decision to raise her arms, succumbing to her fate with acceptance rather than fear, Best said:
"It was my call. I think they wanted a moment of hanging on and then letting go. It felt like a very natural thing, actually. It was sort of a peaceful moment after all that.
"She lets go literally and spiritually. It was a real surrender."
*Slow claps in admiration.*
And so, like Best, we must graciously let go of all hope of Rhaenys' return.
Did Aegon die in House of the Dragon season 2 episode 4?
Aegon did not die in House of the Dragon season two episode four. While it certainly seemed the end when the screaming king was torched by Vhagar's flames, Tom Glynn-Carney is set to return as Aegon, just perhaps quite not the same as he was.
The show seems intent on sticking to the plot of the book in purest fashion, which means that fans of the show can expect to see Aegon back in episode five looking extremely worse for wear.
MAJOR BOOK SPOILERS FOLLOW
Aemond's actions at the battle at Rook's Rest leave Aegon incapacitated. Though he survives, Aegon returns to King's Landing with broken bones and half of his body burned.
It is written that his armour had melted into his left arm and that his body was bent and twisted.
His injuries are set to leave him unable to act as king for a year, meaning Prince Aemond is to step in and rule in his absence as Regent and Protector of the Realm. Meanwhile, Aegon writhes in agony, slurping on milk of the poppy.
Hey, it's better than poor Sunfyre, who is assuredly dead.
Of course, the show may interpret the source material differently, however there is a strong likelihood that Aegon's fate will play out as above.
House of the Dragon season two is available to stream on in the US on HBO and Max, and Sky Atlantic and NOW. Season one is available to stream now on HBO, Sky Atlantic and NOW.
Game of Thrones seasons 1-8 are also available on DVD and Blu-ray.
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TV writer, Digital Spy Janet completed her Masters degree in Magazine Journalism in 2013 and has continued to grow professionally within the industry ever since. For six years she honed her analytical reviewing skills at the Good Housekeeping institute eventually becoming Acting Head of Food testing. She also freelanced in the field of film and TV journalism from 2013-2020, when she interviewed A-List stars such as Samuel L Jackson, Colin Firth and Scarlett Johansson. In 2021 she joined Digital Spy as TV writer where she gets to delve into more of what she loves, watching copious amounts of telly all in the name of work. Since taking on the role she has conducted red carpet interviews with the cast of Bridgerton, covered the BAFTAs and been interviewed by BBC Radio and London Live. In her spare time she also moonlights as a published author, the book Gothic Angel.
