Yahoo News House of the Dragon: Who’s Winning Season 2? Our Pick for Who’s on Top, Going Into the Finale
As hard as it is to believe, House of the Dragon‘s long-awaited Season 2 will be over in the blink of Vermithor’s eye. And we couldn’t let the fantasy series’ sophomore run end without a highly scientific accounting of who stands where as we head into Sunday’s season finale (9/8c, HBO — watch a trailer here).
The point has been made several times this season, perhaps most poignantly by the specter of wise, dead King Viserys: Sitting the Iron Throne is generally a life-ruiner, and in general, those who most want to rule Westeros are those least suited to handle the responsibility. And yet, #TeamGreen and #TeamBlack claw away at the storied seat, employing mythical beasts, as well as thousands of soldiers and sailors, in the hopes of winning power over all.
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So who’s best positioned to achieve their aims, going into Episode 8? Below, we run through the show’s major players’ strengths, weaknesses and proximities to power. A few things to keep in mind:
* For the most part, as we have all season, we focused on the characters’ actions in the HBO series and not on what is written about them in George R.R. Martin’s Fire & Blood.
* Please keep in mind: “Winning” can mean different things to different people. Surviving? Planting your tush on the Iron Throne? Getting your emotionally-and-physically absent father to acknowledge your presence? All valid aims.
* When in doubt, we went on vibes. (Like we said earlier: highly scientific.)
* If you’ve gotten this far and haven’t realized yet, we’ll say it clearly: Spoiler alert! for every Season 2 episode so far.
* You already know this, but: Chaos is a ladder. So if your thoughts about a particular character don’t match up with our assessment, great! Hit the comments and have at it, knowing that somewhere, Littlefinger is smiling enigmatically.
Scroll down to size up each character, see our pick for ultimate winner at the bottom, then get to commenting!
ADDAM OF HULL
BIGGEST STRENGTH: Newly minted dragonrider; son of Corlys
BIGGEST WEAKNESS: He’s a dreamer, and they don’t tend to do well in this universe.
PROXIMITY TO POWER: Complicated — but if the Sea Snake legitimizes his bastard sons, a lot could change in the shipwright’s favor.
AEGON TARGARYEN
BIGGEST STRENGTH: Able to walk around assisted, kinda?
BIGGEST WEAKNESSES: His extensive, life-changing injuries after the Battle of Rook’s Rest; the fact that Aemond wants him dead
PROXIMITY TO POWER: Physically? Quite close; he’s the person Alicent claimed Viserys wanted to succeed him. Also of note: The menacing King Regent, aka Aegon’s brother, Aemond, is a marble ball’s throw away. But actually? Aegon might as well be in Pentos.
AEMOND TARGARYEN
BIGGEST STRENGTH: Being a total psychopath; Vhagar (aka the biggest living dragon)
BIGGEST WEAKNESS: Mommy issues aplenty
PROXIMITY TO POWER: Thanks to some truly messed-up maneuvering, he is the king… but for how long?
ALYN OF HULL
BIGGEST STRENGTH: Son of Corlys; gets things done
BIGGEST WEAKNESS: Not taking advantage of opportunities when they arise
PROXIMITY TO POWER: As with brother Addam, it’s complicated — but potentially very beneficial — to be a chip off the ol’ Velaryon.
ALICENT HIGHTOWER
BIGGEST STRENGTH: A sharp intellect; a deep faith
BIGGEST WEAKNESS: Literally every man in the Red Keep — including the one who subscribes to her YeOldOnlyFans — has ceased listening to her.
PROXIMITY TO POWER: Far. Kicked off the small council by her own son, knocked up by a knight she doesn’t even like… girl stole away to the forest and no one even noticed.
ALYS RIVERS
BIGGEST STRENGTH: May not be corporeal
BIGGEST WEAKNESS: May not be corporeal
PROXIMITY TO POWER: Whether through the sight or manipulation, she sure made it rain for the king consort, right?
BAELA TARGARYEN
BIGGEST STRENGTH: Moondancer; Brave; plucky; unafraid to dress down her elders/men in power when needed
BIGGEST WEAKNESS: She’s kind (isn’t that terrible of us to say?).
PROXIMITY TO POWER: Medium — we’d love to see her prove herself a battle heroine, if only to get the respect she really deserves.
CHEESE’S DOG
BIGGEST STRENGTH: IS THE BEST BOY; also: forgiveness
BIGGEST WEAKNESS: Has to fend for himself in a King’s Landing where no creature has enough to eat
PROXIMITY TO POWER: Not close, but as Ser Pounce taught us, being a monarch’s lap pet isn’t the fairytale it’s cracked up to be.
CORLYS VELARYON
BIGGEST STRENGTH: The fleet he commands
BIGGEST WEAKNESS: Who is he, really, now that Rhaenys is gone?
PROXIMITY TO POWER: He’s Rhaenyra’s Hand of the Queen, so, pretty good.
CRISTON COLE
BIGGEST STRENGTH: Self-hatred that looks a lot like bravery sometimes; Aegon likes him
BIGGEST WEAKNESS: A quick temper; the allure of off-limits women who happen to live in the Red Keep and who’d do anything not to have his baby
PROXIMITY TO POWER: With all of the upheaval in the small council, Ser Criston managed to keep his seat, which says something.
DAEMON TARGARYEN
BIGGEST STRENGTHS: An unbridled thirst for power that overrides all else; an army that he raised; a seat of power he rebuilt (at times with his own hands)
BIGGEST WEAKNESS: May be slowly losing his mind
PROXIMITY TO POWER: When you insist that people call you “king,” even though you’re just the king consort, it gives off big, Dwight Schrute “to the” energy… and doesn’t exactly inspire greatness.
GWAYNE HIGHTOWER
BIGGEST STRENGTH: A grounded nature and a seemingly kind heart, two things in short supply in King’s Landing right now
BIGGEST WEAKNESS: An inability not to roll his eyes at Ser Criston Cole’s dubious choices
PROXIMITY TO POWER: So close (he’s Alicent’s brother), yet so far (he’s Alicent’s brother)
HELAENA TARGARYEN
BIGGEST STRENGTH: A preternatural sense of the future; Dreamfyre
BIGGEST WEAKNESS: A tenuous grip on reality; a deep grief over the murder of her son
PROXIMITY TO POWER: Super close — she’s the queen! — but it doesn’t really matter, because she doesn’t really care.
HUGH
BIGGEST STRENGTH: Newly minted dragonrider; Vermithor; stalwart nature
BIGGEST WEAKNESS: He’s a fish outta water (dragonseed outta King’s Landing? Eh, come up with your own metaphor to say that he doesn’t really know what he’s doing)
PROXIMITY TO POWER: We’re interested to see if the Hugh of the TV series goes the way of the Hugh of Fire & Blood, is all we’re saying.
JACAERYS VELARYON
BIGGEST STRENGTH: Seems to actually want victory for his mother (as opposed to for himself); Vermax
BIGGEST WEAKNESS: As he pointed out himself, he’s Rhaenyra’s heir… but not really.
PROXIMITY TO POWER: See above.
LARYS STRONG
BIGGEST STRENGTH: A keen and cunning mind; a mental repository of the Red Keep’s secrets; the fact that no one is threatened by him because of his physical limitations, so he’s therefore able to pull strings, unnoticed
BIGGEST WEAKNESS: His physicality is both a practical and social obstruction. Plus: Someone‘s so sure of his intel that he ignored the crucial — and accurate — rumor that Seasmoke had acquired a rider.
PROXIMITY TO POWER: Only the ladies at the brothel have manipulated more members of the Targaryen family.
MYSARIA
BIGGEST STRENGTH: An uncanny ability to survive; a keen head for strategy; the ability to keep secrets until they can be weaponized
BIGGEST WEAKNESS: Honestly? We can’t think of one.
PROXIMITY TO POWER: In the space of a few episodes, she’s become Rhaenyra’s bestie, talk-to and smoocher. Who knows what she’ll achieve by the time the finale’s credits roll?
OTTO HIGHTOWER
BIGGEST STRENGTH: An incredibly strategic mind; being the only adult in the room
BIGGEST WEAKNESS: He’s been banished from the Red Keep, and no one’s heard from him since his departure.
PROXIMITY TO POWER: Pretty damn far — where is that guy, anyway?
OSCAR TULLY
BIGGEST STRENGTH: A natural talent for leadership; the ability to know (and admit) he doesn’t know everything
BIGGEST WEAKNESS: He’s, like, a kindergartener and has been head of the Riverlands for about five minutes.
PROXIMITY TO POWER: Grover Tully’s grandson is a surprising favorite who reminds us of a (much, much) more chill Lyanna Mormont. And he’s already got hordes of grown men doing what he says, so who knows how high this kid can climb?
RHAENA TARGARYEN
BIGGEST STRENGTH: Targaryen blood in her veins…
BIGGEST WEAKNESS: … though it hasn’t helped her claim a dragon yet
PROXIMITY TO POWER: Unclear — though, as we saw in Episode 7, her refusal to do what she’s told might play out mightily in her favor.
RHAENYRA TARGARYEN
BIGGEST STRENGTH: Lots of dragons, and people to ride them
BIGGEST WEAKNESS: A rogue, uncommunicative husband with his own dreams of ruling and an army at his beck and call
PROXIMITY TO POWER: In one sense, quite close (she is the self-declared queen, after all). But in another, pretty far (after all, that Iron Throne isn’t at Dragonstone, now is it?)
ULF
BIGGEST STRENGTH: Newly minted dragonrider; Silverwing
BIGGEST WEAKNESS: Kind of a weasel
PROXIMITY TO POWER: See the entry for Hugh.
WINNER: MYSARIA!
Love her or hate her, you have to admit: Daemon’s former paramour has carved out quite a lofty — and, more importantly, safe — stronghold for herself in the series’ second season. From starving cargo stowaway to provider of crucial connections to queen’s advisor in the span of a few episodes? RESPECT.
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