House of the Dragon’s new episode, ‘The Red Dragon and the Gold’, brought about one of the biggest aerial battles in the show, but the best dragon moment actually happened earlier on.
The Battle at Rook’s Rest ended with an impressive three-way match between Aegon, Aemond, and Rhaenys, as well as their respective dragons. It’s definitely a win for House of the Dragon viewers who love those scaly pets, but it’s not the best dragon-related moment of the episode.
That actually comes earlier on in Season 2 Episode 4, when both Aegon and Rhaenys are preparing to head to battle. Aegon, drunkenly believing he should join the fray, goes to saddle up Sunfyre. It’s here that he has a sweet moment with his dragon, when Sunfyre pushes his head against Aegon’s chest.
It’s a brief moment, but it’s enough to capture the hearts of viewers who’ve longed to see Sunfyre. It’s even sparked a bit of empathy for the Targaryen king, who’d previously been told by Alicent that the best thing for him to do was nothing at all.
A Happy Moment pic.twitter.com/uDpgwliSmZ
— Sunfyre the Golden (@BestBoySunfyre) July 8, 2024
“This episode showed one of the best Targaryen-Dragon interactions ever in the GoT and HotD franchise,” said one Reddit user. “Honestly from Aegon’s short interaction before battle with Sunfyre and Rhaenys’ interaction with Meleys showed how deep the bonds each dragon rider had with their dragons.
“The bond these two have is extremely different from Aemond and Luke’s relationship with their dragons. Instead a fearful relationship where one can lose control, the relationship with Aegon’s dragon seem to show closeness and friendliness between them.”
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Others agreed, with comments like: “Aegon’s smile also shows us how glad he is to see his old friend. Shows how important Sunfyre is to him to be able to smile like that after being told by his own mother that he’s best to do nothing and is basically useless.”
“It was such a good moment and it felt like when everyone was using Aegon for their personal agenda at least Aegon has someone whom he is genuinely connecting with,” said another. “Also Aegon looked more tolerable and tough after this dragon moment.”
“Sunfyre is the only living thing who would love Aegon unconditionally,” one user pointed out. “Other people want Aegon to do this and do that, Sunfyre is always happy to be with him.”
Although Aegon suffers a brutal outcome after Rook’s Rest (he’ll spend the rest of his life in horrible pain from his injuries), fans are at least happy to have seen one tender moment between him and Sunfyre. Even if it did come from him seeing the bottom of a bottle.
For more, check out our guide to Rhaenys’ death. You can also check out the deaths of other characters in the books, such as Aemond and Criston Cole. Or, check out our House of the Dragon Season 2 release schedule, so you don’t miss a thing.
