House of the Dragon Season 2 Episode 7: The Sowing of the Seeds Is Far More Horrifying Than the Book

House of the Dragon season 2 episode 7 centres on the Dragonseeds, and it builds to a massive scene at the Dragonstone dragonpit that is, in my words, "absolutely horrifying and way more messed up than how it is in the book." In the book, the Sowing of the Seeds reads as more poetic and scholarly, but seeing it in the episode compared to how you read it, it is night and day.

The penultimate episode sets up a lot for the finale. I have tried to keep the book passages to a minimum, paraphrasing anything I have read out before and only quoting where it adds context.

Addam of Hull's wish fulfilment begins after Seasmoke is spotted over Spicetown

The episode picks up in the aftermath of last week, with Addam and Seasmoke spotted over Spicetown. This is real wish fulfilment for a character who wants to rise above his humble origins. From the book we know his mother Marilda inherited a shipyard, which she sold to buy a trading cog, and that eventually let the family own seven ships. The kids never had it easy, though. Addam and Alyn both had to work on those ships while being brushed aside by their true father, and the book even has people suspecting Laenor was their dad.

In the show it is clear that Seasmoke sensed a similarity between Addam and his previous rider, because Addam and Laenor were both Corlys's sons. Marilda had said Laenor was the father, but once he died Corlys admitted they were his. The book then says that not long after Addam proved himself on Seasmoke, Corlys petitioned Rhaenyra to remove the stain of illegitimacy from him and his brother, and with Jacaerys adding his voice, Addam of Hull became Addam Velaryon of Driftmark. Corlys offered his seat to Baela last week, but after she turned him down I am wondering if it will now pass to Addam. Whether the council is happy about that is another matter.

I love how frosty the opening plays. It is almost shot like a duel in a western, with the camera looking over their shoulders as they slowly pace before Addam bends the knee.

Class, rats and Alicent's wound set the tone in King's Landing

The episode obviously deals with the class structures of the realm. The Targaryens are seen as gods, so letting regular people in could upset the balance of power. Rhaenyra, however, is very much a person of the people, and she is glad Addam proved that ordinary people can claim dragons, since she has a wealth of them on Dragonstone. As Mysaria rightly says later, the more lowborn they are, the less likely they are to rise up against them.

Someone disconnected from the people is Alicent, who we catch having the cut on her wrist tended. That makes her a reflection of Rhaenyra, who cut her hand when the pair were on Driftmark. While Rhaenyra embraces the common folk, we see how they have turned against Alicent. We also see rats scavenging for dinner. Rats have been symbolic throughout the show: Viserys spotted them in his room, and the wedding in season one ended on a shot of them. They show that the rats are circling, ready to pick up whatever they can from the family. They are also abundant now because Aegon hanged the rat catchers. The book told us Otto brought in cats to hunt them, but I like that they remain on a metaphorical level, kind of like the end of The Departed.

Aemond strips Aegon's friends of their white cloaks while Larys keeps his secrets

In court, Aegon's friends from the Kingsguard are sent away. People were forced to take the black in the main series, and these two will now have to do the same; if you listen closely you can hear Aemond telling them to swap their white for black. Ironically, that means they could end up on the side of the blacks, since Cregan Stark swore himself to Rhaenyra. These guys were just messing about and not keeping their oaths, so Aemond had them removed, but he is also playing on a different level. His brother is weak, and taking out those who support him makes Aegon even weaker.

I did wonder about Larys's reaction, because he seems to be playing things a bit coy. This gives him an opening to get closer to Aegon, whom he views as his ticket to the top. I do feel he also cares, and I doubt he would be as tender with Aegon if he were just one of the lowborn folk. Larys deliberately does not tell Aemond about the new dragon rider, even though knowing would benefit the greens, and that catches them off guard at the end. The way I interpret it, he wants to oust Aemond and get Aegon back, which is why he is so intent on building up Aegon's strength. If Aegon becomes king again, Larys will likely be seen as his most loyal servant. The court also mentions that Rhaena has not had a dragon yet, which foreshadows something later in the episode.

Mysaria's line comes straight from Fire and Blood, and so do Dragonstone's wild dragons

Back on Dragonstone, Mysaria and Rhaenyra go back and forth. You might notice Rhaenyra wears a dress similar to the one worn by the Targaryen queen in the raid on King's Landing in Game of Thrones season 8, and since Rhaenyra keeps weighing an attack on King's Landing, the outfit foreshadows that move. Mysaria says Rhaenyra would be better served looking "under the sheets and in the wood piles," which comes from the book. There, Mushroom is discussing dragon numbers with Jace, who points out that Stormcloud has never been ridden, Moondancer is a hatchling and Tyraxes is far away. Mushroom laughs and says the blood of the dragon runs common through the common folk, so they should raise an army of illegitimate children.

The book says Dragonstone's three wild dragons were less easily claimed than those that had known riders. Sheepstealer, an ugly mud brown dragon, had a taste for mutton and would swoop on flocks from Driftmark to the Wold, seldom harming shepherds unless they interfered. The show changes that, placing the dragon in the Vale. Grey Ghost lived in a smoking vent high on the Dragonmont, preferred fish, and was a shy, pale grey white beast that avoided men for years at a time. Then there is the Cannibal, named for gorging on hatchlings and the corpses of dead dragons. He is coal black with baleful green eyes and lived on Dragonstone before the Targaryens arrived. Nobody wanted to seek him out, because he is a bit mad.

A man called Silver Denys, whose hair and eyes lent credence to his claim of descent from an illegitimate son of Maegor the Cruel, had an arm torn off by Sheepstealer. As his sons struggled to staunch the wound, the Cannibal descended, drove off Sheepstealer and devoured father and sons alike.

Addam wants a father, and the Tullys finally pick a side

From there we go to Addam and Corlys, with Corlys granting him leave. It has clearly been about titles and thrones for Addam, but it is also clear he just wants a father. He does not quite get there, but I feel like that will come down the line, and I love the pieces they are laying here.

Next, the Tullys ride out to Harrenhal. Their sigil is a trout above a wave, and they are one of the great houses of the Riverlands, but the show changes things up. In the book, Lord Grover Tully had spoken for Viserys at the Great Council of 101 and still favoured the male claimant, insisting Riverrun would fight for Aegon. He was bedridden and dying, and his grandson Ser Elmo pointed out that Riverrun had no defence against dragonfire, so Riverrun barred its gates, manned its walls and held its silence. In the show, Oscar refused to kill his grandfather, but like the book they refused to pledge. And yes, Elmo, Oscar and Grover are all Sesame Street references.

In the series, Grover's death now allows them to pledge to Harrenhal. In the book it was Seasmoke descending on Riverrun that persuaded Elmo to call his banners for the queen while Grover still lived; Elmo is reported to have said that a dragon in one's courtyard does wonders to resolve one's doubts. The show also expands the Bracken and Blackwood rivalry, which is more of a linchpin in the book, where we simply hear that the Mallisters of Seagard pledged to Rhaenyra. Here they properly flesh it out.

Daemon rules with fear, sacrifices Willem Blackwood, and sees Viserys one more time

As the river lords wait, Oscar warns Daemon that ruling with fear is the wrong approach. I have been going back through the Dune books, which often talk about the psychology of leadership. People who rule with fear get subjects who quickly fall in line, but over time that festers into hate, which sows the seeds of rebellion, and we have seen that with the greens. Rhaenyra has treated her subjects with kindness and inspired loyalty. People do not like Daemon because of his hand in Blood and Cheese, which led to the death of an innocent child. Willem also carried out a lot of depravity, and though we never saw it, it brought the river lords looking for answers.

Even as they swear loyalty, we see how much they hate Daemon. He ends up killing Willem to appease them, which I really was not expecting. Willem has been loyal and carried out his wishes, but Daemon needs the many instead of the few. It highlights how desperate he is for power and how he is loyal to no one but himself. Willem is a brand new character, but we know he is the uncle of Benjicot Blackwood, a major character in the book, and I do think they could be laying the seeds of revolution here.

Back inside, Daemon comes across a goat. Black goats are omens that typically denote devilry or witchcraft; it is said Satan sometimes appears as one, and Baphomet had a goat's head, so it carries a lot of symbolism tied in with the river lords and the spectre of Viserys. Yes, it is another vision, but this one is all right. Viserys is in his final form, which made me think it might be the last. It ends ambiguously, and I thought they might close that chapter in the following episode and have Daemon realise he does not want to rule. Viserys tells him the crown curses all who wear it and that he never really wanted it. All season we have had the idea that those who do not want to rule make the best rulers, which we heard at the weirwood tree last week, and when Viserys asks if he still wants the crown, Daemon clearly hesitates.

Aegon's recovery mirrors Viserys, and Larys wants him ready

We then beautifully cut to an example of why the crown is not a good thing: Aegon getting physical therapy before going back to bed. It is the same bed we saw Viserys withering away in during season 1. Aegon is the perfect mirror of his father, with wounds on the opposite side of his face, a cane and a hobble. The crown corrupts all who touch it; sometimes it is physical, sometimes it is in the soul, but the power is too much for one person to manage.

The book says that while plots swirled, Aegon remained oblivious. The burns he suffered at Rook's Rest left scars over half his body, and Mushroom says they rendered him impotent. His leap from Sunfyre's back at Dragonstone had broken his right leg in two places and shattered the bones in his left. The right healed well, but according to Grand Maester Orwyle the left atrophied until only a withered stick remained, so twisted that Orwyle thought it might be better cut away. The king would not hear of it, was carried about by litter, and only toward the end walked with a crutch.

Larys shows up and sits at the foot of the bed, having gone through something similar, and I love how the show tells us about Larys's hardships by showing them happening to Aegon. If Aegon wants to survive, this is the sort of person he will have to become. I do feel they might add some character turns where Aegon ends up strategically destroying his brother. Aemond is great in a physical fight, and very few can match Vhagar, which is why he wins so much, but when it comes to playing things out in a backhanded way he is not that good. I wondered if they were laying that, with Larys wanting Aegon ready.

Alyn turns down the dream, and Rhaena goes looking for burned sheep

At the shipyard, Corlys tells Alyn his brother is a dragon rider before basically laying out that he is his father without saying it. This is slightly different from the book, where Alyn tried for Grey Ghost and then Sheepstealer and failed at both. Sheepstealer set his cloak aflame, and only Addam's swift action saved him: Seasmoke drove the wild dragon off while Addam beat out the flames with his own cloak. Alyn carried the scars on his back and legs for the rest of his long life, yet counted himself fortunate, since many other seekers ended up in Sheepstealer's belly. The show simplifies it, with Alyn saying he does not yearn for the things his brother does.

We then cut to the Vale, where the Targaryen children are heading to Pentos aboard the Gay Abandon, which I come back to in the spoiler section. Rhaena goes off track to find the carcasses of burned sheep, which reflects Aemond as a child heading out on Driftmark to claim Vhagar. What happens next likely serves the finale, and I cover it at the end.

Jace fears what common riders mean for the Targaryens and for his claim

After a short scene in the Kingswood, Jace berates his mother, calling these people mongrels, and she replies that those are strong words from him. Jace rightly believes that if anyone can ride a dragon, people will start wondering what is so special about the Targaryens. When Aegon the Conqueror came from Valyria, people genuinely thought he was a god, and those who refused to bend the knee, like Harren the Black, were burned in their huge castles, with Harrenhal partly destroyed. That power elevated them, and we have seen people like Steffon Darklyn, even in the inner circle, believe the dragons are gods. Removing that veil also takes them off the pedestal, and down the line the Targaryens will be replaced on the throne by the Baratheons and then the Lannisters. Parading Meleys's head through the streets also broke down this idea, and it likely added to why the peasants are rioting.

I also feel the real reason Jace is so annoyed is that these riders could contest him as heir. He has been named heir, but Rhaenyra was named heir too, and he has seen firsthand how that was contested. They then give him a moment that is not in the book, where he acknowledges he knows the truth about his father. It is something he and Rhaenyra have never said out loud, though even when Harwin left there was an unspoken truth. His fake dad is dead but not really, his real dad is dead, his mother is married to her uncle, and she is now involved with the woman she just brought in to live with them. The guy has gone through a tough time, and this is just more pressure.

The call goes out, and Hugh and Ulf answer it

Mysaria uses Alyn and their network of contacts to get a message to King's Landing. In the book, the blacks offered anyone who tamed a dragon a title, lands and riches and a knighthood, with their children known as nobles and their daughters allowed to wed lords. For someone stuck in poverty in the middle of a civil war, that is hard to turn down, and it led countless people to come forward, not all of them Dragonseeds. The book mentions Steffon Darklyn, whom we saw last week, along with squires, scullions, sailors, men at arms, mummers and two maids. Munkun names it the Sowing of the Seeds, crediting the notion to Jacaerys rather than Mushroom, while others preferred the Red Sowing because of all the people who died.

We see the word spread, and Hugh later confirms the terms: "they'd make you a lady." I love the moment a gold cloak rips down the notice on a door; pause it and you can see a black dragon on red, Rhaenyra's colours. In the tavern, Ulf White is basically doing Jay from The Inbetweeners. If you know Tom Bennett from Phone Shop, you know his comedy timing is spot on, and he completely nails it. This is where last week he was annoyed at the greens feasting while he and the common folk starved. He is pressured into going but clearly has reservations, unlike Hugh Hammer, who says it is his duty. They are desperate, and this is their literal golden ticket.

We learn Ulf's silver hair comes from his mother, a Targaryen who worked in a brothel where people paid more for that trait. She claimed to be half sister to Prince Baelon and told him he was no different from his brother's boys, Viserys and Daemon, who lived like royalty while he suffered. That kinship makes sense of the dragon choosing him, just as Addam was half brother to Laenor, Seasmoke's previous rider. Hugh's origins are kept a mystery in the book, but last week I guessed his quest would be spurred by his daughter's death, and that is confirmed. He feels like a failure, and though his wife tries to talk him down, he decides he has to act. As they leave, Alyn looks on longingly. He did not want it, but there will be that what if in his mind.

Alicent drifts alone in the Kingswood

We cut to Alicent in the Kingswood, where the great hunt took place in season one and where Rhaenyra and Criston grew closer. There we saw the white stag, an omen. Viserys failed to kill the regular stag with the first blow, highlighting that he was failing as a king, while the white hart was said to appear only to the rightful heir, which is why Rhaenyra saw it.

Alicent goes out to the lake and floats in it, much as she has in the bath. I did wonder if this was a nod to the painting of Ophelia, and there are ties to King Arthur and Excalibur. It might not be, but it is really poetic. Alicent is almost like a corpse in the water, watching a bird overhead, which highlights how isolated she is and how, in making all these moves, she has left herself truly alone.

Vermithor, the Bronze Fury, chooses Hugh in the dragonpit

On Dragonstone the outsiders roll in, and I love how the tops of the walls look like dragon teeth jutting out. Inside, it is clearly not a popular decision, with Rhaenyra getting shouted at by the dragonkeepers. They worship the beasts in a religious sense; last week they sang to them in something like a hymn, and they even sacrifice themselves when burning. That is why things go so badly at the end, because they are not there to keep order. I thought I noticed some boys who looked like Strongs, and working out the ages, it could be them. We know from the Strong boys that lacking silver hair does not mean you are not a Targaryen.

Rhaenyra gives a rousing speech about claiming dragons to end the war and brings up Vermithor, the Bronze Fury, a nickname from the book. In the book Vermithor killed Lord Gormon Massey, whom we have seen on the black council, in the same passage where Steffon died, and I am glad they skipped it, because having it last week would have spoiled the surprise. I was initially optimistic when Vermithor showed up, because he represents peace. He was Jaehaerys's dragon, the flagship of the longest peacetime in the realm, and Rhaenyra uses him to show she wants nothing more than peace.

Vermithor also has a chance against Vhagar. He was the second largest dragon in the realm and roughly 96 years old around this time, while Vhagar is about 180, so she still has the advantage of size and wisdom. Vermithor was a mated pair with Silverwing, whose rider Alysanne married Jaehaerys, and both dragons travelled to the Wall. Vermithor was also the dragon Daemon visited in season 1 episode 10. Then all hell breaks loose. The actor cast as Silver Denys appears here, tying back to that earlier passage, though he never gets to drop his name. What an insane scene; I think it is one a lot of people will remember. Seeing it from Hugh's point of view makes us want him to survive, especially as he protects a woman from dying. He throws his arms up to call Vermithor, which reminded me of Jurassic Park distracting the T. rex, and it wins Vermithor's favour. Rhaenyra's plan worked.

Ulf then moves through the caves to find his own dragon, much as Addam did. The book says Seasmoke, Vermithor and Silverwing, having once been ridden, were more accepting of new riders: Vermithor bent his neck to a blacksmith's illegitimate son, a towering man called Hugh the Hammer, or Hard Hugh, while a man at arms called Ulf the White for his hair, or Ulf the Sot for his drinking, mounted Silverwing. I love how the series takes these little lines and uses them to flesh out characters. Despite the deaths, the Sowing was a success: four new dragon riders had been found, and as 129 AC drew to a close Jacaerys prepared to fly against King's Landing on the first full moon of the new year.

Aemond is not built to rule, and Daeron waits in Oldtown

At the council we get a symbolic shot of Aemond sitting slanted to the side, clearly not aligned with the role, which we also saw with Aegon earlier. Aemond does not understand why the common folk revolt and has a narrow view of the world, and that is not an eye pun. Those who rule should be peaceful and diplomatic, which is why Jaehaerys and Viserys did so well; Aemond is brutal and chaotic. He also reflects Daemon, who wanted the throne so badly it tortures him but is slowly accepting he is not right for it, and I feel Aemond is realising ruling is a burden too.

We also hear about Otto's work in Oldtown and about Daeron, described in the book as the most popular of Alicent's three sons, clever, courteous and comely. At 12, in 126 AC, he was sent to Oldtown as cupbearer and squire to Lord Ormund Hightower, a role many royals are given in their youth. Known as the gentlest of his brothers and born in 114 AC, he still grew up a rival of the Strongs. The book says the enmity between Alicent and Rhaenyra passed to their sons, and that training and studying together only fed their mutual dislike. He is not the dimwit Aemond and Aegon are, and he got his dragon Tessarion, the Blue Queen, cobalt and copper, which the series says took to the wing recently. At the time, I felt the finale would show Aemond desperately recruiting him.

Ulf arrives over King's Landing, and I love the little look to Larys, as if to say I told you he had more. Ulf takes his first flight and Aemond chases him, but then turns around. In the past he arrogantly said he would fight Daemon; now he refuses to face these new challenges. My my my, how the turntables, and it is so good to see him truly afraid. The episode closes with Rhaenyra standing triumphantly on Dragonstone as Syrax, Vermithor and Silverwing surround her, an outstanding shot showing it is all about to kick off.

Book spoilers: Benjicot, Rhaena's dragon and the Shepherd

Benjicot Blackwood is a character I definitely thought we would see down the line. Known as Bloody Ben, he took over his house after his father died at the Battle of the Burning Mill, which we saw earlier this season. He joined the blacks, fought several battles in the Riverlands, even protected them against Vhagar, and his forces hunted Criston. I wondered where he was here and how he will deal with the events of this episode. As for Ulf over King's Landing, I compared it to Addam at the start because Ulf switches sides during the war and joins the greens, so I wondered if this was groundwork for that, though it is a bit of a reach.

Rhaena's moment differs from the book, where the Vale had assembled 1,500 knights and 8,000 men at arms, and Rhaena's egg hatched a pale pink dragon with black horns and crest that she named Morning. I believe Morning was the baby dragon we saw in the show, but here Rhaena gets Sheepstealer. We had theorised for weeks that she would take over Nettles's part, since Nettles tamed him in the book by bringing him a sheep every morning. Some people said there are still thought to be plans for Nettles to appear, but at this point it is like, what is the point. I feel the dragons are sensing out blood and perhaps being a Targaryen or Valyrian is needed, which would explain why Jon Snow could ride one. It is a shame losing Nettles, a fearless, foul mouthed woman of uncertain birth with a slit nose from being caught stealing, and we will see whether Rhaena gets those traits.

Someone pointed out last week that we might have met the Shepherd when an older man grabbed Alicent as she fled the sept, and he was almost cut off. Mushroom calls him the Dead Shepherd, as pale and foul as a corpse fresh risen from its grave. He had a stump for a hand, suspected to be punishment for theft, though tying it to that man would also set up his hatred for the royals. Preaching from Cobbler's Square, he declared dragons were demons summoned from the seven hells by the sorceries of Valyria, and he led the rioters to storm the dragonpit in a massacre. I am annoyed I missed that, and it is a direction they could take in the future, probably season 3.

At the time, I also thought the finale might bring the Battle of the Gullet, the next major part of the book, which leads to a death I would not spoil. It builds from the Gay Abandon: the Triarchy accepted Otto Hightower's alliance, and 90 warships sailed straight into the ship carrying two Targaryen princes. The escorts were sunk or taken, and the ship was captured. The younger Aegon, Rhaenyra's son, only nine, reached Dragonstone clinging to Stormcloud in terror, and the wounded dragon died within the hour. Young Viserys tried to disguise himself as a ship boy but was given away by one of the others. I felt the finale might go that way, mirroring the end of season 1 and Blood and Cheese so the season opened and closed with children in peril, and the invasion of King's Landing was also possible, though it comes slightly later in the book.

Was giving Sheepstealer to Rhaena instead of bringing in Nettles the right call, or has the show lost something by cutting her?