Cargyllbowl took over 30 hours of rehearsal for one House of the Dragon Season 2 Episode 2 sequence

House of the Dragon season 2 is soaring on the viewership charts as fans tune in every week to watch the next segment of the story. The HBO prequel has to face fans’ great expectations since the majestic Targaryen clan needs its story told extraordinarily. Episode 2 featured some epic scenes from the aftermath of Jaehaerys’s death to the visceral confrontation between the Cargyll brothers. Every scene in the episode was soaked in incredible storytelling and breathtaking visuals.

Subsequently, HBO also released an Inside the Episode feature where Ryan Condal, Sarah Hess, and Claire Kilner talk about the intricate aspects that made House of the Dragon season 2 episode 2 so captivating.

Also Read: Ewan Mitchell calls Targaryen Family tree a circle: House of the Dragon cast reacts to viral memes

Cargyllbowl is a giant moment in Westerosi history, says Ryan Condal

Similar to Cleganebowl from Game of Thrones, House of the Dragon is witnessing Cargyllbowl. The battle between two brothers is never easy to watch, especially when the two brothers love each other as much as Erryk and Arryk do.

Hess further added, “We always love that moment of these two brothers who love each other more than anything also being set to kill each other, and there’s a very American Civil War brother-on-brother aspect to it. Why are they doing this? It’s because these nobles have decided that they’re mad at each other, and now these guys have to battle it to the death. But Elliott and Luke are phenomenal in that scene. It was a really incredible moment on set.”

Elliott Titensor revealed that the brothers rehearsed for 30 hours to get the scene right. More than the fight, it was important to get the emotional nuances of the scene right. He said, “We wanted to put all our energy into it, and I feel like in the midst of the aggression of it, I think it should be quite a beautiful scene. And it was super emotional as well, and hopefully, we can capture that for the audience anyway because it’d be wicked if they could get a sense of how we felt on the day.”

The heartbreaking scene is devastating for the actors, the crew, and the audience alike. Seeing two lives come to an end because of some quarreling royals is a sad reality. Unfortunately, this is not the last time innocent lives will be lost in the name of Targaryens. The two major battles are yet to unfold.

Ryan Condal addresses Aegon’s unstable behavior in House of the Dragon season 2

Photograph by Ollie Upton/HBO

Having lost not just a child, but the heir to the Iron Throne is not an easy loss to bear. Both Aegon II and Halaena are grappling with the terrible loss of their first-born child, Jaehaerys Targaryen. Moreover, Aegon II feels doubly threatened since it’s his power that is being put into question. Someone entered their castle and murdered the King’s heir without a second thought.

Showrunner Ryan Condal shares, “In episode two, any kind of stability for Aegon has now been ripped out from beneath his feet. We always knew that Aegon was gonna get rid of that Valyrian model, and it’s a really powerful dramatization of how there is a new sheriff in town, and Aegon’s reign as king is very different than Viserys.”

Tom Glynn-Carney further expresses how the death of their child has bizarrely brought Aegon II and Haelaena closer. They understand each other’s pain and communicate through the loss. Phia Saban, on the other hand, claims that time has stood still for Halaena and she has no idea how to process these emotions. “I think she’s feeling it in the most raw and visceral way because she’s not angry over the loss of an heir, she’s bereft over the loss of a child,” she shared.

Rhys Ifans focuses on the political advantage

Credits: Max

Otto Hightower reminds many fans of Tywin Lannister from Game of Thrones – a powerful patriarch who only believes in furthering the reputation of his house. From sending Alicent to comfort Viserys to now using his great-grandson’s death for political advantage, Otto is laser-focused on sustaining House Hightower’s image in society.

The actor said, “It’s a way of manipulating the population with fake news. And as cruel as this society is, no one likes a dead baby. So in Otto’s job, it’s a weapon to employ in terms of public opinion.”

Claire Kilner, who has directed House of the Dragon season 2 episode 2 adds, “Otto is forever the pragmatist thinking about how to make the best of every possible situation, and it seems to me he’s a character who’s completely able to compartmentalize his emotions, and that makes him seem cold and calculating.”

As an experienced member of the court, Otto feels it’s his responsibility to steer the ship ahead. Even when his daughter and grandchildren are grieving and finding it hard to sustain themselves, Otto needs to remain clearheaded in order to plan for the future. We’ll have to see how his tactics pan out in the upcoming House of the Dragon season 2 episodes.

Emma D’Arcy talks about women’s rage

Photograph by Theo Whitman/HBO

In House of the Dragon season 1, Emma D’Arcy’s character Rhaenyra Targaryen kept her anger in control. She wanted the world to see she could be a just ruler and deserved the throne more than anyone else. Even when her son got killed, she had to maintain her composure and act rationally. Naturally, when Daemon acted on behalf of her, in a vengeful and petty manner, Rhaenyra saw this as a threat to her claim to the Iron Throne.

Matt Smith, the actor who brings the role of Daemon Targaryen to life, claims, “Like with anything between them, it’s utterly complex. And the thing with Daemon is his sense of morality. Although it’s perverted and mad, he thinks he’s doing the right thing.”

Moreover, Kilner appreciated the chemistry and understanding between D’Arcy and Smith as actors. They give each other space to emote and feel in a scene rather than blindly jumping the gun. Finally, D’Arcy expressed, “Claire gave us such freedom, and something I spoke to Claire about was women’s rage. And I think we saw Rhaenyra in season one keep a lid on intense feeling, and I was really excited to find out what happens when you take the lid off that.”

Also Read:  “Strange things happen in grief and in death”: Olivia Cooke and Ryan Condal discuss how Alicent and Criston’s relationship came to be

Criston Cole drowns in guilt

Credits: Max

Both Alicent and Criston Cole are facing the harsh reality that there could have been a chance to avoid this tragedy had Cole been on guard. He was with Alicent at the time of Jaehaerys’s murder so could not save the King’s heir.

“Cole is wrapped up in his own guilt and shame because he was in the queen’s chamber when all this was going down. If you please, my lord. He’s been commander for five days, and there’s been the most catastrophic thing that’s happened. So I think he loses it a little bit, and he feels so guilty, but he can’t admit the guilt to anyone. And so he needs to externalize it, it sets him on this mission that he deep down knows is a fool’s errand,” shares executive producer and writer for House of the Dragon season 2 Sarah Hess.

Also Read: Cargyllbowl sees the Kingsguard twins duel to death in House of the Dragon Season 2 Episode 2