Calamitous war seems around the corner at every step in season 2 of House of the Dragon, as the various power players gather allies (and dragons) in order to vie for the Iron Throne.
But the best scene of the season so far had nothing to do with dragons, and didn’t involve most of the major players for the Throne. Instead, a child completely embarrassed Daemon Targaryen in front of an eager audience, stealing the episode — and our hearts — in the process.
That child would be Oscar Tully (Archie Barnes), the newly anointed head of House Tully and lord paramount of the Riverlands. Oscar, who in the books is the son of Elmo, brother of Kermit, and great-grandson of Grover (yes, it really is an extended Muppets gag), has inherited his new titles after the sudden death of Lord Grover Tully, who is his grandson in the show.
We previously met young Oscar in “The Red Dragon and the Gold,” the fourth episode this season. When meeting him at Harrenhal, Daemon is dismayed to learn Lord Grover is alive but bedridden, preventing the king consort from raising the armies of House Tully and the rest of the Riverlands. Daemon tries to convince Oscar to kill his grandfather, disgusting the young heir and pushing Daemon toward a darker path; he later convinces Ser Willem Blackwood to have his house carry out barbaric acts against House Bracken to attempt to beat them into submission.
Photo: Oli Upton/HBO
Episode 7, “The Red Sowing,” is when Daemon’s chickens come home to roost. Lord Grover Tully is now dead after a visit from Alys Rivers, and the young new Lord Tully quickly makes it clear he is no fan of Daemon, even if he intends to keep his family’s oath to Viserys (and therefore Rhaenyra).
Most impressively, Oscar holds Daemon to account in a way no other character really has so far, confronting him with the “barbarities” he committed in the queen’s name. As lord paramount of the Riverlands, the new Lord Tully is not only responsible for the well-being of his own house, but for the feuding houses of Blackwood and Bracken. That means the abominable acts committed by House Blackwood against House Bracken at Daemon’s request have to be dealt with.
And dealt with they are: Daemon peacocks a bit and tries once again to not-so-subtly manipulate the young Lord into supporting his attempts to usurp the throne for himself rather than Rhaenyra, telling the assembled Houses that Lord Tully has “pledged his house and yours to me.” But it’s then that, facing down his new vassals and hoping to earn their trust, Oscar puts Daemon on the spot and on blast.
“I have no love for Daemon Targaryen. He has dishonored himself and the crown with his comportment here,” Oscar says to the crowd. And he’s able to win over the majority of the crowd by being humble, admitting his youth and naming his grandfather’s oath to Viserys and now Rhaenyra as his shining light, “no matter how loathsome I may find [Rhaenyra’s] representative, the prince.”
Photo: Oli Upton/HBO
Daemon, stung, quickly shoots back: “King. Mind your tone, boy,” to shocked whispers from the crowd. But that doesn’t phase Oscar one bit. He slowly saunters up to Daemon, meeting him face-to-face, and reminds the king consort why he’s here — he needs the Riverlands army. Then, Oscar doubles down: “I am, in the end, a river man, and the word of my house stands, even if certain people are unworthy of it.”
Barnes is completely captivating as Oscar, holding strong while surrounded by bigger men with plenty more experience. He is able to convey Oscar’s firmly held morals and inexperience, all while standing toe-to-toe with Smith, who has been one of the standout performers throughout the show’s run. The young Tully’s growth is a great note for a show very concerned with the responsibilities and dangers of power, showing how the smallest among us can rise to the occasion and not be intimidated out of doing the right thing by a bigger man with a large sword.
Finally, Oscar goes for the jugular. He demands Daemon not only denounce his own actions, but execute Ser Blackwood right then and there. And Daemon does exactly that without even a word, lopping Blackwood’s head off in front of the rest of the assembled houses, despite Blackwood’s repeated pleas that he was simply following Daemon’s orders.
Photo: Oli Upton/HBO
It’s the latest lovely note in Daemon’s delicious loser arc at Harrenhal. The once-ambitious prince has been reduced to backing down, over and over again, this time to a child. This is par for the course, considering what we’ve seen from Daemon, and it’s a demonstration of the leadership skills the king consort will never have. So it’s no surprise that in the following scene, his latest vision of Viserys, when the old, haggard, decrepit version of his late older brother asks if he even wants to be king anymore, Daemon truly does not seem to have an answer.
He may have wanted the Iron Throne at one point, but one thing has become clear: Daemon is not built for this. But Oscar Tully is. My man.