Smallfolk

"Smallfolk" is the sixth episode of the second season of the fantasy drama television series House of the Dragon, a prequel to Game of Thrones. The episode was written by Eileen Shim and directed by Andrij Parekh. It first aired on HBO and Max on July 21, 2024.

"Smallfolk"
House of the Dragon episode
Episode no.	Season 2 Episode 6
Directed by	Andrij Parekh
Written by	Eileen Shim
Featured music	Ramin Djawadi
Cinematography by	Vanja Cernjul
Editing by	Adam Bosman
Original air date	July 21, 2024 (2024-07-21)
Running time	67 minutes
Guest appearance
Paddy Considine as Viserys I Targaryen (uncredited)

In the episode, Aemond orders Criston to march on Harrenhal, dismisses Alicent from the Green Council, and instructs Larys to summon Otto Hightower back. Meanwhile, Rhaenyra searches for someone with Targaryen ancestry to become Seasmoke's new rider. Addam of Hull is later chosen by Seasmoke himself. Mysaria sends Targaryen-bannered boats carrying food to King's Landing, earning the smallfolk's praise for Rhaenyra.

The episode received highly positive reviews from critics, with praise going towards the direction, writing, score, character development, Paddy Considine's guest return as Viserys, the riot in King's Landing, and cast performances (particularly Ewan Mitchell, Emma D'Arcy and Olivia Cooke).

Plot

In the Westerlands

Lord Jason Lannister leads his army to the Golden Tooth, meeting his vassal Lord Humfrey Lefford, who expects their joined forces to march to Harrenhal. Jason, however, wants to wait for Aemond and Vhagar, as they need a dragon to combat Daemon's dragon, Caraxes.

In King's Landing

Refusing Jason Lannister's request for protection, Aemond plans to ally with the Triarchy leaders to break the Velaryon shipping blockade. He also orders Criston to accompany the Hightower troops to Harrenhal and dismisses Alicent from the Small Council. Larys suggests Aemond choose him as his Hand, but Aemond rebuffs this. He then orders Larys to summon Otto Hightower back to court.

Aegon, briefly awake and lucid, is visited by Aemond, who presses him about his memory of the battle at Rook's Rest. Aegon claims to have no recollection of it. Larys visits Aegon as well, saying he will never fully recover from his injuries. He advises Aegon use his handicap to his advantage, like Larys has done himself. He warns that Aegon's life is in danger. Aegon asks for Larys' help.

Before leaving for Harrenhal with Criston's troops, Gwayne tells Alicent about her youngest teenaged son, Daeron, who is being raised in Oldtown. Questing her own parenting, Alicent is pleased to hear that Daeron is stalwart, clever, and, unlike his brothers, also kind.

Mysaria's agents spread rumors that the royal family afford themselves lavish lives while the smallfolk starve. When Larys informs Aemond, he cannot understand why they blame them rather than Rhaenyra who ordered the blockade. Larys explains that the Crown is expected to provide for the smallfolk. Mysaria sends food-laden boats with Rhaenyra's banners to King's Landing. The people openly praise Rhaenyra, but unrest breaks out as people fight for the limited supplies. Leaving the sept after prayers, Alicent and Helaena are caught up in the riot and swarmed by the people. Despite Alicent's order not to attack, a guard maims a man who approaches them. They escape, but one of the guards is overwhelmed by the rioters.

At Dragonstone

Needing more dragonriders, Rhaenyra asks Ser Steffon Darklyn, who has Targaryen ancestry, to attempt to claim Seasmoke, Laenor Velaryon's dragon who grew restless without a rider. Knowing the risk, Steffon agrees to try. Seeming receptive at first, Seasmoke lashes out and burns Steffon and one of the dragonkeepers to death.

Lord Bartimos Celtigar heavily criticizes Rhaenyra, for which she slaps him and proclaims she let others forget to fear her. Jacaerys approaches her about the incident and Rhaenyra laments her passivity in the war.

At the Eyrie and in the Vale

Walking through the Vale, Rhaena notices signs of a dragon. Lady Jeyne Arryn later claims it is a wild dragon roaming the area. She also announces that Prince Reggio of Pentos has agreed to shelter Rhaena and Rhaenyra's youngest sons Aegon and Viserys, making preparations for their departure.

At Harrenhal

Daemon continues having dreams, this time about his brother, Viserys, and starts sobbing. He becomes suspicious of Simon Strong's loyalty. Daemon wants to leave but Alys advises him to wait and do nothing, foreseeing that things may change in a few days. Soon after, Simon Strong announces that Lord Grover Tully has died, Alys having been the last person to treat him. Grover's death makes his grandson, Oscar, the Lord of Riverrun and Lord Paramount of the Riverlands.

On Driftmark

Corlys appoints Alyn as the first mate of his flagship, who shaves his head to not raise suspicion of his familial connection. While Addam is working on the beach, Seasmoke appears overhead. The dragon begins chasing Addam, finally landing and approaching him.

At Dragonstone (cont.)

Rhaenyra talks to Mysaria about Daemon and how she and him lack traits that the other possesses. Mysaria reveals details about her traumatic past, and the reasons for her loyalty to Rhaenyra. Rhaenyra is moved by Mysaria's words and the two kiss passionately, but they are interrupted by the news of Seasmoke being spotted with a rider. Rhaenyra believes it may be a ally of the Greens and immediately leaves on Syrax to confront them.

Production

Paddy Considine returned as King Viserys Targaryen in the episode.

Writing and filming

"Smallfolk" was written by Eileen Shim and directed by Andrij Parekh, marking Shim's second time as writer for the series, following "The Lord of the Tides", and Parekh's first directorial credit. The title of the episode refers to the common people of King's Landing who starve due to the Blacks' shipping blockade and riot against the Greens.

Casting

The episode stars Matt Smith, Emma D'Arcy, Olivia Cooke, Steve Toussaint, Fabien Frankel, Matthew Needham, Sonoya Mizuno, Tom Glynn-Carney, Ewan Mitchell, Phia Saban, Harry Collett, Phoebe Campbell, Jefferson Hall, Freddie Fox, Gayle Rankin, Abubakar Salim, Clinton Liberty, Kurt Egyiawan, Kieran Bew, Ellora Torchia, Tom Bennett, and Simon Russell Beale. Paddy Considine returned as King Viserys Targaryen, though his appearance is uncredited. Siân Brooke also made a brief appearance, reprising her role as Viserys' wife Aemma. Both characters appear in Daemon's visions.

The episode marks the final appearance of recurring character Ser Steffon Darklyn (Anthony Flanagan).

Reception

Critical response

The performances of Emma D'Arcy, Olivia Cooke, and Matt Smith received praise from critics.

"Smallfolk" was met with highly positive critical reviews. On the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, it holds an approval rating of 91% based on 11 reviews, with an average rating of 7.8/10.

Alec Bojalad of Den of Geek gave the episode 4 out of 5 stars, stating, "Like most episodes of House of the Dragon this season, episode 6 has a lot going on. While it can be easy to get bogged down by the ever-revolving door of new and recurring characters, this installment at least keeps things moving fairly quickly, reminding us who these people are and why we should even care about them in the first place." Haley Whitmire White of TV Fanatic also rated it 4 out of 5 stars, commenting, "It was, overall, a great episode. There wasn't much action, but that's because everyone is strategizing and preparing for, well, fire and blood." James Hunt of Screen Rant gave it 3.5 out of 5 stars, noting "[The episode] continues the fallout from Rook's Rest and the gradual build to the finale with another solid, if unspectacular, outing. [It] has settled back into the same slower, early season rhythm [...], but that's not a bad thing. There's some intriguing setup and strong character development in King's Landing, Harrenhal, and on Dragonstone, although not everything works." Also giving it 3.5 out of 5 stars, Fay Watson of GamesRadar+ summarized her review by saying, "The latest episode keeps the well-trod routine of council bickering and strange visions, but interesting character choices set up a tantalizing end to the season."

Kayleigh Dray of The A.V. Club graded it with an "A", commenting, "All in all, it’s another excellent episode of House Of The Dragon. There are a lot of big dialogue-heavy scenes, which the series is fast becoming known for, and just enough action to keep anyone craving an adrenaline hit happy." Helen O'Hara of IGN scored it 9 out of 10, writing, "A strikingly well-written episode with some beautifully drawn moments of interpersonal drama. While it's lovely to see Paddy Considine return briefly, it's even better to see this season's cast firing on all cylinders with a script that fully supports them. This episode doesn't have one of those spectacular water-cooler moments that would earn it full marks, but it's a spectacularly crafted piece of television that delivers on the promise of this world." Erik Kain of Forbes said "All told, another fantastic and gripping episode of [the series] which manages to be fascinating and compelling even without large-scale dragon battles or battles of any kind."

The performances of the cast were met with critical praise, with Fay Watson saying, "No one can doubt that this is a cast that'll do justice to anything that their characters are handed." Particular praise was given to Mitchell, D'Arcy, Cooke, Smith and Rankin. Alec Bojalad said of Mitchell that he "has been bringing his A-game to Aemond all season, but he particularly shines in this episode as Aemond steps into this new role, especially in the conversation he has with [Alicent]," while Carly Lane of Collider stated that "Mitchell is chillingly good at being indecipherable." Regarding D'Arcy, Bojalad called their performance "incredible", commending the way they "subtly and overtly portray Rhaenyra's restlessness bubbling toward the surface."

Several critics highlighted key moments from the episode, such as Seasmoke claiming Addam as his rider, Considine's return as King Viserys Targeryen in Daemon's visions, the smallfolk uprising, the royal drama in King's Landing and Aemond's conversations with Alicent, Larys and Aegon, as well as Rhaenyra and Mysaria's kiss. James Hunt described the kiss as "unexpected" but effective in adding more layers to both characters. Carly Lane and Proma Khosla of IndieWire praised the chemistry between D'Arcy and Mizuno, with Lane calling them "captivating to watch together," although she noted the lack of build up to their potential romance as a flaw. Other aspects lauded by critics included Parekh's direction, Djawadi's score, and Rhaenyra's character development. Katie Doll of CBR wrote about Parekh, opining that "Parekh made himself one of the best directors of the series by executing high-stakes and mundane scenarios with sensation." Meanwhile, the storyline in the Vale and lack of story development for Rhaena were criticized.

External links

• "Smallfolk" at HBO
• "Smallfolk" at IMDb