SPOILER ALERT: This interview accommodates spoilers for HBO’s “Residence of the Dragon” Season 2 finale, titled “The Queen Who Ever Was,” now streaming on Max.
Considerably than a harmful battle to complete Season 2, “Residence of the Dragon” closes with a fiery alternate of phrases between Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D’Arcy) and Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke) which will depart you on the sting of your seats as quite a bit as any dragon duel would.
In its place of beginning in Westeros, the Season 2 finale kicks off in Essos, the sandy, pirate-filled continent off to the east. Tyland Lannister (Jefferson Hall) is there to barter with the Triarchy to help the Greens in alternate for the Stepstones islands. Sharako Lohar (Abigail Thorn) agrees to information the naval fleet, after she beats Tyland in a mud wrestling battle, they normally set sail to interrupt the blockade spherical King’s Landing.
Throughout the metropolis, Prince Regent Aemond Targaryen (Ewan Mitchell) returns from burning down an entire metropolis alongside along with his dragon Vhagar. His sister Helaena Targaryen (Phia Saban) and mother Alicent are appalled at what he’s completed, and way more so when he requires Helaena take flight on her dragon Dreamfyre to help throughout the warfare. Alicent stands up for her daughter, who reveals that she is conscious of Aemond severely burned their brother King Aegon II Targaryen (Tom Glynn-Carney) all through the Battle of Rook’s Rest.
And Aegon shouldn’t be doing properly. He can barely stroll, he’s depressed and he can’t pee with out urine working down his leg. His grasp of whisperers, Larys Sturdy (Matthew Needham), suggests they flee to Braavos and reside off their remaining gold, so that Aegon can triumphantly return and rise from the ashes afterward. Miles away — nonetheless like Aegon after Rook’s Rest — Ser Criston Cole (Fabien Frankel) can be a broken man. He’s shell-shocked after narrowly surviving a dragon assault, and believes that his army is marching in direction of fiery annihilation. Alicent’s brother Gwayne Hightower (Freddie Fox) is conscious of that Criston has been breaking his Kingsguard vows by sleeping alongside along with his sister, and Criston admits his want for ladies has launched him nothing nonetheless grief.
All by means of this season, Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith) has had some creepy, cameo-filled visions whereas in Harrenhal, nonetheless this episode choices in all probability essentially the most beautiful ones. The witch Alys Rivers (Gayle Rankin) brings Daemon to a weirwood tree, the place he has visions of the upcoming “Sport of Thrones” future. He sees Brynden Rivers — larger generally called the Three-Eyed Raven, later carried out by Max von Sydow — White Walkers from previous the Wall and a glimpse of Emilia Clarke’s Daenerys Targaryen alongside along with her three youngster dragons. Daemon moreover sees himself drowning, Rhaenyra sitting on the Iron Throne, a dull dragon and a pile of corpses. The imaginative and prescient ends with Helaena staring once more at him, telling him he ought to play his half throughout the grand Westeros story. Once more in King’s Landing, Helaena concurrently snaps out of her imaginative and prescient when she’s interrupted by Aemond. She tells him of his impending doom from being swallowed up by the Gods Eye and that Aegon shall be king as soon as extra.
The imaginative and prescient scares Daemon enough that he’s glad he ought to bend the knee to Rhaenyra, and pledge his army and help to the Blacks. Lastly, in Dragonstone, Alicent pays Rhaenyra a secret go to all through which she begs her to complete the warfare. After Aemond fired her from the small council, Alicent has come to her senses, and she or he’s completed with scheming and plotting. She tells Rhaenyra the Black forces can conquer King’s Landing in three days whereas Aemond is away at warfare with Criston. She even says that Rhaenyra can kill Aegon to utterly take power. The two share a tense, tearful reunion, but it surely absolutely’s unclear whether or not or not Alicent will maintain her phrase — and if Rhaenyra totally trusts her.
Sooner than we’re capable of see the results of their dialog, the Inexperienced and Black forces put collectively for all-out warfare. The Lannisters be part of the Greens, the Triarchy ships face the Velaryon fleet and Starks march south to affix the battle. Larys and Aegon moreover sneak away from King’s Landing in a wagon, and we see Otto Hightower (Rhys Ifans) locked away in a dungeon someplace. Plus, there are two additional dragons in play: Daemon’s daughter Rhaena Targaryen (Phoebe Campbell) discovers a misplaced dragon named Sheepstealer, and the massive blue dragon Tessarion flies over the Inexperienced army. Tessarion belongs to Daeron Targaryen, Alicent’s son who has however to look on the current nonetheless has been away in Oldtown the whole time. It appears to be like as if Season 3 will lastly introduce this missing Targaryen, and we’ll get way more dragon-tastic battles.
In an interview with Choice, Geeta Vasant Patel — who moreover directed Episode 3 from this season — explains creating Daemon’s cameo-filled imaginative and prescient, capturing Rhaenyra and Alicent’s emotional dialog, introducing the two new dragons and much more.
Various followers had been anticipating a large battle episode since that’s the season finale, nonetheless this was much more about intense conversations and shifting alliances. How did this episode match the mold of what you had been anticipating to do for the finale?
I really didn’t know what to anticipate. I didn’t know if it could possibly be a battle or one factor else. I probably anticipated a battle, merely as a fan. Then as soon as I be taught the script, I was pleasantly surprised and utterly blissful, on account of I really feel we put an extreme quantity of on battles. I really feel what’s really attention-grabbing about this episode is that it’s about relationships. It’s the dialogue, the twists and turns, the connection between Daemon and Rhaenyra, and Rhaenyra and Alicent. For me, it was pretty thrilling to present consideration to the dramaturgy. I actually like that. I was excited to dig deep with this. I undoubtedly felt the issue if people are anticipating a large battle, how is that this going to compete with it? Nonetheless having completed Episode 8 from Season 1, I knew that if we executed the script it could possibly be grand.
You moreover directed Episode 3 from this season, which had the important thing dialog between Rhaenyra and Alicent throughout the church. How did you want their scene collectively in the end of the finale to assemble upon that earlier episode?
We made sure that the scenes between them in Episodes 3 and eight had an pure storytelling to them, and that there was a rising movement between the two of them. We had been persistently going forwards and backwards, tweaking this and that — so that these two scenes had a really direct relationship.
We shot that scene on the end of Episode 8 nearly on the end of the manufacturing season. There have been two points that had been really important: We would have liked it to essentially really feel like Rhaenyra and Alicent had been kids as soon as extra, on account of that’s what that scene was really about. Olivia and Emma did a really good job of bringing that juvenile, fearful, innocent aspect to the scene, the place they wrestled between what they know they’re imagined to do and what they’re feeling that’s irrational. The other issue is we wanted to ensure that the scene in Episode 3 was on their minds. They’re like a divorced couple that additionally loves each other. Everytime you see an ex, it’s practically as if that battle you had, or what they did to you, is current in your ideas and easily occurred 5 minutes up to now. We would have liked it to be that razor’s edge feeling as soon as we entered this scene between the two of them. They really pushed and pulled each other in a method that I wasn’t sure how they’d been going to complete it.
After their dialog, it appears to be like as if there’s nonetheless some doubt about whether or not or not Alicent is telling the truth to Rhaenyra, or if Rhaenyra completely believes her. How do you interpret that scene and the place they depart points?
The actors maintain their interpretations very shut. That’s the beauty of them coming into the scene in that method. They’re not freely giving one factor that they themselves as characters won’t know however. After we shot it, an necessary issue was to know the place the shift was throughout the scene, and that was when Rhaenyra says, “A son for a son.” She’s saying that on account of she beforehand says, “You’ve certainly not sacrificed one thing, Alicent. You want all these things, nonetheless you want your cake and to eat it, too.” After I used to be discovering out that scene, the very very first thing I did was I went to the bookend of it, which is Episode 1. The very first scene that Ryan Condal wrote was a voiceover about how we’ve to sacrifice for obligation. If we’re going to take care of this like a film, that’s the theme of this whole film. This scene wished to present consideration to that.
There’s a second the place Rhaenyra says, “OK, you’re gonna ought to sacrifice. If you want one factor, stop your son.” I really feel that second is precise and true. When Alicent says, “Certain, you probably can have my son,” she is giving up her son. The shock is throughout the montage later when Aegon has escaped. What’s going to happen now? When Rhaenyra finds out that Aegon left, is she going to interpret that as one factor that was pre-planned? Is she getting in cost Alicent? What’s what does that suggest for Alicent?
We meet two mannequin new dragons on this episode, when Tessarion swoops down over the army and Rhaena comes face to face with Sheepstealer. The entire dragons have such distinct appears to be and feels, how did you create these two introductions?
For the shot you’re talking in regards to the place the dragon bought right here up all through the parents and swooped down, that was solely a shot in my head as soon as I be taught the script. There was one factor scary however moreover introductory about it. We now have now a unprecedented seen outcomes division that creates each of the dragons’ appears to be and sounds and feels. They each have personalities. It’s practically like these are actors we’re going to work with. I knew that this dragon wished to hold Rhaena to open eyes — merely full, “Oh my gosh, I’m having a look at a dragon!” This was her dream, and she or he’s the one one who didn’t have a dragon. It was a very large second for her.
I’d type of equate it as as soon as I first acquired this current. It had been my dream for eight years. I keep in mind as soon as I acquired the job, it was merely this overwhelming feeling on account of I wanted it for thus prolonged. It wasn’t a coincidence that I acquired it, I pushed so laborious. I related to Rhaena in that second. You want one factor so harmful and everyone’s telling you that you’d have the ability to’t get it. The shot that I seen immediately in my head with that scene was the huge, huge shot of the dragon and little Rhaena. That was David and Goliath.
There are some beautiful “Sport of Thrones” cameos with Daemon’s imaginative and prescient the place he sees Daenerys, the Night King and the Three-Eyed Raven. Everytime you be taught the script for that scene, how did you go about making the seek for this imaginative and prescient?
I was so honored that I’d get to be part of executing that. After I obtained the script, all these beats of the visuals had been listed, nonetheless there was space for course. It’s a should to find out how all these points are going to maneuver collectively. You see Daenerys, nonetheless how do you see her? Do you see her face? What’s she doing? I believed the dragons coming out of her in shadow will be really attention-grabbing on account of it’s not about Daenerys, it’s regarding the story of historic previous. We’re in Daemon’s viewpoint, so that imaginative and prescient wanted to tell the story to Daemon of the historic previous of his of us and that Rhaenyra wished to be on the throne. It’s very tempting to be like, “Let’s current Daenerys! Let’s zoom in on this!” Nonetheless that’s not what it’s about. In precise reality, Daemon doesn’t know who she is. It has to make Daemon understand that he has to bend the knee to Rhaenyra willingly.
The cameos are good nostalgia and fan-service, nonetheless as well as they serve a storytelling goal for Daemon. How did you steadiness these two points?
I was very focused on, “If that’s going to be on this imaginative and prescient, what goal does it play? What part of the story is it telling? How quite a bit do we now have to tell the story? Let’s not assume the least bit in regards to the reality that it’s a fan favorite.” That was really what I tried to do in inserting collectively the storyboards for this, after which executing these. That’s why you don’t see a great deal of further stuff. There might have been, nonetheless that’s not the aim. If we don’t give consideration to the aim of the story, it merely turns right into a montage that has no which implies.
Daemon moreover sees himself drowning in his imaginative and prescient, and correct after that scene we see Helaena inform Aemond that he shall be swallowed up by the Gods Eye. Followers of the book know what that second is foreshadowing — nonetheless what can you say about capturing that scene? Will we see that imaginative and prescient play out in Season 3?
I can get in trouble if I reveal one thing. I’ll say that after we shot that scene, it was excellent. We had an unlimited stage, and created these stations. Each station was a second of that imaginative and prescient. For the drowning, I had wanted a tank, nonetheless we didn’t have the funds for for an exact tank with water. After I acquired the storyboards completed, somebody throughout the meeting was like, “What if it’s dragon’s blood instead of water? That’s excellent!”
So we darkened the water into blood, and we ended up capturing it dry for moist — there’s no water really. It’s merely Matt Smith hanging from a rig with followers blowing on him so it appears to be like he’s underwater. It was really excellent executing all these moments. The roots of the tree that start the whole sequence of the imaginative and prescient, these had been constructed after which delivered to life as seen outcomes. I really wanted to essentially really feel like an umbilical twine. They launched that to life so that they’d been gooey and alive.
Everytime you shot the Night King second, was it the an identical costume from “Sport of Thrones” merely laying spherical in storage someplace?
They suggested me, nonetheless I don’t keep in mind. I’ve a worst memory! I really feel they did have some left over from “Sport of Thrones,” I’m practically constructive. It was thrilling to shoot that, too. The actor who carried out the Night King — and he was not the exact Night King, he merely carried out one amongst them — he was so good. He knew straightforward strategies to switch like them. All individuals bought right here proper right down to the set that day to have a look at us shoot it. Most people who work on this current are followers of “Sport of Thrones,” so everybody was lined up watching us do these takes.
We moreover see Otto Hightower locked up in a dungeon someplace. The place is he?
I was requested to shoot that scene. I must know the place he’s, too. I don’t know! These guys talk about a great deal of points throughout the writers’ room, after which they don’t inform us. They don’t inform any of us! They don’t inform the actors, each. I don’t assume it’s truthful.
This interview has been edited and condensed.
