Note: This story contains spoilers from Season 2, Episode 4 of “House of the Dragon”.
“House of the Dragon” season 2 episode 4 escalates the Westeros civil war at Rook’s Rest, during which Aemond makes a shocking move that star Ewan Mitchell says will change things “forever.”
After Aegon (Tom Glynn-Carney) unexpectedly showed up during the battle atop Sunfyre and began training with Rhaenys (Eve Best) and Meleys, Aemond stepped in to save the day with Vhagar. Instead of just taking down Rhaenys, Vhagar attacked Sunfyre as well, leading to Aegon and his dragon plummeting from the sky. With Aegon caught in the crossfire as Aemond tried to take out Rhaenys, it could be said that Aegon’s terrified look before Vhagar’s blow implied that Aemond’s attack on Aegon was intentional.
“That’s one of the compelling arguments that Aemond is doing is whether he was always intentionally trying to hurt Aegon at some point, or whether Aegon, at that point, was just collateral damage because he was entangled with Rhaenys,” Mitchell told TheWrap. “Was the target just Rhaenys, or was it Rhaenys and Aegon?”
Given the brothers’ already fractured history – which came to a head when Aemond put Aegon in his place before the Small Council earlier in Episode 4 – Mitchell said the Rook’s Rest sequence reflected “the trajectories of both characters ultimately culminating in a buildup in the sky.”
After the battle, Criston Cole found Aemond, sword drawn, next to Aegon’s motionless body and the wounded dragon. With Aegon’s fate still uncertain at the end of Episode 4, Mitchell stated that he preferred Aemond’s actions to remain “ambiguous,” though it is clear that the brothers’ relationship has been permanently altered.
“I think he recognizes, going forward, that he’s changed things forever between him and his brother. There’s no going back,” Mitchell said. “It’s such an interesting turning point for these characters.”
Below, Mitchell reflects on how Aegon and Aemond’s relationship has evolved further this season, why he prefers to leave Aemond’s actions ambiguous, and why he compares Aegon and Aemond to Fredo and Michael Corleone from “The Godfather.”
TheWrap: I have to ask you first about your nude scene in Episode 3, which resonated so much with viewers. Did you work with an intimacy coordinator to create that moment?
Ewan Mitchell: We worked with a phenomenal intimacy coordinator. It wasn’t a decision we made lightly. We had a long conversation and ultimately we were all unanimous in the decision that we just wanted to be true to Aemond in that moment, because Aemond is a character who doesn’t care what you think of him, and you see that.
This scene in the brothel is the culmination of Aegon’s humiliation of Aemond. How has their relationship continued to deteriorate this season with Aegon taking the crown?
I think Aemond is in a very similar mindset to what we saw in Season 1, in that he still believes his brother is inferior in power. Aegon was wasting his inheritance while he was in a seedy corner of Flea Bottom, while Aemond was in the courtyard of the Red Keep training with Criston Cole. Day in and day out, he was studying with the masters; he was crafting himself into this weapon. Even though Aemond is the second son, he still firmly believes that he should be treated like the first.
In episode 4, we see Aemond visibly taking power from Aegon and putting him in his place. What do you think changed in him that gave him the confidence to do this?
It’s a combination of two things: from the first episode, you can tell that Aemond and Cole are intent on manipulating the Small Council to suit their needs and desires. I think they’re both of the same mind: they believe that war is inevitable and that you can either wait for it to come to you or you can take action, which is why Aemond and Cole want to take action.
Then you tie that into Aegon’s story and Daemon’s story. He was the ringleader of a lot of the torment and bullying that Aemond endured as a child, and it’s something that Aemond forgives, but he doesn’t forget – it’s probably always in the back of his mind, too. You finally see him do that in episode 4, especially during the council, like, “We have to do something, and I’m going to have to put you in your place if you’re not with me.”
In Rook’s Rest, Aegon royally ruins the plan by showing up to the fight. How does this surprise affect Aemond?
That’s the variable in Criston Cole and Aemon’s plan – Criston Cole’s plan was to gather a force using the levees of the cities he would take by way of Rook’s Rest and Aemond was there to provide air support in case another dragon appeared in the sky there – the variable being Aegon on Sunfyre’s fireflies above.
Just before Criston Cole arrived, Aemond had already found Aegon, but he was in a position to hand over his sword. What was he about to do just before Criston found him?
I think it’s ambiguous, that’s what I like. If I give all the answers, people will stop asking questions. I like that debate, I like the theories that fans come up with.
How does Aemond feel about his great-aunt’s murder? Does Aemond have any qualms about this decision? Do you expect a negative reaction from fans?
If he has any regret, it’s certainly something he’ll never show, he’ll hide behind this hardened façade that Aemond has. That’s one of the beautiful things about playing this character, you never really know what Aemond is thinking at any given moment. He can be looking at someone and thinking about how he wants to cook them a meal and take them on a date, or he can be looking at them, thinking about how he wants to cook them a meal and take Vhagar on a date. (But) you know he’s thinking. He’s not just a mindless sociopath – the wheels are turning behind his eye. There’s a very, very dangerous calculating quality to Aemond and (he) picks his moments.
Aemond has a habit of getting revenge when he sees the opportunity. How much of Luke’s death was intentional?
Lucerys Velaryon bullied Aemond relentlessly, as well as his nephews and Aegon, growing up. I think Aemond had forgiven Luke for taking his eye, but he just hadn’t forgiven Luke for getting away with it. What could have been resolved with a simple word of apology was instead allowed to fester. Children are children, but it should have been the adults’ responsibility to find some sort of resolution for children, and there wasn’t one, there was no closure.
This hatred between two characters was allowed to grow and develop. Ultimately, what you see in the skies above Storm’s End is human nature taking its course. Aemond didn’t intentionally intend to hurt Luke, he just wanted to scare him.
Is there a part of Aemond that wishes his relationship with Aegon was like Jace and Luke’s? Or did the way they were raised – in a loveless, joyless relationship between Alicent and Viserys versus Rhaenyra and Harwin – mean they had no chance of forming a real bond?
Aemond and Aegon grew up in a world of pain, because they were the half of the family that wasn’t supposed to succeed the kingdom, so Aegon and Aemond were kind of cast aside, they were neglected by Viserys. They never knew that unconditional love from Viserys or Alicent, so maybe they don’t know how to show it either, and certainly Aemond doesn’t necessarily know how to show it.
I’ve always compared Aegon and Aemond to Fredo Corleone and Michael Corleone respectively, because Fredo should have been looking out for Michael, the same way Aegon should have been looking out for Aemond, but instead Aegon went behind Aemond’s back and conspired against Aemond with the help of his nephews. Aemond feels hatred towards his enemies, but when it’s your own brother who betrays you and stabs you in the back, that hatred is even deeper than that of someone who is supposed to protect and watch over you.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
New episodes of “House of the Dragon” air Sundays on HBO and stream on Max.