July 9, 2024

House of the Dragon Season 4 episode 4 - Dragons Dance and Kingdoms Burn

House of the Dragon Season 4 episode 4 -  Dragons Dance and Kingdoms Burn

Journey Joe Mitchell dives deep into House of the Dragon Season 2, Episode 4, "The Red Dragon and the Gold." From the jaw-dropping three-way dragon battle to DAYMON's creepy visions at Harrenhal, we break down all the fiery action and political...


Journey Joe Mitchell dives deep into House of the Dragon Season 2, Episode 4, "The Red Dragon and the Gold." From the jaw-dropping three-way dragon battle to DAYMON's creepy visions at Harrenhal, we break down all the fiery action and political intrigue. Joe analyzes the stellar performances, particularly Ewan Mitchell's chilling portrayal of Aemond and Emma D'Arcy's conflicted Rhaenyra. Plus, he shares his thoughts on the season's pacing and George R.R. Martin's surprising Sesame Street references. Whether you're Team Black, Team Green, or just here for the dragons, this episode of TV in the Basement offers all the insights and excitement you need to fully appreciate this game-changing installment of Westeros's most dysfunctional family saga.

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Calarogus Shark Media. Hey there,
fellow dragon riders, this is Journey Joe

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Mitchell coming at you from the cozy
confines of the TV basement. Today we're

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diving into episode four of House of
the Dragon's second season, titled The Red

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Dragon and the Gold and Holy smokes, did things heat up? First off,

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can I just say how frustrating it
is that we're already halfway through the

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season. I know I've complained about
the binge model before, but having to

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wait a week between episodes and only
getting ten total is almost worse. It's

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like we're being served the world's tiniest, most exquisite tasting menu and I'm still

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hungry. But I digress. Let's
get into this feast of an episode.

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So we finally got the dragon battle
we've all been waiting for, and boy

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did it deliver. We've got Princess
Rainis on Meles, King Egon on Sunfire,

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and the ever terrifying Emond on Vagar. The cgi work here was absolutely

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stunning. You could practically feel the
heat from those dragon flames. It's the

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kind of spectacle that reminds you why
you fell in love with this universe in

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the first place. But it wasn't
just spectacle. This battle had serious consequences.

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Poor Raynus, the Queen who Never
was, finally got her moment in

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the spotlight, only to fall from
the sky. It's a tragic end for

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a character who's been a voice of
reason throughout the series. Eve Best has

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been phenomenal in this role, and
her final scenes were heartbreaking. And let's

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talk about Emon for a second.
That kid is seriously unhinged. Not only

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does he take out Raynus, but
he deliberately attacks his own brother. Talk

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about sibling rivalry taken to the extreme. You and Mitchell is doing an incredible

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job portraying Emon's descent into madness.
The way he delivers his lines in High

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Valerian mocking his brother's lack of fluency
is chilling. Speaking of Egon, Tom

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Glenn Carney is really bringing his a
game this season. Watching Egon struggle with

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his newfound power only to be belittled
by both his brother and his mother is

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fascinating. That scene where he decides
to join the battle against everyone's advice,

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you can see the desperation in his
eyes. Meanwhile, back at Dragonstone,

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Emma Darcy continues to impress showing us
a Raniera who's both determined and conflicted.

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That scene where she tells Jas about
the prophecy of ice and fire chills.

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It's a great callback to the very
first episode, and it adds another layer

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to the conflict we're seeing unfold.
Now, let's talk about Damon at Heronhall.

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Those visions he's having are seriously creepy, the one where he beheads young

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Raniera only for her to keep talking
nightmare fuel. Matt Smith is absolutely killing

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it, showing us a Damon who's
slowly unraveling. His interactions with Alice Rivers

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are particularly intriguing. Is she helping
him or leading him further into madness.

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I've got to give a shout out
to the production design team. Harron Hall

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looks appropriately creepy and decrepit a perfect
backdrop for Daemon's descent into paranoia, and

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the costume department continue used to outdo
themselves. Did you see Emon's eye patch?

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It's like a work of art in
itself. Now I've got to address

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the elephant in the room, or
should I say the muppet in the room.

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Did anyone else catch that the Tully
kid was named Oscar? Apparently George

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R. R. Martin's a big
Sesame Street fan. Overall, this episode

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was a game changer. The dance
of Dragons has truly begun and I can't

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wait to see where it goes from
here. The steaks have never been higher,

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and it feels like no one is
safe. We're seeing alliances shift,

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families fracture, and dragons fall from
the sky. It's everything I want from

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this show and more so, what
did you think, fellow basement dwellers.

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Are you team Black or Team Green
at this point? Who do you think

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will be the next to fall?
And seriously, how cool was that dragon

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battle? Oh and before I go, a quick poll, on a scale

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of one to five dragon eggs,
how would you rate this episode? I'm

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giving it a solid five. It
had everything, action, intrigue, family,

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drama, and of course, dragons
galore. That's all for now,

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Dragon fans. Until next time,
keep your scales shiny and your fire hot,

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and remember, whether you're riding a
dragon or just watching from your couch,

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always keep an eye on the sky. This is Journey. Joe Mitchell

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signing off from the t V basement