Westeros may be on fire, but in "House of the Dragon" at least the kids are alright

Young people grow up so fast in Westeros. One minute a girl is chasing kittens around the Red Keep, and the next she’s scribbling down a hit list and murdering entire families with a cask of good wine.

That old reference is a reminder that Arya Stark is half Tully. “House of the Dragon” shows us where she comes from by introducing her ancestor Oscar Tully (Archie Barnes) . . . twice. In “The Red Dragon and the Gold,” we meet a quavering little thing whose long sword is wearing him. Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith) summons Oscar to Harrenhal, the King Consort's adopted base of operations during a marital snit, to gauge where House Tully’s loyalty lies.

Oscar, the next in line to inherit the title of lord paramount of the Riverlands, can barely stammer, “Muh-muh-muh my Prince . . . My Grace . . . Your Grace,” leading Daemon to presume this little boy is too intimidated to defy him. But with his ailing grandsire Grover clinging to life, Oscar does not presume to speak on his behalf.

“House Tully is a fish with no head!” Daemon scoffs dismissively further insulting the boy lord before ordering Harrenhal’s castellan Ser Simon Strong (Simon Russell Beale) to hit up the Blackwoods to do war crimes against their sword enemies and neighbors, the Brackens, on his behalf.  

A little while later, all the Riverlords are united in hatred toward Daemon. Lord Grover is dead, hastened to his reward by Daemon’s Harrenhal pal Alys Rivers (Gayle Rankin). And we meet Oscar again, now as the newly raised up lord paramount. Daemon casually informs the boy that while he was of no significance at their previous meeting, now he’s in a position to call his vassals to raise their banners nominally for Rhaenyra's (Emma D’Arcy) cause . . . and actually for his glory. 

But this Oscar Tully carries himself differently – and Daemon is not ready. “You'll forgive me, your Grace,” Oscar says with restrained indignation, “I am green in this sort of matter, as you so kindly point out. But . . . it does seem to me that you've made rather a mess here, countenancing barbarities in the queen's name.”

There comes a time in every political season when disenchanted voters look to young people to save us. Americans won’t know whether Gen Z voters will show up to preserve democracy until sometime at the end of this year. Until then, we might watch the goings-on in Westeros with interest since it's also in the clutches of gerontocracy.

Its assortment of elders also scramble to puppeteer the next generation. But Oscar isn’t having it – not from an Old. Definitely not from the guy whose brother's face was rotting off by the time he died.

“The Red Sowing,” written by Loni Peristere and directed by David Hancock, is named for another barbarity set at Dragonstone. Rhaenyra, inspired by the dragon Seasmoke choosing the lowborn Addam of Hull (Clinton Liberty) as its next rider,  has summoned unclaimed Targaryen descendants hoping that one might claim Vermithor, the Bronze fury. Vermithor is only slightly smaller than Vhagar, the flying nuke commanded by Rhaenyra’s half-brother and rival regent Aemond (Ewan Mitchell).

This is a crucial turning point in the Dance of the Dragons and the long-awaited justification for the C-plot centering on Hugh the Blacksmith (Kieran Bew) and his many miseries. Oh, and Ulf the Barfly (Tom Bennett), who stumbles into claiming the other masterless dragon Silverwing. What makes him worthy? Who knows.

But spectacular beastly violence is promised in the show’s title, and all that Hugh and Ulf have to be are joysticks for flying monstrosities who make s’mores out of nearly every other poor “dragonseed” who auditions. At least Addam has a stronger claim to a nobler bloodline . . . and broader story possibilities.

Clinton Liberty as Addam of Hull in "House of the Dragon" (HBO)

At Harrenhal, Oscar Tully plants other schemes. He’s a boy thrust into a politically risky position placing him between a mercurial dragonrider apt to pop off at any moment, and an array of rulers who'd happily end him if they sensed weakness.

Next to all that posturing, fire, visual effects and screaming, Oscar's machinations and Barnes' performance lend the penultimate episode another type of political heft. Through him, Peristere shows us how this apparently hapless leader makes Daemon look like a lesser man by making him answer for his brutality.

Oscar strategically rejoins Daemon, cautiously but honestly reminding his elder that while Oscar hasn’t earned his authority among his older and more experienced river lords, Daemon’s working with less as the most despised man in the place.

Daemon arrogantly ignores him, presuming that with House Tully declaring for Rhaenyra the other lords will follow, and not suspecting that the widdle Lord Paramount of the Trident would maneuver him into a corner.

In front of the other river lords, including Daemon's war dog Willem Blackwood (Jack Parry-Jones), Oscar begins humbly, telling his skeptical vassals that while he’s not the man his grandsire was, “I hope to begin well and go on from there.”

Does he get ever off to a fine start. In private Oscar placates Daemon’s egomania by pointedly referring to him as the king consort. Before his fellow river lords, as he pledges his swords to Rhaenyra to honor his grandsire’s wishes, he stresses his loyalty demands he do so  “no matter how loathsome I may find her representative, the Prince.”

“King,” Daemon snarls to correct him, adding, “Mind your tongue, boy.” That makes the lords grumble quietly. But Oscar said what he said and doesn’t flinch. He strolls over to Daemon, chest puffed, and growls in a low voice, “Will you have our army or not?”

Phoebe Campbell as Rhaena Targaryen in "House of the Dragon" (HBO)

Oscar is a merger of three Tullys described in George R.R. Martin’s “Fire & Blood.” His literary namesake is “a warrior.” Here he behaves the way Lord Kermit is described as “a ruler.” His plot somewhat follows that of Elmo Tully, Grover's grandson in the book, and Oscar's father.

Martin intentionally named these characters after Muppets. That is not a commentary on their potential. In his book he also mentions this new generation’s energy, citing the history of House Tully as “undistinguished” before Oscar (three-in-one) steps up. We might end up heaping similar praise on Rhaena Targaryen (Phoebe Campbell), who makes it very plain that mothering isn’t her calling. She knows she was born to ride dragons.

These characters’ restlessness and defiance of prescribed outcomes reflect a dominant mood, however faint, of a moment when a youthful generation is emerging into political power and determined to do away with the outdated ways.  Within the last week, they’ve shown themselves to be more determined and cunning at PR warfare than their business-as-usual forebears, replacing resignation with joy and optimism.

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Oscar isn't the type to meme an older ruler into power. Rhaenyra’s mistress of whispers Mysaria (Sonoya Mizuno) is already doing a bang-up job of that anyway. What he does has the potential to be more powerful in the long term, by showing his fellow rulers how to make their corrupt leaders work for their support. “House of the Dragon” could use a Lyanna Mormont. In this scene, young Lord Oscar mounts a strong campaign for that role.

First, he brings Daemon to heel, forcing the king consort to get as close to apologizing as he ever will by quietly getting in his face in response to Daemon's belittling remark. “I may have been a touch enthusiastic in my aims,” Daemon admits afterward, soft-selling his atrocities. From he holds his tongue as Oscar manipulates Willem Blackwood into answering for his crimes as the majority of his vassals demand.

 “If his Grace wishes to show contrition for his acts, and to prove himself deserving of our banners,” Oscar calmly determines, “he must now rectify his grievous error. Denounce your crimes and dispense justice.”

Daemon’s shaken expression betrays that he doesn’t want to bow to this boy’s will but has no choice if he wants to get his way. He unsheathes his blade and beheads the servant who brought him the Riverlands through terrorism, the latest living nightmare of his own making.

Oscar Tully, in turn, is officially raised up both in title and his fellow lords’ esteem. Martin’s realms aren’t often places where the little guy prevails. This time one does by proving he really is the better man.

New episodes of "House of the Dragon" premiere at 9 p.m. Sundays on HBO and on Max.