Second of His Name

"Second of His Name"
House of the Dragon episode
Episode no.	Season 1 Episode 3
Directed by	Greg Yaitanes
Written by	Gabe Fonseca Ryan Condal
Featured music	Ramin Djawadi
Cinematography by	Pepe Avila del Pino
Editing by	Tim Porter
Original air date	September 4, 2022 (2022-09-04)
Running time	60 Minutes

"Second of His Name" is the third episode of the first season of the HBO fantasy drama television series House of the Dragon. It first aired on September 4, 2022. It was written by series creator Ryan Condal and writer Gabe Fonseca, and directed by Greg Yaitanes.

The episode introduced two new co-starring cast members, Matthew Needham as Larys Strong and Jefferson Hall as Lord Jason Lannister and Ser Tyland Lannister.

Reception

Critical response

On the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the episode received an approval rating of 83% based on 88 reviews, with an average rating of 7.3/10. Writing for Den of Geek, Alec Bojalad rated the episode four out of five stars and said, "In many ways, 'Second of His Name' provides the most compelling evidence yet that the show knows what it's doing. [...] [It] is almost purely an original creation of the show's writers as none of its most climactic moments can be found on any page from a distinct point of view." He also praised its writing, production design, and costumes, as well as the scene between Rhaenyra and Ser Criston Cole. Nick Hilton of The Independent also rated it four out of five stars.

IGN's Helen O'Hara gave it a rating of 7 out of 10 and said, "This episode is a slow burn that introduces new characters and indulges in gossip before unleashing that huge, fiery finale. [...] While it's all starting to feel a bit familiar, this episode still manages to keep our attention – and sneak in some good dragon action." Molly Edwards of GamesRadar+ gave it a four out of five stars and summarized it with "another rock-solid entry in House of the Dragon's first season, shuffling the pieces into place for more epic battles to come" and further praised the performances of Smith and Carey. Kimberly Roots of TVLine also praised Carey's performance.

In a mixed review, Michael Deacon of The Telegraph rated it three out of five stars. He criticized the show for continuing to be a "slow-burner" and expressed his disappointment for killing off the Crabfeeder way too soon, although he praised the battle scene at Stepstones and called it "spectacular". Vulture's Hillary Kelly also gave it a rating of three out of five and criticized some parts of the writing, however she praised the opening and the battle scene, as well as Smith's performance. Jenna Scherer of The A.V. Club graded the episode with a "C+" and said, "the episode is centered around the world's most anticlimactic stag hunt, an absurdly lavish affair on the edge of the Kingswood in celebration of Aegon's birthday," while praising Alcock's performance, Rhaenyra's chemistry with Ser Criston Cole, and also the battle scene.

External links

• "Second of His Name" at IMDb