House of the Dragon season 2 will have a battle similar to the Hound vs. the Mountain from Game of Thrones season 8, but will struggle to better it.
House of the Dragon season 2 will see two characters fight it out in what will essentially be its own take on Cleganebowl, the clash between Sandor “The Hound” Clegane and Gregor “The Mountain” Clegane from Game of Thrones season 8. Through much of Game of Thrones’ run, audiences were hoping to see the Clegane brothers have a proper fight after a brief altercation in season 1. Thanks to a popular theory among book readers in particular, there was an expectation to “get hype” (as the common refrain went) for Cleganebowl. However, it didn’t happen until right before Game of Thrones’ ending, and it resulted in both brothers perishing.
House Clegane may not have a major role to play in House of the Dragon season 2, but the show can do something similar. There are several warring factions and familial divides, but one of the biggest splits comes with the Cargyll twins. Ser Arryk and Ser Erryk were both sworn members of the Kingsguard, but now the twins find themselves on opposing sides: Arryk serves King Aegon II Targaryen, while Erryk is loyal to Queen Rhaenyra. As the Dance of the Dragons truly begins, those divided loyalties will be taken to the extreme.
The Duel Of The Cargyll Twins Will Be House Of The Dragon’s Cleganebowl
Game of Thrones season 8 had the Cleganes duel it out in a sword fight, and House of the Dragon season 2 will have the Cargyll twins crossing steel in another epic battle of brothers. Or at least, it will if it follows George R.R. Martin’s book, Fire & Blood (and there is little to suggest otherwise). The duel between the Cargylls comes as the greens plot revenge against Rhaenyra and the blacks for the murder of Aegon’s heir, Prince Jaehaerys. Ser Arryk is sent to Dragonstone with the aim of sneaking into the castle under the guise of being Erryk, though accounts differ on whether his target was to kill Rhaenyra herself or her bastard children.
Although Arryk achieves the first part of his goal, successfully entering Dragonstone without question, his plans go awry when he runs into none other than his brother, Erryk. Historical accounts agree on only two points: the Cargyll brothers fight, and the Cargyll brothers die (much like in Cleganebowl). What exactly happened is where things differ. One source claims the brothers professed their love for one another and fought for an hour, eventually dying in each other’s arms; another claims it was a short, nasty fight, with no declarations of love and only spite. In the latter version, Arryk is killed quickly, but Erryk suffers a wound that he survives for four days before dying.
The fight could happen around the halfway mark of House of the Dragon season 2, which will only have eight episodes as opposed to the 10 of season 1. In the Dance of the Dragons timeline, it has to come after the events of Blood and Cheese (which should be early), but before the Battle at Rook’s Rest (which set photos have confirmed happens in season 2, and will likely be towards the end as a big, dramatic set piece). That means it should have a few episodes to build up to it, but not enough to help it top what Game of Thrones did.
Why The Cargyll Twins’ Duel Won’t Beat Game Of Thrones’ Cleganebowl
House of the Dragon season 2 will likely portray the duel of the Cargylls as somewhere in between the different historical accounts, choosing to reveal the “truth” of what happened and finding a better balance in the story. Of course, it’s the one where they love each other and fight for an hour that the singers favor, and a take on that could well make for better TV. It would certainly be more romanticized, and better fit the epic feel that it might want to achieve. That would also make it the opposite of Game of Thrones’ Cleganebowl in one way, since that was unquestionably driven by hate, but there’s still a problem when it comes to beating it.
The main issue for the duel of the Cargyll twins beating Cleganebowl is how invested audiences are in those characters, specifically compared to the Hound. He became one of Game of Thrones’ best characters, with a complicated arc that led him to that point. Killing his brother was earned, and it was the ultimate, tragic conclusion of his entire journey, bringing things full circle in fiery fashion. Plus, even if it arrived later than hoped, there was nonetheless still a grand spectacle in seeing them fight; a true clash of the titans that audiences had wanted to see for years, finally being realized.
House of the Dragon and Game of Thrones are both streaming on Max.
The Cargyll twins’ fight should still be great, and it could be a different kind of fight to Cleganebowl, since it isn’t about two brutes taking heavy shots at one another. Nonetheless, the House of the Dragon fight won’t have the years of hype nor storytelling and character work behind it that Cleganebowl did. While the Hound and the Mountain’s fight had some flaws, and was arguably even a little absurd, it was a fitting payoff, which the Cargyll twins’ duel cannot be in the same way, given they’re very much side characters, without too much development of their own. It certainly won’t be bad, but it also won’t require viewers to get as hyped.
