The new credit sequence, set to the familiar “Game of Thrones” theme by Ramin Djawadi, forgoes last season’s weird blood pinball animations for a tapestry in which blood and threads spread together to portray split-up families, our main characters, dead people on fire and, of course, dragons, dragons, dragons. The cool thing about this tapestry is that if you cut your finger and got blood all over it, no one would be mad. They might even think you were the artist.

We open on a raven passing through a forest. A voice says, “Duty is sacrifice. It eclipses all things. Even blood. All men of honor must pay the price.” (Do dishonorable men get half off?) As we hear this voice-over, we come to a familiar location: Winterfell. A huddle of men draw stones from a sack. Most of the stones are white, but one unlucky teenager gets a black stone. The speaker says that his ancestor, Torrhen Stark, made it a tradition that one out of every 10 men from House Stark would be drawn to fortify the Night’s Watch. He says it’s not a sentence but an honor, but this poor kid who drew the black stone doesn’t look honored; he seems totally bummed, trudging through the snow toward Castle Black. At the castle, two young men are riding up the crank-powered elevator. One of them is a prince, Jace to be exact, and he’s talking to Cregan Stark, the guy who was just narrating. These two are descended from the King in the North and The Conqueror — Torrhen Stark and the first Aegon — and they are drawing parallels with the trouble that’s currently ripping the kingdom apart. Jace wants the Night’s Watch to help fight the Hightowers. He says the Starks swore an oath. From the top of a tower, they both look at the Great Wall. Cregan says his obligation is to defend the kingdom against what’s on the other side of it, where not even dragons will pass. He says it’s not just a defense against snow and savages, but something way darker: “Death.” Cool cool cool. So, about that oath? Cregan says he has a bunch of “graybeards,” basically old guys who are tenacious fighters, that he’s willing to contribute. The raven we saw at the start arrives with news from Dragonstone. Cregan reads it and gives Jace a pitying look. It’s very bad news about his brother. While two years have passed in our time, on the show, the events of last season’s finale have just happened.

The dragon riders yearn for revenge

At Dragonstone, Rhaenys is dismounting her red dragon, Meleys. Her feet barely touch the ground before Daemon strides in, telling her to get back up. She complains that she and her dragon both need to rest and gorge (in what order?) and that she alone has been patrolling the sea as a temporary blockade. Daemon says they’re going to King’s Landing to kill Vhagar the dragon: “I cannot face that hoary old bitch alone.” The disrespect! Daemon thinks that with their two dragons, they can kill Vhagar and Aemond, making the score “a son for a son” to go with the episode title. Rhaenys asks if Daemon’s wife knows about this. He complains that she’s absent for days while he’s fighting her war when he should be bending knees at Harrenhal, which sounds a bit like a spicy euphemism. Rhaenys says that the queen is grieving and that her granddaughter Laena’s death didn’t really sink in until she saw her remains. In case Daemon doesn’t get it, she says that this is what Rhaenyra is now going through. He’s worried and asks what would happen if Aemond found Rhaenyra. “Then I would pity Aemond,” Rhaenys says. She admires the fact that Rhaenyra didn’t act on murderous impulse the moment she found out about her son. Daemon is still bitter that Rhaenys didn’t just blast Aegon and everybody else with her dragon when she had the chance. “And Luke would be alive,” he says. She doesn’t take the bait and walks away. As she goes, Daemon commands her to fly with him. “Would that you were the king,” she says, and keeps walking.

Rhaenyra, her face covered in soot, stands on the shore of Shipbreaker Bay at Storm’s End, where her son departed before getting chomped out of the sky. She later finds the spot where he and his dragon washed up. When her dragon Syrax lands, everyone on the shore scatters in fear. She finds the pale blue wings of the dragon and her son’s riding blanket. There’s blood. She breaks down crying. Syrax roars mournfully.

The Sea Snake’s sad state

Elsewhere, a hobbling Corlys the Sea Snake approaches a crew doing maintenance on his boat. Corlys is told it’ll take weeks to get his ship, uh, shipshape. The burly man Corlys is talking to, Alyn, is the one who saved his life, pulling him from the sea. Alyn, who has just presented Corlys with a dagger that was crafted for the late Luke, says he was just doing his job when he rescued him. Corlys, with no functional ship and no heir, has lots of reasons to be sad.

At the Red Keep, Arryk, the more weasellike of the Erryk/Arryk twins, is inspecting a scorpion catapult meant to take down dragons. They see a dragon flying past and aim the scorpion. It’s Vhagar, though, so they wisely refrain from shooting down an ally.

Inside, Aegon is striding around, impatiently searching for his son, Jaehaerys, while his wife/sister Helaena is with the other kids in a sewing room. Aegon wants to take the boy to a Small Council meeting, seeing as how Jaehaerys will be king one day. “What if he doesn’t want to be king?” Helaena asks. Aegon ignores the question. Before Aegon strides out, Helaena says she’s afraid. Not of dragons attacking, but “the rats.” Servants look around awkwardly. “The queen’s an enduring mystery, is she not?” Aegon announces cheerfully.

We catch up with Alicent, in a chair receiving oral sex from Ser Criston Cole, everyone’s least favorite himbo. Afterward, as they get dressed and ready for the Council meeting, she says they can’t do this again. She does help him put on his cape, though.

A child shall lead them (to distraction)

A shady-looking ratcatcher passes by as the camera moves into the Small Council chamber. Alicent and Cole pass Daddy Hightower, who probably knows exactly what they were up to. Aegon is doing Bring Your Annoying Kid to Work Day with Jaehaerys in tow. The kid sits at the head of the table opposite Aegon. First item of business: The Vale and the North are not responding to voice mails (which is to say, ravens) asking for their allegiance. Aegon calls them the c-word. Tyland Lannister’s table egg is snatched by Jaehaerys, but Tyland tries not to lose his cool. “That’s very helpful, my prince,” he says. Otto Hightower says his nephew is bringing down forces from Oldtown — presumably using the Old Town Road — to reach the Riverlands. Alicent asks if there’s been any answer to her notes to Rhaenyra, which read, “Sorry ‘bout yer son’s dragon accident, still friends? Check yes or no.” They don’t know that Rhaenyra is away from Dragonstone, so they assume the ravens are being ignored and it’s on to war. Tyland, still fighting to get his egg back from the little prince, gets testy. Aegon asks if it’s a problem; he says the boy probably just wants a pony ride, implying that Tyland should get on his knees and do the honors. Instead Jaehaerys is escorted out with no promised pony ride, which is just bad parenting.

Otto points out that they’re under strain on several fronts. Aegon complains that they should have just killed Rhaenyra when they had the chance. Aemond, invited by Aegon, shows up, all eyepatchy and sour. Aemond thinks they need to make a stand at Harrenhal. Aegon thinks Vhagar can just burninate anyone who stands against them. Alicent reminds him that Rhaenyra has dragons, too. Aegon replies, “Mine are bigger.” He’s willing to burn up Lord Tully or anyone else who won’t bend the knee. Alicent says they can’t spare the dragons because they’re needed to defend King’s Landing, especially after Luke’s death. She looks pointedly at Aemond when she says that. Otto says mistakes were made after Viserys died and they needn’t make more. Aegon is bored, fidget-spinning his egg on the table.

Once again sneaky Lord Larys is waiting in the halls for Alicent. He said he wanted a word with her before Small Council, but heard she was, uh, indisposed. He knows, too! He has an update: He questioned the castle’s staff to see if anybody was disloyal. Some were. “They no longer breathe our air,” he tells her. The service industry just can’t catch a break. Larys says he’s chosen new staff to replace the departed. Later, when Alicent is being tended to in her bathtub, she dismisses all the strangers around her and harshly scrubs her own skin with a sponge.

There’s no crown engraved with “Nicest King Ever”

The king, about to preside from the Iron Throne over a group of petitioners, is introduced as “Aegon the Magnanimous,” which is as hilarious as it is inaccurate. The first petitioner says that he’s having a hard time tithing 10 percent of his sheep. Aegon, trying to be nice, says okay, fine, have your sheep back. Otto reminds Aegon that if he grants this for this one person, he has to do it for everybody, and they need dragon snacks. Aegon reverses course, taking back the 10 percent. This is the pony ride all over again! Another petitioner worries they won’t have salt for the roads because of the blockade. Aegon promises they’re going to burn the blockade to ash, so problem solved. An ironsmith asks if craftspeople can get paid in advance for their war efforts. Aegon readily agrees, saying they all depend on the work of the “smallfolk,” especially for the war. Otto is extremely annoyed by the sudden generosity of Aegon.

Layrs, who’s never heard of an appointment, is waiting for the king to pass on the stairs. He remarks on Aegon’s people skills and asks for a word in private. Larys’s gambit is to make it sound as if Aegon’s father, Viserys, was too easily swayed by the Hand of the King. He makes Aegon think that if he wants to be perceived as better than his father, he should hire a different Hand. One who is not Otto.

Otto, meanwhile, visits his daughter Alicent. She asks if they both want the same thing: Rhaenyra bending the knee and accepting Aegon as king. He says they do. Alicent thinks Otto is undercutting her at the Small Council. She says both her sons see grandpa as an example; Aegon is eager to please, but Aemond is angry. They both rationalize what Aemond did to Luke, saying it was childish revenge for losing his eye. Alicent feels that if Otto doesn’t back her up, neither boy will listen to her for much longer. She thinks Aegon will get tired of ruling and they’ll be able to control things again once the novelty wears off. Otto warns that war is inevitable. Alicent accepts that but doesn’t want it to be “wanton.” Sorry, but this show is nothing if not wanton. “Wanton” should probably be in the parental warning box.

The White Worm turns … up again

Ships at sea. Corlys’s men are searching for stowaways and Ser Erryk finds one: Mysaria, the White Worm. She mentions that the last time she saw him there were two of him, because he’s a twin. She’s brought to Daemon, who’s sore that she’d been selling information to Otto. He gets up like he’s going to hit her, but she stops him. Daemon blames her for Aegon’s rise to the throne, but she says it wasn’t her conspiracy. While her accent again searches for a region of origin, Mysaria says that Daemon is only angry at her because his true enemies are out of reach. A frustrated Daemon tells Erryk to take her to the cells as a traitor. Erryk sticks up for her, but Daemon tries to turn it around, calling Erryk a traitor as well. Erryk stands his ground, saying he abandoned the throne — and his own brother — to be here. He says he and Arryk vowed to protect the royal family; there was no good move once the royals turned on each other. Daemon doesn’t argue with that.

Rhaenyra returns. As she walks into the Giant Game Table Room, she is met by Daemon, who puts his head against hers and whispers, “Did you find what you needed?” She nods weakly. She goes to the head of the table where a bunch of candles are blazing. Everybody wants to know her next move. “I want Aemond Targaryen,” she says. Bring me his eyepatch!

Daemon visits Mysaria. He thinks he’s figured out an angle: He asks if she knows any staff at King’s Landing. She’s not very interested and says she’s no longer in Daemon’s thrall. Daemon offers her freedom if she will share her knowledge, which is way better than some thrall.

Jace approaches his mother. This is the first time he’s seen Rhaenyra since he and Luke were sent off to drum up allies. He reports that Lady Arryn pledged her support in exchange for dragon protection at the Vale. He says that Lord Cregan, whom we met earlier, pledged 2,000 men. This is where Jace loses it and starts to cry. Rhaenyra comes to hug him and they both sob.

Candles and clandestine moves

Alicent enters the Yankee Candle Sept, where there’s more wax on display than at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. The scene is crosscut with Rhaenyra and her family throwing items, including a riding blanket and a little horse figure, into a funeral pyre for Luke. Alicent lights candles and says the names of her mother, Alerie Florent, her dead husband, Viserys, and finally, Lucerys Velaryon.

A rowboat comes up to King’s Landing carrying one passenger: Daemon. He manages to buy his way past the castle gates when one of the guards, who’s not a fan of the Hightowers, recognizes him. With Mysaria’s help, Daemon tracks down a castle ratcatcher who knows his way around the tunnels below. He gives the guy coin and assigns him a hired thug. They’re to kill Aemond. Because “a son for a son.”

Inside, Aemond is trying to get Ser Criston to pair up with him and fight the war together, but Criston is cautious. They move coins around a map to show how they might move their forces. Aemond thinks Otto is too careful and that Alicent has no right to be angry at him for starting the war when it was her plotting that brought it on. Aemond thinks she speaks with two tongues. Criston sticks up for her, saying she has a good heart, unlike that spider Rhaenyra. Otto enters and smells plotting. He warns Aemond not to go screwing everything up with secret plans. Otto calls Aemond and his dragon the single greatest power in the realm, perhaps even greater than the Max streaming brand itself. But he says there’s a lot more going on than dragon fights. “You must keep a grip on your impulses,” he advises. Aemond is respectful enough not to respond with, “Grip this, grandpa!”

A son for a son = two fewer sons

The ratcatcher and the thug embark on their tunnel adventure. The ratcatcher is carrying a dog, which serves as his GPS. They both get deep into the castle where there is absolutely no security, even when they waltz right into the throne room. Aegon and his entourage are drinking and lounging around while he complains about his mom and grandfather. He says that at least Aemond is loyal. And, hilariously, he’s still bristling about “magnanimous” and workshopping new descriptors. They try to keep a low profile as they pass through. They walk by a statue of Viserys and even the pale stone looks healthier than the king ever did on this series. The pair get into an argument about whose job it is to get them upstairs where the royals reside. The ratcatcher says different rat guys work upstairs, he’s strictly on low-altitude rats, and his job was only to get them this far. After being threatened, the ratcatcher agrees to do his best. He kicks the dog and sends it on its way, which is like deleting Google Maps for not showing you unmapped areas.

They head upstairs and find the empty room where Aemond and Criston were just meeting and snag the coins off the map. The thug comes across a servant and makes a big show of setting a rat trap before rushing off to search other rooms. He finds the ratcatcher holding Helaena at knifepoint. (She correctly predicted that rats were coming.) This isn’t “a son for a son” as they were commanded, but the ratcatcher motions toward beds where two little kids are sleeping. They can’t tell the boy and the girl apart. The thug suggests they check the anatomy, but they don’t actually do it. Instead they ask Helaena which is the boy. Terrified, she offers them a valuable necklace. That’s not good enough. She hesitates tearfully, shakes her head and then points to one of the kids. The thug thinks she might be lying, but the ratcatcher is convinced she’s telling the truth. They go after poor Jaehaerys, who never got that pony ride. Helaena picks up the other child and leaves quietly as we hear the awful sound of sawing. Helaena rushes down the stairs and pauses, trying to decide where to go. She finally makes for Alicent’s chambers, where the queen mother rides atop Criston as they engage in never-again sex. They separate. Helaena sits on the ground and, still holding her daughter tightly, says simply, “They killed the boy.” We close on Alicent’s stunned face.