is now underway, “war is inevitable,” and the various Houses are picking a side: .
How exactly are the teams shaping up so far? Season 1 ended with envoys going out to various major Houses in Westeros to try and shore up allegiances, but the first episode of has given us a clearer understanding of how things are shaking out.
It’s fairly brief, but the Small Council meeting that happens early in the episode tells us most of what we need to know.
What information do we get from the Small Council meeting?
“Our letters to the Vale and to the North continue to go unanswered.”
That’s how Hand of the King Otto Hightower (Rhys Ifans) kicks things off, making it clear that House Stark and House Arryn aren’t likely to declare for Team Green. We pretty much knew this already, of course: The start of Season 2 shows Jacaerys Velaryon (Harry Collett) shoring up an alliance with the Starks, and House Arryn is directly related to Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy) through her mother Queen Aemma (her cousin was Lady Jeyne Arryn).
Team Green is having better results with House Baratheon and the Lannisters, though. “The Stormlands should be ours after the Prince Aemond’s marriage pact to the Lady Floris Baratheon,” declares Hightower. “My brother is raising the strength of the West,” says Master of Coin Tywin Lannister.
The big question mark? The Riverlands. “Fat old Lord Tully will either raise my banner or see his burned,” says Aegon II (Tom Glynn-Carney), while his brother Aemond (Ewan Mitchell) makes it clear that the Riverlands — and Harrenhal within it — will be key to winning the war.
Is Team Green or Team Black winning more allies so far?
So far, based on that Small Council meeting, it seems fairly even. Team Green has the Baratheons and the Lannisters, whereas Team Black has the Starks and the Arryns.
The main battleground in the short-term, it seems, will be the Riverlands. Perhaps whoever convinces Lord Tully to side with them will win a key advantage when the battle heats up.
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