[Editor’s note: The following contains spoilers for House of the Dragon, Season 2 Episode 2.]
Dragon House Season 2, so far, has shown a real commitment to making sure every episode ends in some kind of bloody tragedy. In episode 2, that tragedy comes in the form of a fearsome duel between two brothers, as identical twins Ser Arryk Cargyll (Luke Tittensor) and Ser Erryk Cargyll (Elliott Tittensor) fight for the life of Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D 'Arcy). — Arryk was sent to assassinate the Queen, and Erryk swore to defend her from her.
It's an intense, high-stakes sequence that leaves both brothers dead: the loser murdered by his twin, and the “victor” dying by suicide immediately afterward. But if you're not totally sure which twin was which, in the end, know that even showrunner Ryan Condal had a hard time telling the actors apart at times during his time on the show.
During a round table with the press, DeciderMeghan O'Keefe asked Condal directly about the ending of episode 2 and which twin had which fate.
“The way to remember is that Arryk [with an A] “He goes with Aegon,” Condal said. “And Erryk [with an E] He is played by Elliot Tittensor.
This means that Arryk, who had infiltrated the castle to assassinate the Queen, is officially the one who loses the fight, and it is Erryk who wins, but then cannot live with his victory over his brother. “That's Erryk at the end, who falls on his sword at the end,” Condal said. “When he says 'Your Grace her' to the Queen, that's when she knows who he is, based on her address.”
It's just another example of how names in Dragon House He can sometimes be a little tricky to track down, something Condal freely admits. “It was very confusing last season because we had Luke and Elliott Tittensor as the Cargyll twins. And then we also had Elliot [Grihault] who played Luke Valerian. Then you'd start saying Elliot and Luke, and 'Are we talking about the character or the actor or whatever?'”
Condal also noted that the two Tittensors are actually “very difficult to tell apart.” Elliott has tattoos all over his arms, which is great when they're not in costume. But the moment they put on the costumes, you can't tell them apart anymore.”
Condal added: “They told us that their own mother confuses them and that they have deceived their own mother by changing their beard or whatever. Although in the end I was able to do it and I felt very, very proud of it.”
House of the Dragon (HBO)
Condal had high praise for the two men, calling them “incredible actors and performers.” They did all that [fight] themselves. They studied that choreography, they learned it from [stunt coordinator Rowley Irlam]. They did that whole fight alone. And it's so incredible and moving.”
It's another somber moment in a show full of them, and Condal said the tone is “one of the things we're most aware of. I think as we get deeper and deeper into the story, and if you've read the book, you know it gets bleaker as we go. There will always be darkness and high stakes, but how do you find those moments of humanity in it? And I think you really lean into the characters. Because the situation with the war does not improve until it ends. “That’s just the nature of these things.”
Condal continues: “But you get hooked on these characters, who have very human experiences. There are bad people who grow and become more human as a result of the pressures they have been subjected to; They are forced to look inward and reconsider. And then the family relationships that we have with these characters, that we know that we love each other and that maybe we've been separated by war and seeing them get back together… I think those are the things that we'll look for, to try to find something. light in the darkness of a nuclear war.”
For more, read our conversations with the cast about how Season 2 leans into the nuclear war metaphor. new episodes of Dragon House debuts Sundays on HBO and Max.
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