House of the Dragon season 2 episode 7 release time, what to expect, and what you missed last week

Sadly, we're almost done with the sophomore season of House of the Dragon. The Game of Thrones prequel series following House Targaryen at the peak of their power has been an absolute hit for HBO, unsurprisingly. I've been a huge fan of the spinoff from the season 1 premiere and am so sad to see the second season come to an end. That said, the finale will hopefully be an epic experience that'll make it all worth it. I'm getting ahead of myself though; there's still the penultimate episode to enjoy this week.

The first season of House of the Dragon consisted of 10 episodes, but unfortunately, the Ryan Condal-led series was cut for the second season, down to eight episodes. Fans can watch the season 2 finale next Sunday, Aug. 4. Before that, let's get into everything you need to know to watch season 2 episode 7 tonight.

Season 2 episode 7 release date and time

House of the Dragon season 2 episode 7 will premiere on HBO and Max on Sunday, July 28 at 9:00 p.m. ET. If you're catching the linear premiere on the channel HBO, make sure to turn it on at exactly 9:00 p.m. ET so you don't miss a minute of the new episode. According to HBO's schedule, the new episode will air encore versions as well, playing at 10:07 p.m. ET, 12:05 a.m. ET, and 2:03 a.m. ET, leading into Monday morning.

If you're streaming the new episode tonight on Max, you can access it at any time starting at 9:00 p.m. ET via the website or app.

Season 2 episode 6 recap

Though you might consider last week's episode of House of the Dragon season 2 another slower-paced one, it's still a really strong one. Yes, there's some setup, but it's necessary setup that is equally entertaining as it is thought-provoking. With the exception of the Daemon storyline, I'm really loving where we are in the season and am so excited to see what's next in episode 7.

In episode 6, titled "Smallfolk," Rhaenyra enlists her knight Ser Steffon Darklyn to try and claim a dragon, which, unfortunately, isn't successful. Seasmoke ends up killing him by dragonfire, leaving Rhaenyra hopeless. She doesn't know what she can do to win the war, and by the end of the episode, she even tells Mysaria that she doesn't think she can at this point. A major moment in the episode happens during their conversation when the two characters begin kissing. A romantic relationship between Rhaenyra and Mysaria does not happen in Fire & Blood, but it's a welcome change to the source material to me.

Aemond continues ruling in his brother's place, but even though he's strategic and more capable of ruling than Aegon is, he ignores the smallfolk. People in the city have limited food and they grow angrier in this episode, especially when they see sheep being brought to the castle for Vhagar to eat. Rhaenyra and Mysaria carry out a scheme to get the smallfolk at King's Landing on Rhaenyra's side by sending food to them. They're very grateful for this and completely turn on the greens, declaring "Long live Queen Rhaenyra" in the streets. They also chase down Alicent and Helaena in a thrilling scene. If you don't feed your people, they're not going to be loyal to you. It's as simple as that.

Also at King's Landing, Aemond removes Alicent from his council and calls on Otto Hightower to return as his Hand. He orders Criston and his army to march on Harrenhal, despite Criston's hesitation.

After killing Steffon Darklyn, Seasmoke flees Dragonstone and it's not until the back half of the episode that we see where he goes. He pursues Addam of Hull, likely sensing his Velaryon blood, and after a chase, lands down in front of him. He wants Addam to be his rider, though Addam is absolutely shocked. The episode ends with Rhaenyra finding out that Seasmoke has a rider, and she assumes it must be the greens.

As for Daemon, he's still having hallucinations in Harrenhal and struggling to form an army. I'm getting so sick and tired of his storyline, which is disappointing because he was one of my favorite characters in season 1. Paddy Considine returns in episode 6 in a couple of Daemon's dreams, and even though I absolutely love Considine, I wasn't even excited to see him. Daemon needs to leave Harrenhal ASAP!

What to expect from season 2 episode 7

If the preview is any indication, we'll finally be getting the Sowing of the Seeds in House of the Dragon season 2 episode 7. This is a major moment from Fire & Blood in which Jacaerys recruits dragonriders, something the blacks definitely need right now. We're not exactly sure how it'll go down in House of the Dragon, but we can expect a few characters we've met in season 2 to come forward to claim a dragon. Exciting!

In the preview, which you can see below, Rhaenyra seems threatened by Addam, demanding to know what he wants. She doesn't realize that he's going to be on her side. Alicent is on a downward spiral and we see a clip of her walking into the water in the preview, as well as a clip of Aemond finding out that Daeron's dragon is now flying. Jace seems threatened by the dragonseeds, now knowing that others can also claim dragons too. Now that Lord Grover Tully is dead, Daemon must meet with Oscar Tully and the houses of the Riverlands.

Both the blacks and the greens seem to be getting stronger in the preview for episode 7, so who will come out victorious? Well, it's definitely not that simple.

Don't miss the penultimate episode of House of the Dragon season 2 tonight, and check back with us at Show Snob to read our recap and review!