"Game of Thrones" viewer fans will be no strangers to powerful performances and truly stunning scenes The infamous "Red Wedding," the shocking end of the original pilot, Cersei's walk of shame, Tywin's murder The list goes on and on

The second episode of Season 2 of "House of Dragons" once again boasts, in my eyes, a scene that can stand alongside the best scenes in "Thrones" history The second episode of Season 2 has already made headlines for being the longest episode in "House of Dragons" history, but I think there is an entirely different reason why this episode should make waves: because it contains one of my favorite scenes of all time

There are spoilers ahead

This second episode is full of excitement mixed with sadness and anger News of Jayheeris' murder reaches Aegon II He is understandably furious and urges him to take action against Rhaenyra's forces for revenge But the King's Hand Otto Hightower, as ever, sees an opportunity in the death of Aegon's son: he plans a funeral procession through the streets of King's Landing, naming Rhaenyra an "infant killer" and attempting to turn public opinion even more against Rhaenyra

Alicent and Helena (unwillingly) join the procession, but Aegon is not satisfied When he learned that one of the murderers of Jayhaeris was a rat catcher, he publicly executed rat catchers all over King's Landing Otto, angered by his daring maneuver, confronts the boy king And this moment, more than any other, kept me glued to the screen No, not the climactic fight to the death between the Cargill twins Not the moment when Lainira confronts Daemon for all his misdeeds, nor the moment when the people of King's Landing see their fallen Daemon as the heir to the throne Instead, my favorite part of the second episode was the altercation between the petulant boy king and his domineering advisor

The tension is palpable in this confrontation Otto Hightower forgets himself and admonishes the king for being a "fool," while Aegon feigns calm Rhys Ifans rebukes him for his rash actions, and his lines are spit out with force, trying to make him understand that his actions will only turn the people against him

So far Aegon has been guided by Otto But he has clearly broken with it He has acted out of fear of being perceived as weak Furthermore, it is clear that he wants things to escalate In his words, "I want blood, not ink"

The turning point comes when Aegon reveals that Christon Cole has also "acted" The plan was ludicrous, but ultimately very effective: bewildered by the murder of Jehaeris, Christon dispatched Sir Arik Cargill to Dragonstone There he would take the place of his identical twin brother and protector of Rainila and kill her

Exhausted, Otto moves from anger to regret, lamenting Viserys' death and Aegon's lack of skill With a pained look on his face, he realizes that Aegon was not the right man for the throne He had already been accused of being too generous to the people of the court in the first episode, and here again he proves to be a hasty and thoughtless ruler

The problem is that Aegon has gradually grown in self-esteem, demanding (with an arrogant smile) that Otto give up his badge and offering Lord Cole the role of King's Hand After warning that Aegon needs a strong leader and that he will regret this move, Otto tosses the badge at Cole's feet But as he throws open the door, Aegon delivers one last smug blow with only three words: you are dismissed"

Driven by the brilliant performances of Rhys Ifans and Tom Glynn-Kearney, the sequence becomes a tennis power struggle, constantly back and forth, until Aegon II decides to forge a new path with the feisty Sir Christon Cole at his side As the series progresses, one cannot wait to see the consequences of Aegon's decision