House of the Dragon season 2, episode 7 hides a sneaky cameo – and we bet you didn't notice it

Rhaenyra and the dragonseeds in House of the Dragon season 2
(Image credit: HBO)

The latest episode of House of the Dragon season 2 was packed with action as the dragonseeds attempted to claim their dragons – and, over in Harrenhal, Daemon finally managed to raise his army. 

One easily missed detail in Harrenhal, though, hides a sneaky cameo that's very hard to spot. 

Harrenhal's courtyard features an impressive weirwood tree, and it's on the trunk that you might have noticed a familiar face: George R.R. Martin himself. The Song of Ice and Fire author's likeness is hidden in the tree as a tribute, as revealed in behind the scenes series The House That Dragons Built.

"Ryan [Condal, showrunner] wanted to do [the tree] as a bit of a tribute," production designer Tim Clay revealed (H/T Gamespot).

That means Martin can now join the likes of Ed Sheeran and Rob McElhenney when it comes to surprise VIP Westeros cameos. 

Elsewhere in the episode, we saw Vermithor in all his glory, as the Bronze Fury laid waste to the dragonseeds – then allowed himself to be claimed by none other than Hugh Hammer, the bastard son of Saera Targaryen. You can read more about why that's so important through the link. 

House of the Dragon season 2 continues weekly on HBO in the US and Sky and NOW in the UK. For even more on the show, check out our deep dives on: 

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Molly Edwards
Senior Entertainment Writer

I'm a Senior Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, covering all things film and TV for the site's Total Film and SFX sections. I previously worked on the Disney magazines team at Immediate Media, and also wrote on the CBeebies, MEGA!, and Star Wars Galaxy titles after graduating with a BA in English. 

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