Tag: HBO

It’s awesome to see social media and friends’ reactions of what’s happening in House of the Dragon. When an adaptation sticks as closely to the source material as House of the Dragon has, knowing what’s coming is a gift and a curse, especially trying to piece together how the show is going to adapt the book moving forward, and not spoiling stuff for you nerds. Let’s get into it.

Family Reunion

The episode opened in Driftmark, the seat of house Velaryon, where the Targaryens and Velaryons, and most of the King’s court have arrived for Laena Velaryon’s funeral. Very sad, very awkard, especially when Vaemond Velaryon started his funeral speech and monologued on about how they need to keep their blood pure and strong, a direct shot to Rhaenyra’s (possibly illegitimate, who could know!) children, prompting Daemon to chuckle loudly and put the attention on him instead of the kids. Good guy Daemon!

There was a lot of staring and tense conversations in the beginning of this episode, especially with Viserys (looking a hell of a lot better than last episode) trying to reconcile with Daemon and being spurned, Corlys seeing Laenor be drunk as hell waist-deep in the sea and basically screaming to Qarl to go get him, raising everyone’s attention, and ending with Viserys calling Alicent by his first wife’s name, Aemma. Get wrecked Alicent, you idiot.

Aemond and Jace’s brief reunion scene with the two of them standing awkwardly together, with Aemond seeming to try and start a conversation before walking off was of interest.. It’s a good addition, showing that the kids are being forced to hate each other by their parents, and their reluctance to do so.

Vhagar

Aemond has been pining for a dragon for a while now and refuses to wait any longer, especially with the largest dragon in Westeros there for the taking. The first ride looked like Aemond was trying to hang onto a 747 as it climbed higher and higher. Tom Cruise is probably asking for a dragon to ride for the next Mission: Impossible movie after seeing this episode.

Vhagar’s roars and flight wake up a number of people in Driftmark, specifically Rhaena and Baela, who in turn wake up Jace and Luke to confront who was riding the girls’ mother’s dragon. They meet Aemond in a tunnel coming from the beach and it’s pretty clear that a little power in the form of a flying nuclear weapon has gone straight to Aemond’s head. The four Velaryons start arguing in protest that Aemond stole Vhagar, starting a brawl that ends with everyone beating the hell out of everyone. It ends quickly after Aemond gets Luke by the throat with one hand, and a rock in his other ready to come down on Luke’s face. As he starts gloating and calling Jace and Luke bastards, Luke gets his hands on a knife it and slices Aemond, taking out his left eye. The Lore clearly states his right eye was taken out, so this episode is sadly a 1/10 on book accuracy.

Most importantly, the largest living dragon switched sides from the Blacks to the Greens, as pointed out by Otto Hightower. The results of this trade might become real sooner than you think.

Greens and Blacks

The brawl between the children brought both families together, screaming at each other, with the King trying to make amends. Viserys trying to patch things together and seeing everything slip out of his fingers is becoming a bit of a bad habit.

Jabs were tossed back and forth between Alicent and Rhaenyra, but the biggest was the allegation of who Jace and Luke’s father is. Aemond, being the little brother quickly blamed Aegon, who declared to the entire room that “Everyone knows. Just look at them.” Viserys quickly denounced these claims and put into law that anyone who is spreading these vile rumors will have their tongues out.

As the King went off to bed, Alicent went a little nuts and called for Criston Cole to bring her an eye from one of the boys. Smart guy Cole pointed out he’s sworn to protect her, not to maim children for her. Rageful, Alicent being the genius she is, decided to snatch Chekov’s dagger from Viserys and do it herself! Stopped by Rhanenyra, the two have a bit of word play that ended with Alicent slicing Rhaenyra’s arm, showing everyone in the room that she is a grade A psycho. Also, this is first blood to be spilled in the Dance, and it happens to be Aegon the Conqueror’s knife with the Targaryen prophecy forged into it.

This entire scene seems like a direct parallel to Season 1 of Thrones, where Joffrey is attacked by Arya’s direwolf. It ended with Robert succumbing to Cersei and ordering Ned to kill Sansa’s direwolf. Viserys however puts a stop to it. A stronger man than Bobby B.

After the showdown, Rhaenyra came to the conclusion that she needs strength from her husband, something she doesn’t currently have. But would with Daemon. They had a quick little romp on the beach for old times’ sake, and then they started their scheming. Daemon, in his henchman cloak, tossed some 30 pieces of silver to Qarl for the service of killing Laenor and escaping to Essos. And they did have a bit of a duel within Driftmark, where after Corlys and company find a burned body and mourned for Laenor…butour guy is revealed to have lived, those silver dreads shaved right off! Rhaenyra and Daemon are good guys!

Things to Come and Critiques

Helaena’s Dragon Dreams keep coming up, but what is it she’s prophesizing? Her prophecy from the previous episode paid off as she noted that Aemond would have to close one eye, which he happened to lose, in order to get a dragon. This episode she’s quoted as saying “Hand Turns Loom” (Could be literal, as Otto the hand has been creating a rift and seeds of war, spinning the loom) “Spool of Green, Spool of Black” (Back to the Loom. Green is Hightower, Black is Targaryen), and “Dragons flesh, Weaving dragons of thread” (More Loom! Targaryens creating war banners).

The show is leaning heavily into showing that the Blacks are the right side to cheer on, which is something that is a bit of a disappointment when it’s so clear that everyone on both sides sucks.

Laenor surviving and leaving his family seems a bit hypocritical. Earlier in the episode, he doubled down on his commitment to Rhaenyra; suddenly, he’s fine with leaving everyone, including his dragon Seasmoke? Throughout the books, the bond of a dragon and rider is for life. How is Seasmoke going to bond with a new rider when Laenor is still alive?

It seems as thought Episode 8 might see another time jump, aging the kids up for the Dance. The 9th episode of almost every Season of Thrones was where the shocking spectacles took place. Ned’s death, The Battle of the Blackwater, the Red Wedding, the Battle on the Wall, Dany and Drogon in the fighting pit, and the Battle of the Bastards were all EPISODE 9 events. Episode 8 is the deep breath before the plunge, and so far, there are no signs that House of the Dragon will be doing things differently.

“There are decades where nothing happens; and there are weeks where decades happen” – Lenin – ME

HBO’s hit series House of the Dragon returned this week to remind everyone that, in it’s heart of hearts, it’s really just a big budget soap opera. The episode begins with a funeral and ends with a wedding, both of which are lined with the messiest of family drama one could possibly imagine. Nanna Blondell‘s Lady Laena Velaryon has recently died by self-inflicted dragon immolation, a real thing, and now everyone from both sides of the Velaryon-Targaryon family tree must unite at Driftmark to say their goodbyes. Unfortunately, neither of these bloodlines can ever maintain niceties, and the gathering quickly devolves into drunken shenanigans and children beating the life out of each other in the middle of the night. Normal, typical reunion stuff.

Emma D’Arcy‘s Princess Rhaenyra Targaryan clings to what she has, ultimately wedding her Uncle Daemon (played by Matt Smith) after faking the death of her husband Ser Laenor (played by John Macmillan). The Queen Regent, Olivia Cooke‘s Alicent Hightower, can’t handle the situation and tries to cut a person’s eye out after her own son is attacked, but everything turns out alright when young Aemond (played by Ewan Mitchell) bonds with a dragon well beyond his own years. It’s quite a bit to pick through, but here at Murphy’s Multiverse, that’s never been a problem. So, without further ado, here are the best and worst moments from this week’s episode – Driftmark.

BEST – The Funeral

There’s a lot of good in Driftmark. In fact, it was actually kind of difficult to select a specific part of the episode as the very best it had to offer. However, one would be remiss if they didn’t single out the opening funeral sequence as the epitome of what the entire series has been over the last several weeks. It’s one of those rare television moments when every major player left on the board is in one place at the same time, and they all act exactly the way viewers would hope. Tom Glynn-Carney‘s Prince Aegon immediately gets drunk, Laenor stands forlorn in the water, Daemon laughs at the most inappropriate time, Rhaenyra and Alicent are at each other’s necks, Harry Collett‘s Prince Jacaerys is thinking about his illegitimate father, Paddy Considine‘s King Viserys goes to bed way too early, and Matthew Needham‘s Lord Larys Strong stares unabashedly at the Queen for far too long. It’s a chaotic masterpiece.

Every minute of the funeral that passes is more entertaining than the last. It’s the show at its very best, with high-stakes politics and poor familial relations clashing to create the kind of drama tornado fans and critics both live for. The rest of Driftmark is also incredibly well-done, but the first chunk sets the tone so beautifully it simply must be recognized. More of this in the future, please.

WORST – It’s Still The Incest

Truthfully, it’s insane how many times this website has had to state that incest is bad. True to its source material, it seems House of the Dragon will continue to double down on incestual romance for the long haul. While it might have been more fun if the series kept examining the false marriage between Rhaenyra and Laenor, it will instead pivot to showing a lot of an uncle making love to his niece in a super uncomfortable manner. Strap in, because it appears this whole family-that-hates-each-other-but-also-really-loves-each-other vibe is part of the show’s package deal. With any luck, the creatives will at least include less graphic visuals in the last few episodes of the season. Until then, viewers can only hope Rhaenyra one day sees the light and moves on to another Ser Harwin Strong.

Finally! The time jump I’ve been promising you all has come. It’s been 10 years since we last saw Rhaenyra, Viserys, Alicent, and company, and they’ve been busy in the meantime. Let’s get into it.

Rhaenyra and Alicent’s Children

Another promise delivered! The opening scene is Rhaenyra giving birth to her third son, Joffrey, named after Laenor’s old boyfriend who got rendered to a pink mist last episode by Criston Cole. Her other two sons, Jacaerys and Lucerys, are also shown in this episode. They look vastly different from Alicent’s children, in part that they lack the Targaryen silver-platinum hair. Instead, they have darker hair, and look quite similar to someone who has only been in the background of the first 5 episodes-Harwin Strong, who is their real father. It seems like this is a pretty open secret, as Criston Cole goads Harwin into attacking him after setting the older Aegon on Jacaerys in the practice yard, and very obviously not training Rhaenyra’s boys with nearly the same enthusiasm as he is Alicent’s. If people did not have suspicions about the Crown Prince’s lineage, there are certainly questions now. This forces Rhaenyra to send Harwin away, back to his family seat of Harrenhal with his father, who resigns as Hand. Sadly we only got one episode of Harwin being a major character, as the castle was torched and both he and his father perished in the flames, all orchestrated by the other son, Larys the Clubfoot. The Curse of Harrenhal and all of that.

Another interesting dynamic in this episode is that Aegon is relatively friendly with Jace and Luke, and even pulls a prank on Aemond (who everyone hates) with the two boys, promising Aemond that they have a dragon for him and bringing out a pig. Aemond is desperate to have a dragon, whining to Alicent that the boys are picking on him. That’s when we see Alicent’s third child, a daughter by the name of Helaena. Helaena appears to have what Targaryens call “Dragon Dreams,” which are prophetic visions. Pay attention to her words during Aemond and Alicent’s conversation. Later, Aegon was confronted by Alicent about the prank, and he’s pretty quick to throw Jace and Luke under the bus, knowing that Alicent will believe him without hesitation. Alicent warns Aegon that if Rhaenyra comes into power, Aegon would not live. He must be ready to take the crown, by force if necessary, which leads us to the surrounding drama in the King’s Court.

Drama in King’s Landing

From the opening sequence, we can see that the rivalry between Rhaenyra and Alicent has grown exponentially. Alicent demanding that Joffrey immediately be taken to her after the birth is a pure power move, and Rhaenyra deciding to take Joffrey herself is an answer back that she won’t be bullied. Alicent can’t help but make a remark to Laenor to keep trying, maybe one of these children will look like him. She’s both alerting Rhaenyra that she knows her secret, as well as she is hoping to get a reaction for the King to see. Speaking of which…

King Viserys Targaryen I, also known as the Westerosi Rickety Cricket, is in rough shape these days. His left arm is gone, hair is falling out, teeth look grotesque, and he’s getting wheeled around everywhere. Iron Throne wounds are not to be taken lightly it seems, and this decade has been hard on him. This does not stop him from being elated for a new grandchild, as well as watching his sons and grandsons practicing in the courtyard. He’s hoping that if they all grow up and play together, this will make them closer. I wish you were right, Viserys.

The most important scene in this episode was the small council meeting. There are various concerns, notably a Bracken and Blackwood conflict (remember the boy proposing to Rhaenyra and got laughed out? The boy was a Blackwood, the man he killed was a Bracken. LORE), and the Stepstones are being taken over again. Alicent brushes these off, and in turn the king does as well, but Rhaenyra raises objections, again highlighting their rift and different leadership styles. After this, Rhaenyra proposes to Alicent that Jace and Helaena be betrothed, combining the two houses. While it does seem like a very good match, it would all but eliminate Aegon’s claim. It seems like everyone but Viserys sees this, who is blissfully ignorant in his grandsons’ parentage. Even if he knows, he does not care. They are his daughter’s children, and she is a Targaryen. What’s the problem?

After the refusal, Rhaenyra decides to wash herself of King’s Landing and go back to Dragonstone, leaving her father in Alicent’s clutches.

Daemon and Laena

Everyone in this episode seems to have aged up except Daemon, who will live at this age forever it seems. Daemon and Laena Velaryon have wed, had two daughters, and another is on the way! They’re chilling in Pentos across the Narrow Sea, and Daemon is happy to play bodyguard for the host they’re staying with. It seems like Daemon has turned a page, going from a warrior to a dutiful husband and father. Sure does spend a lot of time in the library, though. Wonder what he’s trying to find about the old dragon riders of Valyria.

Unfortunately, this all came to a full stop. Laena talked about her wanting to go back to Westeros, to not die old and fat but as a dragon rider. She received her wish maybe a little earlier than expected. While in labor with her child, she was unable to push the baby out, and as both the maester and Daemon start speaking of a c-section, the same operation that killed Viserys’s first wife in the opening episode of the season, Laena escapes out and to her dragon, Vhagar, demanding that it burn her alive to end her suffering. Metal as hell.

Thoughts Moving Forward – Spoilers

I wouldn’t expect any more time jumps this season, though I would expect that Viserys will die in the next couple of episodes, acting as the catalyst for the Dance of Dragons. Helaena having dragon dreams is an awesome addition, specifically muttering that “He’ll have to close an eye”, and “The last ring has no legs at all. He has eyes, but cannot see.” The first quote can apply to multiple characters in the full Westeros timeline, but the second is a little more specific. Who is the last king in Westeros? He wouldn’t happen to not be able to use his legs, right?

Alicent presentation as an outright villain is problematic. She has very real concerns about Rhaenyra, and about her ability to be a monarch, and she’s been fed lies from her father to fear for her children’s safety. One of the best parts of this story is that there are no good sides, and each will do horrific things to the other. I really, really hope that they don’t try to influence the audience to choose Rhaenyra OR Alicent’s side.

One last fun fact. Every single Targaryen that has been named king or queen and sat the Iron Throne (Until Robert Baratheon. LORE) had silver-platinum hair. Something to ponder.

House of the Dragon is back, and this time, people are older. The show traversed a full ten years in only one week’s time, replacing the incomparable Milly Alcock and Emily Carey with the equally-as-impressive Emma D’Arcy and Olivia Cooke. Despite a full decade’s worth of potential character development, it would seem not much has changed when the series’ sixth episode, The Princess and the Queen, starts ticking. Princess Rhaenyra is now the mother of three children, fathered by someone who is definitely not her husband, and nobody seems to think their lack of white hair is suspicious. Nobody, that is, except for Queen Alicent Hightower and her entourage of sketchy male cohorts. Tensions start to rise as Alicent and Rhaenyra challenge each other in King’s Landing, and secrets about the latter’s romantic history begin to resurface.

Meanwhile, Matt Smith‘s Prince Daemon Targaryan learns that married life might not be all that he’d hoped it would be, and Paddy Considine‘s King Viserys Targaryan learns that living ten years past ones expiration date might not be as comfortable as he’d imagined. From there, in classic Game of Thrones tradition, everything starts going downhill – or, more accurately, up in flames. After all, this is the House of the Dragon. Join Murphy’s Multiverse as we dig into both the best and the worst The Princess and the Queen had to offer.

BEST – The Birth of Joffrey Velaryon

The Princess and the Queen opened with the first of two birthing scenes present in the episode. Viewers are introduced to an adult Rhaenyra while she’s in the midst of delivering her third child, whom her husband eventually names Joffrey Velaryon after his deceased lover. It’s a messy scenario, but it’s an incredibly effective way to demonstrate just how headstrong the Princess has become in the years since fans last saw her. Immediately after giving birth, Rhaenyra receives word that the Queen would like to see her old friend’s newest son. Knowing this is likely some sort of power move, the King’s heir decides to walk Joffrey to the Queen herself, in spite of the fact she had only just pushed out the afterbirth.

The move is perhaps one of the single coolest things any Westerosi character has ever done. This goes without saying, but as one learns in biology class, birthing a human is not an easy task. Standing up from said task, coated in sweat and bleeding, and trucking it directly to face a personal rival is the epitome of a power move, one-upping Alicent tenfold. Not only was the sequence great for the story, but the camera work was excellent as well. The first several minutes of the episode was some of the best shot footage the franchise has seen, and one can only hope it’s a sign of what’s to come in the final few entries of the season.

WORST – Prince Aegon II Targaryan

Folks, there’s a new Joffrey Baratheon in town. Previously only seen as a newborn baby, Tom Glynn-Carney‘s Prince Aegon II Targaryan is shown as a full-blown young adult in The Princess and the Queen. As it turns out, he’s simply the worst. From the moment he makes his onscreen debut, he’s actively working to make the lives of much more likable characters miserable. He starts with a pig-themed dragon prank on his younger cousin, moves on to – *ahem* – revealing himself to the entire kingdom, and eventually plays fairly dirty in a sparring session with the same aforementioned family member. If the history of this franchise has taught viewers anything, it’s that this behavior will get worse before it gets better. In fact, it probably won’t get better. It will just keep getting worse and then Aegon will die or he won’t. Hopefully, and this feels weird to say about a minor, the show lands on the first option. (It won’t.)

The board is set. Pieces from the past are in place. And they’re moving fast.

Viserys’s Desperation

The King is dying by the second. Collapsing multiple times, the Iron Throne wounds are festering all over the place on him. Even with this, he braves stormy weather to go to Driftmark and set things right with Lord Corlys Velaryon, by combining their houses through the marriage of Rhaenyra and Laenor, giving Corlys what he’s been vying for since day one: his family and blood on the Iron Throne. Viserys isn’t used to being the one to ask for things, because being the king, his word is law. He recognizes the danger that Rhaenyra will be in if he dies and she is still unwed and heirless, especially with his son Aegon in the picture. He needs to cement his daughter as the one heir, and this marriage should seal the deal. Maybe…

Another key factor is Lyonel Strong, the replacement Hand of the King, having taken over from Otto Hightower. He’s been following Otto’s example in finagling his children into the mix, with his son Larys whispering in Alicent’s ear to create more of a rift between her and Rhaenyra. Passing on the knowledge that Rhaenyra drank the moon tea seemed to cause Alicent quite a problem. And Larys really laid it on thick that he hoped Rhaenyra isn’t ill. The other Strong, Harwin, saved Rhaenyra from the brawl at the end of the episode. If you didn’t notice on first watch, take a look at how Lyonel prods Harwin to go after her. Shades of Otto telling Alicent to comfort Viserys in the early part of the season.

The Green Dress

Alicent has tried to play nice with Rhaenyra. She didn’t choose to be Viserys’s wife and has been a pawn of her father’s since the very beginning. She is doing what the Westerosi society requires of a noblewoman: to marry a lord, be faithful, follow the rules, and spit out those kids. So when she sees that Rhaenyra is throwing a fit because she has to marry, and can even choose who to marry, it’s easy to feel sympathetic towards Alicent. Last week we noted that Rhaenyra lied right to her face about her extracurricular activities and that quickly came to a head this episode. Alicent brings Ser Criston Cole in to grill him about Rhaenyra, still thinking that it was Daemon who was the partner. Criston folds like a lawn chair and confesses almost instantly, with Alicent taking it all in silence and rage that her best friend would lie so easily to her.

This combined with Otto stating that her children will never be safe if Rhaenyra takes the throne, were the final dominoes for Alicent. In his mind, the children will always be rivals and Aegon being male makes him the better claimant, and Rhaenyra will eliminate them from contention. Her arriving late to the feast dressed in traditional Hightower green was a statement in itself, and this is the scene that names Alicent’s faction The Greens. The Hightower light burns green when at war.

Laenor, Rhaenyra, and That Scene

Rhaenyra and Laenor grew up together, so they’re very familiar with each other. Laenor is gay, Rhaenyra knows this, and takes some advice from Daemon in that they will marry, make public appearances together, do all the necessary stuff, but also have some paramours on the side. Laenor’s partner is Joffrey Lonmouth, and for now, Rhaenyra’s side piece is Criston Cole. Both Laenor and Rhaenyra agree with this notion, and happily go into the feast with a plan in place.

Criston Cole will be one of the most polarizing characters in this series that isn’t named Rhaenyra or Daemon. He feels that he’s simply being used and that his vows mean nothing to his Princess (which is very true). The only way he sees he can redeem his honor is if he and Rhaenyra run away to the Free Cities in Essos and start over. For some reason, Rhaenyra doesn’t want to give up her entire kingdom and family for a guy she’s been sneaking around with. Who knew! So with them done and finished, Cole was staring daggers at Rhaenyra, something Joffrey noticed. Joffrey sauntered over, thinking that he could come in and make quick friends with his paramour buddy, and what he got in return was his entire skull caved in with everyone looking on in horror. Whoops! Maybe don’t approach a Kingsguard knight sworn to celibacy and tell him you know that he’s been porking the Princess he’s sworn to protect, since, you know, if it gets out that is a death sentence for him. Cole, destroyed by the entire ordeal, was about to seppuku in the Godswood before Alicent came to save the day.

Rhaenyra and Laenor’s wedding was a little depressing after that debacle, along with Viserys collapsing for the 17th time this episode.

Halfway Through Season 1

This episode ends the first part of the timeline for House of the Dragon, and both Rhaenyra and Alicent will have different actors (Emma D’Arcy and Olivia Cooke) take the stage beginning in Episode 6, which also means there will be a substantial time jump. Next time you’ll see them, Rhaenyra will have 3 children to keep up with Alicent. From the promotional pictures, Rhaenyra’s children are all dark-haired. Pretty odd that two silver-haired parents gave birth to someone with dark hair.

The sides are established, the seeds have been planted, and you’ll see the growth next Sunday. It’ll only get crazier from here.

Phew. There is much to unpack in the fourth episode of HBO’s latest hit, House of the Dragon. Luckily for readers, the purpose of this article is only to address the best and worst of all the chaos. It’s almost comical that the episode is titled King of the Narrow Sea, after the fancy new moniker given to Matt Smith‘s Daemon Targaryen, because really, this week was all about Milly Alcock‘s Princess Rhaenyra. With Paddy Considine‘s King Viserys hellbent on finding her a groom, Rhaenyra is forced to confront what it is she truly wants out of a relationship, and the answer isn’t so simple. As with any breathing human being, her Grace does not want to feel like a prisoner in her own marriage. Unfortunately, the rules of the time are the rules of the time and this type of arrangement may be a fate she’s not ever able to outmaneuver. Her restlessness ultimately leads to a, well, uncomfortable night out with her uncle, and a few realizations that make her slightly more comfortable in her own skin.

Quite a few other major developments occur, like the dramatic demotion of Rhys Ifans‘ Otto Hightower and the ongoing depressive state of his daughter, Alicent, played by Emily Carey. Yet, none of those things ever really live up to the shock value of the episode’s main plotline, which holds the honor of producing both talking points in this week’s breakdown. So, without further ado, it’s time to talk even more about superstar Milly Alcock.

Best – Milly Alcock

Milly Alcock will not be around House of the Dragon forever. In fact, she won’t even be around for the entirety of this season. But boy, oh boy, is she making the most of the time she has as Princess Rhaenyra. Alcock has been the standout of this show from the very beginning, and King of the Narrow Sea proves exactly why that is. Rhaenyra is not a simple type of character to portray, having to come off as both stubborn and charming at the same time while also maintaining a sense of regality in every action. It’s much easier to be unlikable than not in this kind of role, but Alcock manages to pull off every scene with grace, poise, and appeal. She makes the audience want to follow her down whatever path she travels, and that is a skill that simply can’t be taught.

King of the Narrow Sea deals with a lot of subject matter that won’t sit well with everyone. There are some very dark rabbit holes that Rheanyra finds herself exploring. Yet, in spite of that, Alcock remains a steadfast champion of everything that’s good in House of the Dragon. She takes the dark path, however terrible it may seem, and flips it into one that the audience is curious in exploring themselves. She sells the story, and her character, as something worthwhile, even when a person’s brain might be telling them otherwise. This show could not have found a better successor to Emilia Clarke‘s Daenerys, and fans should remain hopeful the series finds a way to keep her around even after Rheanyra hits her growth spurt.

Worst – Incest, Duh

This almost doesn’t even feel worth typing. By far the worst part of King of the Narrow Sea, and perhaps the show at large, is Daemon manipulating his teenage niece into trying to have sex with him. Inside of a brothel, no less. It’s a power move and a disgusting one at that. Yes, Daemon is, thus far, the villain of this show and at no point does the project want us to be on his side. However, that does not negate the fact that every second of that sequence was terrible enough to make a viewer’s skin crawl ten times over. The word one might be looking for is probably “icky”. This type of sexual deviancy, a phrase that feels strange to use, is becoming something of a theme for House of the Dragon. Hopefully, it’s just a phase and one that the show grows out of sooner than later.

A Historically Accurate Royal Hunt

One of the biggest plot points in this episode was Viserys’ royal hunt, where he and about half of the Red Keep went into the Kingswood to hunt down a rare white hart in celebration of his son Aegon’s second nameday. This is actually pretty accurate to what medieval royal hunts looked like, where the monarch would wait for his huntsmen to find their prey and the king would deliver the killing blow. So while this may be more in line with how it actually may have happened, we’ve already seen a king in Game of Thrones go hunting through the Kingswood, with nobody but a Kingsguard, his brother, and a cupbearer. Robert Baratheon has no time to sit in a tent when a boar the size of an elephant is waiting to gut him to pieces!

Viserys chose to spend his time waiting for his prize drinking and getting into whisper shouting matches with his daughter, Otto Hightower, and a Lannister about the war in the Stepstones. Paddy Considine is really nailing the role of Viserys, trying to please everyone while drinking himself into a stupor, and in doing so, making things so much worse. And did anyone catch those missing fingers from the Iron Throne cut? Bad omen. Another note is that the hunters couldn’t track the white hart, they only found a brown one, and Viserys could not even cleanly kill the poor replacement. The rare white hart did appear for Rhaenyra, but she chose to let it go. Something to remember moving forward.

A lot of time was spent this episode with Viserys combating different people (Hightower and Lannister) for questioning his line of succession. Viserys finally made a stand and cemented his daughter as heir, even confirming it to her. He did have a moment of weakness with Alicent in wondering if he had the made wrong choice in Rhaenyra, but then doubled down on his choice afterwards. This confirmation of Rhaenyra as heir should make her more interactive in court and around her family, but the lingering question remains: what happens between Rhaenyra and Aegon when Viserys is gone?

Rhaenyra and Company

The episode provided some quality one-on-one time with Criston and Rhaenyra, after Rhaenyra ran off and Cole had to go after her. A callback to King Robert showed up when a (much smaller) boar attacked Rhaenyra and Criston, but the Kingsguard knight made short work of it. It did make quite a striking visual with them arriving back at camp dragging the carcass and Rhaenyra being soaked in blood.

Another significant dynamic to keep an eye on is the rivalry between Alicent and Rhaenyra. So far, Alicent has seemed very sympathetic towards Rhaenyra who is giving her the cold shoulder. How long will Alicent continue to play nice, especially with her father in her ear whispering that her own son Aegon should be heir and not her stepdaughter?

War in the Stepstones

A big difference between the show and the book is that Viserys was not supporting the Stepstones throughout the war. In Fire and Blood, Viserys was happy to pay for Corlys and Daemon’s war in order to keep him out of trouble. In the show, Corlys and Daemon are struggling, and were on their last legs before Viserys chose to send a small force. This minimal help drove Daemon into a rage and one last assault, basically soloing the Crab’s forces before Corlys’s army along with his son, Laenor, and his Dragon Seasmoke came to save the day. Laenor isn’t a warrior in Fire and Blood, he doesn’t even get knighted until he’s required to for marriage, so it’s quite a change from the books and something that probably should have been set up a little better to have a bigger impact.

One major complaint about this episode is that Daemon’s duel with the Crabfeeder took place entirely offscreen. I was really looking forward to that, especially with the Crab looking like Jason Voorhees incarnate. Oh well. We’ll see how Viserys handles Daemon being the self-proclaimed King in the Narrow Sea next week.