King’s Landing is in chaos. Rhaenyra has sailed back to the capital to end the fighting. But she’s met with no success. Viserys is still insisting that she come home, and even offers her a place in his court. Rhaenyra can’t take it anymore. She leaves for King’s Landing, vowing to end the fighting and make things right for her people.

Daemon strides into the main throne room, shrugging off the King’s Guard who appear with swords drawn. He drops one of his own, “Add it to the collection.” ..

Daemon, the King of the Narrow Sea, has been given the title of “King of the World” by Viserys. He drops his crown and kneels down to claim that Viserys is the true king. It’s unclear right now what sort of game he’s playing (if any), but Daemon seems to be confident in his ability to win. The pair do embrace though, with Viserys telling Daemon that the realm owns him a great debt.

After the battle, Daemon and Rhaenyra talk about their changed fates in this world. Rhaenyra has many suitor proposals, all of which are about power and titles. ..

The small council is discussing the recent events in the city. Lord Corlys has engaged in negotiations with the Sealord of Braavos. He plans to wed his daughter Laena to the Sealord’s son. So why is this bad? Well, if Velaryon entered into an alliance with the Free Cities then they would be forced to seek out their own marriage pact to strengthen their borders. And that “marriage pact”, of course, comes from Rhaenyra.

Daemon and Rhaenyra wander through the bustling streets of King’s Landing, stumble upon a stage play re-enacting the birth of her brother, Aegon. It seems even here she can’t escape the politics of the throne.

Alicent is summoned to see Viserys in the middle of the night, but it seems his back injuries are worse than they were several episodes back. This could have ramifications going forward in the story. ..

Viserys eventually has sex with Daemon and Rhaenyra, two of the most powerful men in the Seven Kingdoms. It’s not love, but it juxtaposes beautifully with other people who show up at a pleasure house full of naked men and women.

Daemon tells her “fucking is as much a pleasure for the woman as it is a man.” And with that, we see the true Targaryen destiny come into focus, as Daemon and Rhaenyra end up kissing… for a while anyway. Daemon eventually skips away, leaving Rhaenyra alone.

Rhaenyra returns to the palace with Ser Criston Cole that night. She takes his words to heart and decides to stay with him.

Otto receives word from a messenger that Daemon and Rhaenyra have been up to something. Otto eventually tells Viserys what’s happened, while Alicent confronts Rhaenyra about what’s been going on. Of course, it wasn’t actually sex, just kissing, and Rhaenyra is quick to point out that these rumors are slanderous and not true. ..

It doesn’t look good for Daemon when he’s brought into the throne room in the morning and dumped on the floor. Viserys kicks him and demands the truth. Daemon tells Viserys he should let him and Rhaenyra marry, and in doing so it would turn the House of the Dragon over to its former glory.

Viserys sees this as a ploy to gain the throne and tells Daemon to leave him and his court alone. ..

Alicent defends Rhaenyra that evening, pointing out to her husband that she believes her friend after their chat in the courtyard. Viserys is conflicted over what to do and eventually brings Rhaenyra in to see him so they can talk. ..

Viserys calls her his “political headache” and decides they should set up a wedding to Ser Laenor Velaryon. That would unite the two most powerful houses together. Rhaenyra is quick to point out Otto is the real vulture and opportunist here, as he’s trying to put Aegon on the throne.

Viserys was hesitant to take Rhaenyra’s ultimatum seriously, until she threw an even more serious one his way – get rid of Otto Hightower as Hand and she will marry him. ..

Viserys makes a big decision. He reflects on how Otto has wormed his way into the court, calculating all of this with Alicent and Aegon. He takes the title from the Hand, pointing out that he can’t trust Otto’s judgment anymore, leaving the man shocked and incredulous. ..

As the episode ends, Rhaenyra receives a tea from the King, intending to “rid her of any unwanted consequences.”

The Episode Review

House of the Dragon does an excellent job of contrasting kissing and sex between Viserys and Alicent against Rhaenyra and Daemon / Criston Cole. This is done to show the difference between duty and pleasure, as well as how stifling and passionateless some arranged marriages can be. ..

HOTD is a refreshing show that doesn’t waste a single scene either, squeezing as much as it can into its run-time while leaving plenty of ambiguity in its dialogue. Unlike something like Rings of Power, which repeats the same information repeatedly and sacrifices good storytelling for good visuals, HOTD is easily winning this “fantasy war.”

The show has a really nice ebb and flow too, managing to blend politics, drama and fantasy together without ever compromising on its storyline or pacing. The real test here will be whether the show can survive its upcoming time-jump. We shall have to wait and see!