The Green Country
House of the Dragon starts with the sound of birds in the eerie quiet morning. It’s the calm before the storm, as news starts spreading within the castle that Viserys the Peaceful has passed away.
Alicent speaks to her father, admitting that Viserys told her he wanted Aegon to be King. “It is the truth uttered with his own lips.” She says, with tears in her eyes. Of course, we know he was referencing Aegon the Conqueror and as predicted, this is going to spark a war. ..
The council join in the early hours and Otto Hightower delivers the news to everyone that Viserys is dead. Otto points out that his final wish was for Aegon to become Lord of the Seven Kingdoms. Given Jace was supposed to be on the throne after Rhaenyra, Otto and the others move quickly to set the wheels into motion.
Alicent is shocked to learn that they had already been planning to do this for a while. Lord Lyman Beesbury is the only one who believes this is treason and that there’s something fishy going on.
Criston turns and kills Lyman, smashing his face into the table and letting his blood drip off the table. The body is not to be removed until they finish their business though; a symbolic act to show blood is going to be spilled in the future.
Otto and the others turn their attention to Rhaenyra and her family. Now, they need to publicly swear obeisance to the new King. If not? Well, they’ll be imprisoned. Alicent knows that Daemon and Rhaenyra won’t bend the knee, and Otto does too, with plans to kill them when they refuse.
Alicent, the last living Targaryen, refuses to let Viserys’ daughter, Rhaenyra, be killed. The Lord Commander of the King’s Guard, Otto Hightower, refuses to take orders from him and suggests they rally the men and go to Dragonstone. “Until there is a King,” he says, and walks away. ..
Aegon is missing and no one knows where he is. Aemond and Criston Cole go into the city together to try and find him. They need to find him fast because Ser Erryk and Ser Arryk Cargyll are also after him, working for Otto. ..
Aegon Targaryen has been accused of spreading his “seed” throughout the town, including to numerous blonde-haired children who are pitted against each other in barbaric fighting pits. ..
Aemond, the largest dragon in the kingdom, wants to be king. He believes that he would make a better ruler than any other candidate, based on his size and power. ..
The bannermen and women in the castle are torn between following Rhaenyra or switching allegiance to Alicent and the new King. Some bend the knee out of fear, but others do so as they truly believe the King’s claim. Others who stand up and refuse, are marched out the chamber by soldiers.
Alicent finally arrives at the castle to see Rhaenyra and Daemon, revealing that Aegon will be King. She wants her support, but Rhaenyra and Daemon are obviously not going to take kindly to this. Alicent even tries to sweeten the deal by suggesting that Rhaenys can have Driftmark and pass it on to her granddaughters. Rhaenys throws back a little curveball, asking if she’s ever imagined herself on the Iron Throne. There’s no reply.
That silence speaks volumes to itself and it’s a clever bit of dialogue about the power of men without descending into pot-shots at either sex.
Otto Hightower meets with the White Worm, who seems to know all – including the death of the King. Passing over a stack of gold coins, she confirms that the Prince is “safely tucked away.” Now, in order to get Aegon back, White Worm wants an end to the savage use of children in Flea Bottom. We’ve seen the horrible fighting pits earlier in the episode, and Otto promises to “look into it.”
Aegon’s brother, Aemond, refuses to leave with him and instead challenges him to a light skirmish. Aegon tries to convince his brother to leave with him and jump on a ship and sail away, but Aemond remains stubborn.
Aegon has returned, and Alicent butts heads with her father over the best way to proceed. She’s decided to send favourable terms to Rhaenyra on Dragonstone that she can accept without shame. Otto sees this as a bad move, given it would mean Rhaenyra can rally people to her cause.
Alicent announces that she has anointed Criston Cole as the Lord Commander of the Kingsguard and Aegon will be crowned at dawn. The whole of King’s Landing will see his anointment and she intends to make it a big deal.
Aegon is on his way to the Keep when he gets a call from Alicent. She tells him that Viserys has changed his mind and wants him to become King. Aegon doesn’t like this idea, so he hands over the dagger and goes with Alicent instead. They go into the great chamber to see the new King crowned.
Aegon Targaryen is crowned king of the Seven Kingdoms and the crowd erupts in applause. As he lifts his sword into the sky and composes the cheers, a new era is upon us… but suddenly, a dragon bursts from the ground. It’s Rhaenys! ..
The doors are shut and the dragon roars at them all, but not with fire. It turns and leaves the chamber, flying off and presumably warning Rhaenyra of what’s happened.
The Episode Review
The episode started strong with a tense scene in which the team is forced to take cover as a bomb detonates. This set the tone for the rest of the episode, which was filled with action and suspense. The climax of the episode was intense and exciting, with a great reveal that left readers on the edge of their seats.
The first 15 minutes of this episode are a masterclass in storytelling. Djawadi builds a strong foundation for the rest of the episode, setting up a tense and exciting situation. There’s a lot of symbolism here, and it all comes together to create an excellent story.
The scene featuring Larys Strong and Alicent’s feet is likely to be a big talking point. But what’s particularly interesting here is what it signifies. There’s a lot of talk about pushing down the commoner and “stamping” down with authority on those at the very bottom. Seeing Strong pleasure himself while the camera focuses on Alicent’s feet feels symbolic on a deeper level than just “foot fetish”; it directly links to the idea of Alicent and the other High Lords crushing the commoners while they play their game of thrones.
The ending of Game of Thrones leaves many questions unanswered, with many people wondering why Rhaenys didn’t just wipe out the whole house and then take the throne. The thing is, Kinslaying is a big no-no in Westeros, as we know with Jaime Lannister slaying the Mad King. Instead, we get a warning and a promise that the throne is not going uncontested. Blood is about to be spilled in a big way.
House of the Dragon delivered a tasty penultimate episode this week, leaving the door wide open for a bloody good finale to follow. Bring it on!
