It's difficult for a TV show to elicit every possible reaction from viewers. Yet, House of the Dragon Season 1 Episode 10 was undoubtedly a fantastic season finale to leave us with.
It was difficult to watch House of the Dragon Season 1 Episode 9, yet "The Black Queen" increased the suspense when Rhaenyral discovered the truth. It was the most painful experience of her life, resulting in a stillbirth and permanently altering the way she views some of the friends she made growing up.
Despite the controversy surrounding the season-midway recast, Emma D'arcy gave one of the most memorable performances in the franchise's history. As a young woman whose life was disintegrating around her.
The last time Rhaenyra saw Alicent, she was in a great place. It went too far for her friend to hide her father's death and proclaim her son the King. Although they have a strong bond, using the novel page was pure manipulation. Otto's gall in showing up at Dragonstone and telling Rhaenyra she had to accept the new King or perish didn't improve the situation.
This story is all about sowing seeds that eventually grow. Otto should be executed for his crimes, but it wouldn't be in line with Rhaenyra's beliefs. Or the way she wished to carry on her father's legacy as a leader. Rhaenyra's path to becoming one of the greatest monarchs in Westeros' history was established by every interaction she had with her father during meetings and during their private conversations.
Viserys wished to ensure the survival of House Targaryen by placing a compassionate monarch on the throne. He would have made them ready to reign if he had believed that one of his sons or brothers was capable of doing it.
It is a terrifying concept and something he would detest to know that Aegon, who abuses women and fathers children who are not his, is on the throne. However, the reason we are in this predicament in the first place is because of his pre-death mumblings. When he believed he was speaking to his daughter. It is terrifying to consider how much of this civil war may have been averted if there hadn't been misunderstandings.
Rhaenys might have murdered Alicent and her boys at the coronation to put an end to this conflict. Yet, he believed to see parts of Viserys in his daughter. She is resentful, but she also wants to use her position of power to carry out her moral convictions. Everybody in the Dragonpit would have been slain by Daemon and he wouldn't have had second thoughts about it.
I was worried about whether Daemon and Rhaenyra would trust Rhaenys given how quickly alliances may shift in Westeros. She was constantly on the sidelines and refused to bow to the Queen, which didn't help. Killing someone like Rhaenys for not trying to stop the conflict would have eliminated a possible ally and demonstrated to the Westerosians that Rhaenyra needs their support and isn't doing as her father did.
Corlys showing up and being in good health was the last thing I anticipated from this episode. You could tell he initially did not want to back Rhaenyra because this might go in a lot of different places. If Rhaenyra wanted to have any chance of being allowed to participate in this war, she had to act soon. Being on Dragonstone is great since we are aware of the dragons' presence, which should prevent conflicts from arising there.
Although it was encouraging to see her boys volunteer to ride dragons to garner support, it seemed inevitable that at least one of these journeys would go horribly wrong. The image of Lucerys arriving at Storm's End with Vhagar in the distance was terrifying. It showed how different one of the young dragons and the elderly dragon are from one another.
Given that you never know what Aemond would do next, he has got to be one of the most brutal characters in the entire series. He always has a deathly gaze on him, which makes him even more terrifying. Although making a vow to steal Luke's eye was unexpected, what happened next was unpleasant.
Vhagar is an experienced soldier. Arrax was a tiny dragon in comparison to the oldest dragon in Westeros, therefore there was no chance the younger dragon had of winning. Arrax and Luke falling to the ground in bits was gruesome. It is an image no one will forget, but it’s important as it emphasises how many people will die in this conflict.
It was unexpected to see Aemond's amazement and dismay at his dragon's behaviour. Although, at least it proved that he had intended to scare his nephew and have him return to Dragonstone to inform everyone that Vhagar would win most of the upcoming battles.
This was a brilliant illustration of the long-running joke that the riders don't have entire control of the dragons, despite what many outside House Targaryen think. Dragons and their riders have a link, therefore it makes sense that Aemond would feel strongly about his nephew given everything that has happened between them. He yelled at his dragon with genuine regret and dread in his voice, believing he had a chance to undo what had happened.
Aemond was portrayed as more of a villain in that scene, but it's important to keep in mind that novel was written from a third-person viewpoint, whereas in House of the Dragon, we witness the story through the eyes of all of these crucial characters. It's been fantastic because it leaves no room for disagreement and builds off the original information rather than ignoring it
In this season finale, Rhaenyra had suffered a great deal of loss, and the icy expression on her face indicated that she was no longer a merciful Queen. It would be an understatement to suggest that we shouldn't develop sentiments for any of the characters at this point because the battle has officially started. Emma D'arcy was perfect in this episode. Once again, she displayed excellent acting as Rhaenyra learned of her son's murder, but we're not sure what she was told.
It will be difficult to wait so long for House of the Dragon Season 2, but I don't have many worries. The battle lines have been established, the war has begun, and part of the fun will be determining whose side each person chooses to support.
Performance | 4.8/5 |
Enjoyment | 4.7/5 |
Overall Rating | 4.7/5 |