We started with the characters six years later in House of the Dragon Season 1 Episode 8, which marked a significant change in direction. Thankfully, this will presumably be the last time leap, allowing us to at least develop relationships with some of the characters.
I had mixed feelings regarding the events leading up to "The Lord of the Tides" because it's hard to care about the characters when they commit such awful acts. I didn't anticipate the battle for Driftmark's ascension to occur so quickly, but the writers obviously wanted us to think important events were taking place during the time jumps.
It was unfortunate that we didn't get to see more of Corlys before the terrible incident that cast doubt on his future because he has been a fantastic character to follow. Whether it's King's Landing, Harrenhaall, Dragonstone, or any of the other places we encountered in the original series, House of the Dragon has shown to be a perpetual struggle for control. When there is uncertainty about who will rule a region, you can always count on people to show up, and King's Landing provided the ideal backdrop for all of this unrest.
For all of her existence, Rhaenys had been passed over for the throne, with Viserys seizing what was properly hers all those years ago because the idea of a woman in power was ridiculous. She should have had more influence in Vaemond and the other's eyes, but he ought to have known better than to visit King's Landing and cast doubt on Rhaenyra's son's legitimacy for the crown. The fact that Vaemond spoke detestably of Rhaenyra didn't help matters. As a result, one of the most satisfying scenes of the series was Daemon demonstrating how precisely Valerian steel slices the neck.
Although it may be argued that Vaemond's death was done for shock effect, Daemon nonetheless carried out his brother's wishes at the time because Vaemond still had a lot to contribute. Viserys' attendance at the discussion was a pleasant surprise. Yet, it also revealed the decrease in his health throughout the time jump. Regardless of what others may say about his leadership skills, he is so intensely protective of his daughter that he will continue to exert himself, even as he lies dying.
I had no doubt that Otto and Alicent would act in a way that would support their family's dominance because of the way those scenes were performed. In all honesty, they still might have if Viserys hadn't interrupted to ruin the joy. Afterward, Alicent showed unexpected kindness to Rhaenyra.
Viserys desired family harmony, but the dinner felt more like the calm before the coming storm. It makes sense that Rhaenyra is suspicious about Alicent's intentions. She was visibly shocked when Alicent snatched her hand, as was evident.
Alicent has always been a bit of a mystery, but in "The Lord of the Tides," she perfectly captured the challenges of being the Queen in King's Landing. Alicent is working hard to prepare her sons for leadership, but Aemond—the youngster who was once bullied for having a pig for a dragon—seems to be the only one who is interested. This brings us back to the prophecy. It's possible that Alicent no longer thinks that one of her sons must succeed to the throne in order to carry out the prophecy.
Missandei explained that the High Valyrian translation of the prophecy does not specify a gender in Game of Thrones Season 7 Episode 2. We can forgive Alicent if she believes the prophecy indicates her son should rule the country because House of the Dragon takes place roughly 150 years before Game of Thrones at this point in the narrative.
All of this is presuming Viserys is dead, but it's unlikely there will be much of him in Season 1 Episode 9 of House of the Dragon. In this episode, he was a shell of the man he used to be, and it now appears like the conflict will start soon. All the characters are interesting to watch. They all have their own motives and desires. It’ll be interesting to see, as we approach war, who will suffer the most!
Performacne | 4.8/5 |
Enjoyment | 4.9/5 |
Overall Rating | 4.8/5 |