There is a house of the dragon.
During the reign of Viserys I Targaryen, the grandson of King Jaehaerys I, the rain spanned decades of peace and prosperity in the area.
The question of succession was a big concern for the king because all of his male heirs died before he did. Rhaenys was the daughter of Aemon, but she was also a woman.
Even though he was younger and not the child of the first male, Viserys became king when his mother died. Ve best, Rhaenys.
The cultural mores of a patriarchal Medieval society carried more weight than any other consideration and Viserys won by a huge margin.
Potential heirs of Targaryen.
I have written a detailed guide to George R.R. Martin's stories that will help you understand who all of these characters are.
A follow-up piece broke down some of my problems with the show, as well as a review of the first six episodes of House of the Dragon.
Nine years after Viserys I ascended the Iron Throne, the House of the Dragon begins. There is trouble in the Stepstones, a group of islands that make up the narrow sea.
Pirates and profiteers from the Free Cities have set up shop across these islands, plundering ships and slaughtering merchants and sailors. There will be a political crisis in House of the Dragon.
Targaryen is the name of Viserys.
Lord Corlys Velaryon is the Master of Ships on the Small Council and the wealthiest man in the Seven Kingdoms. The economy of all of Westeros will be impacted by the loot and carnage.
Viserys doesn't want to go to war if it means upsetting the Free Cities. Viserys and his wife Aemma have not produced a male heir, but he is happy about that.
Viserys is a man who wants to be loved and generous in showing his affection. His greatest weakness is probably it. The relationship between Viserys and his younger brother, Daemon, is one of the main threads in this first episode.
Viserys and Daemon both want to be loved and to take care of their daughter, Rhaenyra.
Daemon Targaryen is a person.
Viserys is kind, but Daemon is cruel. Daemon exists in the here and now because Viserys walks with the weight of the world on his shoulders and stooped with responsibility. Daemon is charming but he is also ruthless. He hides his true ambitions and thoughts behind a roguish veneer and still comes across as the least dishonest man in the room.
There is tension between these two things. Viserys's Small Council doesn't like Daemon very much. Soon after he was put in charge of the city watch, his Gold Cloaks became a fierce, highly-trained fighting force with unflinching loyalty not to the crown, but to Daemon himself.
Controversy arises when Daemon takes the Gold Cloaks into Flea Bottom to crack down on the criminal element, similar to the Brute squad from Princess Bride, but with more dismemberment and savagery. Daemon killed anyone accused of a heinous crime and lopped off limbs and hands of criminals and rapists. A show of force is not authorized by the King.
At this point, we are in a state of Machiavellian thought. Viserys thinks it's better to be loved than feared. He would like feasts and tournaments. He is a good husband and father. He doesn't want to fight unpleasant battles.
Daemon believes that it is better to be feared than to be loved and that he does not try to be loved even by his wife. Daemon told his brother that King's Landing has become a place of fear for ordinary citizens because of the Flea Bottom massacre. The actions of the Gold Cloaks were necessary because of the crown's attitude towards crime.
There is a small disagreement between brothers on both sides. Daemon can't un-cross for years until he crosses a line.
They are Viserys and Aemma.
Viserys and his wife, Aemma, are just as sweet as the marriage between Robert and Cersei. Both of them love one another. Viserys is happy as his wife is pregnant with a male heir.
To celebrate the birth of a child, he has invited lords and ladies, knights and hedge knights from all over the land.
We can see how ruthless Daemon can be. He used his lance to trip up his opponent's horse. Daemon is one of the finest warriors in the land, a knight with real battle experience surrounded by knights who have lived their entire lives in peacetime.
Daemon can't beat the contender who is down to the bone. Criston Cole is a hedge knight with little rank among the nobility and not much in the way of money or land. He has battle experience.
Criston Cole is fighting Daemon Targaryen.
Cole won the tournament in the 11th hour after Daemon almost bested him. Cole asked the princess Rhaenyra for her favor in the fight, but she is happy with the outcome.
All is not good. The Queen is in the Red Keep and her baby won't come until after many hours. The baby can't be turned. Viserys was called away from the jousting and found his wife exhausted and scared in the tower.
Viserys was given a terrible choice: Do nothing and gamble with the life of the child, but save the life of the mother, or cut the baby from her womb, which will cause a lot of bleeding.
We know what the king is going to do. It is sad. Viserys loves his wife and she loves him, but he has become so focused on succession and dynasty that he allows her to go. One of the most gut-wrenching scenes I've ever watched on TV is in Game of thrones.
A girl.
Aemma panicked and asked her husband what was going on. She looked younger all of a sudden. Even though the baby is crying, he goes quiet.
The king is overcome with shame and guilt after learning of Aemma's death. Young Baelon lived for less than a day.
Daemon and his officers hosted a party in King's Landing. He was told to make a speech by Daemon's men. We don't hear what he has to say, but we learn eventually.
The Hand of the King found Viserys and told him a sad story. Daemon praised his dead nephew and a rowdy party. If you're angry. We have to think that Daemon did it on purpose. The best way to avoid heir apparent is to spit in his brother's face.
Viserys spat at his brother when he confronted him about it.
Daemon said that he had only tried to send him away. You have been king for ten years, but not once have you asked for me to be your hand.
Daemon thinks that Otto is a schemer who is playing the king for nothing. He doesn't protect you. Daemon said something.
His brother wants to know from what.
Daemon said "yourself." Viserys, you're weak, and that council knows it. They all target you for their own ends.
Viserys told him to go to the other side of the world. It appears that the succession will go to a girl.
They are Alicent and Rhaenyra.
Alicent and Rhaenyra are the two most important characters in the show, though Viserys is important to its beginning.
Rhaenyra is a girl who has grown tired of being restricted as a girl. She has felt pushed aside most of her life because of her father's focus on making a male heir. She is too eager for adventures to enjoy her education.
She and the more traditional Alicent are fast friends and spend most of their time together.
There are more than one dragon in this show. Daemon is riding a dragon. Princess Rhaenys is the queen who never was.
There is a book called Caraxes.
Establishing Rhaenyra's character is a large part of this episode. She likes her uncle, Daemon, and her father, but she doesn't like her mother. This strict male-driven world isn't enough for her. She was devastated by the death of her mother.
Alicent is grieving over Aemma's death as well as her own mother's death. These girls are going to be raised by powerful men who don't understand them. Alicent was sent to Viserys after Aemma died. He thinks you might go to him. Make him feel comfortable.
She wouldn't know what to say He told her to wear a dress from her mother's collection. A visit to the king is not easy. Otto is going to replace Aemma. Despite being part of a kingmaking ploy by her father, she is still sympathetic to his grief.
She told Viserys that people only spoke to her in riddles after her mother's death. I wanted someone to tell me what happened to me. I apologize for your Grace.
There is a seed in the king's heart.
Rhaenyra is a young person.
Viserys decided to name Rhaenyra as his successor and held a ceremony in which all the powerful lords of the land came and swore their loyalty. The current Stark is the first thing we see.
We get our first big nod to the show after that. Viserys passed down a secret prophecy to his daughter while he was in a hall of candles. The Song of Ice and Fire, a vision Aegon the Conqueror had of a terrible magical threat in the north that will one day come down from the icy forests of myth, has been passed down to each Targaryen king. The Targaryens had to unite the Seven Kingdoms in order to stand as protectors of the realm of men against a threat that was so frightening.
It's really sad. They would end it in a poorly lit episode. I think of it a lot. All I could think of was how stupid it was for Viserys to let his daughter know that the Night King was going to be killed. The show's creators think it would be a good idea if the prophecy was about how a Targaryen is going to stand up to the great evil from the north. Jon and Arya are my favorite characters, but that was silly.
When we were supposed to get a long winter and a whole season of armies of the undead sweeping the land and Jon and Daenerys fighting back in a desperate fight that left them bitter and broken, the White Walker threat was so truncated that we didn't need it.
I'm not done with it. Not by a large margin.
This was a great show. This is one of the best episodes I have seen so far. The Red Wedding and Ned's death are both shocking and upsetting, but Aemma's death is one of the most shocking and upsetting scenes in both shows.
I enjoy all the main characters. Despite his flaws, Viserys is complex and likeable. One of the only characters you want to root for is Rhaenyra, a strongheaded character. The chess pieces, like Otto Hightower and the nobles, are part of the scheme. Even if Daemon is a villain, he is still a great character. I want to hear what you think about the recaps, dear readers.
You can let me know on social media.
You can watch my video review of this episode.
Every episode of House of the Dragon and the upcoming Rings of Power can be found on this website. You can also follow me on social media.
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