There is a house of the dragon.
Ten years have passed since House of the Dragon was first opened. Emma D'Arcy plays Rhaenyra and she is about to give birth to her third child.
The queen demands that the baby be presented to her. Rhaenyra doesn't want it sent because she doesn't want Alicent to get the satisfaction.
She is joined by her husband, Laenor, who thinks the whole thing is crazy.
It is obvious that Alicent is playing a power game. She wants to show her power over the princess and she wants to know if the baby is related to Laenor. Laenor blurts out the name of the boy, but he doesn't. He has the same hair color as his brothers. Alicent said to keep trying. Someday, you will get a person who looks like you.
An old and worn down Viserys (Paddy Considine) seems completely unaware of what's going on. He doesn't seem to care that his wife forced his daughter to give birth just moments after birth and that he doesn't believe that the children are Harwin Strong's.
Ser Criston Cole is oblivious to the fact that he favors Alicent's sons Aegon and Aemund at the expense of Rhaenyra's sons.
They are Luc and Jacaerys.
The man has come to the yard to watch. He confronted Criston and asked why he didn't give the younger boys as much attention. Cole wants the older boy to give no quarter and show no mercy. HarWIN grabbed the prince and threw him away.
Cole asked why he showed interest in the boys. A father might show interest. Harwin is known for his strength not his wits and he leaped onto Cole and beat him. Cole seems very happy with the whole thing.
It's a scandal. Lyonel Strong tried to resign as Hand of the King after he was angry with his son. Alicent tried to get Lyonel to tell them why Harwin was dismissed from the Goldcloaks, but he said he couldn't. He wants to get Harwin out of the public eye. We discover that this is a grave mistake.
Harwin was strong.
Harwin is a good person. Ser Criston is a better match for Rhaenyra than he is for him. Neither he nor the princess has been careless. He seems more than just a friend when he leaves and says farewell to the boys. Harwin Strong is my father's name. "Jacerys, what do you think?" Is that a bastard?
Rhaenyra said he was a Targeryen. That is the most important thing.
Alicent has surrounded herself with people. Over the years, Ser Criston Cole has grown more and more bitter towards the princess, and now guards her chambers instead of Rhaenyra's. Criston dislikes the princess so much that he called her a "spoiled c*&$" at one point. She glared at him until he apologized. Her disappointment at his words doesn't mean love for her friend.
Ser and Alicent.
When Rhaenyra proposed a betrothal between her oldest son and Helaena, Alicent told Viserys that they would think it over and agree. She doesn't want her daughter to marry a bastard and thinks that Rhaenyra is only proposing the idea because she's been caught. Helaena is Rhaenyra's half- sister so she would be Jacaerys's aunt.
Larys Strong is the brother of Harwin and Alicent turned to him for help. She complains that nobody is on her side, nobody will help her, and nobody will say the truth about Rhaenyra's children being illegitimate.
A group of killers, rapists and other criminals sentenced to death are told by Larys that they can earn their freedom if they work hard. He has their tongues chopped out of their mouths so they can't say anything anymore.
They are outside of Harrenhal. The keep was set ablaze when Lord Lyonel and Ser Harwin were asleep. Both men were killed by their own relatives. It is one of the worst moments in the show. The most villainous character in the show is Larys. Alicent seemed dismayed.
Larys' strength was strong.
She told him that she didn't ask for the thing.
Larys doesn't agree. He assures her that she will find a way to repay him.
Rhaenyra was spurred to action by the death of her lovers. She finally took Laenor's advice and fled the storm. She tells him that they are leaving and going to Dragonstone where they will be safe from the queen and her allies. It makes sense to put distance between them with only her father protecting her. It looks like a retreat, but is actually a tactical one.
In Pentos Daemon and Laena Velaryon have taken up semi-permanent residency with their daughters.
Laena is pregnant with more than one baby. She is tired of living in the country and wants to go back to her hometown. Daemon is enjoying life outside of court and away from the politics of the show. They have an offer of an estate, endless cash and a life of largesse from the Pentos powers that are only interested in protecting the dragons from the renewed threat of the Triarchy.
Daemon doesn't want to leave. Laena is interested in going. Daemon made it clear who called the shots. He has feelings of affection towards his wife, but he is a self-centered prince of the realm. Baela told her mother that her father ignored her.
The Daemon and Laena are together.
The beginning and end of this episode are related to a birth. A prince is brought into the world. Another tragedy has happened. Laena is not safe when it comes to the birthing bed.
In a scene similar to Visery's first wife's death, the Pentos doctor tells Daemon he can't get the baby to come out. There is no guarantee that the baby will survive. Daemon doesn't want to.
Laena takes care of herself. She left the mansion and went to the yard to rest her dragon. She screamed over and over. Daemon ran from the building.
She pleads, and the hoary old dragon agrees. Laena and her baby are dead.
Daemon and his children are grieving.
Young Aemond Targaryen is the younger brother of Aegon.
Aemond is the only child that doesn't have a dragon. The other boys made fun of him for this. They brought him a pig with wings tied to it and said it was the Pink Dread. Alicent blames Rhaenyra's sons and Aegon was a part of the bully.
Aemond is a person.
Aemund has a bad look about him. The nature of Aegon is mostly disinterested, but it is still a bit of a pain. A teen is masturbating on a window ledge. He would like to fight and make a mistake. I think we should all keep a close eye on Aemund because he's frightening.
Rhaenyra is named after her.
There were shocking twists and turns and a powerful gut-punch of an ending between the murders of the Strongs and the death of Laena. Alicent is the most powerful woman in the land despite her lack of dragons, as a result of Rhaenyra's departure to Dragonstone.
We rush through some of these stories too quickly and don't get to know the characters as much as I would like. I think we could have gotten to know them better if we'd gotten to know them better. This is a show that has been going on for a long time and can't getbogged down in every relationship and character. Even without a lot of screen time for the characters, they make these scenes powerful.
For those characters that remain, from Larys to Alicent to Rhaenyra to Daemon, we're getting some truly masterful character development, with a fascinating and complex cast that is in some ways even more compelling than Game of Throne.
I like the new casting of Rhaenyra and Alicent, and I think both D'Arcy and Cooke are doing a great job of portraying them. I want to know where they take them in the last four episodes.
What did you think of the show?
My video review can be watched below.
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