House of the Dragon' Episode 9

Normally, the penultimate 'Game of Thrones' episodes are packed with drama, but last night's 'Dragon' was mostly just packed with confusion.

She's suffered so much loss, and for her own sake and on behalf of so many others, the urge to destroy is so strong. So, we arrive to the point where Rhaenys is riding Meleys, facing Alicent and her family, with all the power in the world to burn them to a crisp and stop this war before it even begins. Aegon has been a (for lack of a better word) tool for the entirety of his existence on screen, and in this episode we learn even more information about the Prince that solidifies his awful character. Over the season, Alicent has turned from a naive girl to a cunning Queen, and if she is in on the lie, that move would fit into her new, Machiavellian persona. The episode came and went without so much of a shot of Rhaenyra and Daemon who, throughout the season, have become the Internet’s favorites, despite their odd incestual relationship. In the beginning of the episode, Alicent seems like a true believer in the fact that Viserys named their son, Aegon, his heir on his deathbed. Is this Otto upholding the end of his deal with Mysaria and burning down the child fighting ring? The latter seems more likely, but then, is that Larys leaving the scene of the crime? A cold open of the Prince drunkenly stumbling through King’s Landing before getting nabbed by one of the Worm’s “little spiders” would have helped, but instead, we’re just supposed to accept that she got him and, for some reason, placed him in the Sept where seemingly anyone going for a nice midday worship could have heard him screaming, right? In the book, this likely wasn’t a problem, as they are spelled differently, but in the show, they are seemingly both pronounced “Eric.” This means there is pretty much no way to tell these two apart. One of the steps they take is locking Rhaenys into her chamber. According to IMDB, the two of them have been in a total of five episodes this season (including next week’s finale), but I must have glanced over these duplicates, because as soon as I saw them in “The Green Council,” I got stressed out.

In the penultimate episode of the Game of Thrones prequel, the battle for the Iron Throne finally began. Contains spoilers.

His presence next to Otto also underlined the difference between the thoughtful and savvy Alicent and her impulsive former best friend. But this could be regarded as the mother of missed opportunities to toast a tyrant. But can Rhaenyra and Rhaenys take his place as the series' moral centre? Not only did he sign the death warrant of Alicent’s chamber maid by identifying her as part of a spy ring (feeding secrets to Otto). So why didn’t Rhaneys take the sensible – from her perspective – step of barbecuing the feral brat who swiped Rhaenyra's crown? It is also worth considering if she truly believed she was fulfilling the wishes of her late husband. And while Aegon visibly puffed with kingly pride on his coronation day (pre-dragon invasion), there is still the matter of the voice in Aemond’s head telling him he should be king. Everyone agrees that next-in-line Aemond is a better fit for the throne than the appalling Aegon. Already, then, father and daughter have differing perspectives on the suitability of the blond creep. We are decent men with no taste for depravity,” he said as they trawled King’s Landing and its many brothels (Aegon is way beyond brothels by now). As it soared there was lots to see – though the view mostly involved backstabbing, conspiracy and Lord Larys getting jiggy with…well, let’s not linger over the details. This set him directly at odds with Alicent, who dispatched Ser Criston and Aemond on an Aegon-hunt of their own.

Much masonry was smashed and many smallfolk flattened, but it was a horribly predictable penultimate episode … aside from the foot fetish.

A marble in the brain, a rope round the neck, a spot of swordplay between two mismatched members of the Kingsguard and a gang of pox-ridden kids going at one another in a scene that even the director, Clare Kilner, clearly felt was too horrible to depict in any great detail. The visual parallels between this public crowning and a certain notorious beheading two centuries later are impossible to ignore, with Rhaenys in place of the terrified Arya Stark, being propelled through the streets and up the steps of the Sept. Turns out she’s a secret activist, using her woke mob of sex workers and palace informants to improve the lot of the little people by banning the practice of kid-fighting that we only just found out about. Still, the moral tug-of-war between the twins is nicely handled, Aemond’s potentially regicidal loathing of his unfit brother gets thrown into sharp relief, and it’s good to finally get a sense of what Mysaria (Sonoya Mizuno), AKA the White Worm, is up to. As the ancient rituals are carried out, up to the throne ascends the monarch’s first-born son, an heir whose fitness for the role many hold in doubt, and who must win the respect of his people if he is to ensure the survival of his line. Aegon (Tom Glynn-Carney) was last seen bunking off into King’s Landing to indulge his filthy whims, so it’s up to the man-bun twins Ser Erryk (Elliott Tittensor) and Ser Arryk (Luke Tittensor) to track him down and drag him back to face Ser Otto, who wants to force the boy to issue the order for Rhaenyra’s head.

The Lord Commander of the Kingsguard seemingly resigned his position after Viserys' death. Where is he now?

Unlike the sprawling perspective of Game of Thrones, House of the Dragon has been laser-focused on the Targaryens and their families. He always does the right thing, even if it means his personal station won’t be helped, and that’s a rare attribute in the Game of Thrones universe. Ser Harrold Westerling is one of the most curious characters in the vast tapestry of House of the Dragon. In the series, however, he’s the very much alive Lord Commander of the Kingsguard, played by the inimitable As a man of honor, he could find something to defend that will never be undeserving of his loyalty. In the sneak peek for Episode 10 we see some Kingsguard members around the Painted Table, although none of them appear to be Westerling.