Shifting the action ten years into the future midway through House of the Dragon Season 1 was risky, but House of the Dragon Season 1 Episode 6 was the best episode to date. Emma D’arcy, Olivia Cookie, Harry Collett, and Nanna Blondell helped make the big cast changes as seamless as possible, slipping into their respective roles with finesse.
There’s been a lot of criticism of the show for pulling off such a move, but it makes sense to have more age-appropriate actors take on the roles when you’re playing such a significant time jump. It’s understandable that Milly Alcock and Emily Carey were greatly missed, but it helps that the series has released aged-up versions of the characters that resemble their predecessors.
A lot has changed in King’s Landing in 10 years, and Rhaenyra is still the most impressive character because her arc is so tight and full of depth. Rhaenyra and Alicent’s relationship has grown colder over the years, and to a degree, it’s easy to understand why they got to this stage.
Alicent was Rhaenyra’s biggest fan when they had a bond so strong that it didn’t involve Rhaenyra lying to her. Alicent feels that she has now taken off her gloves because things have deteriorated much more between them. It’s also worrying that Rhaenyra and Laenor’s children don’t look like Targaryens or Velaryon. We can thank Rhaenyra’s secret relationship with Harwin for that.
It was apparent after House of the Dragon Season 1 Episode 5 that Rhaenyra and Laenor’s marriage was more about convenience than romance, so their deep-seated relationship issues weren’t much of a surprise.
Neither of them gets what he wants from this marriage and, in most cases, they spend their nights apart, which naturally casts doubt on their union. Rhaenyra and Harwin’s chemistry shone brightly, making it easy to see why they were attracted enough to each other to have a secret relationship that would bring three children into the world.
It’s a shame so many people comment that the children look nothing like their father, which puts the Princess on a bigger collision course with the Queen. Alicent was obviously so eager to meet the boy because she wanted to give her husband an “I told you so” look.
Alicent knows that the tension in the realm will reach a fever pitch when Viserys dies because why would Rhaenyra want to keep people who will challenge her reign and her heirs in King’s Landing Rhaenyra’s offer to marry one of her children to one of Alicent’s seemed like a last-ditch effort to bring the families together before the impending battle began.
Viserys is fiercely protective of his daughter, something that is driving a significant wedge between him and his wife. Alicent went from coddling her husband to ignoring him because he doesn’t realize that her daughter clearly isn’t in love with Laenor, and honestly, it’s getting a bit tiring.
Otto warned her daughter to prepare Aegon for the throne, and with the drama surrounding the dragons, she believes her son should be on the throne. Alicent’s bond with Larys is of great concern because that guy is fiercer and more cunning than Littlefinger.
Although Alicent gave her no orders, she had her father and her brother when they returned to Harrenhall. My best guess is that this would clear the way to buttress her claim to Harrenhall and possibly get into the ear of the King and Queen, allowing her to pull even more strings.
If she was cold enough to kill her father and her brother, there’s no telling who’s next on her target list. Alicent seemed disturbed but pleased when she realized what she did, but she also makes me wonder how long she’ll trust him if she goes rogue to kill people without his blessing.
Will she understand that he is doing this for her, or will she believe that she is doing it for her because she benefits him?
Rhaenyra will be furious to find out what happened to Harwin, even more so because her children will never be able to communicate with her biological father again. She makes me wonder if Rhaenyra will learn about Larys and automatically assume that Alicent played a role in the harrowing events that led to the deaths.
The series is focused on bringing these two women together, but I really want to see a moment where they each understand how calculating the other can be and how they need to up their respective games if they want to win this. Game of Thrones.
Rhaenyra leaves the King’s Landing for Dragonstone with Laenor, her lover, and her children, indicating that she is preparing to become the person who will sit atop the Iron Throne one day. Viserys is getting sicker from the episode, so I guess we’ll soon be at the point of someone new ascending the throne.
The big question is who will he be? If Alicent has her way, she will kill Rhaenyra and one of her own children will sit on the throne. Rhaenyra has been good to Alicent so far, and I suspect the fire burning in her veins will come to light in the final episodes of the season.
Being Criston treating Rhaenyra’s children differently than Alicent’s is par for the course. Rhaenyra hurts him, he knows she is unhappy, so he would like nothing more than to derail her claim to her throne in the name of revenge on her. He has some sort of loyalty to Alicent because she kept her relationship with Rhaenyra a secret, but will Alicent do him much good if she gets her way?
That said, seeing Harwin smack his ass was satisfying because of the way Criston acted.
The fact that Daemon married Laena was a bit of a shock because if he had his way, he would marry her niece and end this battle for the throne. Laena’s death was heartbreaking, but it was probably one of the most powerful deaths in the history of the Game of Thrones franchise.
Deviating from the source material is risky, but taking control of the narrative and having Vhagar kill her before she died elsewhere was pretty badass. The chemistry between Laena and Daemon was off the charts, so it was a shame to say goodbye to Laena so soon.
It’s about time Vhagar got some screen time, and while I’m still not 100% sold on the CGI in House of the Dragon, it was surreal to see such dragon royalty on screen. Vhagar is huge, towering over every other dragon we’ve seen on the show so far, and despite his age, he’ll still pack a punch in any battle.
Understandably, there will be questions about who rides her next, and with the ongoing drama between Rhaenyra and the children of Alicent surrounding dragons, we should probably expect those children to start fighting next.
“The Princess and the Queen” sent the narrative in a compelling new direction that is sure to divise fans, but the execution of this quasi-reboot was handled very well.
What are his thoughts on the cast changes?
Did you expect Laena to die like she did?
What do you think about Larys killing her brother and her father? What do you think is the end of it here?
How will Rhaenyra react to Harwin’s death?
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House of the Dragon continues Sundays at 9 pm on HBO.