Things are heating up on House of the Dragon! After lots of politicking and family drama in the first two episodes of HBO’s long-awaited Game of Thrones spinoff series, the action kicked up a notch in Episode 3 as Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith) made a bloody example of the Crabfeeder. Meanwhile, King Viserys (Paddy Considine) and his daughter Rhaenyra (Milly Alcock) went on a hunt in the Kingswood that neither of them seemed to particularly enjoy, what with people trying to manipulate them each for their own ends. By the end of the episode, Viserys and Rhaenyra found a tenuous peace with the idea that the princess will make her own marriage match.
But how will it all shake out in House of the Dragon Episode 4, “King of the Narrow Sea”? Based on the teaser trailer, the answer is, “messily.” Let’s break it down.
A prophecy in the steel
The trailer starts off with a a hot of a certain dagger as Rhaenyra reads some ominous words: “From my blood comes the Prince Who Was Promised, and his shall be a song of ice and fire.”
This is the catspaw dagger from Game of Thrones, the one Arya Stark used to kill the Night King. Once you heat it up, apparently you can see writing on it. Perhaps that’s where Rhaenyra is reading this prophecy from?
“King of the Narrow Sea” will revisit the twist from the end of the premiere, when Viserys revealed to Rhaenyra that Aegon the Conqueror had prophetic dreams about the White Walkers storming Westeros and conquered the continent in part to unite the houses ahead of the wars to come.
Next up, Otto Hightower (Rhys Ifans) looks smug as ever as he gazes upon the Iron Throne.
And then we get our first huge punch to the gut. Forget prophecies; Daemon got a haircut! How do we feel about this new look?
Alicent Hightower (Emily Carey) is concerned, but probably not about Daemon’s hair. Later on in the trailer, we learn that Alicent’s son Aegon is now three years old, meaning that a whole year has passed since Episode 3. So presumably Alicent is no longer pregnant here. Unless baby number three is on the way…in which case, someone give this poor girl a break.
The skull of Balerion the Black Dread. Years may have passed since the last time we saw it, but those Targaryen housekeepers are real good at making sure the candles stay lit.
The House of the Dragon will stand as one for a further generation…right?
In the Iron Throne room, Viserys is waxing philosophical about how House Targaryen will be united for the foreseeable future. He’s presented with his crown on a pillow, putting it on before holding court.
From the way the shots line up in the trailer, it looks like Viserys will be dealing with Daemon Targaryen’s return to King’s Landing. “They named me King of the Narrow Sea,” Daemon tells his brother-daddy while the knights of the Kingsbuard keep him back at swordpoint. Daemon is wearing his driftwood crown here, which is a neat little detail from George R.R. Martin’s Fire & Blood.
Next, we see Rhaenyra and Ser Criston Cole (Fabien Frankel) being entertained by Boremund Baratheon (Julian Lewis Jones). No idea who the young man facing them is, but from the Baratheon sigil on the wall above Rhaenyra we’re guessing this scene is taking place in Storm’s End. We never really got a good look at the inside of the castle on Game of Thrones, so it’s exciting that we’ll be visiting it in House of the Dragon.
Despite making nice at the end of “Second of His Name,” Rhaenyra and Viserys are still having issues in “King of the Narrow Sea.” Viserys tells her that her courtship is at an end, so it sounds like she still hasn’t made up her mind about who to marry. She accuses him of putting a stop to her tour of the realm’s suitors as a way to “remedy [his] political headaches,” and he shoots back that she is his political headache.
This conversation happens in Viserys’ chamber; you can see his model of Old Valyria in the background.
A new day dawns over King’s Landing:
Throughout the trailer, we hear someone speculating about who will become the next ruler of Westeros: “Who will it be? The brother, the daughter, or the little princeling of three?” That last line about the princeling lingers over this shot of Alicent with her child. However, this baby is clearly not a 3-year-old. More than likely this is Alicent and Viserys’ second child, Helaena Targaryen.
Gossip of a vile sort
Otto Hightower has “discomforting news” for the king. Again note the Valyria model in the background; that thing is great for placing scenes.
It’s always best to take trailer cross-cutting with a grain of salt…but it looks like the discomforting news Otto mentions has something to do with Rhaenyra. She appears to be in the Godswood here, clearly upset over some “vile accusation.”
And right as she says the words “vile accusation,” the camera cuts to a hand pressed against a wall, with another larger hand covering it.
We won’t get into Fire & Blood spoilers here, but suffice it to say that there are some very sordid rumors about Rhaenyra going around. The worst of these rumors has to do with her uncle Daemon, though there are also plenty about Ser Criston Cole. We’re willing to bet the gossip has to do with Rhaenyra’s love life.
You may need to turn up your brightness for this next shot, but it shows a hooded figure pushing their way through a crowd. Pretty much impossible to make out the details, although it is worth noting that we see Daemon wearing a hood later on in the trailer.
Viserys wants to know who’s responsible for the gossip, threatening to “take their eyes.” Even in this trailer, Paddy Considine’s acting is giving me chills. In Fire & Blood, Viserys tends to react extremely harshly to hearsay about Rhaenyra’s virtue. As in cutting-peoples’-tongues-out harsh.
The king sure appears to be passing some judgment here. He’s handling the Valyrian steel sword Blackfyre, which we’ve so far only really seen him wield when he’s holding court on the Iron Throne. Based on the fact that Ser Harrold Westerling (Graham McTavish) has drawn his sword, this seems to line up with that earlier scene of Daemon approaching the throne with his driftwood crown.
“It is not in Rhaenyra’s nature to be deceitful. I cannot say the same for your brother.” says Alicent Hightower, giving off some serious Cersei Lannister vibes here as she ships her wine and sows doubts about Daemon to his brother Viserys.
Why ever would Alicent think Daemon’s untrustworthy? Just look at that face!
The next several shots are so dark that it’s hard to make them out. There’s one shot of someone with fire bursting from their hands, almost like fireworks; then a very brief glimpse of someone in peasant’s clothing and cap running through a crowd at night. Again, it’s hard to make out, but it looks like it could be Rhaenyra to me.
Next we’re back to throne room, where Daemon is relaying his new title as King of the Narrow Sea. It appears to be going well.
Finishing things off, Caraxes soars over an ornate Targaryen ship while Ser Criston Cole shouts for Rhaenyra and the sailors to take cover. Leave it to Daemon to rock the boat. From the looks of things, the drama is going to get juicy in “King of the Narrow Sea.”
House of the Dragon premieres new episodes Sundays on HBO and HBO Max at 9:00 p.m. EST.
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