A new episode of House of the Dragon is now streaming, and wow, this one is wild. The Game of Thrones prequel series has been relatively tame leading up to Episode 4, “King of the Narrow Sea,” apart from a few deaths and politicking. But the plot takes a major turn tonight when a few risky choices are made and a full-on scandal unfolds in King’s Landing. And all eyes are on Rhaenyra (Milly Alcock) and her uncle Daemon (Matt Smith).
Warning: This article contains SPOILERS for House of the Dragon Episode 4!
“King of the Narrow Sea” is bound to get people talking and will probably break the internet with the amount of reactions and memes coming out. I’m not even kidding; it’s that juicy. So where do we begin?
At the start of the episode, we learn another year has passed and Rhaenyra is still unmarried, though she’s looking for a suitor. Alicent (Emily Carey) and King Viserys’ (Paddy Considine) second child has arrived, and Daemon is returning home from the Stepstones.
Daemon and Viserys are actually on good terms in the first half of the episode, with Daemon bending the knee when he gets back home and the two even joking around about their childhood and who their mother’s favorite was. But that peace doesn’t last long.
There’s a flirtation between Daemon and his niece Rhaenyra (yes, it does feel weird typing that) when they reunite, and it turns physical.
Rhaenyra has sex with Criston Cole in House of the Dragon
Rhaenyra is certainly feeling rebellious (among other things) in this episode, and when she sneaks out of the castle to have a little fun with Daemon in the streets of King’s Landing, things escalate quickly. Daemon takes her to a pleasure house and they start getting intimate, but Daemon has second thoughts and storms off, leaving Rhaenyra confused…and partially unclothed in front of a bunch of common folk.
When she arrives back to the castle, Criston (Fabien Frankel) is surprised to see her because he thought she had been in her room the whole time. She flirts with him, and although he seems annoyed at first, they start kissing and that leads to another intimate scene. This one is very different from her experience with Daemon. This one feels way more natural and right, although Rhaenyra isn’t allowed to be having sex with either of these men.
Rhaenyra’s big night is the most shocking part of “King of the Narrow Sea,” but it doesn’t stop there!
Word gets out that Rhaenyra and Daemon were getting it on, news that Otto Hightower (Rhys Ifans) delivers to Viserys the next morning. Viserys, as you’d expect, doesn’t take it well and doesn’t want it to be true.
There’s been tension between Daemon and Rhaenyra for a while now, but does that translate to actual romantic feelings? Well, according to Daemon, yes! After Viserys finds out what happened, he confronts Daemon, furious that he “defiled” his daughter. Now that she’s no longer a virgin, Viserys is sure no one will marry her. Daemon lets Viserys believe that he went all the way with Rhaenyra, and he takes it a step further. He asks to marry her!
Viserys is understandably shocked and disgusted at this question, but Daemon keeps at it. “Give me Rhaenyra,” he begs his brother. What a scene! It’s hard to watch because of how cringe-worthy it is.
Do Daemon and Rhaenyra get married on House of the Dragon?
At this point in the show, Daemon and Rhaenyra have not gotten married. Daemon obviously wants to, but Viserys tells him to go back to the Vale to be with the wife he already has. Oh yeah, remember he’s already married? I almost forgot, too.
I won’t get into spoilers from the book House of the Dragon is based on, Fire & Blood, as to what might happen next. But I highly doubt this will be the end of Daemon and Rhaenyra’s relationship. That’s all I’m saying!
Rhaenyra denies having sex with Daemon to Alicent and to her father. Alicent believes her, so much so that she almost convinces Viserys that Daemon might’ve made the whole thing up just to make him angry. The episode ends with Rhaenyra telling Viserys he must fire Otto as his Hand, and he actually does it! This is still just the beginning of the epic Targaryen story in House of the Dragon, and I cannot wait to see the messiness that goes down next.
House of the Dragon premieres new episodes every Sunday night on HBO and HBO Max.
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