House of the Dragon preview: Episode 8, “The Lord of the Tides”

The lines in the sand have been drawn. Two rival branches of the Targaryen dynasty are now vying for the future of the realm, and bloodshed seems unavoidable. Will our main players be able to prevent it? Let’s check in with them, starting with the only man still pushing for peace:

Viserys Targaryen — Status: Way too old, tired and mentally infirm for this s**t

Viserys’ daughter and heir Rhaenyra Targaryen wants to inherit the Iron Throne. His wife Alicent is dead set against it. Both of them have gathered their followers and are digging in for war. Viserys is their king and only wants peace, but finds himself increasingly unable to exercise any control over either of them. On top of that, he’s slowly wasting away from disease, losing his memory, and generally just getting older. You’ve gotta feel for the guy; he’s dead and doesn’t even know it.

Rhaenyra Targaryen — Status: Manning the decks and loading the canons

Rhaenyra isn’t quite at war with Alicent Hightower yet, but the incident at Laena’s funeral drove them so far apart that no marriage offers will set things right. There’s a conflict coming, and Rhaenyra has no choice but to shore up her strength and prepare for a fight.

To that end, she’s married Daemon Targaryen, probably the most experienced highborn warrior in the Seven Kingdoms. As for her children, Jace at least has figured out he’s the bastard son of Harwin Strong, while Luke must live with the fear and guilt of slashing out his uncle’s eye. They’re a motley crew, the blacks, but it’s not like the greens are any better put together.

Daemon Targaryen — Status: Patriarch of the weirdest family on the planet

In some ways, Daemon finally has what he always wanted: the hand of his niece in marriage. Does he actually love her? Does he just want her throne? Probably a little of both; it’s always hard to tell with this guy.

He also brings his two children with Laena Velaryon into the marriage: Baela and Rhaena. Baela, let’s remember, is already a dragonrider, and Rhaenyra will need as many of those as possible to face what’s coming.

Corlys and Rhaenys Velaryon — Status: Rending their garments in grief while Rhaenyra and Daemon whistle loudly in the corner

Last week, in “Driftmark,” Corlys Rhaenys Velaryon’s son Laenor died. Only he didn’t; Rhaenyra staged her husband’s death so she would be free to marry Laenor, which meant pulling the wool over his parents’ eyes. It might be the cruelest thing she’s done so far, and clearly Laenor didn’t mind putting them through agony, either.

So far as Corlys and Rhaenys know, Laenor is dead, but they’re still on Team Rhaenyra because Daemon had children with their daughter Laena, and Daemon is married to Rhaenyra now. Between Corlys’ navy and Rhaenys’ dragon, that’s two powerful soldiers in Rhaenyra’s army.

Alicent Hightower — Status: Look at me, I am the king now

In “Driftmark,” Alicent asked her husband the king to pluck out the eye of Lucerys Velaryon, in repayment for the eye he slashed out of the dead of her son, Aemond Targaryen. He refused, so she stole his knife and tried to do it herself. She failed, but it’s obvious she has no respect for the king’s wishes anymore, if she ever did. With him so weak and close to death, she’s pretty much steering the ship in King’s Landing.

And where might she steer it? Straight into battle with Rhaenyra. Alicent has helpers of her own, starting with her family:

Otto Hightower — Status: Hand of the King Queen

Otto Hightower was impressed with his daughter’s homicidal outburst on Driftmark and seems to be taking her opinion more seriously now. The king has one-and-a-half feet in the grave, so at this point Otto is just biding his time before the old man croaks and he can install Alicent’s son Aegon in his place, whether or not the king himself actually wanted that.

Aegon and Aemond Targaryen — Status: Brat princes of the realm

So far as Alicent and Otto Hightower are concerned, Aegon Targaryen is the future king of the Seven Kingdoms. Too bad he’s a sullen, drunken little lech without any leadership instinct. Meanwhile, his younger brother Aemond has just claimed Vhagar, the largest and most powerful dragon in the world. Too bad he’s an insecure, megalomaniacal upstart who thinks way too highly of himself. This is not the pair I would want running my country, but Westeros may have to deal with them whether they like it or not.

Criston Cole — Status: Flaming hatred has settled into manageable simmer

Rhaenyra rejected Criston’s advances over 10 years ago at this point, and the guy still isn’t remotely over it. No wonder he attached himself to Alicent Hightower, quite possibly the only other person in King’s Landing who resents Rhaenyra as much as he does.

That said, Criston doesn’t have the luxury of acting purely on instinct (or at least, not since he beat an anointed knight to death at a wedding, something I’m still made the show never tried to punish him for). He showed restraint in “Driftmark” when Alicent asked him to bring her one of Lucerys Velaryon’s eyes, and he read the room and decided that would be seen as excessive.

So Criston is a brutal, angry piece of garbage, but he’s getting more subtle about it. And that just makes him more dangerous. He will be a formidable foe for Rhaenyra to overcome.

Larys Strong — Status: You want an eye? I can get you an eye. I can get you an eye by 3 o’clock this afternoon

Larys Strong is quietly the most dangerous person in Westeros. Let’s all remember that he torched his home and murdered his dad and brother just based on an idle suggestion from Queen Alicent. At the end of the episode, he offered to bring Alicent the eye of one of Rhaenyra’s children, in repayment for the eye Aemond lost, and we have no doubt he could do it. Alicent turns him down, but puts him on standby, meaning we can probably expect some horrifying plans from Larys sometime in the future.

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