House of the Dragon just released its eighth episode, “The Lord of the Tides,” and it might just be the best one yet. It very much feels like this is the calm before the storm, especially with the way the final scene goes down between King Viserys and Alicent. As the Episode 9 trailer tells us, Viserys will be dead by next week, meaning Rhaenyra should be named Queen. But if Alicent has any say in the matter, that might not happen.
But let’s not get into the next episode too much yet. We have so much to talk about after watching Episode 8! Though there isn’t a whole lot of violence this week (except for Daemon beheading Vaemond, that is), the episode really doesn’t even need it. The dialogue and performances are strong enough to keep our attention. Plus, we get to meet another batch of actors as the kids get older with the last big time jump of the season.
Now that Rhaenyra, Alicent, and Daemon’s children are growing up, responsibilities come along with that. We learn that Aegon is married, as is Helaena, though it looks like viewers are a little confused over that marriage.
Aegon Targaryen’s wife in House of the Dragon
Alicent mentions Aegon’s wife after she discovers he sexually assaulted a maid named Dyana, and then Helaena gives this hilarious and awkward speech at the family dinner about being married. As it turns out — and you might not realize it unless you’ve read Fire & Blood — Aegon and Helaena are married to each other. The episode doesn’t make it that explicit, in my opinion. It’s a sibling marriage, which isn’t exactly abnormal for House Targaryen.
Aegon and Helaena even have children at this point, though we don’t see them in Episode 8. Their brother, Aemond, is not married, though I’m curious to see what a potential love life looks like for him. I’m just intrigued by Aemond, I’ll say it!
We’re heading into the penultimate episode of House of the Dragon next week with “The Green Council.” By the looks of the preview, it should be very eventful. Watch the Episode 9 trailer below while we count down the days until next Sunday:
House of the Dragon premieres new episodes every Sunday night on HBO and HBO Max, with the season 1 finale coming out on October 23.
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