House of the Dragon trailer breakdown: Episode 9, “The Green Council”

ByDaniel Roman|
Image: House of the Dragon/YouTube
Image: House of the Dragon/YouTube
3 of 4
Image: House of the Dragon/YouTube
Image: House of the Dragon/YouTube

Criston Cole shows his true colors once again

Time to get into the bloody bits of the trailer; one last spoiler warning before we dissect these shots, which look straight out of Fire & Blood. In the image above, we see Criston Cole swinging his sword up to face another Kingsguard knight. On the table behind Criston is Lord Lyman Beesbury, the aging Master of Coin who’s been on the Small Council since the series premiere.

Book readers know that Lyman meets his end at the Green Council, and this shot confirms it’ll be happening in the show as well. However, it doesn’t look like he’ll be going out a window, which is the most melodramatic version of his death from the novel. There’s a pool of blood spreading beneath him, so presumably Criston just ran him through with a sword instead, which is another of the proffered scenarios.

Image: House of the Dragon/YouTube
Image: House of the Dragon/YouTube

Not every member of the Kingsguard will be so amenable to killing Small Council members in cold blood. There’s a good chance that the other Kingsguard facing Criston is Ser Harrold Westerling (yes, I am basing this solely on his beard, as well as their foreshadowed tension from Episode 7). Since Criston has a larger role to play in the Dance, I wouldn’t bet on Ser Harrold here.

Image: House of the Dragon/YouTube
Image: House of the Dragon/YouTube

Criston won’t be the only Kingsguard mixing it up in “The Green Council.” Here’s Ser Arryk (or Erryk?) Cargyll, fighting off an assailant. We won’t get too deep into it, but the Cargyll twins find themselves on opposite sides of the Dance. Maybe this is an initial falling out?

Image: House of the Dragon/YouTube
Image: House of the Dragon/YouTube

Alicent looks concerned. Maybe over the fast-rising body count as Lord Lyman and Ser Harrold meet bloody ends?

Speaking of Lyman Beesbury, here’s a shot of him making the argument that will get him killed. Of the people in the Green Council, he’s the only one who speaks up for Rhaenyra, and he pays the price.

Image: House of the Dragon/YouTube
Image: House of the Dragon/YouTube

“This is seizure! It is treason, at the least,” he shouts, more animated than he’s ever looked on the show.

Next, we check in with Aegon II.