Analyzing our favorite scenes from House of the Dragon
When House of the Dragon was announced, Game of Thrones fans wondered whether it would be a worthy successor to the original series. After watching the first season four times, I can confidently answer that question for myself: yes it is. HBO has done a fine job adapting George R.R. Martin’s “fake history book” Fire & Blood, which is drawn from the accounts of three very unreliable chroniclers. The book and show vary on several points, but it has been a very enjoyable and entertaining watch that had me biting my nails every Sunday night.
Without further ado, let’s talk about some of my favorite scenes. Beware SPOILERS below.
Welcome home, uncle: Episode 1, “The Heirs of the Dragon”
Rhaenyra Targaryen and her uncle Daemon share their first moment onscreen together in the series premiere. Daemon is making himself comfortable on the Iron Throne when Ser Harrold Westerling escorts Rhaenyra in to see him. She brushes aside the fact he’s sitting on her father’s throne and proceeds to speak with him in High Valyrian.
Their demeanors suggest that they’re comfortable with each other. One could even look at their banter and call it flirting. But the intimate way in which Daemon shows her a Valyrian steel necklace and puts it around her neck suggests that there’s more to this relationship. That’s a little disturbing given that he’s her uncle and she is only 14 years old at this point, although it is Targaryen tradition to marry within the family to keep the bloodline pure.
We will see the dynamic between Rhaenyra and Daemon evolve over the next few episodes. An afterthought for you: if Viserys had approved of a marriage between Rhaenyra and Daemon early on, a good portion on this civil war likely would never have happened, since they would have produced visibly pureblood children. There’d be no call for Vaemond Velaryon to later scream, “Her children are BASTAAAAARDS!”
A nice family dinner: Episode 8, “The Lord of the Tides”
This Targaryen/Hightower
Thanksgiving
dinner got us all hoping that the two rival branches of the family might reconcile. A shame what happened.
Interestingly, Viserys sits between Alicent and Rhaenyra, with the rotting side of his face towards Alicent and her greens. This symbolizes the undoing of his house due to the corruption going on behind his back, all of it starting with Otto Hightower throwing a young Alicent at the king after his first wife Queen Aemma died during childbirth.
Viserys gives a very touching speech. He loves his family; that’s never been in doubt. All he’s ever wanted was for everyone to get along. You can argue that this makes him a pushover or weak, but also that he’s a decent man who wants everyone he loves to prosper.
We see Rhaenyra and Alicent give very touching and respectful speeches, both finally acknowledging each other’s strengths and accomplishments. We see a glimmer in their eyes as they remember their close friendship as young teens, and we can tell they both long to return to those days.
We see Alicent’s son Aegon constantly teasing Rhaenyra’s son Jacaerys, and much to his credit, Jacaerys brushes it off as his uncle just being his uncle. He toasts his uncles, hoping that they can remain friends and allies as they grow older (oh, my sweet summer child).
We see them dine and laugh and dance. Interestingly enough, while Jacaerys and Alicent’s daughter Helaena are dancing, Aegon — Helaena’s brother and husband — does not turn his chair to watch them. But Aemond does. Aemond once said that, had Alicent betrothed him and Helaena instead, he would have happily married her. Is he overprotective of her? Probably.
Everyone is having a good time. But it all comes to a halt when Viserys, overcome with the pain of his disease, leaves the room. The servants place a roasted pig in front of Aemond…and Lucerys giggles.
Aemond was the last child of King Viserys to get a dragon; it isn’t until Laena Velaryon’s funeral that he actually bonds with and claims the biggest and oldest dragon alive: Vhagar, who also happened to have been Laena’s dragon. Before that, he was relentlessly made fun of by his nephews and brother Aegon. The three of them went as far as gifting him his very own “dragon,” the Pink Dread, which was actually a pig.
It’s all fun and games until someone gets their feelings hurt. Lucerys giggling at the roasted pig triggers Aemond, and he retaliates with a fateful speech: “To the health of my nephews: Jace, Luke, and Joffrey. Each of them handsome, wise…Strong.” He proceeds to call them “strong” a few more times, fighting breaks out, the kids are sent to their rooms, and the mood sours.
We all have that one uncle that kind of ruins Thanksgiving. Aemond played that part very well. The way Daemon keeps his gaze on Aemond as he walks away underlines a growing rivalry between them. I am personally counting down to that throw-down.
Rhaenyra and Alicent struggle to hold on to whatever friendship they have left between them. Little do they know, it will only get worse from here. Much worse.