Analyzing our favorite scenes from House of the Dragon
Moon Tea or Poison? Episode 8, “The Lord of the Tides”
This is one of my favorite scenes in the first season. Olivia Cooke knocks this one out of the park.
Aegon, as we know, didn’t have the best upbringing. His mother and father don’t really care for him, he was raised to be paranoid about Rhaenrya killing him should she assume the throne, and as much as Alicent tried to prepare him, he just wasn’t interested in being king. However, none of this excuses his terrible behavior, such as when he rapes Dyana, the servant girl in charge of helping his sister wife Helaena with their twins, Jaehaerys and Jaehaera.
The poor girl is brought to Alicent in hysterics. She tells the queen what happened. Alicent, whose composure changes as she listens, tells the girl to drink a special tea. This could be Moon Tea, a kind of Westerosi morning after pill. In this scenario, Alicent is heading off the possibility of a royal bastard and then paying Dyana off for her silence, hoping to avoid embarrassment for the family. Or, the tea could be poison, with Alicent intending to leave nothing to chance.
So how should we read this scene? Let’s think about it.
When Dyana tells Alicent what happened in between sobs and asks her to believe her, the look in Alicent’s eyes and the manner in which she holds the girl tightly suggests that she does believe her, and feels awful for her. Let’s not forget that Alicent is a woman of faith and does not approve of sex outside of marriage. Her voice breaks when she tells Dyana that it wasn’t her fault, and she caresses Dyana’s face. This could be interpreted as compassion and even projection. Does Alicent blame herself for Aegon turning into this repulsive person? Perhaps. Is telling Dyana that wasn’t her fault also Alicent telling herself that Aegon being the way he is isn’t her fault? It could be. Or Alicent could just be pretending to comfort the girl to gain her trust.
Alicent proceeds to tell Dyana what others could think of her if she were to tell anyone else about what happened. That not only protects Aegon’s somewhat iffy reputation, but by repeatedly stating that she does believe Dyana’s side of the story, Alicent continues to gain the girl’s trust and make sure she’s clinging to every word Alicent is saying.
The moment that made me look at this scene from another perspective is when Dyana says, “I wouldn’t dream of breathing another word to anyone, Your Grace. I swear it on my life.” Alicent looks down and nods to herself, then looks back at the girl and smiles, saying “I know you won’t.” She gives her a bag of gold, and then gives her what we all assume to be Moon Tea (more like Plan Tea), which Rhaenyra herself was given after word about her wild night in King’s Landing went around years ago.
Alicent’s facial expression while Dyana drinks the tea and the way the camera zooms into her face are worth noting. She watches Dyana gulp the tea down with a conflicted look on her face; it made me rewind the scene and watch it a few times in a row. Was it relief that this was almost over and the girl would no longer be alive to tell her story? Was it grief and empathy towards the poor girl? The tea could have very well been Moon Tea to prevent an unwanted pregnancy, or it could have been poison. But why would she give Dyana gold if she was planning on poisoning her? To make sure she would be taken care of, or to Get the girl let her guard down.
Only Alicent and Dyana (and the producers) know what truly happened.
Taking the High Road: Episode 9, “The Green Council”
Usurping a throne might sound like quite the adrenaline rush, but that’s until your angry first-cousin-once-removed bursts through the floor with her dragon.
A lot of book-readers, myself included, were more than little surprised as Rhaenys brust out from underneath the Dragonpit on Meleys’ back and crashed Aegon II’s coronation. As Meleys stares at the greens, I found myself hoping to hear her say, “Dracarys,” but at the same time hoping she didn’t, as this event never took place in Fire & Blood.
Instead, the greens brace themselves as Meleys lets out a thunderous roar full in their faces before Rhaenys directs her to fly away. Now that is a well-formed bond between dragon and dragon rider. Take notes, Aemond.
But why did Rhaenys not burn the usurpers right then and there?
Rhaenys is one of my favorite characters on the show. You never fully know whose side she’s on or what’s on her mind until she acts or speaks. In this instance, her decision to not burn Alicent and her children down was due to not wanting to a start a war she’s not involved in. She merely warns the greens that not only did they make a huge mistake, but there will be a price to pay for this treason. By fleeing to Dragonstone and warning Rhaenyra of what transpired, she jumpstarts the civil war that has been brewing for decades.