House Of The Dragon drops its best episode yet

A 21-Valyrian steel dagger salute to Paddy Considine, who makes his exit from House Of The Dragon this week with a thunderclap of a performance. “The Lord of the Tides” is the swan song for his King Viserys I Targaryen, a well-intentioned but indecisive man who waited until the very last day of his life to flex his royal might. And it wasn’t only a standout night for our dear old king. By turns tense, heart-wrenching, and juicy, “The Lord of the Tides” brought all the main players back to the Red Keep for what is easily the series’ best episode to date.

Six years have passed since last week’s installment, which saw Rhaenyra and Daemon orchestrating the fake death of the princess’ husband Laenor so the two could marry each other. But now, another Velaryon is staring down the barrel of very real death. While fighting the Triarchy (what else is new?), Lord Corlys led his ship into a pirate ambush, for which he earned a slash in the neck and a tumble into the sea. He’s still hanging on at Evenfall in the Stormlands, but his infected wound could very likely kill him. And that means that an heir must be standing in the wings to take over the Driftwood Throne; the question, as ever, is who that will be.

All of which sets up this episode’s drama of succession, a miniature version of the much larger one that’s primed to kick off as soon as Viserys kicks the bucket. The Sea Snake has said that he wants his grandson Lucerys to inherit High Tide; but he isn’t here to back up that claim, which he never made official. His brother Vaemond believes that he has the best right to ascend, considering that, despite nominally being Laenor’s son, Luke is very obviously not a Valyron. And then there’s Rhaenys, who, as her granddaughter and ward Baela points out, is the one who’s actually ruling Driftmark at the moment.

As usual where the houses of Old Valyria are concerned, this is about blood—and Vaemond argues that if Rhaenyra Targaryen and Harwin Strong’s illegitimate son takes over the seat of his ancestral house, the Valeryon line will effectively end with Corlys’ death. Rhaenys and Vaemond cross proverbial swords over which claim the crown will back, the queen going so far as to call her brother-in-law treasonous. Meanwhile, Baela sends a letter by raven to her father Daemon spilling all the tea, and the news sends a now-pregnant Rhaenyra into mother-hen mode. And you know what all that means: Road trip to King’s Landing!

Things have changed in the Red Keep since we last visited. Viserys is at death’s door; his body is completely ravaged by the infection we’ve seen growing in him from episode one, and he’s effectively a living skeleton, spending his days in bed, zoned out on milk of the poppy. In his absence, the Hightowers have taken over, going so far as to replace the castle’s Targaryen heraldry with imagery of the Seven-Pointed Star, a symbol of the faith that projects seeming neutrality. Otto and Alicent have become a canny daddy-daughter political team as they govern the realm by proxy.

While ruling is going relatively well for Alicent, motherhood isn’t; her sons have both grown up to be real pieces of shit. Aemond (now played by Ewan Mitchell) has grown from a bullied child into a bullying adult; and it’s obvious from one look into his single eye that the bullied kid we met six years ago has grown up to be the most unhinged kind of sadist.

And then there’s Aegon, now played by Tom Glynn-Carney. A member of the Kingsguard quietly informs the queen that there’s “a delicate situation” that needs to be addressed in regards to the eldest prince. He’s raped a serving girl, which is apparently a loathsome habit of his. The way that Alicent talks to his victim, Dyana, tells us a lot about how she’s hardened over the years: She’s a master manipulator, at first telling the girl she believes her and it’s not her fault; but the queen turns cold on a dime, implying that if Dyana tells anyone else what happened, they might think she was, in modern parlance, “asking for it.” She sends the poor girl off with a bag of gold and a goblet of moon tea. When Alicent confronts her son, he dismisses the assault as a bit of “fun” and tries to play the victim. Can’t wait for this asshole to maybe have unchecked power one day.

Rhaenyra’s two oldest kids, on the other hand, seemed to have matured into very decent human beings. Unlike Aegon, Jacaerys (Harry Collett) is taking his presumptive heirhood Iron Throne seriously, and he’s a steady support to his nervous little brother Luke (Elliot Grihault); Daemon’s daughters Baela (Bethany Antonia) and Rhaena (Eva Ossei-Gerning) seem equally even-tempered.

It’s a true heartbreaker when Rhaenyra and Daemon see Viserys for the first time in years. He’s so drugged out that he doesn’t recognize them at first; but the king’s wasted face lights up when the princess introduces him to his two new grandsons, Aegon and Viserys. The Targaryens really need to add more names to their repertoire, but it’s sweet to witness the king meet his namesake.

The evening before the court will gather to discuss the matter of the future Lord of the Tides, Rhaenyra finds her aunt Rhaenys in the Godswood. Emma D’Arcy and Eve Best play the complex dynamic between these two like pros. They clearly love and respect each other; but as far as Rhaenys knows, her niece was responsible for the murder of her son—and mariticide does tend to put a damper on things. But Rhaenyra’s got a proposition: If Rhaenys backs Luke’s claim to the Driftwood Throne, she’ll wed her sons to the queen’s granddaughters (who are also, confusingly, Rhaenyra’s stepdaughters and her cousins. Targaryens!). Rhaenys is the wild card here, because her say in the succession debate might have more sway than anyone’s; she could just as easily advocate for her brother-in-law, her niece, or herself.

D’Arcy continues to knock it out of the park—and make me weep—with their scene opposite Considine later that night. Lit by lightning flashes, Rhaenyra sits at her father’s bedside and asks him if he truly believes the prophecy of the Song of Ice and Fire. When he doesn’t answer, she pours her heart out: If he wanted to keep the realm united, naming her as his heir was a grave mistake. She confesses that, though she’s fought for half her life to uphold her claim in the face of near-global opposition, the burden is one she’s not sure she wants to carry anymore. But Viserys can only mutter unintelligibly, and she can only weep.

The sun rises over the king’s beloved model of Old Valyria, now cobwebbed with dust. As the maesters lance his many festering wounds, he refuses Otto’s usual offer of milk of the poppy, because he needs to be on the ball for his evening plans: one last dinner with his whole messy family.

And then it’s time for the big discussion, Otto seated on the Iron Throne. Vaemond makes his petition, mostly addressing Alicent, before Rhaenyra steps forward to counter it. But she’s interrupted by the dramatic entrance of Considine, here to make the case for his future Emmy nomination.

Viserys’ slow, agonizing journey across the throne room makes for a stunning set piece, richly earned by all the episodes we’ve spent watching him waffle and demure in the face of high stakes. Leaning on a dragon-topped cane and wearing a golden Phantom of the Opera mask over the ruined half of his face, Viserys refuses aid as he makes his painful progress. His crown slips off as he ascends the few steps to the throne; and in a moment that brings their relationship full-circle, it’s Daemon who places it back on his head.

Watch out, Hightowers and Velaryons, because the king is back, baby. He says Corlys’ wish was always to have Luke become his successor, so he’s confused why they’re even doing this in the first place. Then he turns to Rhaenys, who, he reasonably argues, is the best authority on what her husband would want. And Christmas comes early for Rhaenyra, because not only has her dad come out to support her family, but her aunt also backs Luke’s claim—and accepts her niece’s offer of a Targaryen-Velaryon double wedding.

But Vaemond’s not having it; he lashes out at Viserys and refuses to heed his decree. It all culminates in the Velaryon second son shouting the word everyone’s been whispering for years: “Her children are BASTARDS!” he thunders, pointing at Rhaenyra, “and she is a whore!”

Viserys unsheathes his dagger and says he’ll have his tongue for this, but his brother is quicker. In a classic Game Of Thrones gasper of a moment, Daemon whips out his sword and slices the top half of Vaemond’s head off like a watermelon. “He can keep his tongue,” the prince remarks, in a savage mic drop. Dameon’s impetuousness has lain dormant the past few episodes, but this move proves he’s just as dangerous as ever. It’s all too much for Viserys, who doubles over in pain before his knights usher him back to his chambers. Alicent and Rhaenyra both stare after him with identical expressions of stunned pride, finding common ground in their mutual love for the king.

Dinner is, by this nest of viper’s standards, surprisingly lovely. A moving toast from Viserys leads the divided room to rebuild bridges that had long ago been burned to ashes. “Set aside your grievances,” he says, flanked by his daughter and his wife, “if not for the sake of the crown, then for the sake of this old man who loves you all so dearly.”

It’s Rhaenyra who makes the first peace offering to her friend-turned-nemesis Alicent, praising her for her love and devotion toward Viserys. The queen’s response is surprisingly warm: She posits that they have more in common than they tend to think and tells the princess that she will “make a fine queen.” Damn. Jace keeps the goodwill going, raising a glass to his shit-talking uncles and pulling Helaena (who is now her brother Aegon’s wife) into a dance as fiddles start to play.

This accord won’t last, of course, and it’s ambiguous how much of this is genuine and how much is a performance for Viserys’ sake. But the evening is a reminder of how easily a war that brings an entire nation to its knees could have been solved bloodlessly around a family dinner table. Sure, the king’s exposed face has literal holes in it, and sure, Aegon and Aemond eventually goad Jace and Luke into a brawl. But at least for this one night, Viserys finally gets his fondest wish.

It also proves to be his last. Alicent sits beside her husband in bed later that night, easing him through his pain. Tripping on milk of the poppy, he confuses Alicent for Rhaenyra—a fateful reversal of his earlier mistake. He answers the question his daughter asked the night before about Aegon’s dream of the Prince That Was Promised who will unite the realm against the cold and the dark. “It is you. You are the one. You must do this,” he rasps.

This is the worst possible miscommunication, of course. Alicent doesn’t know about Aegon the Conqueror’s prophecy; but she does know about Aegon their son, the one with a very legitimate claim to the throne. So much for the queen’s brief peace with Rhaenyra.

Alone once more in the dark, the long-suffering king has finally reached the end of his road. He lifts a shaking hand in the air and murmurs “my love,” perhaps envisioning the long-dead Aemma waiting beyond the veil. And with a single tear from his remaining eye, he’s gone.

Stray observations

• “The Lord Of The Tides” was written by Eileen Shim and directed by Geeta Vasant Patel, two Thrones-verse first-timers who I very much hope we haven’t seen the last of.
• Early on, Rhaenys warns Vaemond that the king will have his tongue for calling Rhaenyra’s boys bastards. Turns out she was exactly right; a shame that Daemon took his head first.
• In a cave on Dragonstone, Daemon harvests the eggs of Syrax, Rhaenyra’s dragon: three new fire-breathing babies, one each for Aegon, Viserys, and their future child.
• The scene between Alicent and Dyana, beautifully acted by Olivia Cooke and Maddie Evans, takes on a chilling contemporary resonance. Though in most ways our world is far removed from the barbaric morays of House Of The Dragon’s faux-medieval era, conversations like these happen behind closed doors every day; only now, sexual assault victims are offered an NDA instead of a pouch of coins.
• D’Arcy and Cooke continue to tease out the intricate, ever-shifting dynamic between their characters. When the princess and the queen first reunite, Rhaenyra is quick to hide the knife scar that Alicent left her the last time they saw each other.
• Exhibit A of why we need more Rhaenys in House Of The Dragon is a short scene in which she watches the Silent Sisters prepare Vaemond’s body. When the grand maester suggests that it’s bad luck to look upon the face of death, the stone-faced princess tells him: “The Stranger has visited my more times than I can count. I assure you, he cares little whether my eyes are open or closed.”
• After Aemond lashes out at the Velaryon boys, he and Daemon share a long look. It’s clear from Matt Smith’s expression that he sees his younger self in his nephew: both second sons, both batshit crazy.
• Daemon’s former lover Mysaria makes an appearance for the first time in many episodes when a servant from the Red Keep comes to inform her of the goings-on in the castle. I have a feeling we’ll see this unofficial Master of Whisperers a lot more going forward.