In the “House of the Dragon” recap, Rhaenyra is forced to return to King’s Landing to defend her son’s claim to the Driftmark throne and King Viserys makes an attempt to reunite his family…
By Damon Martin — Editor/Lead Writer
It’s almost like ruling a kingdom while taking a heavy dose of heroin is a bad idea!
The latest episode of “House of the Dragon” finally begins to reveal what leads to a battle for the Iron Throne just moments after it appeared two warring factions of the same family had finally come to at least some small peace between them.
Last week saw a bitter divide grow even larger after a funeral for Lady Laena Velaryon was held at Driftmark, which brought together families represented by both Queen Alicent Hightower and Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen. As frosty as the relationship was between the two women, the discord between their sons was even more visceral after Aemond Targaryen — second eldest son of King Viserys and Queen Alicent — claimed Laena’s dragon Vhagar as his own despite the wishes of her daughters.
Vhagar is the oldest and largest dragon in the Seven Kingdoms and quite a powerful weapon if ever needed and now the beast is commanded by Aemond.
The price he ultimately paid was an eye after he was stabbed during a fight with his nephews, Jacaerys and Lucerys along with their cousins Baela and Rhaena. The battle afterwards saw Alicent demand an eye for an eye but she ultimately ended up cutting Rhaenyra instead, which only served to strengthen the disdain between them.
Now as the new episode begins another six years has passed as the children continued to grow up and King Viserys’ health is truly beginning to fade. The old king isn’t long for this world, which means by all rights his daughter Rhaenyra should be preparing for her ascension to the Iron Throne but when she returns to King’s Landing, she begins to realize that the place she once called home doesn’t really feel like home any longer.
With that said, let’s get to our full recap for the latest episode of “House of the Dragon” titled ‘The Lord of the Tides’…
Snake in the Grass
We open six years past our previous episode with Princess Rhaenys sitting on the throne at Driftmark as she continues ruling over House Velaryon in the wake of her husband leaving home after a new battle has started at the Stepstones. With the Triarchy once again trying to seize control of the islands, which in turns gives them power over shipping lanes between the Free Cities and Westeros, Lord Corlys Velaryon has traveled there with his fleet to fight back the advances.
Sadly, Princess Rhaenys receives a report that Lord Corlys has been severely wounded in battle after he led his ship into an ambush that ended with his neck being slashed before falling into the sea. Lord Corlys was rescued and the neck wound healed but now he’s battling back a fever that could serve as an even greater threat to his life.
With Lord Corlys possibly knocking on death’s door, his younger brother Vaemond is once again raising a question about the line of succession where he would be next in line to inherit the Driftmark throne if not for his “nephew” Lucerys Velaryon. As Laenor’s second eldest son, Lucerys is the person who would inherit Driftmark but Vaemond refuses to believe there’s actual blood relation, especially with all the rumors that Rhaenyra’s three oldest children were actually sired by Harwin Strong.
Vaemond believes he should be named heir to Driftmark — a statement that’s met with contempt from Rhaenys, who reminds him that Lord Corlys himself already declared Lucerys as his rightful heir. Baela Targaryen — Daemon and Laena’s eldest daughter, who has been serving as Rhaenys’ ward in Driftmark — hears this conversation and decides to send word to her father about what’s happening.
Back on Dragonstone, Daemon has just claimed a clutch of three dragon eggs laid by his wife’s dragon Syrax when he receives the note from his daughter.
Inside the castle, Jacaerys is attempting to learn High Valyrian in attempt to eventually assume his role as the head of House Targaryen. His mother Rhaenyra is proud of his efforts but reminds the boy that he has plenty of time to train to become king because he won’t sit on the Iron Throne until after she’s served as queen.
When Daemon arrives, he brings with him the news from Baela that Rhaenys has flown to King’s Landing along with a garrison that includes Vaemond, who is making a claim that he should be the rightful heir to Driftmark in the event that his brother doesn’t survive.
It’s in this moment that Rhaenyra reveals the truth about what happened with Laenor in the previous episode. Despite appearances that she and Daemon had him killed, they actually orchestrated his escape so that he could live a life free of obligations and the responsibility that comes along with his royal last name. It would give him the chance to finally live openly as a gay man rather than being forced to pretend he’s married to Rhaenyra.
Still, Rhaenys believes her son is dead and obviously suspects he was murdered so that Rhaenyra and Daemon could marry.
Despite those issues, Daemon doesn’t believe that Rhaenys would go against Lord Corlys’ wishes and back Vaemond’s claim to Driftmark. There’s no certainty, however, if Vaemond has managed to get in the ear of Otto Hightower, who is once again Hand of the King and largely ruling over the realm along with his daughter Alicent as King Viserys’ health continues to decline.
With options limited, Rhaenyra realizes that it’s time for her to return home to King’s Landing to ensure she can stake a rightful claim to Driftmark for her son Lucerys and by extension strengthen her own claim to the Iron Throne as the chosen heir by her father.
When they arrive in King’s Landing, Rhaenyra and Daemon aren’t met by a royal court but rather just Lord Caswell — the head of a noble house in The Reach with a seat on Bitterbridge. Rhaenyra recognizes rather quickly that a lot has changed in her absence — most notably the entirety of King’s Landing has been decorated by symbols of the Faith of the Seven — a religion that Targaryens don’t subscribe to.
The Red Keep itself is now adorned by a giant symbol of the Faith of the Seven — something that should be recognizable for fans of “Game of Thrones” as well.
Meanwhile, Queen Alicent oversees a meeting of the Small Council when she receives word that her guests have arrived at King’s Landing. This brings up the debate about the claim that Vaemond Velaryon to Driftmark — a suggestion that Lord Lyman Beesbury, the Master of Coin, finds preposterous considering Lord Corlys’ grandson Lucerys is already set in the line of succession.
The questions about the legitimacy of Lucerys’ true father still abound and it’s a subject that Otto Hightower feels should be explored enough to allow Vaemond to say his peace before the court and a decision will be made about who is the rightful heir to Driftmark.
As Queen Alicent prepares to welcome Rhaenyra back to King’s Landing, she’s first interrupted by a member of the Kingsguard, who has some disturbing news regarding her son Aegon.
When Queen Alicent arrives in her chambers, she finds a serving girl named Dyana in tears.
Dyana proceeds to tell her in awful detail about how she was ordered to bring wine to Aegon’s chambers but the young prince decided to force himself upon her. Aegon raped the girl and then sent her packing, which is when she told the member of the Kingsguard what had happened.
Queen Alicent attempts to console the girl before ultimately forcing her to stay silent about what happened with Aegon. She hands the girl a bag full of gold and then asks her to drink a special tea concocted by the maesters that will prevent her from possibly getting pregnant with a bastard child that belongs to her son.
It’s the same tea that Rhaenyra ingested after her night with Ser Criston Cole.
From there, Queen Alicent storms into her son’s room as he lays passed out and naked on his bed and the petulant boy has now become a petulant young man. He’s dismissive of the girl and the horrific act he committed against her, which earns him a slap from his mother.
Queen Alicent is desperately trying to raise Aegon to potentially become king one day yet he’s nothing more than an oversexed, drunk buffoon who can’t keep his cock in his pants. Far from the leader she wants him to be.
As for Rhaenyra, she goes to visit her father in his chambers and finds that King Viserys is far from the proud man who ruled from the Iron Throne. King Viserys’ health has continued to decline — he has lesions growing on his skin, he’s lost multiple fingers and now he’s also lost an eye as well. He barely recognizes his daughter when she arrives to see him and he can’t even keep his head up when she introduces him to his newest grandsons — Aegon III and Viserys, named in his honor.
He can’t even realize that Rhaenyra is pregnant with a third child with Daemon but he’s cognizant enough to ask for the special tea that’s left by his bedside. When the King ingests it, his state changes from pained to passed out and it only takes a smell from the cup to realize that he’s been fed copious amounts of Milk of the Poppy to sooth his agony.
Of course, Milk of the Poppy also dulls the senses and essentially makes King Viserys unable to speak, which by extension allows the Hand of the King Otto Hightower and his daughter Alicent rule in his place. It’s a fact that’s certainly not lost on Rhaenyra and Daemon when Queen Alicent finally arrives to receive them in the King’s chambers.
The conversation turns bitter rather quickly when Daemon and Rhaenyra suggest that Queen Alicent has continued dosing the King with Milk of the Poppy to ensure her rule is not questioned. They also can’t help but wonder about the change in scenery with all the symbols from the religion of The Seven that now decorate the entire Red Keep.
The Queen doesn’t engage with them but instead says that she’ll ignore the insults and not hold that against Rhaenyra and Daemon when the claims are heard the next day about who will succeed Lord Corlys as the heir to Driftmark.
Outside, Jacaerys and Lucerys return to the training court where they once saw their father bludgeon Ser Criston Cole with punches after he questioned their legitimacy as Laenor Velaryon’s sons. The teenage boys then see the sparring session happening between Ser Criston and Aemond Targaryen, who despite having only one eye has become quite a swordsman.
In fact, Aemond gets the upper hand on Ser Criston, who proclaims that he’ll be winning tournaments in no time but the one-eyed prince confesses that he doesn’t give a shit about tournaments. That’s when Aemond turns his attention to his nephews standing in the gallery and he asks if they’ve come to train.
Before the boys can respond, the gates open and Vaemond Velaryon arrives at King’s Landing to stake his claim to his brother’s throne.
The Rightful Heir
Before the claimants to Driftmark are heard, Rhaenyra approaches Princess Rhaenys to discuss her son Lucerys, who is truly the rightful heir to Lord Corlys’ throne. Of course, Rhaenys called that into question privately with Lord Corlys last week yet her husband would hear it — he calls Lucerys his grandson and the rightful heir to Driftmark.
Realizing the tension between them in the wake of Laenor’s “death,” Rhaenyra first tells Rhaenys that she loved her son regardless of what kind of marriage there was between them. She also asks Rhaenys not to condemn her son’s claim to Driftmark by instead backing Vaemond, which would all but secure his place as the heir to his brother’s throne.
That would all but secure the fact that Rhaenyra’s oldest son Jacaerys would also have his claim to the Iron Throne questioned and likely the same for her own eventual reign as queen.
That’s when Rhaenyra makes Rhaenys an offer — she will marry her sons to Daemon and Laena’s daughters, thus securing the future of House Velaryon. Laena’s oldest daughter Baela will marry Jacaerys, which means she will eventually become Queen of the Seven Kingdoms and Rhaena will marry Lucerys, thus making her children the heirs to Driftmark.
It’s a generous offer but one that doesn’t receive an answer from Rhaenys before she leaves the courtyard.
That night, Rhaenyra returns to visit her father in his chambers to seek his help and guidance as she continues to wear the burden that comes along with eventually wearing the crown to rule over the Seven Kingdoms. She reminds him of Aegon’s dream and the responsibility that comes along with his prophecy about the Song of Ice and Fire and the threat that looms from the death dealers that reside north of The Wall.
Part of the prophecy speaks about the Prince that was Promised — a leader who will unite the Seven Kingdoms against a common foe. Sadly, Rhaenyra feels that Vaemond even being allowed to challenge her son’s claim to Driftmark only sows seeds of further division between her own future as the heir ot the Iron Throne.
Rhaenyra calls on her father to put a stop to this decision but he’s barely conscious and she ends the night in tears realizing that perhaps King Viserys is already gone.
The next morning as the King receives his treatment, he tells Otto that he wants to have a dinner that night with his entire family at the same table. He’s still not exactly coherent but he speaks clearly enough that Otto knows to follow the orders.
Finally the time comes for Vaemond and Rhaenyra to state their cases to Hand of the King Otto Hightower and Queen Alicent, who will then decide the person to succeed Lord Corlys Velaryon at his throne on Driftmark.
Vaemond repeatedly states that he’s looked after his brother’s kingdom the entire time he’s been away at battle in the Stepstones and by right and blood, Driftmark should pass to him. Rhaenyra believes it’s all a farce because realistically her son Lucerys is the rightful heir in the line of succession and Vaemond’s claims are only being made because he believes her children are bastards.
Before the fight can go any further, the doors to the Red Keep open and King Viserys makes his entrance.
The elderly monarch can barely stand, held up by a cane, with a gold mask covering his disfigured face but King Viserys refuses help as he makes his way through the audience before telling Otto Hightower that he’ll be the one sitting on the Iron Throne today.
As he sits down, King Viserys’ crown falls to the ground and it’s his younger brother Daemon who is there to pick it up for him. Daemon places the crown back on Viserys’ head before he addresses the court.
“I must admit my confusion. I do not understand why petitions are being heard over a settled succession. The only one present who might offer keener insight into Lord Corlys’ wishes is the Princess Rhaenys”
~ King Viserys Targaryen
With that Coryls’ wife takes center stage to address the room and Rhaenys reaffirms her husband’s decision — Laenor’s son Lucerys Velaryon will remain the heir to the throne at Driftmark and succeed his grandfather as the Lord of the Tides upon his passing. Rhaenys then also reveals that she’s accepted the proposal made by Rhaenyra that her granddaughters Baela and Rhana will be wed to Jacaerys and Lucerys, further strengthening the bond between House Targaryen and House Velaryon.
King Viserys declares the matter settled but Vaemond will not hear it.
He more or less curses the King for such a decision and takes a stand while pointing the finger at Rhaenyra’s children as illegitimate claimants to his brother’s throne. As his anger continues to grow, Vaemond lashes out and Daemon begs him to say exactly what he wants — and that leads to him calling Rhaenyra’s children bastards.
To make matters worse, Vaemond then calls Rhaenyra a whore.
King Viserys rises from the Iron Throne, pulls the catspaw dagger from his robes and proclaims that he will have Vaemond’s tongue. Before the King can even finish his sentence, Daemon cuts Vaemond’s head in half with Dark Sister — his Valyrian steel sword — and the entire court gasps as the sight.
Daemon says that Vaemond can keep his tongue because his head is gone.
A moment later, King Viserys collapses from the strain with Queen Alicent coming to his aid while declaring that he needs to take something for the pain. The King refuses because he needs a clear mind to ensure his orders are taken without question as he attempts to secure his legacy with Rhaenyra as the rightful heir to the Iron Throne.
The Last Supper
That night at dinner, both sides of King Viserys’ family arrive to eat together.
The King himself arrives before toasting to his grandsons Jacaerys and Lucerys, who have now been betrothed to their cousins Baela and Rhaena. As the celebration happens, Aegon takes swipes at Jacaerys because he knows the boy is still a virgin.
King Viserys then turns his attention to the entire room and the simmering tensions he feels between his wife and his daughter not to mention the hatred building between his sons and grandsons.
“Let us no longer hold ill feelings in our heart. The crown cannot stand strong if the House of the Dragon remains divided. Set aside your grievances. If not for the sake of the crown then for the sake of this old man, who loves you all so dearly.”
~ King Viserys Targaryen
The impassioned speech leads to a series of toasts as Rhaenyra and Queen Alicent attempt to heal old wounds by addressing each other and the room directly. Both apologize for previous misgivings and it appears the two of them are ready to let go of the past and forge ahead for a better future.
When Prince Aegon decides to take another jab at Jacaerys, the future King stands and toasts both of his uncles while proclaiming that he hopes they can become friends and allies for years to come. A moment later, Princess Helaena finally stands to address the room — and she boasts that she hopes her cousins Baela and Rhaena will enjoy their marriages before commenting that their husbands will mostly ignore them unless they’re drunk much like Aegon disregards her.
Remember, Aegon is married to his sister Helaena but obviously it’s not exactly a happy marriage for either of them.
A few snickers are heard before King Viserys orders music to start as the rest of the food is brought into the dinner. Jacaerys stands from his seat and asks Princess Helaena to dance — a move that obviously takes a pointed shot at Aegon.
Finally a roasted pig is brought in for dinner and sett directly in front of Prince Aemond — it’s a sight that reminds Lucerys of the games they once played at the Dragon Pit when the children taunted him about not being paired with a dragon. The slight laugh from Lucerys is enough for Aemond to stand and toast his nephews in such a way to once again call into question their legitimacy.
“To the health of my nephews, Jace, Luke and Joffrey, each of them handsome, wise and strong. Come let us drain our cups to these three strong boys”
~ Aemond
The obvious insult about the boys’ true father Harwin Strong is met with a punch from Jacaerys while Aegon slams Lucerys’ head into the table. Before a full blown brawl can break out, the Kingsguard pull back Jacaerys and Lucerys while Queen Alicent scolds Aemond for insulting his nephews.
As Aemond all but challenges his nephews to come at him, Daemon stands between them. He looks back at his own nephew as if challenging Aemond to dare step forward but instead he just turns and walks away.
Rhaenyra then declares her intention to return to Dragonstone but Queen Alicent asks her to stay as further attempt to bridge the gap between the two sides of the same family. Rather than scorn the Queen, Rhaenyra tells her that she will see her sons home and then return to King’s Landing on dragonback to continue spending time with both Alicent and her father in what will almost certainly be his final days.
Following the dinner we are finally reunited with Mysaria — the woman who once served as Daemon Targaryen’s paramour and she has now risen to claim her own empire inside King’s Landing. Mysaria runs brothels and other businesses but more importantly she’s a true master of whispers — keeping a close eye on all the secrets happening inside the kingdom.
That night, Mysaria is visited by one of her little spiders — the servant girl who stands by Queen Alicent and helped her tend to Dyana after she was raped by Prince Aegon. It’s absolutely worth noting this interaction because based on the preview for next week’s episode, Mysaria begins learning more and more about Aegon’s sexual habits — including the women he bedded who didn’t get the benefit of a maester’s tea to ensure there was no pregnancy.
In other words, Prince Aegon may have some bastards of his own roaming around King’s Landing.
Finally, Queen Alicent returns to tend to King Viserys, who is once again filled with Milk of the Poppy as he starts to fall asleep. When his wife arrives, King Viserys doesn’t realize that he’s speaking to Alicent and instead continues the conversation that Rhaenyra was attempting to have with him previously.
He tells her about Aegon’s prophecy of a Song of Ice and Fire, the prince that was promised and how they need to unite the realm against a common enemy. Unfortunately, Queen Alicent doesn’t know anything about the prophecy and she only hears that King Viserys proclaims that Aegon needs to unite the realm.
She believes that the King is rescinding his wishes that Rhaenyra would succeed him and instead he wants his eldest son Aegon to sit on the Iron Throne to fulfill this prophecy. Just as Queen Alicent had declared her fealty to Rhaenyra as the rightful heir, she now plans to heed the wishes of her dying husband by declaring that her own son Aegon should become the next King.
As Alicent leaves the room, King Viserys’ struggles for his last breath as a tear rolls down his cheek for the last time. King Viserys is dead and the battle for the Iron Throne has truly just begun.
“House of the Dragon” will return for the penultimate episode in season 1 next Sunday night at 9 p.m. ET on HBO.
