House of the Dragon Episode 4 Review

by Chelsea House “Targaryen,” GGR Chief Media Correspondent

*SPOILERS*

I’m not going to lie – episode 4 was a little weird for me. It revealed some really important dynamics between characters and created an opportunity to see internally what they are feeling, however, it was still just weird for me. I think because they haven’t technically “aged up” the actresses yet, so I’m still looking at them as the 15-year olds they were in episode one. It was even odd for me to see Alicent pregnant in episode 3 because of the same principle. That’s a risk you play as a director, I guess, when the only things you’re doing to indicate passage of time (appearance wise) is the growth of hair, their makeup being a little more mature, and their outfits fitting slightly tighter. It could also be that the whole incest thing never sat quite right with me in Game of Thrones, no matter how prepared I was for it. Regardless, it still revealed to the audience some crucial details about our characters. 

So, with that being said - this review is going to be handled a little differently. I want to highlight our characters a little more instead of just narrating the episode. With it being almost the halfway mark, I think it’s important so we can theorize together what will come. Before we do that, here’s the basic summary– Rhaenyra leaves her suitor’s tour early to come back to King’s Landing. Daemon has also returned because he is bored of being the King of the Narrow Sea. He bends the knee to Viserys and gives him his driftwood crown and the Step Stones. Viserys embraces him. Daemon is drawn to Rhaenyra as she has grown up quite a bit over the 4 years he hasn’t seen her. Alicent is uncharacteristically sad and almost reclusive. She feels trapped in the castle and is “forced to squeeze out heirs” as the Princess so nicely puts it. Daemon tries to seduce Rhaenyra on a midnight escapade outside of the castle and then can’t quite perform when it comes down to it. The Princess then comes home, feeling aroused and a little tipsy, and takes Ser Cole to bed with her. Lord Otto finds out about her and Daemon from a spy and tells the King. The King denies it to Otto but tells a very drunk Daemon to get the heck out of dodge and back to the Vale.  Alicent confronts Rhaenyra about the matter, which she denies having slept with Daemon – which is kind of true – and says she’s still a virgin – which is not at all true. The King then talks to Rhaenyra about it and tells her that she now must marry Leanor Valaryon because his sister, Laena is to be married to a Free City Lord. The end of the episode the maester brings the Princess a tea to avoid any “unwanted consequences”. 

Let’s start with our King, Viserys: 

It’s really hard for me to not like his character. In all of his imperfections, he still seems to be that guy that people just always describe as “He’s a good guy, you know?” In the past episodes we’ve seen him as pretty passive, overwhelmed, and seemingly swept away by the current of his duties. This particular episode shows us how truly shrewd the King is, and how he does have a bit of a bite to him when provoked. When all the “gossip” of Rhaenyra and Daemon goes down, he’s smart enough to completely deny it to Otto, however, as soon as the door shuts, he slams his fist, giving his wife a look (who was hiding behind a room divider) because he’s not stupid. He knows his daughter and Daemon well. Alicent is convinced by Rhaenyra, however, Viserys answers her faith in her friend by saying “They share the blood of the dragon. They are restless and chaotic.” Too true. I love the conversation between his brother and him in the throne room. He’s dressed in a sleek black outfit – Daemon has a killer hangover and is sprawled out on the floor. In this conversation he finally shows his claws as his brother demands for Rhaenyra’s hand. The King even holds a dagger menacingly to his brother’s throat when Daemon slips a comparison to himself and Aegon the Conqueror. Viserys makes it clear that he understands that Daemon’s only interests are in his throne, not his daughter and banishes him back to the Vale, officially washing his hands of him. When he talks to Rhaenyra, he does so in his bedchamber in front of his huge model of Valyria. He has her read the dagger of Aegon that has been passed down from King to King – The song that states that out of their bloodline will be born the prince that was promised – and his will be the song of ice and fire. (We will get back to this) It’s a tactic to remind her of her true purpose and place, and that both of those should be held higher than her teenage desires. When she argues that if she were a boy, it would be different, he gives her the tough love of an agreement. He then demands her to marry Leanor to combine their fleets and dragons so that the House of the Dragon can stand as one for another generation. She agrees, but then tells him he needs to get rid of Otto because he’s causing further division due to his “self-interests.” King Viserys does his duty – he gets rid of Otto. The growth of the King’s character almost sneaks up on you. It’s so very subtle, but definitely present. He’s a complex character. There’s not much theorizing to go on with him as we all know he’s going to die, but I do wonder if it’s going to be from the infections of the throne, or assassination. 

Alicent, The Queen:

Alicent is reminiscent of Sansa to me, although much wiser and deeper. She begins her journey with her best friend, Princess Rhaenyra, and to this point has become a sad and almost hardened woman alone. Or at least, she’s getting there. This episode was heartbreaking to watch from her perspective. She is losing herself to the role of Queen, one we’re not really one hundred percent sure she genuinely wanted. There seems to be a fondness between her and the King, however, I wouldn’t call it love. He does seem to be good to her, but as he chuckles condescendingly at a suggestion she makes to take Daemon on a tour, perhaps we’re not seeing the whole picture. Alicent is a good woman. She feels deeply and is an empath of sorts. But being a Queen doesn’t allow you to really pursue that path but for so long. I also feel that her father’s manipulation of her, her realization more and more of the weight of her decision to gain the King’s favor, and the reality that Queens don’t really have friends – they have allies, has shook that very foundation in her. You see conversations between her, and the King and you realize that he does think highly of her opinions and advice, you see her gently bathing his wounds in a bath, and you feel like there is a tender kindness between them both. But then you see her hollow eyes as she bounces a screaming baby on her hip. You also see her stone expression when she is called upon late at night to go to her husband's bedchambers. As they are “making love”, the room seems to be void of just that - love. On another note with her, at the beginning of the episode she and Rhaenyra seem to be getting along again when the Princess returns from her tour. She came back two months earlier than what was planned. The Queen notes that she has missed their friendship, she doesn’t have many friends these days – they all see her as just the Queen. Rhaenyra tenderly grabs her hand and agrees that she has also missed this. There’s a look of relief in Alicent’s sad eyes. Yet, towards the end of the episode, when Alicent confronts her friend on the rumors of her and Daemon, Rhaenyra brazenly lies to her. Alicent shows her genuine concern for her friend, but there’s also a shift here. She states that Viserys has worked very hard to find her a good match, and so did she. She states that if anyone were to think that she was no longer a virgin – everything could be ruined. Here we truly see the complexities between Rhaenyra and Alicent’s relationship. It’s right underneath the Godswood, the one and the same that they used to lay underneath. There’s an internal battle in Alicent. She switches from “Your Grace” posture and language to “best friend” posture and language throughout. There’s an obvious struggle within her. Does she want to be “Your Grace” or does she simply want to be Alicent? I’m hoping by the next episode we see her finally choosing which she intends to be and settling into it. I also got the feel that Alicent felt bitter about the freedom Rhaenyra was able to have over her confinement to the palace. When she speaks to Viserys about their conversation later on, she tells him that Rhaenyra swore she was still a maiden – and she believed her. In this situation, the Princess seems to be shooting herself in the foot more and more. When Alicent does decide to completely write her off – which is inevitable – you kind of can’t blame her. 

Daemon, King of the Narrow Seas: 

It’s hard to really say that Daemon has changed. As of yet, his character arch seems to be more focused on what he’s up to versus what internal growth he’s making. He’s a force to be reckoned with, he is clever, and knows the underbelly of King’s Landing well. He has his finger on the pulse of the people more than he does politics which is why he’s in the mess he’s in to begin with. In this episode it’s confirmed that he still wants the Iron Throne. Old habits die hard and what not. We also truly see how far he will go to try and gain it by seducing Rhaenyra and then asking for her hand of King Viserys when he’s approached about it. He’s got balls. You can give him that. His character is so off putting to me. I want to like him because he’s your typical black sheep of the family, but then again, he keeps doing this charade of pretending to be loyal to the King and then almost stabbing him in the back – the knife stopped just before the flesh. It’s kind of frustrating and I wish they would delve into him a little more than the yo-yo we see so far. I did feel like there was an attempt made in this episode when he takes Rhaenyra through the underbelly of the city. He shows her a play that says the people may not want her as Queen and when she bucks that, explains that she needs the people. The way he comfortably slinks about tells you he knows these roads well. He knows the crowd, the gossip, the culture of these streets. I don’t remember if they’ve called him this in the show or not yet, but he has also been known as “Prince of the City” and “Lord of Flea Bottom”. Perhaps they’re setting us up for how he got those names. When he finally drags Rhaenyra into a brothel, he pushes his limits and begins to kiss her. When she isn’t scared, intimidated, or seemingly concerned, it becomes an immediate turn off for him. I don’t know if he sees that what he’s doing is wrong, if he’s conflicted between what may be real feelings for the Princess and his agenda, or if he was just caught off guard by her reaction. Whatever the reason, he can’t get it up, and then frustratedly walks off. How very gentlemanly. When he’s approached by Viserys on the matter, he doesn’t fight it. In fact – he doesn’t even deny the accusations even though he didn’t really perform the deed. Maybe he was hoping that by the King thinking she was ruined he would have a better claim on her hand. Again, it’s hard to tell with Daemon. One interesting theme in this episode is the amount of times that Rhaenyra is compared to Daemon – politically, mentally, and emotionally. Foreshadowing? I think so. He has been sent to The Vale once more. My hope is that he does actually return and maybe works on his political skills a little more so that he can be a better pawn in the “game of thrones”. 

Rhaenyra The Realm’s Delight

Rhaenyra has probably been the character that we have seen the most change in the series thus far. After all, she went from being a simple Princess to the heir of the Iron Throne. The first female heir at that. She was fifteen when the show began and is now around nineteen, but unlike her friend – she doesn’t have the pressure of the title “Queen” and the job to “squeeze out heirs” on her shoulders. She’s a highly sought-after bachelorette who wants nothing to do with marriage or childbearing. As mentioned in the previous review, she seems to not be taking her political duties seriously enough. Leaving her suitor tour two months before it was scheduled to end and the way she speaks to her would be suitors in the beginning only further my case. The older she gets, the more reckless she seems to become. She speaks of knowing duty and knowing her place only when it comes to getting something out of her father, but then doesn’t practice what she preaches too frequently. It’s hard not to compare her and Alicent. Whereas Alicent knows how to sit nicely, smile, and create her allies through conversation and tea, Rhaenyra seems determined to scoff at the world and all of those around her. It’s also hard to not validate the comparisons of her and her Uncle. No, she’s not chopping off two cart loads of limbs, but she lacks wisdom and level headedness at times. I will say that by the end of the episode, she doesn’t buck her father too much on marrying Leanor. She knows she doesn’t have room to do so. But throughout the episode she almost single handedly ruins her career and that of Ser Cole’s. (As a quick sidenote – the stark difference between Alicent‘s pleasureless experience and Rhaenyra being introduced to sex in a brothel only to come home and have a lust filled night with Ser Cole is interesting. Daemon explains to her that it should be enjoyed for both men and women and she seems to take this to heart. If only Alicent also knew this. ) She also lies to her best friend when she is so desperately seeking the truth from her. In all honesty, I don’t think Alicent would have been malicious with that information. I truly think she would have tried to help her – if anything for her husband’s sake. These can all be chalked up as growing pains for our dragon riding Princess. She is still young, after all. But I feel they are deeper than that. She was so beloved in the first few episodes. I think this episode wanted to show us that she’s not perfect, and is very capable of hurting others around her. I think it’s also here to show us the difference between Alicent’s cool, collected, well thought out actions, and Rhaenyra’s free spirited, passionate, and driven personality. It’s a foreshadowing for both. It’s also a reminder that giving into your pleasures in a position like Rhaenyra’s - even for just one night – can totally topple you from your tower as a woman. It’s a reminder that the world is not the same for a female as it is a male, fair or not, and especially when Rhaenyra doesn’t even know if the people will accept her as their queen – she has even more eggshells to walk across. The tea at the end of the episode seems to ground her back into that reality. Daemon makes this point as he’s lying on the ground being chastised by his brother. If she were a man – she would have slept with a dozen whores by now. And Rhaenyra herself says the same to Viserys when they’re talking in his bedchambers. He reminds them both, however, that she’s not a man. She’s a woman, which is a constant theme through the series so far, and will end up being a core reason for conflict later on.

House of the Dragon is setting up with Game of the Thrones does so well – gray morale. No one is perfect. There’s no real heroes or villains. We’ve cheered and frowned at each character thus far, and we will continue to do so throughout the series. There’s still a lot of ground to cover after all. I believe the next episode is the last one we will see of Milly Alcock and Emily Carey playing Rhaenyra and Alicent. I’m also really interested in where House of the Dragon is going with bringing of “The Song of Ice and Fire” for a second time. I know that HBO is trying to get “Snow” approved, and I have a lot of thoughts on that. I have also read many people’s thoughts that they think House of the Dragon could be trying to fix some errors from Game of Thrones. I’m not sure which camp I’m in yet, but it would seem really cruel to keep bringing these things up without a plan in place somewhere. Anyways, until next time!