House of the Dragon Episode 9 Review

by Chelsea House “Targaryen,” GGR Chief Media Correspondent

Next week is the season finale of House of the Dragon! It’s been a slow burn leading up to this point with lots of storytelling in between. With that being said – I thought it would be important to do another character breakdown for this review! We have newer faces to analyze, new alliances, new power platforms, etc. We will start with a brief recap of the episode! Viserys has passed, Alicent is positive that he meant her son, Aegon, when he was talking about ruling. With the help of her father, they place Aegon on the throne and make a grand display in front of the people without Rhaenyra even knowing her father has passed. Rhaenys was held captive during this time until she was freed by one of the Kings Guard and she escaped rather dramatically on the back of her beautiful red dragon Meleys. During the episode, there is tension between those who want Aegon as King, and those who see him for what he really is. Alright, let’s begin! 

Aemond

Aemond (Ewan Mitchell) starts off with no dragon, mediocre sword skills, and both eyes. The man he’s grown into says a lot about this handsome one-eyed rogue who now rides the largest dragon in the land - Vhagar. He’s cool, collected, observant- sharp is always the word that comes to mind for me. He has a deep sense of duty that runs along with a driving ambition, proven by the display of his swordsmanship in episode 8. In this episode, when he and Ser Criston Cole are looking for his older brother, he states that Aegon shouldn’t be King – he should be. He’s the one who studies, practices swords, and all the things that make a good King, while his brother actively runs from it. It’s not the first time we’ve seen tension between the two boys. The first was displayed when Aegon encouraged his nephews to pick on his little brother in the dragon pit. He also disagreed with his brother not wanting to marry Helaena saying that he would perform his duty and basically not whine about it. In fact, his sense of duty and loyalty goes so deep, that even though he doesn’t want his brother to be King, he’s following Ser Cole around King’s Landing looking for him at the request of his mother. When they find him and he’s kicking and screaming, not wanting to go back to the castle, Aemond still takes him back. It poses a question of whether he does it for his brother, or his mother? It also poses the question of how his loyalty will be tested with the upcoming war? Will he hope that his brother dies so he can take the throne? Will he defend him steadfastly even if he’s a bad ruler? Does his loyalty have nothing to do with his brother and everything to do with the tenderness in which he views his mother? Being as we’ve barely gotten a glimpse into the character of Aemond – Only time will tell. Side Note: I have also seen a lot of internet flurry about Daemon and Aemond being the perfect duo to battle it out. Even without reading the books, the show has already set this young man up to be a force to reckon with. The show has made detours from the book before, so who knows what clashes are ahead – but I, for one, would love to see that fight. 

Aegon

Let’s get to this punk – Prince/ King Aegon (Tom Glynn-Carney). I’ve tried to not be really biased of the characters while doing these reviews – it’s important for me that people come up with their own opinions when watching and reading articles. However, this guy is just trash. He’s not quite Joffrey from Game of Thrones trash, but he’s just barely missing that mark. For one, he doesn’t want to be King in any way shape or form. For two, he has little to no respect for really, well, anything. He looks completely dazed and bored at Laena’s funeral, he complains about his betrothal to Helaena, he picks on his little brother when he has no dragon, he relentlessly goes after Jace during the sword practicing scene with little encouragement needed, the list really goes on. Not to freaking mention that he’s a rapist as seen with poor Dyana the servant. And, my God, I’m not even sure I’ve really scratched the surface with this one. His poor wife has no love from him – even though she has born him two children. And I get it, like who the heck wants to marry their sister, but still – it's a stark contrast when compared to Aemond. As team Erryk and Arryk and team Aemond and Ser Cole go looking for him in King’s Landing, they stop at all his most frequented areas. This includes brothels, but far more troubling, it includes a fighting pit. Not like a rooster or dog fighting pit – which is bad enough. Oh no. This fighting pit is for children. All out Hunger Games for the young ones not lucky enough to be born in better established families. Erryk, or Arryk, I’m not sure which, even points out the silver haired child in the corner as most probably being Aegon’s, along with “many others”. I know there’s the way that Alicent has treated him – especially when he asks her if she loves him and she just answers “you imbecile” with a smile, and perhaps the way Viserys neglected him (we never really had proof of that), and the way that he feels he could never meet their expectations. I also understand he has had this life kind of thrust upon him and perhaps felt no sense of purpose due to Rhaenyra being named heir. Regardless, he’s a piece of crap. Now that the crown sits his head, there will no doubt be a unfolding of events that begin to show his true colors – even in the midst of battle and war. The way Alicent smiled during his anointing was almost in relief, but again – I've asked the question about whether it’s her treatment of him that created what he is now, or if she treats him that way because she’s always seen it in him? So will she be such a staunch supporter when he rules the way he wants to. Will Otto be so proud to have him on the throne, then? Again, only time will tell. 

Criston Cole 

Our Ser Criston Cole was made a king's guard member by Princess Rhaenyra due to him being the only one with actual war experience. At that point he is fiercely loyal to the Princess for what she did for his name and his legacy. After they sleep together, Cole asks her to leave everything behind and follow him to the Free Cities where they could marry and live happily ever after. She, of course, refuses him. He, of course, refuses to be her “whore”. When he eventually tells Queen Alicent what happened, she spares him. He then goes completely berserk on Joffrey, Laenor’s lover, and when he goes to commit suicide – Alicent, again, saves him. From this point forward, Ser Cole is fiercely loyal to the Queen. He does show his limitations, however, such as when he refused to pluck the eye from Luke at Alicent’s request. For as levelheaded as he can be, he is also volatile – as we see when he ends Lord Beesbury after he “insults” the queen and argues against the coup. His character is this lawful good that is interwoven with the teeniest bit of chaos that seems to fit Team Alicent well. It could have just been me, but this episode when he and Aemond were walking together – there seemed to be a soft spot he held for the boy. And Aemond actually opened up to him, which seemed a little out of his calculating character. If anything, this reminds us the Cole is a good listener and has the ability to give sound advice – even through his crazy. He did the same for Rhaenyra so long ago. I doubt it, but maybe this alludes to a future alliance between the two that may cause cracks in “The Greens'” foundation? Speaking of alluding, there was another scene where Alicent asks Cole to search for Aegon, and it’s a little intimate the way she asks. Were or are they lovers? That would be fairly hypocritical of them both if that were to be true. As with the others, only time will tell. 

Lord Larys

Lord Larys... This guy is for sure an onion of many foot fetished layers that I’m just not sure I want to keep peeling back. For some reason, or another, he decided almost at the beginning to team up with Alicent. Maybe he saw her being tossed around by the sea of politics and felt pity for her? Maybe he saw how easily moldable and manipulated she was and thought of her as a valuable chess piece? Maybe he really had feelings for her and just wanted to be there for her as an emotional support when no one else seemed to be? Who freaking knows. Whichever of the aforementioned applies, he has been Team Alicent from the start. He was the first to cause her to see Rhaenyra’s dishonesty, the first to do something completely cutthroat for her, and the first to pleasure himself at the sight of her feet. Basically, all three made my skin crawl. After murdering his father and brother, he is the heir of Harrenhal. Even though he holds no official title, he has the ear of the Queen and she regularly vents to him – or at least that was alluded to when they were dining in her bed chambers a few episodes back. There’s this comfortable, yet uneasy, relationship between the Queen and him. She’s afraid of what he is yet doesn’t shy away from using him to get what she wants. He is aware of her disgust and need of him. Lord Larys is cunning, dark, and incredibly one-sighted – which begs the question – what is he one-sighted for? Does he hope that she will marry him? Does he just enjoy doing her bidding just because? Does he hope to be the Hand for Aegon? What exactly does he get out of all of this? As of yet, it’s not completely clear. What I do know about characters like Larys, though, is that there is ALWAYS some sort of angle to what they do. What is that? Only time will tell. 

Princess Rhaenys

Princess Rhaenys is the Queen that Never Was. She has been walking in this shadow the whole series. At times we believe she really is truly free of those words, and at other times – we're not quite sure. She has been tested and hardened through life, and yet has enjoyed the privileges of being married to one of the most powerful and wealthy men in the Seven Kingdoms. She knows the political game well and has created this patient resilience inside herself because of it. She had a fierce love of her cousin – even though watching him rule so passively must have killed her - and seems to have an overall healthy marriage with Lord Corlys even through the disagreements. In this episode, Alicent, after locking her away in her chambers, goes to Rhaenys to ask for her support with Aegon. In this conversation she admits that Rhaenys should have been Queen, Viserys just wasn’t meant for it. It’s true, as much as I loved our unfortunate yet kind Viserys, when you look at the Princess, she screams leader. She just always seems so in control of each of her actions and words. Something that is pivotal for a leader. The last episode she decided to ally herself with Rhaenyra by announcing the engagement of Baela and Rhaena to Jace and Luke. By the end of this episode, she solidifies that by escaping the crowd to run to her beautiful Meleys and then bursting into the ceremony on her back. In this scene she has every opportunity to kill Aegon and end the war right there before it even begins. She knows what bloodshed will fall. Her grandfather did what he did to avoid such things. She knows a war to this caliber will bring nothing good to the world – yet she doesn’t. She just flies away. Why? I think there could be a couple of reasons to this. 1) She sees Alicent jump in front of her son and is reminded of how it feels to lose your children. In other words – she spared the mother, not the child. 2) She is still unsure of what side she really wants to be on and thus will wait it out to see. Either way, this was a really frustrating scene to watch. Also – like, how did she get dressed that fast? She was wearing a cloak, so maybe the armor was underneath... but still. Impressive. What is in the air for our Princess? Only time will tell. 

Queen Alicent

We’ve covered a lot of Queen Alicent over these reviews – so let’s focus on her this episode. As much as I’ve disliked her at times, I have also really enjoyed Alicent’s character. In this episode she shows her political prowess, her adept sense of ruling, and her ambitions. Up to this point, she had always voiced that she wanted her son to sit on the throne, but never acted on it until she misunderstood Viserys on his deathbed. She is genuinely shocked when the council reveals that they have planned for Aegon to take the throne all along, doesn’t support the death of Rhaenyra and her family, and actively plots against her father to ensure that Aegon ascends the way she sees fit. The Queen does, despite her growth in a lot of areas, still seem to find herself a few steps behind everyone – or at least blissfully unaware of people’s true natures. Her father was always clear about what he wanted; it should have been no surprise that he was already working behind the scenes – yet it was. Cole’s reaction to Beesbury shouldn’t have shocked her, she’s seen his volatility before – yet it does. I’m not sure if this is her always trying to see the good in people, or if she really does have that much lack of control of which direction the currents and tides take her. It was refreshing to see her outsmart her father with Aegon, and it was even more satisfying that she didn’t let him manipulate her. I found a couple of things worrisome with her character this episode. For one, she still put Aegon on the throne – even knowing what kind of a person he is. Alicent is a lot of things, but she has shown time and time again that she is a good person deep down who cares about the people she leads – as seen with Dyana, Cole, and even when she defended Rhaenyra for so long when they were younger. I wonder if she’ll sleep peacefully knowing what she’s just unleashed on Westeros. Another thing was watching her go to the lengths she did to get intel about Mysaria. The scene between her and Larys is incredibly uncomfortable. The fact that she knew exactly what he wanted made it worse... Meaning this hasn’t been the first time they’ve exchanged favors this way. Too bad she doesn’t have Lord Varys instead. Some questions I have going forward with her – Will she support her son to the ends of the earth? Will she be able to control him? Now that he has the crown on his head I highly doubt he’s going to be so chill about being slapped around all the time. Will this new side of her continue to blossom during the rest of the series or will she crumble under pressure? Will she be able to keep her father in check, or will Aegon prevent that? Only time will tell. 

A Few Other Thoughts

1: I loved where Ser Harrold removed his cloak out of loyalty and honor to the late King. He’s been such a steadfast character, and honestly, his walking away spoke way more volumes than even Beesbury’s passionate speech. I hate when shows make characters remain loyal to people or situations that completely rub against the whole core of their being. Ser Harrold loved his King deeply, as well as Rhaenyra. Going along with something that so drastically went against both of them just wouldn’t have done his character justice. So kudos Ryan Condal and Sara Hess. 

2: Erryk and Arryk are an interesting pair of twins. Arryk is the one who takes the sword up against Cole to get keep Aegon. Erryk remains aloof during the fight and is also the one who helps Rhaenys escape. The only other bit of information we get is that Erryk is in the King’s Guard. They definitely don’t agree with one another on who to ally with. Watching them both make such opposite choices of support seems like a taste of the heartache we are yet to endure in the aftermath of the coming war. Even twin brothers will be ripped apart. 

3: Helaena has two children in this episode. She also gives yet another prophecy, “A beast under the floorboards” she says to her mother. Sure enough, Meleys burst from the very floor during Aegon’s anointing. She doesn’t get much screen time as a character so there’s not much to know about her other than she is for sure eccentric. She is also a dragon rider, though, and now Queen of Westeros. She seems to be more of a background character than anything of significance in the show, but I think she’s worth delving into a little more if the writers see fit. 

Next episode is our Season 1 finale! Until next time!