Season 1, Episode 6: “The Princess and the Queen”
This week’s House of the Dragon reminds us that a lot can happen in ten years.
For one thing, Aricent and Laenira look like completely different people. The young queen, who had been Karow’s arbiter when she was a girl, was filled with her anger and sorrow. Meanwhile, her formerly rebellious streak of princesses has cemented into a sort of royal realism, even though she continues to father Harwyn Strong’s children.
A former rogue prince, Daemon was able to settle down and even have several children of his own with Raena. It’s a distracted playboy. Elsewhere in the Red Keep, the next generation of Targaryen men looks just as unfit for leadership as his predecessors.
At the same time, many things remain the same. Sel Christon is still hanging around. (How do I get the Kingsguard fired?) Stepstones are a mess again. Viserys, last seen hit the deck at Rhaenyra’s terrible wedding, is somehow still alive. (Those leeches are working overtime.)
When we stepped into action ten years after our wedding, we found the unfortunate family enduring a kind of uneasy equilibrium.How did we get here?
As you may remember, Harwin Strong (Ryan Koa) hooked up with young Laenira several times, met Damon on the night town, and dragged her out of a wedding brawl. Apparently the sparks flew on the way and continued to fly at least three more times.
The additional heirs exacerbated Aricent’s bitter resentment of Laenira’s position — born out of Aricent’s legitimate fears for her family’s future security — she lashed out at everyone, and was seen as a questionable character and Motivated by the hope that “honor and decency will triumph,” despite teaming with the infamous ilk of Sir Christon and Larry’s Strong to make it happen. I am almost certain that there is.
The simmering status quo eventually becomes untenable when the royal cousins face off during combat training, becoming pawns in the larger drama in the process. The case casts a harsh spotlight on the ongoing scandal when it has long been induced to deal its well-deserved blow.
“People have eyes, boy!” Lionel Strong later yelled at his brazen and fearless son. Soon Strong and Laenira are about to leave town, leaving Aricent to plan how to get his exiled father Otto back onto the playing field.
While the Iron Throne rivals amassed their supporters and everyone was waiting for Viserys, events began the next phase of the story. Ignoring the rising harmony around him — dying.
Of course, Aricent and Laenira are literally different people, but they are now played by Olivia Cooke and Emma Darcy. Other additions included Nanna Blondel (briefly) as Reyna, John McMillan as Reyner and Ty Tennant as Aegon.
Aricent: At this rate, Raenira will take the throne and Jakaeris will be his successor!
Aegon: So what?
The week also saw the appearance of other prominent players. Most notable are Harwin (again briefly) and Larys. Honor for this week’s heinous deeds goes to his Larys who freed several condemned men in exchange for 1.) his family home, his father and brother, 2.) their tongues. increase.
Larys seems to fill the role of the sly manipulator occupied by Littlefinger and Varys in Game of Thrones. The murder of his father paved the way for Otto to return as the Hand.
It’s not clear how Harwin’s death will affect his royal affairs. Part of Lalith’s plan was to create suspicion that the princess or her followers had killed him to silence him?While Rhaenyra and her friends were on their way to her Dragonstone, She’s not around to protect herself.
We may learn more about this next week. We’ll also see how Damon adapts to being a widower twice, at least he didn’t kill his most recent wife himself.
Laena is a tragic figure, another illustration of the constraints even privileged women face in this story. We met her at the age of 12, offered as her political child bride, and she died in her anguish as a young woman, another victim of her delivery bed. rice field.
“I’ve reached the limits of my art,” the obstetrician told Damon. suggests that I understand that Raena assessed the situation and called for the dragonrider’s death she prophesied earlier, but the mechanics of the scene where an exhausted and doubled Raena somehow overtakes the demons onto the beach was strange.
What’s next for the suddenly requalified Bachelor Prince? I don’t think he’s devoted to the life of a stay-at-home mom—it suits him more than being the pet dragon of Prince Reggio of Pentos (Dean Nolan), as Raena recognized. (Note: Pentos is one of his in the Free Cities of Essos.)
Turbulent Stepstone, Daemon’s only place of true glory, might be tempting. Many things have changed over the decade, but I don’t think his and Rhaenyra’s twisted mutual attraction is one of them.