House of the Dragon
Credit: HBO
Sunday night’s episode of House of the Dragon opens on an old feud. A group of Brackens and a group of Blackwoods argue over the border of their lands. One side has committed to Rhaenyra’s cause; the other, to Aegon’s. It seems likely that the only reason they’re supporting different sides is out of spite. Hotter heads prevail when it comes to a kingdom on the precipice of war, even if no bloodshed is as appalling to the gods as that of kin slaying kin. This petty squabble ends with words and shoving. One young man draws his sword. Then the scene cuts to sometime later and the same field littered with the corpses of both Houses as far as the eye can see. The countryside is slick with blood and wreckage. The old windmill has seen better days. So the first real battle of the Dance of Dragons has finally taken place, albeit offscreen (I think to great effect). It won’t be the last.
It seems that much of Season 2, or at least its first half, will be devoted to the early rumblings of war rather than to the war itself, and to the cooler heads’ attempting to call the whole thing off. Daemon (Matt Smith) and Aemond (Ewan Mitchell) want war, clearly, but what about Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy) and Allicent (Olivia Cooke)?
Credit: HBO
Rhaenyra discusses the coming bloodshed with her aunt, Rhaenys (Eve Best) and decides she must go to King’s Landing to meet with Allicent face-to-face. She asks Mysaria (Sonoya Mizuno) for help, and the White Worm gives her the one location the Queen Dowager visits without anyone watching: The Great Sept, where she goes to light candles and say her prayers. Rhaenyra disguises herself as a nun and makes her way to the Sept where she finds Allicent and kneels beside her, much to her once-friend’s shock. She pleads with Allicent to do whatever she can to avoid war, and then the conversation turns to what exactly King Viserys I said in his dying moments. It’s a pretty big revelation to both of them when it turns out he was discussing “the prince that was promised” and the Song of Ice and Fire—not Aegon his son at all. But Allicent, though clearly shaken, says it’s too late. War is coming and there’s nothing she can—or will—do about it.
Read More: Today’s ‘Wordle’ #1108 Hints, Clues And Answer For Monday, July 1st
Allow me a moment to complain, not about this show but about Game Of Thrones. I’m reminded of just how desperately silly the ending was and the many foibles made especially in Season 8. I maintain, though I’m not sure George R.R. Martin will ever finish his books to prove me right, that Jon Snow is the Song of Ice and Fire. He is the prince that was promised—not Daenerys, as the show kept hinting at, stupidly, before making it clear she was anything but. In fact, the show simply discarded all prophecy as gracelessly and clumsily as possible. Jon didn’t fight and kill the Night King. Arya swooped in at the 11th hour and managed that because the show gave her massive superpowers for no good reason whatsoever, making her far, far less interesting as a character in the process. Then Jon kills Dany and is exiled, while Bran of all people becomes king! Jon was the heir to the Iron Throne! He was the blood of Stark (ice) and Targaryen (fire)! House of the Dragon makes it clear that this prophecy is a big enough deal to include in a prequel but it just reminds me of how badly Thrones screwed up. Anyways . . .
Rhaenyra’s attempt to avoid war was only a half-baked one at best. She never offered Allicent anything as a bargaining chip. All she did is insist that she was the rightful heir, that her father loved her and that Allicent was mistaken. Did she hope that simply stating her belief about the throne over again would somehow convince the Queen Dowager, and that she would then—empty-handed—be able to avert war? Convince Aegon to what—give up the throne? There was a time for that, when Aegon clearly didn
