HBO’s Original Game of Thrones Prequel series House of The Dragon starts with, a look at the political delegation regarding current events. This is due to the king dealing with the aftermath of Matt Smiths’s Daemon Targaryen taking over an important place for the king. During this, the viewer sees Milly Alcock’s young Rhaenyra Targaryen try to speak during the delegation. In her mind, she sees that being involved is part of her duty as future queen of the kingdom. She even gives some insight on how to deal with the problems they talk about. As a result, of her being a woman they ignore her by sending her to do busy work. Understandably, she feels anger and annoyance by this given as how she is supposed to be the next rule of the kingdom. She just wants to give her opinion how matters of importance to everyone. While the others are stuck in their own stubbornness to find a solution to dealing with Daemon. This shows just how unfair and unchanged the times are from the past to the present where a woman wants to voice her opinion and is denied due to gender. Furthermore, it gets even worse when she is selecting a royal guard among a hand full of candidates. As a result of her gender, the royal hand of the king tells her to forget her choice and pick someone else. This can be seen as him treating her as if she were a helpless child by telling her to pick someone else. However, Rhaenyra demonstrates her intelligence by choosing someone who has actual combat experience rather than a good reputation.
Later in the episode, the viewer is treated to a possible confrontation between the king’s hand and Daemon Targaryen. Additionally, the king’s hand is tasked with putting a stop to Daemon and retrieving the egg he took to spite Viserys. This leads to Rhaenyra stopping the confrontation with her getting in the middle of both of them. The interesting thing about this is the mentality of both Daemon and Rhaenyra during this ordeal. Rhaenyra offers her life in exchange for Daemon to stop any bloodshed between his men and the king’s hand. During this, the viewer sees the look of fear on her face at the thought of Daemon killing her where she stands. However, she knows this is a duty of a ruler to keep the peace in the kingdom. This demonstrates how Rhaenyra shows her ability to be a leader and think like a leader. Whereas Daemon for a split second considers killing her as a present by the look the viewer sees on his face. Ultimately, in Daemon’s mind, he knows he could never do that to his brother no matter the problems they have. He knows that his brother hasn’t been the same since his wife died and killing his only child would break him. Although, at first glance, it seems like he is accepting the king’s hand’s request by returning the egg he took. When he is choosing a different way to take back what he believes to be his birthright. Deep down he knows that for someone like him with his bloodlust there are some lines even he won’t cross. That is what makes him an interesting character along with Rhaenyra.
At the end of the episode, the viewer is treated to an interesting conflict of loyalty and love between Rhaenyra, Emily Carey’s Alicent Hightower, and Paddy Considine’s Viserys where Alicent wants to marry Viserys and vice versa. This is due to the delegates telling Viserys he needs to remarry so; he can strengthen his bloodline. Unfortunately, Viserys doesn’t want to feel like he is replacing his late wife and hurt Rhaenyra in the process by marrying her friend. Even though he loves Alicent despite all of his guilt for his wife. Also, Alicent has a conflict between her love for Viserys and her loving friendship with Rhaenyra. In her mind, she knows that she loves Viserys with all her heart although, she doesn’t want to hurt her friend by taking her mother’s place. On the other hand, Rhaenyra feels as if she has been stabbed in the back by both her father and her friend. In her eyes, her father has been unfaithful to her mother by choosing to be with her friend. Also, she feels as if Alicent has been using her to get closer to her father. There could even be a conflict with her over the fact that she could give Viserys a male heir to the throne.
Rating: 8.5/10