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House of the Dragon Episode 7 contains a funeral, a wedding and a bloody loss of an organ. Man, these Targaryen rites of passage are not for the lily-livered.
The hour also marks the first time that Daemon and Rhaenyra address what happened between them the night they snuck out of the Red Keep. And the aftermath of that discussion will have far-reaching consequences as the season continues to unspool. Also, there’s a lot of dragonriding, if you’re into that sort of thing! Read on for the highlights of the hour, then check out our biggest peeve about the ep.
SEA YOU LATER | We open on Lady Laena’s funeral, which takes place on a cliff over the ocean near High Tide. As the cameras take in the crowd, we watch Laena and Daemon’s daughters cling to Rhaenys. Otto Hightower is there, wearing the Hand of the King brooch — he’s back, baby! As Corlys’ brother, Vaemond, goes on in High Velaryon about how the family’s blood runs thick and true and must never be diluted, Daemon doesn’t even try to suppress a giggle… and Rhaenyra’s son Jace (aka the one who asked about being a bastard in the previous episode) takes note. Then Laena’s stone coffin is pushed into the water, and that’s that.
The vibe is weird at the post-ceremony reception. Jace is angry that no one cares that he’s mourning Ser Harwin Strong, aka his biological dad, but Rhaenyra tells him to hush up about all of that — and Alicent watches the interaction from afar with interest. In another corner, Aegon complains to Aemond that he doesn’t want to marry their sister, Helaena, to whom he is now betrothed. (Take that, Rhaenyra!) And when Ser Criston notes that Larys hasn’t stopped looking at Alicent since they arrived, she looks uneasy as she says it’s merely a look of pride: After his family’s recent, uh, misfortune, he’s the new lord of Harrenhal.
And all the while, Rhaeynra and Daemon catch each other’s eyes from across the gathering but do not exchange a word. She’s still watching intently when Viserys approaches his brother with his sympathies and extends an invitation for Daemon and his family to return to King’s Landing. But Daemon staunchly refuses, storming away.
Eventually, almost everyone retires to their quarters. Rhaenys laments that her daughter didn’t have High Tide’s maesters at hand when she went into labor. “She wanted to come home, and he denied her,” she says; Corlys gently counters that what happened wasn’t Daemon’s fault. But Rhaenys is too sad and too tired to keep up the usual ruse. She calls her husband out on how he always says he’s pursuing the Iron Throne to get justice for her being passed over, but that he really just wants the power and status for himself. He argues that everything he does is for their family’s legacy, but she’s not having it: She announces that she wants Driftmark to pass through Laena’s line, not Laenor’s, so that those with actual Velaryon blood in their veins will rule family’s ancestral seat. “Rhaenyra’s children are not of your blood,” she says plainly. “But Laena’s are. They are her legacy.”
PICKING UP WHERE THEY LEFT OFF | Out on the beach, Daemon and Rhaenyra walk and talk. She tells him Laenor hasn’t been interested in keeping up their guise for some time. Oh, and they DID attempt to make little dragons together at one point. “We performed our duty as best we could, but to no avail,” she says. “There was no joy in it. I found that elsewhere.” She regrets not commanding Ser Harwin to stay at King’s Landing, and she references the old home’s alleged curse, but Daemon is like, “C’mon, you KNOW Alicent and Otto had something to do with that.”
Then they finally get to the meat of the matter: how he abandoned her at that brothel back in the day. “I spared you. You were a child,” he says. “Yes, I WAS a child, and look at what my life became without you,” she replies. She asks if he loved Laena (“We were happy enough,” he acknowledges), she offers her sympathies, and then she draws him closer. “I’m no longer a child,” she says, going in for a kiss that he doesn’t hesitate to return.
Not long after, they find some shelter from the wind and surf and get to unlacin’. Unlike their last encounter of this nature, Daemon has no problem valar-ing her morghulis, if you catch my drift.
A NEW DRAGONRIDER RISES | Aemond, who has stayed outside, makes his way farther up the beach to where the dragons are sleeping. As he gingerly pets Vhagar, it wakes up and sniffs him deeply, and for a moment looks like it wants to make s’mores out of his little, marshmallowy head. But at his command, the beast calms, and the boy decides that that’s a good sign: He climbs on its back, and they take off. Things look hairy there for a minute — the kid is almost done in by a very steep plunge and a flock of seabirds — but soon he’s got the hang of it.
After landing, he cockily marches back to the castle, where he’s met by Daemon and Laena’s angry daughter, Rhaena. She’s fuming because the dragon was her mother’s, and she was planning to be its next master. “Your mother’s dead, and Vhagar has a new rider now,” Aemond declares, setting off a skirmish that eventually has Aemond, Rhaena, Baela, Jace and Luke trying to kill each other. When Aemond calls Jace and Luke “bastards,” it gets even bloodier. And by the end, Aemond is missing an eye, courtesy of a blade Luke slashes through his face.
The tumult draws everyone to the Hall of Nine, where Viserys tries to figure out what happened. It should be noted that Daemon is leaning against a door in the back, looking like he’s watching the most amusing Muppet Babies episode ever. When Alicent points a finger at Rhaenyra’s sons, the princess says they were defending themselves against slander and barely hesitates when she brings up the TOTALLY FAKE OMG idea that Jace and Luke are not legitimate heirs to the throne. “This is the highest of treasons,” she says, doubling down. So Viserys asks his younger son to name the person who told him that Rhaenyra’s kids were not also Laenor’s. Aemond looks at his mother but then says Aegon, who states it plainly: “We know, Father. EVERYONE knows. Just look at them.” Viserys ignores that, yelling at his fractious to stop fighting, apologize and move along. “Your father, your grandsire, your king demands it!” he shouts.
That’s not enough for Alicent, who calls for Viserys to take one of Rhaenyra’s son’s eyes in revenge. And when he won’t do so, she orders Ser Criston to cut out one of Lucerys’ peepers. But it doesn’t get that far — Viserys declares that the matter is finished, then makes sure that the room knows he’ll de-tongue anyone else who brings up the parentage of his grandchildren. Welp, the king has spoken and that’s all, right? Alicent says NOPE. She swiftly grabs a blade from Viserys’ belt and comes for Rhaenyra’s boys. Rhaenyra blocks her, and they struggle. As Ser Harrold starts yelling and everyone freaks out, Daemon steps into the fray — and quickly gets body-checked by Criston (or does he stop Criston?).
So it’s just the two women grappling at the center of a circle of onlookers, and Alicent is having a breakdown that’s been years in the making. “What have I done, but what was expected of me? Forever upholding the kingdom, the family, the law” while “you do what you please!” she says, holding the knife really, really close to the princess’ face. “Exhausting, wasn’t it?” Rhaenyra taunts, “hiding beneath the cloak of your own righteousness. But now they see you as you are.” Alicent stabs at her former bestie as she pushes her away; the movement cuts Rhaenyra’s forearm, and her blood drips on the floor. Aemond breaks the stunned silence, telling his mother that he lost an eye but gained a dragon, and everyone stares at each other as they try to reconcile what’s just happened.
A LONG-AWAITED PAT ON THE HEAD | Otto swings by Alicent’s quarters later, and she expects a dressing-down of the highest order. “I’ve never seen that side of you, my daughter,” he says admiringly. “I even doubted its existence.” She calls her behavior “ugly,” but he’s OK with it. “We play an ugly game,” he reminds her. “And now, for the first time, I see you have the determination to win it.” He advises her to go to Viserys, be penitent “and I promise you, in time, you and I together will prevail.” After all, now they have a dragon on their side!
In Rhaenyra’s quarters, Laenor comes home from mourning his sister alone and is astonished to see his family bloodied. “I should have been there,” he says. “Those should be our house words,” she deadpans. Then she fills him in on Aemond’s insult. They talk about how she’d hoped to bear his children. “I hate the gods for making me as they did,” he says, but she calls him an honorable man with a good heart: “It’s a rare thing.” He lets her know that Sidepiece Ser Qarl will head back to the Stepstones soon, and Laenor is going to recommit himself to their marriage. “You deserve better than what I have been,” he says earnestly. “You deserve a husband.”
And it seems that Rhaenyra agrees with that… kinda. When she and Daemon see each other again, she uses High Valyrian as she begs him to help her fight Alicent. “I cannot face the greens alone. Let us bind our blood, just as Aegon the Conqueror did with his sisters,” she says, proposing that he become her husband and prince consort. But he points out that they can’t marry unless Laenor were dead. “I know,” she says quite matter-of-factly. And just like that, we see Daemon offering Qarl a lot of gold to give Laenor “a quick death, one with witnesses.”
We’re made to think that the princess has quickly hatched a bloodthirsty plan to get what she wants. And that’s true — someone does die — but it’s not Laenor. Here’s how it unfolds. Qarl draws his blade on Laenor while a servant watches; the boy runs from the room for help. In the meantime, a random dude that Daemon has knocked out is dragged into the space and thrown into the fireplace, where he is burned beyond recognition, leading everyone who comes running — including Rhaenys and Corlys — to believe that Laenor is dead.
In the aftermath, Rhaenyra and Daemon are wed in a ceremony that features ceremonial blood and High Valyrian and… am I supposed to be rooting for these two crazy kids? They’re getting the romantic treatment here, and it just feels weird. Anyway, later we find out that Laenor is fine! He’s shaved his head and is in a rowboat with Qarl, ostensibly headed out to board a ship in the distance and make their way to somewhere where they can do their own thing.
Now it’s your turn. What did you think of the episode? Sound off in the comments!
“As Ser Harrold starts yelling and everyone freaks out, Daemon steps into the fray — and quickly gets body-checked by Criston.” >>> I saw it the other way around, Criston rushing in to defend Alicent as she had demanded earlier and Daemon blocking him.
Exactly, that’s what I saw too. Daemon stoped Cole not the other way around. Because Daemon would have cut Cole down to get to Raynera.
Well it was more Daemon for the guards to hold Cole, as they released him after. Daemon’s already gotten his butt handed to him by Cole once.
Yessss, was just coming here to say this. Cole pouty face got checked by Daemon – not a Daemon fan but at least he made sure the fight between the women was fair.
Watch it again. Daemon just had the King’s Guards do the work and grab him. He didn’t do anything himself.
I read It as Daemon step in and check Cole. Does Cole know that the king can have him killed for touching his grandchild? Plus Christian Cole can easily be fired, since it’s the king who pays his salary.
Exactly. Daemon stepped in to stop Criston from reaching Alicent.
That was a clever way to stay true to the source material that said Laenor’s time was up and avoid backlash for killing another gay character, even if he is leaving (probably) forever.
It always read too convenient how Laenor “died” in the source material, his boyfriend – the only one who knew what really happened – vanished shortly after. This seems more plausible and explains how Qarl was able to vanish in the source material.
Well said Emma!
You don’t know who to root for on this show. Everybody is drunk on power or backstabbing one another. At least on “Rings of Power”, you know who the Bad Guys are. We know who the good guys are,
That is why House of the Dragon is more interesting.
I like both shows. House of dragon is much more “captivating” . More character driven….
Both shows are great. There’s room for both.
Game of Thrones & House of the Dragon are intense and very well acted. I love both of these shows. Certain parts were hard to get used to but am getting there. Bravo! Excellent series to both!👍👍👍👍👍
It’s not about rooting for someone or finding a “hero”. The Universe of Game of Thrones is about real life politics in a fantasy world: there’s no one to root for.
Why do you bring up Rings of Power on every Game of Thrones article?
I’m enjoying Rings of Power as pure eye candy. But I find all the characters one dimensional besides Elrond and Durin and their relationship. House of the Dragon is riveting because all the characters are complex and playing off each other constantly, developing the story organically and naturally. I prefer House of the Dragon but I will definitely still watch both.
Honestly, I think that’s the point of House of the Dragon. Nobody is fully in the right, its all shades of grey. That said, I do think Rhaenyra, Daemon, and to an extend Alicent are the “heart” of the show, the characters we’re supposed to be invested in, even if we don’t necessarily root for them.
I watch both but by far HOTD is the better show. ROP is more of a children’s story. I still enjoy it but that said HOTD is a show for adults and it is my favorite. There is room for both but as we know when we grow up in real life good vs evil is not that simple and or clear.
At least this gives you the option of picking a side, rather than having sides chosen for you.
Even on an OLED I could barely see anything during the Vhagar scenes.
I had no problem with it at all. It was supposed to be dark but you could see what was happening. Looked terrific in the low lightng.
I agree I don’t understand the complaints on it being too dark. I had no issues at all. I think maybe some people need to upgrade their tvs?
Well, HBO had to issue an explanation for it, so enough people were complaining. I didn’t think it was too dark, and I didn’t even watch it on my best tv. But I did watch it in a dark room, so maybe that helped.
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Let’s be honest they just made it dark so the effects of the dragon didn’t look as wonky as in broad daylight for that extended scene.
Anyone find it odd that they just dump the body of royalty right off the coast, practically beachfront property? Anyone can fish her out, or just wait for body parts to wash ashore?
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Also that wake was a tremendous scene of writing and acting. Nothing was said, but you got 4 or 5 different stories going on at once, and what everyone was thinking just from glares.
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This is why your parents tell you it’s all fun and games till someone loses an eye.
How in the world is the queen not executed this week. Attacking the Crown Princess with a knife in front of the most important lords at court. Not to mention the King’s son stealing a dragon from house Valeryon is not a good look. Especially on the same day as the riders funeral. Oh and the princess beat the crap out of the dead riders daughters in their own home. This by itself would likely cause a civil war. Losing an eye is the least of Aemons problems in any kind of real kingdom.
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We need a better understanding of how many days passed between the “death” of Laenor and the marriage of Rany and Daemon. These detail matter and are missing.
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Laenor will be much happier in Essos. He can live either as a rich party boy or a sell sword depending on his desires. He might even found a company that gets referenced later. I wouldn’t be surprised if we hear mention of him again in a different GOT spin-off exploring a similar time period.
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The queen finally admits how jealous she is of Rany. I mean she doesn’t call the king a gross pedo, but she comes close. How dare Rany do what she wants while Ali is stuck deadfishing the rotting monarch. Now if she could just learn to keep her psychotic episodes in check, she might actually make some friends and who don’t value her for her wealth and position.
Because if they executed everyone who broke protocol that episode there’d hardly be anyone left alive.
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I think you’re projecting and still trying to get Rany to be the hero. Maybe the show producers are too by softening it by letting Laenor live instead of die. (Though they did kill some poor soul for their plan, so I’m not sure that makes it any better). Frankly, as soon as she identifies with Daemon I think that says all we need to know what she’s about. She’s always been about herself, even to the detriment of her father.
Rany is every bit as bad or worse. She is no hero. She uses people like toys and has her head in the clouds to the consequences. BTW breaking protocol and attacking the next in line to the throne with a Knife and slashing her wrist are very different things. Not to mention ordering a member of the kings guard to assault the King’s grandson in front of the king against the king’s orders. The whole thing was nuts and way beyond what even Veserys could allow.
It amazes me that Lord and Lady Valeryon didn’t say one word about either the dragon or the assault on their granddaughters in that scene. They had adequate provocation for a war and their granddaughters were attacked on the same day as their mothers funeral. The whole thing was poorly done.
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This show has made clear that we shouldn’t like anyone. A bad choice by the writers and creators. It seems they are trying to make the Greens the villains, which is fine. It is just to bad they didn’t write the other faction to be more likable.
In one of those post show look behinds or in an interview I’d really like them to expound on who they see as protagonists and antagonists, and if they are trying to portray any “good guys” and “bad guys” or if they’re just showing the machination of a bunch of flawed, not so nice people. I can’t tell if they’re doing the former badly or the later successfully.
Loved it, great storytelling
I love that Viserys won’t let anyone bully him about Rhaeynra. Can’t he do anything about Allicent, after all Rhaeynra is the future Queen?
I’m pretty shocked that Allicent’s dad is back as Hand of the King. It seems like a really bad choice. He already knows this guy has his own vested interests. Just pick literally anybody else.
I don’t understand that either. There were plenty of other council members he could’ve selected as Hand. A scene explaining the reasoning behind bringing him back would’ve been helpful.
Here I was after last week’s episode wanting to feel bad for Aemond after the whole pig-dragon thing.
Nope, screw that kid, he earned that eyepatch.
He wasn’t classy about it, but what exactly did he do wrong that wasn’t provoked? There’s hardly rules about dragon succession, and if the dragon didn’t want him he could have just toasted him. Then he comes back confident then gets accused of things and they attacked him. Is it his fault he’s a better fighter than they were 4 to 1, and he didn’t bring a weapon to an ambush?
It’s not really that, though. There’s a time and a place to try to claim Vhagar. He was selfish and wanted a dragon, and could have allowed his cousins a chance at claiming it, but their mother had just committed dragon seppuku and they were still in mourning. But no, he saw his opportunity when no one was paying him any attention and stole the dragon. He’s a turd of a kid, and seeing his cockiness after didn’t help. He insulted his nephews (even if he spoke truth). The daughter was right in her grief to attack him, but he’s the one who took it too far by intimating he was going to smash any of their heads in with a rock. Also, Vacerys did exactly what Ser Criston had instructed: win at any cost.
I totally agree. He is a turd of a kid!
I just don’t think there’s any dragon protocol, and since it’s been shown not everyone has a dragon right away, the dragon has as much say joining with a person as the person does. It’s hardly a situation “well, excuse me, did you want that last dragon? If not, can I have it?”
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I’ll have to see the order of things, where in the argument/fight the lineage insults came in, but really they’re insulting everyone by pretending they have rightful claim to the throne. As his older brother said, everyone knows it. I wonder how it’s justified no matter how he acted or what he said that “the daughter was right in her grief to attack him.” To me, she started it, he defended himself, and then they attacked him as a group. If anyone had right to escalate and pull a knife it was him, so the threat of a rock, which he actually didn’t use, seemed pretty fair 4 vs. 1. It fits that world but I worry about a world here where we justify violence because we don’t like the way someone says things.
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And that doesn’t remove the fact that he’s a “turd of a kid.” They’re all turd kids. And turd adults, or worse. There’s not a redeeming character among them.
It’s not about protocol at all. It’s about tact, which every character seems to lack with the exception of Daemon’s daughters (as we’ve not seen enough of them yet) and Lucerys, who was standing up for his cousins and brother who had just been bashed in the face with the rock.
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(BTW You must have missed that he did use the rock and broke Jacerys’ nose with it, prompting Lucerys to swing wildly with the blade.)
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And he sneered the “bastard” line at them when they stepped up to defend their cousins after he punched out either Baela after Rhaena went after him.
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Yes, the daughters may have started the physical fight, but they’re still raw from their mother’s death and here’s this selfish, cocky little prick who stole their presumed birthright.
Tact is not something anyone has, and the problem with everyone is they “presume” they’re deserved things. When it’s shown time and time again they’re just entitled and you only get what you can take.
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So two people attack one, and they need defending? Just because the person they attack fights better than them? So when it’s 4 on 1 it’s bad form to insult your attackers? There was no defending. They assaulted one guy in a gang attack, and when it wasn’t going as well as they thought it would, they escalated it. Don’t start none won’t be none.
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In fact, you act like he went and found them to go rub their faces in it, when all he did was return and they came after him and confronted him. If they had just stayed in bed where they were supposed to be none of it would have happened. He may have been cocky (they all are, they’re prince and princesses), but he wasn’t going out of his way for a confrontation. He was ambushed.
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But I hope for your sake no one who is sad ever takes it out on you by jumping you because they don’t like the way you said something when they came looking for a fight. Because, you know, they’re sad, so it’s ok to attack people.
So I went back to see on my bigger tv how dark the dragon scene was (no really dark at all in the moonlight), and since it was the scene after it, caught the events sequence. He comes back, they accuse him, he shoots back, sisters jump him and punch him, then the older brother attacks him, and when he beats him the younger attacks, snd he breaks his nose with the first punch to the face. Then the other three knock him down and dog pile on him, beating him. He knocks them off when younger attacks and gets grabbed by the throat. He grabs the rock and throws the bastard insult. Then he drops the rock to his side no longer in an aggressive stance, and older bro pulls out a knife due to the insults. He drops the younger and defends himself from a knife attack. Knocking his attacker down. He holds the knife over him threateningly, gets sand thrown in his face, and when blinded gets slashed in the face/eye.
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Also FWIW Daemon steps in front of Criston and in the very next shot shows two kings guards grabbing him from behind and holding him away from Daemon.
Lol.
There is not one likeable character left in this show, if there ever was. I found myself fast forwarding through the sex and gore scenes. That may be the last episode for me.
Westeros is not meant for the faint of heart! You might want to find another show. But the rest of the 30 million viewers will carry on.
You are wrong Daemon actually is the one that checked Cole. Then he let the guards handle him. Way to go Daemon. I loved this episode the lines are drawn and the real story is going to begin. One more smaller time jump for episode 8 and we are ready to rumble after that episode. I am betting like in true GoT style episode 9 is going to be a awesome episode.
Definitely didn’t see Cole body check Daemon – looked like he stopped him from doing what Alicent requested. Also, Daemon snapped the neck of the guy vs. knocked him out… weird to miss those two details
Lots of surprises in this series! Don’t agree with uncle+niece merge but am intrigued with Matt Smith. Wondering where and how far this storyline goes. Even tho Eve Best is doing a superb job as Rhaenyres, wondered why they couldn’t make Millie age 10 years & keep her instead. She is a dynamic actress!
What everyone is failing to see is that Rany and Alicent were both being used by their fathers, Rany as heir to forsake Daemon and Otto to gain power for his family. Rany said before her mom died, that she hoped her father got his son because all she wants to do is fly her dragon and eat cake. But when he made her heir and Otto made Alicent make herself available for the king, both girls’ futures changed, so when Alicent toed the line and did exactly what was expected of her and Rany did somewhat, what was expected, but still doing what she wanted, that made Alicent jealous, and why she set out to destroy Rany. All in all the fathers are to blame for all that is happening now, these women were then and are now still pawns in their fathers’ chess game.
IF Viserys just wanted to keep Daemon off the throne he could easily have backtracked by now and said now that he has a 1st born son (and even a second for succession in case of…accident) that he has a male heir who has the direct right to sit on the throne, and keep Daemon off completely legitimately, and not worry about people having issues with a woman on the throne. But he didn’t and stayed loyal to Rany. Doing what he does pisses just about everyone off, including his wife, where as switching now really only annoys Rany. They can always marry off one of Laena’s daughters to his kids, and truly have blood and name tied to throne. So while Alicent was being used, I’m not sure Rany was. And in any case she sure embraced it more and faster.
I believe Laenor’s death has simply been delayed for the Seasmoke reason. I think he’ll return (as himself, not Addam of Hull) and save the day during a losing battle. He’ll also die in the process, freeing up Seasmoke. Nothing really changes except that his death would be for a clear (and heroic) reason, not a mystery. “I am a warrior.”
Plus, y’know, double twist on us. Our happiness will turn to ashes in our mouth.