By: Kelly Kearney
After climbing the blood-soaked steps to claim the Iron Throne, Rhaenyra quickly learns that wearing the crown is the easy part. The realm is broke, everyone wants something from her, two rogue dragons are still out there threatening her reign, and she still has to organize her own coronation. On top of that, she owes her former best friend Alicent an explanation for beheading Otto Hightower, all while convincing a desperate and starving population that she is the rightful queen they should rally behind. When Rhaenyra finally steps before the smallfolk, she hopes they’ll greet her with applause. Instead, she discovers that ruling is a lot messier than winning the throne.
Welcome to the Family
We open with Lord Ormund (James Norton) on horseback in front of his silver-cloaked army, ready to fight for the throne. When he is confronted by Daemon (Matt Smith) and three dragonseeds behind him with the bad news that the war is over, Ormund immediately dismounts to face the prince. He’s heard the rumors of the newly crowned queen, but he needs to hear it for himself. After all, the “Rogue Prince,” as he calls Daemon, hasn’t exactly earned the trust of the smallfolk.
The truth is, Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy) is on the throne, and her first act—after chopping Otto’s head off—is to show the realm how merciful she can be. Ormund and his army have been granted clemency, so long as they bend the knee. Daemon doesn’t take the jab at his trustworthiness very well. He threatens Ormund with the same fate his uncle Otto and the Hightower guard met. If he doesn’t want an heavenly family reunion, he’ll pledge his fealty to Rhaenyra.
Ormund is still itching for a fight, and that’s when Daemon signals to Ulf sitting atop his dragon and casually asks if he’d like to become the new Lord of Hightower instead. One hot, breathy DRACARYS and he could be. Facing dragonfire, Ormund makes the choice for his men to bend the knee to the queen. He then orders his army to head home because their war is over. Before they leave, Daemon announces that Daeron Targaryen (Charlie Gordon) will be taken as a hostage and a sign of good faith. “We can’t have one of Prince Aegon’s heirs prancing around the Reach with his dragon, no less.” He promises they’ll treat the young man well, like they would any nephew—which, with this family, isn’t exactly comforting—as long as Ormund behaves himself.
Ormund scoffs, knowing this could all be a trap, then motions for one of his men to bring the young prince forward. He counsels Daeron to be brave before handing him over. Daemon tightly grips the boy by the chin and introduces himself in the most sarcastic, “welcome to the family” way imaginable.
The Air Is Thick With Ghosts
“The air is thick with ghosts,” the newly crowned queen and grieving mother tells Daemon, though she’s mostly trying to convince herself as she forces a smile through her recent losses. Daemon doesn’t have the patience for the queen’s tears and gets straight to the point about her pint-sized half-brother and Ormund bending the knee. He doesn’t exactly love Rhaenyra’s mercy, and would’ve preferred burning the smug smirk off Ormund’s face—and the rest of his army along with it—but husband and wife approach leadership very differently and these two might as well be night and day. No matter how many brutal ways Daemon suggests she show the kingdom her strength, Rhaenyra is still trying to justify King Viserys choosing her—a woman—as his successor. She does her best to ignore Daemon; she believes she has to rule the way her father envisioned. There is strength in mercy, and that’s where her leadership differs from her husband-uncle’s.
Daemon, who is barely listening to her, brushes the conversation aside because he’s eager for her to meet her half-brother, Daeron. As they walk, Rhaenyra rambles on about the endless responsibilities of a coronation. Housing and feeding guests, organizing tournaments, gathering the masses for what will be the largest celebration the kingdom has ever seen—it all takes time. Daemon interrupts her train of thought by introducing the young prince who rode his dragon in support of the usurper, former King Aegon.
Daeron can barely bring himself to look at her. Rhaenyra reminds him that he is her prisoner, and how he behaves will determine how he is treated. As nervous as he is, she seems uneasy around this other heir too.Knowing he not only backed her half-brother but also carries the loyalty to Aegon, means he cannot be trusted–no matter how innocent and boyish he seems. Both frustrated by the quiet threat of this new heir and the visions she sees of her recently deceased son,Jacaereys (Harry Collette), Rhaenyra orders Daeron to tell her about any plots Ormund was involved in that would deny her rightful claim to the throne. When he doesn’t answer, she demands information about Aemond and Aegon’s whereabouts. Again, the young prince is silent. When she realizes she isn’t getting anything out of him, the queen orders Daeron confined to his chambers. As he’s led away, Daemon reminds Rhaenyra that this young boy—one who might soften the heart of a grieving mother—is still a rival claimant to her throne and should be killed.
Once again, Daemon is asking her to be someone she isn’t. He leaps into bloodbaths with glee. Rhaenyra is far more methodical, pragmatic, and often lets her emotions guide her decisions. She’s not about to spill a child’s blood over a threat built entirely on “what ifs.” Besides, she has bigger problems. She and Daemon overhear Lord Corlys (Steve Toussaint) and the Grand Maester Orwyle (Kurt Egyiawan) arguing over the crown’s missing gold.The Sea Snake informs them that the royal treasury has been stolen. So much for hors d’oeuvres and jousting competitions, this coronation is officially a bust. The Red Keep is in the red—bleeding out more than just male heirs—and Rhaenyra has about a week’s worth of funds before she’s forced to crack open Dragonstone’s reserves. Not exactly the dream start to her already controversial ascension.
According to the Maester Orwyle, nobody will admit who moved the gold but it is suspected Tyland Lannister–who is now at the bottom of the Gullett, hid it. When Rhaenyra questions whether Grand Maester is telling the truth, Mysaria (Sonoya Mizuno)—the Queen’s Mistress of Whispers and, let’s be honest, mistress in her bedchambers too—pipes up with, “I fancy I can sniff a lie,” and apparently this Grand Maester smells just fine.
Daemon watches the interaction between Mysaria and his wife with visible irritation. He essentially tells Mysaria to stay in her lane, but Rhaenyra quickly reminds him who’s wearing the crown. Mysaria is her advisor, and she trusts her because she sees and hears what others do not.
Tyland Lannister is dead, and if he shared the treasury’s location with anyone, it would’ve been Lord Jasper “Ironrod.” Everyone groans because Jasper is a piece of work. Rhaenyra’s response is essentially, “Well, no money for the Seven Kingdoms stinks for them, but my party must go on!” It’s giving Westeros’ version of “let them eat cake,” and it probably won’t win over the starving smallfolk. But she’s convinced a lavish coronation at Dragonstone will cement her legitimacy. The people respect pomp and circumstance… or at least Queenie has convinced herself they do because she can’t seem to think about anything else.Her mind is burdened with loss and possibly the effects of sitting on that throne–as it has a history of slowly driving the occupier mad.
When Mysaria points out the obvious: throwing lavish celebrations while the smallfolk starve is not a great look, Rhaenyra insists this isn’t about vanity, it’s legitimacy. Corlys reminds her just how dire things have become. Surviving Triarchy soldiers have landed on King’s Landing’s shores, sacking villages, kidnapping women, and demanding ransoms no one can pay. Mysaria adds that the war has devastated the realm. The delayed farming season means they’ll need new trade agreements if they don’t want everyone in the 7 Kingdoms to starve.
While her husband and mistress debate hungry mouths and whether they deserve feeding, Rhaenyra tunes them out entirely with a dreamy look on her face. She’s caught between the crushing responsibilities of ruling a kingdom and planning her royal coming-out party. At the moment, the party seems to be winning.When she snaps back to reality she orders for a raven sent to Casterly Rock. If Tyland hid the gold there, Lady Johanna—who remains loyal—may know where it is. “Better yet, send ravens to every great house.” The new queen demands tribute.
When Lord Corlys gently points out that this is a lot for one person to manage and asks about sending for her Small Council, Rhaenyra shuts the idea down immediately. They betrayed her, so she’s done with them. Instead, she changes the subject by asking the Grand Maester Orwyle if there’s any news of Aemond. Other than Aemond and Vhagar burning Daemon’s garrison at Harrenhal, and murdering Simon Strong and his sons, they’ve vanished.
Daemon mentions Aemond was traveling with a woman and some Maester, but neither they nor Vhagar have been seen since. They know he won’t attack King’s Landing directly—it would be suicide—but Rhaenyra still needs to locate both him and Sheepstealer. The dragons are the true danger, not necessarily their riders. She orders Baela to fly to Harrenhal and begin searching for the missing beasts and in the meantime, she’ll place a bounty on the riders’ heads.
“What bounty?” Daemon reminds her. The realm is broke.Thinking quickly, Rhaenyra offers Harrenhal itself to whoever finds them. Someone let Alys Rivers know, this is her chance! Between rogue dragons and castle rats, Rhaenyra already has more problems than one queen should. It turns out leading isn’t all dragons and fabulous gowns. She has to answer for everything, and she finally looks genuinely overwhelmed. She needs a Queensguard, a rat catcher, candle makers, wine shipments—you name it. The Iron Throne comes with a truly exhausting to-do list.
Heavy is the Head Who Wears the Crown
At the top of her to-do-list is talking to her former best friend and queen, Alicent (Olivia Cooke). Rhaenyra demands answers from her and Helaena (Phia Saban), whom she’s imprisoned in their own very fancy chambers, about what happened to the realm’s gold. The Master of Coin is who she should be asking, as he’s the one who moved it. Rhaenyra finds it hard to believe the former queen knew nothing about it, but everyone hated Alicent, so they weren’t exactly sharing the kingdom’s financial secrets with her. Even her father didn’t trust her with that information, and Otto is a touchy subject between the two ever since Rhaenyra decapitated him and christened her Iron Throne in his blood.
These two haven’t actually talked about what Alicent walked in on in the aftermath of her best friend beheading her father. Helaena asks if shedding her grandfather’s blood made Rhaenyra feel better about losing Jace, and frankly, Alicent would like an answer to that too. Rhaenyra deflects and admits she would’ve rather killed Aemond, like the plan she made with Alicent. The two old friends descend into a screaming match, where Alicent points out she fulfilled her part of the plan, but she can’t answer for Larys’ crimes or Aemond’s current unknown whereabouts. She’s flabbergasted by Rhaenyra blaming her for the misdeeds of men. Alicent did what she promised, and now the queen should uphold her end and allow mother and daughter to leave King’s Landing unharmed.
Rhaenyra–who seems a bit more paranoid as the minutes tick on, doesn’t trust that they’re telling the truth. As further proof they can be trusted, Alicent tells her about Aegon’s unrecognizable and non-threatening state. He’s burned beyond recognition and can barely stand. He is no threat to her or the Iron Throne. She advises Rhaenyra to declare her young son dead—just like his dragon—and if somehow Larys tries raising him from the dead politically, the queen can simply call him an imposter.
She takes that into consideration, just like the idea of killing Daeron still floats around the queen’s increasingly scattered mind. The stress she’s under since taking the throne is starting to show in every interaction. She’s paranoid and demands the staff be questioned about their loyalty. She seems more resolved to kill the boy prince as the hour unfolds, and everything gets worse when she visits the High Septon Balman (Simon Chandler) and he refuses to officiate her coronation. The Faith of the Seven cannot, in good conscience, back dragons or their blood magic, but his refusal feels more about her gender than any convenient dragon excuse.
Later, at dinner, Lord Corlys brings up the matter of legitimacy and his heirs. He asks Rhaenyra to officially recognize Addam (Clinton Liberty) and Alyn (Abubakar Salim)—not of Hull, but as his Velaryon sons. Rhaenyra, once again distracted by the noise in her own head, doesn’t answer. Instead, she wanders the castle until she ends up in Daemon’s bedchamber.
The following morning, Rhaenyra meets with the smallfolk to hear their pleas and demands. This is the burden of a queen: to appear sympathetic and offer assistance when she can, and let it eat away at her when she can’t. One woman catches her attention when she complains about the queen’s blockade resulting in the highborn hoarding all the food while the lowborn starve. It’s a fact Rhaenyra tucks into the back of her already overcrowded brain for later.
Her next act as queen is to knight her three dragonseeds. Ulf (Tom Bennett) the White—because there is no way she’s allowing this drunken clown to carry the Targaryen name. Hugh (Kieran Bew) the Hammer, reflecting his work as a blacksmith. And lastly… Addam of Hull. She does not officially recognize him as a Velaryon due to her increasing paranoia about usurpers eyeing her throne.
Later, when Corlys hears this he loses it on the queen. Considering the iffy DNA of her own offspring and the bait-and-switch she pulled with her own children, he can’t believe she—of all people—would deny his sons their legacy. Everyone seems to be questioning her leadership choices and dealing with a ragey Corlys isn’t even the last task asked of the queen that day. Alicent arrives in Rhaenyra’s chambers to ask for her father’s remains to be shipped to Oldtown and laid to rest. Rhaenyra agrees, then asks her old friend for advice. As queen to Viserys and Queen Dowager to Aegon, surely she has some wisdom on separating your emotions from the expectations of a ruler—especially when it comes to disappointing your people because their requests simply can’t be granted. Alicent makes it very clear that rulers are forced to do things they would never normally do while swallowing their own moral center for the good of the kingdom. They have to make difficult and often unpopular choices. That’s the downside to wearing the crown, and Rhaenyra doesn’t love that answer. She believes she was chosen by the gods to rule, and therefore every decision she makes is just. That growing ego is laying the groundwork for Rhaenyra’s style of leadership—and what we can safely assume will eventually become her downfall.
Later, at dinner with the highborn lords who supported her, Rhaenyra welcomes them to the beginning of her new reign by serving roasted rats. When the nobles are sickened and outraged, demanding answers, Rhaenyra explains that while they were hoarding food and supplies, this was the meal they sentenced her people to eat. It’s only fitting they get a taste of their own greed. She walks away from the table with her head held high, but it’s obvious she made a few enemies with this stunt that may become a problem later in her reign.
Daemon the Warmonger, Rhaenyra the Merciful?
After the roasted rat fiasco, Rhaenyra and Daemon return to debating their next move. Daemon—despite already being born royal and married to the queen—still seems convinced his way of ruling is the correct one and that the little woman might finally take his advice. He wants his wife to unleash the power of all six dragons and conquer Dorne, Essos, and maybe the entire world, just as Viserys’ prophecy suggested—or at least that’s Daemon’s interpretation of it. There is just one small problem with this world domination plan, and Rhaenyra is quick to point it out. Her father also warned her that the Targaryens’ control over dragons is only an illusion. We just saw this with Sheepstealer. Rhaena assumed her bloodline alone could tame the beast, but the wild dragon had ideas of his own, and it cost Jacaerys his life. The same thing happened with Vhagar when Aemond failed to control the massive beast in Season 1, resulting in Lucerys’ death. With that in mind, world domination will have to wait. Rhaenyra is focusing her energy on getting King’s Landing in order first.
After their earlier conversation about queens having to make unpopular decisions, Rhaenyra visits Alicent and reveals that she has her son, Daeron, imprisoned in the castle. She could—and according to Daemon, should—have him killed to secure her claim to the throne. But she is merciful… or at least she wants people to believe she is. Instead of execution, she sentences the boy to a lifetime of service at the Wall. Alicent doesn’t love this idea, but she’s quickly running out of ways to appeal to what remains of Rhaenyra’s fading good nature.
It’s not long after that the queen brings Alicent to meet the young prince, and it’s immediately obvious this is not her son but a stand-in ordered by Ormund under threat of killing the boy’s mother! Ormund is playing games, and they escalate when Rhaenyra learns that the Hightower army, under Ormund’s command, has sacked the merchant town of Tumbleton and taken its people hostage. Now, if Rhaenyra attacks Ormund with her dragons, she won’t just destroy the rogue army—she’ll incinerate countless innocent smallfolk who support her cause. Ormund has put the queen in checkmate.
As the last remnants of House Green’s rule burn on a funeral pyre in the courtyard of the Red Keep, Rhaenyra watches the flames with a new sense of resolve about her role as queen. Throughout the hour, the crown seemed heavy on the young woman forced to wear it but now, she appears ready to do whatever it takes to secure both her throne and her legitimacy. If blood needs to flow to make that happen… so be it.