House of the Dragon – The Heirs of the Dragon

By: Kelly Kearney

The Targaryens are back…way back to 172 years before the Mad King’s death and the birth of his daughter, Game of Thrones favorite, Daenerys “Mother of Dragons” Targaryen. Based on the vast world George R.R. Martin created, we head to Westeros where the fair-haired dragon clan plays their own version of the game of thrones. Full of gore, games and flying-flaming beasts, House of the Dragon opens with a voiceover explaining the intricacies of a word that spans oceans, continents, incestuous bloodlines and political posturing for power for a chance to sit on the throne. 

THE DRAGON THRONE RECAP

The end of the first century saw the Targaryens at the height of their power. King Jaehaerys I (Michael Carter) was a peaceful King who brought a lifetime of prosperity to the Kingdom of Westeros. His power was propped up by the threat of the dragon (ten to be exact), ensuring the Targaryen bloodline remained on the winning end of any wars. But a King is nothing without an heir and with two dead sons and declining health, Jaehaerys gathers his Council of Harrenhal and tasks them with finding a  suitable successor to his throne. The search was on, with fourteen possible candidates staking claim to the crown, but only two stood out above the rest. Rhaenys Targaryen (Eve Best) was the King’s oldest descendant and most likely successor, but as a woman the Council questioned her ability to lead. Would she garner the respect of the people of Westeros and its armies? The patriarchal society they’re trapped in says no. Enter the next best thing – Viserys Targaryen (Paddy Considine), the next eldest behind Rhaenys. And while his blood ties weren’t as pure as his female competition, he had the great fortune of being born a male and that outranks any royal lineage. The Kingdom of Westeros cannot be left in the hands of a woman – nor can it be passed down to her male heirs. There is only one choice: Viserys becomes the next crowned King. 

SUCCESSION

Fast forward nine years into Viserys reign where we meet another young blonde Targaryen Princess named Rhaenyra (Milly Alcock)– the sole surviving child of the King. Right away we can tell the dragon is strong with her, as she controls her flying pet Syrax. If Rhaenyra is enamored by her dragons then Alicent Hightower (Emily Carey), daughter of Otto (Rhys Ifans) [the King’s Hand] is second in line for her affections. The two very different girls are best friends. Alicent is a rule follower and a proper royal adjacent in both mannerisms and thought, unlike the Princess, who would rather shirk her royal duties for another ride on the back of her dragon. She isn’t interested in keeping up feminine appearances as she just wants to lie her head down in her best friend’s lap and dream of a future–free from her royal life. It’s a fantasy she hopes comes true now that her mother, Aemma (Sian Brooke), is pregnant with what Viserys has dreamt will be a son and true heir to his throne. His wife isn’t so sure. She’s lost five children and this pregnancy has also been difficult – leaving her bedridden and worried she’s failed her husband again. A queen’s role is to protect the king’s bloodline and all she’s managed to do is bury it in mother’s tears. The Princess has a front-row seat to the trauma’s fallen upon her mother and hopes for both of their sakes that her father is right and the baby is a healthy boy. Deep down she knows it is the only thing that will bring Viserys happiness, something her birth didn’t offer him. It’s not that Viserys is a bad father – not at all. The King is a kind and loving man who takes pride in his dragon tamer of a daughter, but rules are rules and only sons can protect the Targaryen’s legacy. Besides, Rhaenyra has no desire to be your typical woman of Westeros and has even less interest in burying babies to please a King. When her mother reminds her that the pain of childbirth “protects the realm,” the spirited blonde fires back that she would rather fight on the battlefield than go through what her mother has done. Her friend Alicent overhears her and cannot stomach the Princess’s royal shrug-off when so many would kill to be in her position. Take, for example, her uncle and brother to the King, Daemon (Matt Smith). The Prince of charm and mayhem, Daemon would kill to be in her place, although you couldn’t tell by his friendly banter when the two meet in the Throne Room. Daemon shows his niece grace and playfulness while sitting on his brother’s Iron Throne and he looks pretty comfortable sitting there atop the hundred or so sword points. On the other hand, his brother is covered in wounds from that same chair and they don’t seem to be healing – the first sign his reign might end sooner rather than later. If that were the case and Aemma’s child died or isn’t a son, he would assume the throne and his niece couldn’t be happier about that. Rhaenyra, as we continue to see in the premiere, approaches her duties in a very “better you than me” attitude when it comes to that throne, and it’s probably why Daemon treats her like a kid sister rather than a threat to his position. While waiting to see if Viserys’ child will survive to take his place, Daemon has been ordered to the position of Commander of the City Watch, which is basically a nice title for the overinflated police captain of King’s Landing. With Viserys closest advisors fearing his brutal and loathsome brother might tarnish his crown, it’s no surprise when they deliver the bad news that he embarrassed the family’s name by attacking Viserys’ citizens in the streets. Daemon has no respect for Viserys’ soft-on-crime approach and orders his men to slash and hack their way through every inch of King’s Landing – spilling blood and leaving nothing but fear in his wake. “You’re a pack of hounds!” he yells to his vicious troops as they run through the city dismembering anyone accused of criminal activity. A thief loses his hand; a rapist his manhood and so on down the line until the streets are flooded by the screams of his victims. 

When the King hears what his brother has been up to he is both ashamed and enraged. He orders Daemon to his chambers in an attempt to explain himself. In their meeting he learns Daemon hates his wife, The Heir of Runestone in the Vale of Arryn, and has all but abandoned his duties to her and his land. Nobody in the King’s close proximity seems to trust Daemon, especially not Otto. Animosity toward Hightower and his position leaks out in the meeting, which only angers the King more; proving he made the right choice picking Otto for his Hand. After getting stripped of his role as Commander, a salty Daemon licks his wounds at the local brothel with his favorite companion Mysaria (Sonoya Mizuno), but his emotions get the better of him and it ruins their romantic romp. 

JOUSTING THROUGH CHILDBIRTH

The following day the citizens of King’s Landing gather for a jousting tournament in honor of the soon-to-be-born King. Aemma is in labor inside the Red Keep while her daughter and family are outside preparing for the big game day. Dressed in dragon-themed armor, Daemon rattles Otto when he challenges his son to a joust and then trips and injures his horse. Otto’s son is fine and, if you ask the smitten Rhaenyra, she might say very, very, fine. Too bad he asks for Alicent’s favor in the games. Rhaenyra gives her favor to the equally handsome Ser Criston Cole (Fabien Frankel) and it must’ve worked because, after a few rounds against her uncle, Cole wins! Being a royal has its perks because when Cole knocks Daemon off his proverbial high horse, the Prince gets to live whereas the other losers in the tournament wind up with their brains spilling outside their skulls and onto the playing field. 

Speaking of births, while Daemon is taking his cues from American politicians by refusing to concede to Ser Criston Cole, inside the Red Keep problems are brewing with Aemma’s delivery. Viserys learns that his wife and child will die unless they cut the infant from her womb. There could still be a chance they can save the baby, but it is looking grim for Aemma. He is left with the choice – save his heir or his wife. He chooses his son and hopes everything goes better than expected. Without anesthesia the cesarean birth is brutal and Viserys tries his best to calm his wife as they rip the child from her abdomen. Standing in a pool of blood and tears, Viserys holds his newborn son whom he learns will not survive the night. The Queen is dead and with her she took the King’s last male heir! Who will take the infant’s place?

After the funerals the King once again gathers his Council for ideas on who will proceed him on the Iron Throne. Daemon is mentioned and just as quickly pushed aside thanks to the Hand’s news about the Prince’s toast at the brothel celebrating the death of the infant Baelon, who he called “The Heir for a Day.” Rhaenys, the woman who Viserys leapfrogged to the crown, is also considered due to her blood being the closest tie to the Throne, but she is older than the sitting King and would already have trouble leading as a woman – nevermind as an older woman. The Council insists that Westeros might fall in the face of that weakness, something her husband Corlys Velaryon (Steve Toussaint) doesn’t take kindly to when implied. Corlys is known as the Sea Snake and Lord of the Tides, two titles that do not offer up much power in Viserys’ court and that fact obviously eats away at the man. 

Without a clear answer, Viserys summons his brother and confronts him about his egregious behavior and insulting toast. That’s when Daemon unleashes a tirade of complaints and jealousies about Otto Hightower and calls the King weak for choosing the man over him. That’s the final straw and Viserys announces he won’t ever name Daemon his successor. Instead, he will be sent back to his wife and away from King’s Landing. He’s realized his heir is the apparent one, Rhaenyra the dragon rider and the girl who does not want to lead! When he breaks the news to his daughter he tells her, “I have wasted the years since you were born hoping for a son,” but now he can see that fire in her eyes and knows she was the right choice all along.  Before she takes her rightful place in front of their people, he gives her two pieces of knowledge that were passed down to him when he was crowned King. The first, is that Targaryens do not control the dragons, regardless of what the people of Westeros think. The second, and most perilous, is a  prophecy from Aegon Targaryen, who foretold the “end of man” during a treacherous winter that can only be thawed by a fellow Targaryen on the throne. She must protect this secret and pass it down to her heir and so on down the family bloodline because the Kingdom, and humanity itself, is depending on her…BUT NO PRESSURE, DAD!