House of the Dragon – We Light the Way

By: Kelly Kearney

It’s wedding time, and If you know anything about the Game of Thrones universe then you know this event will not leave you, the viewer, with all the warm and loving fuzzies. In fact, if it’s a hearts unite type event, you can bet those hearts will be ripped from chests in some gory reminder that they are not your average royals. These joyous events almost always end in tragic tears, and this week’s episode is no different. As the Kingdom celebrates the impending vows of Princess Rhaenyra and Lanenor Valeryon, Daemon shakes things up when he returns to the Red Keep to wish his niece well…or at least wish she would pick him instead. With King Viserys’ health declining and his Hand, Otto Hightower, banished from the castle, this wedding was supposed to be the first glimpse of a stable future for the Targaryen regime. Too bad Daemon has other plans, and thanks to Ser Criston Cole’s “fists of fury” the King’s troublemaking brother just might get what he wants…one way or another. So, let’s dive right into House of the Dragon’s very own “Red Wedding.”

WHY DIVORCE WHEN MURDER IS SO EASY?

That’s the question Daemon (Matt Smith) must be asking when he returns home and meets his wife, the no-nonsense woman, Lady Rhea Royce (Rachel Redford) riding horseback on her way home from a hunt. There is no love loss between these two; as much as Daemon hates her, Rhea shares in that detest for the Prince. She is tough, both mentally and in her mannerisms, and isn’t too keen on playing the little woman to Daemon–The King of the Narrow Sea’s, ego. In the middle of the road with no one around to see, Rhea gets the feeling Daemon is up to something and before she can process what it is, he purposefully spooks her horse, who then throws her down to the ground with a broken neck. She cannot move and as she watches her husband start to walk away and leave her for dead she can’t help but get one last parting insult in when she says, “I always knew you couldn’t finish.” And finish he finally does when Daemon picks up a substantial rock and bashes his wife’s head in…accidentally, of course, or at least that is what he tells his family and the Royces–not that anyone truly believes him. Since he couldn’t marry Mysaria (Sonoya Mizuno) because of Rhea, that rock cleared the way for a new wife. Could that be Rhaenyra? It seems like that is what he is hoping for.

Meanwhile, King Viserys (Paddy Considine) heads to Driftmark with Rhaenyra (Milly Alcock), her knight–Ser Criston Cole (Fabien Frankel), and the new Hand to the King–Lyonel Strong (Gavin Spokes), to officially ask Lord Corlys (Steve Toussaint) for his son, Laenor’s (Theo Nate), hand in marriage. When the king and his entourage arrive, Corlys skips the meet and greet and sends a lackey with his apologies for being too tired to come after defeating the Crab Feeder and his army. Perturbed but understanding Corlys is licking many wounds–the lack of support during the Triarchy revolt, his wife’s pass-over for the crown, and his daughter losing out to Alicent Hightower (Emily Carey), just to name a few; the Sea Snake is beyond miffed. So, when Viserys finally meets with him about the proposal. Corlys has a few stipulations before he gives his blessing. The hardest for Viserys to swallow is that the union will require Rhaenyra to take the Valeryon name. Agreeing would prove to Corlys that the King truly wants to unite the oldest houses in good faith. With VIserys’ health declining, the rush to find his heir a proper mate is direr than ever. He is willing to meet Corlys at his demands and after a few back and forths, the two men finally agree that Rhaenyra and Laenor’s children will bear the Valeyryon name until they ascend the throne; then they will resume the Targaryen name. Viserys wants to ensure it’s his name that is branded into that iron, not the Valeryons. The deal is made and Corlys confides in his wife, Rhaenys (Eve Best), that the King granted them more concessions than he was expecting. His son will be the King’s consort, but Rhaenys doesn’t share in his excitement. She knows the kingdom will never accept a Queen and worries her openly gay and sensitive son will be caught in a royal coup’s bloody crossfire. She has the right to be worried–even if her husband thinks Laenor is going through a phase.

GAY ROYAL BEARDS AND THE LOVERS WHO LOVE THEM

When we next see Rhaenyra, she and her life-long friend and soon-to-be husband. Laenor are walking along the beach chatting about both of their marital hesitations. Rhaenyra knows Laenor is gay and doesn’t have an issue with that since she has her own secret side thing going on with Criston–that she conveniently fails to mention. After trying to figure out a way to make this marriage work,  they both agree to fulfill their fathers’ wishes by providing them an heir and a spare, but once those obligations are met, they can be free to live their lives with whomever and however, they see fit. Who says you cannot have your cake and eat it too? Not these kids, who are attempting to modernize arranged marriages by turning them into an open union of polyamory that works for everyone. Maybe this will be the first Thrones wedding celebration that ends up a happy one? Not likely!

Armed with the good news about what he and Rhaenyra agreed to, Laenor runs to tell his lover, Joffrey (Solly McLeod). I guess we can’t have a Thrones wedding without a Joffrey hanging around. Instantly, Joffrey thinks Rhaenyra is hiding her own love affair and that’s why she agreed to let Laenor step out of their marriage after the children are born. He is cautiously optimistic and just wants to make sure Laenor is protected. A gay King Consort could very easily become a dead King Consort, especially since the Game of Thrones universe has yet to learn its lesson about the insulting television trope referred to as, “bury your gays.”

Speaking of concerned lovers, Criston feels guilty over breaking his Knightly vows by sleeping with Rhaenyra, and now he thinks the only way to make things right is if she runs away with him and they elope. Leave the Kingdom and all the Targaryen hair bleach behind for this cute boy she hooked up with once? Not likely, pal. She tells him she would rather remain the heir to her father’s throne and just keep Criston around as her lover. She explains to him about the open marriage idea but Criston is hurt; he thought this was some great love affair and now she’s treating him like a common “whore.” It doesn’t look like these two are going to work things out and he hasn’t even learned about her dalliances with Daemon.

As breakups go, last week’s between the King and his Hand left Alicent in the middle between her husband and her father. On Otto’s (Rhys Ifans) way out of the castle, Alicent approaches him to say her teary goodbyes and her father has some brutal parting words for her about her children and best friend, Rhaenyra. She either cozies up to Rhaenyra in hopes she doesnt kill her sibling competition when the inevitable fight for the throne begins, or she readies Aegon to take the throne from his big sister and claim his rightful place as King. Alicent must play the game if she and her children want to survive what Otto knows is coming. He might be a manipulative crown chaser, but he is smart to warn his daughter about the risks for her and the children getting caught in the crosshairs of the Princess, and probably Daemon’s too. She has a tough road ahead of her, and without the guidance and support of her father, we see her realizing she has become a lonely broodmare, responsible for pumping out useless heirs to a quickly fading King. Her tears dry to rage when on a walk through the Keep’s gardens she runs into the chatty Larys Strong (Matthew Needham), who whispers in her ear a story about Rhaenyra drinking the Maester’s (David Horovitch) abortion tea. She trusted her friend’s word when she said Daemon never touched her, so why would her husband send his daughter this tea? Now she knows she can’t trust either of them to tell her the truth, and without her father by her side, she is truly alone in the Red Keep. Fueled by this betrayal, Alicent summons Ser Criston to her room to ask about her friend’s virginity. He is her guard, so he must have some details about the goings on in her bedroom. She is vague with the questions and never comes out and says Daemon’s name but the guilt-ridden Criston immediately assumes she is talking about him. Almost immediately he caves and spills all the affair tea, shocking Alicent who never assumed Rhaenyra was sleeping with him too. Anger pulls across her face in a tight smile as she dismisses Criston so she can get ready for the wedding festivities.

LET THE BODIES HIT THE FLOOR!

As all the realm gathers for Rhaenyra and Laenor’s wedding celebrations, everyone is in attendance and ready to party. Even the King is seemingly in a good mood now that his throne will be protected by this union. The only thing that puts a damper on his happiness is his missing wife, who seems to be running late. Whispers of her upstaging the event with her absence only grow when she enters in the middle of her husband’s speech, dressed in the family Hightower’s war color– a deep shade of green. She is sending a loud message to the Targaryens that she isn’t playing their games any longer. She is team Hightower, and even her uncle applauds her and says Oldtown will stand behind one of their own. It’s an awkward moment but the effect works because  House Targaryen knows what that symbolic green dress means–little miss teenage Queen is a child no more. She knows how to signify her distress to the King’s court and looks absolutely fantastic doing it.

All shocking entrances aside, the feast in honor of the couple is served while Rhaenyra and Leanor hit the dance floor for their very first couple’s dance. Daemon glares at the two from across the room but is interrupted by his dead wife Rhea’s cousin, Gerald (Owen Oakeshott), with questions about how the Lady died. He knows Daemon killed her but such an accusation could be considered treasonous so he squashes down his rage in hopes of getting an answer. All he gets in return is a shoulder shrug followed by a warning that Daemon is coming for the Royce inheritance! He works fast! His wife was the Lady of Runestone, and he will be taking that over the minute this wedding is over. He leaves Gerald sputtering as he goes to dance with young Laena (Savannah Steyn), who is thrilled she caught the eye of the famous warrior Prince. Meanwhile, Joffrey is watching all the players in this wedding party play their games and spots Criston seething with jealousy as he stares at Rhaenyra on the dance floor. He tells Laenor that the brooding Knight is the man Rhaenyra is having an affair with, and now that they know this, they can use that information to keep Laenor safe. If Rhaenys’s warnings of a coup are to be believed, then what’s a marriage without a little blackmail?

As the episode climbs to a frenzied climax, Joffrey approaches a very angry Criston at the same time Rhaenyra is practically dirty dancing with her uncle Daemon. King Viserys sees his daughter and brother acting practically Lannister-esque on the dance floor and starts coughing up blood! Bad timing, everyone! Joffrey leans over to tell Criston that the two should team up to protect their lovers at the same time the Knight is glaring at Rhaenyra who is practically begging Daemon to take her away to Dragonstone and put a ring on this incestuous no-no and make it legal. Everything happens at once when we see Criston, who doesn’t want his secrets outed, snap, and beat Joffrey to death on the dance floor! Chaos and fighting break out with Ser Harwin Strong (Ryan Corr) swooping in to carry Rhaenyra out of the dangerous riot before she gets trampled and joins Joffrey in the afterlife. As he watches his happy party devolve into a murderous riot, King Viserys falls to the ground unconscious while across the room, Laenor falls to his knees wailing over the death of his lover. Ashamed by what he has done, Criston runs from the party and is ready to die by suicide until Alicent finds him and stops him.

Instead of all the grand glory of a royal wedding, we see a teary-eyed Rhaenyra and a devastated Laenor–still covered in Joffrey’s blood, take their vows before a small group of witnesses. The King who was propped up long enough to hear the “I dos”  topples over unconscious once the marriage is official. Weddings are a time to rejoice unless you’re a character in a George R.R. Martin book; in which case the nuptials are more akin to wars and funerals, where blood stains the dress and curses the future of the unhappy couple.