Episode Grade: (8.8/10)
Six months on from the events of the first episode, King Viserys’ succession remains a central issue amongst members of the small council even after Rhaenyra was officially announced as the heir to the throne. Eventually, the pressure gets to the King and he reluctantly agrees to remarry, albeit not to the council’s recommended choice. Couple that with the King’s inaction towards the Crabfeeder’s incursions in the stepstones and cracks begin to show in the unity and loyalty of the small council.
Plot (41/50)
The succession storyline remains front and center, but the escalating situation in the free cities is quickly coming to the forefront of the plot. Weaving the rising tensions between Viserys and Corlys into the free cities subplot was incredibly smooth, especially as it offered Daemon a chance to remain involved in the main conflict besides just occasionally acting out. Speaking of Daemon, his confrontation with Otto and Rhaenyra demonstrated what might prove to be the writers’ most challenging detail to work with: dragons. It wouldn’t have made any sense for Daemon to refrain from bringing out his dragon, so Rhaenyra’s arrival on dragon-back was absolutely critical to the integrity of the writing. The episode was once again fairly predictable with the exception of the ending that saw Corlys plot with Daemon; I didn’t expect a defection so soon into the season. Rhaenyra disobeying her father to confront Daemon and choosing the commoner as her knight as well as Viserys marrying the “wrong” girl were all repetitive developments. Corlys defecting so quickly was almost too obvious but it works for now. The scenes were mostly simple and with a total of 16 scenes, the episode was fairly easy to follow. The King’s inevitable marriage to Alicent and almost certain birth of a son adds intrigue to the succession conflict. There was plenty of suspense in the many confrontations, but the one at Dragonstone stands out as the most intense. The tension and drama levels were generally high throughout the episode. Moving forward, expect the situation in the free cities to take center stage. I’m very interested in seeing how it unfolds.
Character Development (14/15)
Viserys came off as too emotional in this episode. His conversations with Alicent displayed his tenderness, his interactions with Rhaenyra gave us further insight into his humanity, and his confrontations with Corlys proved that he in unafraid to lean on his powerful position as King when he feels challenged. Still, he seemed to act on emotion in almost all of his interactions whereas he should be acting with wisdom. Look no further than his decision to marry Alicent. Sure, Leana is still a child and that is uncomfortable even in their environment, but she is by far the most strategic and advantageous choice for the stability of the realm. Even though it feels like Viserys made the “right” choice by marrying Alicent, it is most definitely not. Rhaenyra uses the same logic when choosing her designated knight of the Kingsguard, but more on that in the next section. Speaking of Rhaenyra, she actually displays a level of maturity for most of the episode. Her conversations with her father featured a very relatable awkwardness that comes with parents and their children once they become teens. Rhaenyra was clearly devastated by Alicent’s betrayal at the end of the episode and I seriously doubt that she’ll ever truly forgive her now ex-best friend. Her decision to confront Daemon demonstrated bravery, recklessness, and -most importantly- common sense. Speaking of Daemon, I find it interesting that even as he openly defies his brother, he still defends the Targaryen family as a whole in the face of Otto and Corlys’ treachery. Other interesting developments include Otto’s calculated manipulation of those around him and his shameless willingness to use his daughter as a pawn in his schemes, Lyonel Strong’s sound advice under pressure, Corlys’ ambition and flaky loyalty to the King, Alicent’s high emotional intelligence, and Rhaeyns’ surprising lack of support towards Rhaenyra where you would otherwise except sympathy given she was in a similar situation.
Theme/Messages (10/10)
- As cliché as it is, “with great power comes great responsibility.”
- Is accepting the way things are even though you think they’re wrong maturity or weakness?
- It’s remarkable how similar situations can be perceived so differently:
- Rhaenyra chooses Ser Criston Cole as her knight based on merit and is heralded for it by the viewers even though the “right” thing to do was to select a knight from a noble family to further strengthen the political standing of the Crown.
- On the other hand, Viserys chooses Alicent based on merit (in this case compatibility is merit) and is labeled an idiot because the “right” thing to do was to marry Leana, a girl from a noble family that would’ve strengthened the political standing of the Crown.
- Never underestimate what people are willing to do to further their own personal interest; no one will ever prioritize your interests over their own.
- Grief is a highly subjective process that can’t possibly be standardized, it just has to play its course.
- Sometimes you have to be the aggressor to ensure that others understand not to overstep their limits.
- When is it appropriate to ignore the advice of your trusted advisors?
- More gender discrimination…
Acting (13/15)
Paddy Considine (King Viserys) and Milly Alcock (Rhaenyra) had some fantastic scenes together, there’s great chemistry between these two actors.
Cinematography (15/15)
The entire confrontation sequence at Dragonstone (33:36 onwards) was visually stunning. The shot from above as the two parties assembled in the middle of the narrow path while waves crashed against the jagged rocks beneath them set the tone for the rest of the scene. There were plenty of other great shots and effects as well:
- Great shots of the Sept (12:57 onwards)
- Nice shot of the gardens with the sea and the horizon in the backdrop (16:36)
- Cool side shot of Viserys and Rhaenyra sitting opposite each other at the dining table as they awkwardly ear in silence and crickets chirp in the background (19:20)
- Awesome consistency with the main hall at Dragonstone looking almost identical to the same hall that appears in GoT (41:20)
- Cool effect with the sound of the small council muffled as the King looks outside the window knowing he’s about to go against the advice of his council and upset Corlys by announcing his intention to marry Alicent (49:25 onwards)
- Powerful shot of Rhaenyra tearfully staring down Alicent as she processed her betrayal (50:18 onwards)