Episode Grade: (9.4/10)
One year after the events of the previous episode, Daemon triumphantly returns to King’s Landing and immediately causes chaos with monumental ramifications, albeit not in the way you would expect. Rather than challenging Viserys, Daemon bends the knee and targets Rhaenyra instead. Rhaenyra, frustrated by her father’s insistence on marrying her off for a political advantage, is a prime target for Daemon’s manipulation. What ensues is a wild sequence of events that redraws the lines of the battle for succession.
Plot (46/50)
First of all, major props to the writers for taking this episode in the surprising direction that they did. For the most part, the show’s storylines have been slow to progress, much to the frustration of some viewers. However, the slow pace is understandable given the need to set up multiple credible players in the battle for the throne. Still, the writers have to keep the audience engaged in the meantime, and they did just that by bringing out the sex scenes. Sex for the sake of sex is just lazy writing. Sex scenes with purpose accomplish the double benefit of drawing interest and developing characters. That’s exactly what this episode was all about, but more on that in the next section. In terms of main storylines, the conclusion of the Stepstones plot was intricately weaved into Rhaenyra’s marriage plot which all fed back into the main succession plot. The plotlines were simple to digest, but the intentions of the characters were anything but. This lack of clarity brought about intriguing developments: Rhaenyra lying to Alicent, Daemon’s ordeal with Rhaenyra, Rhaenyra agreeing to marry Laenor, and Otto’s firing. Where does Otto go from here? Who will be the new hand? Will it be Corlys? It seems the show will focus on Rhaenyra’s marriage next, but what of Daemon who’s now burned his final chance with Viserys and was banished back to the Vale? In any case, Daemon’s return was not what I expected of it and the way the episode unfolded with its twists and turns served as a welcome change of pace. Viserys’ health continues to decline and at this point, it would be surprising if he survives the season. There was plenty of suspense and drama throughout the episode. There was also a fair bit of originality with Daemon’s diplomatic return and Rhaenyra’s first sexual experience. Considering that sexual encounters for most female characters in GoT were far from pleasant, seeing Rhaenyra have a more positive experience was a relief.
Character Development (15/15)
This episode was a masterclass in character development. Daemon returns to King’s Landing for the first time in 4 years, so in a sense, his interactions with Viserys and Rhaenyra would serve as a checkpoint of sorts for the development of these 3 main characters specifically but also for the likes of Otto and Alicent. Starting with Daemon, after his triumph in the Stepstones, I would’ve expected him to continue challenging the authority of Viserys; however, he surprisingly opts for a more tactical approach. He fully recognizes Viserys’ authority as king and is quickly back in the King’s good graces. This demonstrates significant maturity from the man who got kicked out of King’s Landing for publicly celebrating the death of his newborn nephew and proceeding to lash out at his banishment by stealing a dragon’s egg. For his part, Viserys is overwhelmingly relieved with Daemon’s improved temperament and quickly brings him back into the fold as if nothing happened. Viserys surely missed his brother’s company and 4 years is a long time, so it’s plausible for Viserys to think that Daemon had changed; however, he really should’ve known better. At least keep an eye on him until you can confirm that he isn’t up to something. But Viserys has never been able to deal with Daemon and this was more of the same. Here’s where the sex kicks in. One of the central themes of the episode was the internal conflict between duty and desire, and the writers used the various sex scenes (or lack thereof) as a brilliant way to highlight this. As Rhaenyra continues to whine about having to endure a tour of suitors, both Daemon and Alicent offer distinct perspectives as to why she shouldn’t be complaining. Alicent reminds Rhaenyra that most girls in Westeros don’t even get to choose who they marry, while Daemon insists that marriage is merely a political arrangement during which Rhaenyra can do as she likes. Alicent’s point is unquestionably true, but Daemon’s is a bit more complicated: it’s true that the same lax rules that apply to men aren’t afforded to women, but Rhaenyra is in a uniquely powerful position where she too would likely be able to do as she pleases, to some extent. Interestingly enough, Rhaenyra put this theory to the test and it just about held. Of course, Daemon played a big role in this. He targets Rhaenyra’s frustration with Viserys and sneaks her out of the Red Keep for a night out in the decadent streets of King’s Landing. He gets her drunk and lets her rebellious nature and pent-up frustration do the rest. This leads us to the first and most shocking sex scene of the episode as Daemon takes Rhaenyra to a brothel, removes her disguise, and proceeds to make out with her as people watch on. Rhaenyra is roughly 18 years old at the time and again, she’s drunk, so her consent is questionable. Nonetheless, things get heated between them and they begin taking their clothes off. Daemon has Rhaenyra against a wall facing away from him, but she turns around and continues making out with him. At this point, Daemon somewhat bizarrely backs off and leaves Rhaenyra alone, exposed, and vulnerable in a brothel at night. It seemed like Daemon was seducing Rhaenyra in a calculated manner in order to ruin her reputation, but the way this scene played out has me seriously questioning his intentions. Is he really into Rhaenyra but just couldn’t bring himself to have sex with his niece? Even typing that feels disgusting… Alternatively, does he have some sort of intimacy complex that was triggered when Rhaenyra turned around to face him? Daemon desires dominance, as reflected by the sex he had with Mysaria in the first episode, while Rhaenyra desires intimacy, as reflected by the personal and passionate sex she has with Ser Criston Cole later in the episode. Speaking of Criston Cole, he’s clearly built a healthy relationship with Rhaenyra over the last 4 years as her bodyguard, so we get to watch him conflicted between duty and desire when Rhaenyra kisses him. His instant reaction is to stop her attempts, and for a moment it feels like Rhaenyra will be harshly denied for the second time that night, but he slowly gives in to his desires. He might feel guilty even in the moment, but it’s not enough to offset his desire for Rhaenyra. Meanwhile, Alicent is called to Viserys’ chambers to fulfill her marital duties. She has sex with Viserys in what is supposed to be an intimate position, but there’s absolutely no desire from her, she is simply fulfilling her duty to Viserys as his wife. Earlier in the night, she was seen miserably tending to her infant again out of a sense of duty. Elsewhere, Daemon was broodingly getting drunk alone and Otto was receiving information about Daemon and Rhaenyra’s ordeal. Of course, the fallout of these events is triggered by Otto’s report of Rhaenyra’s public indiscretion to Viserys the next morning. Viserys attacks Otto for suggesting that the report is true. Alicent confronts Rhaenyra about the rumors at which point Rhaenyra swears on the memory of her mother that Daemon never touched her. Interesting wording there… Viserys confronts Daemon about the rumors and gets a marriage proposal in response. Viserys is understandably furious with Daemon as he views this all as an attempt to take the throne, so he’s finally had enough of him and banishes him to the Vale. Alicent vouches for Rhaenyra’s chastity and concludes that Daemon put out the rumor to undermine Viserys. Viserys considers this theory, but realistically believes that the rumors might be true given the Targaryen history of hooking up with their family members… He finally confronts Rhaenyra but fascinatingly doesn’t even ask about what actually happened. In truth, this was Viserys’ best handling of a situation yet. He unapologetically exercised his authority and acted decisively. In short, he finally behaved like a king. That is a significant development in his character. Viserys tells Rhaenyra that she will marry Laenor Velaryon in what is undeniably a political marriage. However, he also doubles down on keeping her as his heir by revealing to her the prophecy of ice and fire. Interesting timing to say the least. Rhaenyra accepts the marriage to Laenor as it is her duty, but she fires back at Viserys and demands that he fulfil his duty by firing the self-serving Otto. Viserys brutally and shockingly obliges Rhaenyra by relieving Otto from his position as Hand of the King. Now here we get a scene that’s so difficult to pull off, yet GoT did it on a consistent basis and HoTR is following suit: they take a despicable character that is so easy to despise and they make you empathize with them. In this case, you got to feel for Otto, because really, he’s done his duty. Was he also looking to advance his own position? Of course. But like Viserys told Rhaenyra, literally everyone in court is self-serving. And if you briefly examine Otto’s actions, it’s clear that he didn’t deserve to get fired. Yes, he pushed Alicent to seduce Viserys, but she didn’t do as he wanted and instead, they actually connected. Otto never advised Viserys to marry his daughter, that’s a decision Viserys made from his own desire. Furthermore, Alicent has proven herself a worthy Queen in demeanor. She’s also provided Viserys with comfort and children. Did it benefit Otto personally? Yes. But it also benefitted the King and the realm as well. Well what about his desire to get his grandson, Aegon, on named heir? So far, he hasn’t explicitly demanded this of the King, but even if he did, is that so bad? The laws and traditions of Westeros clearly indicate that the first-born son of a King is his heir. Aemma literally died trying to give Viserys a male heir. He wouldn’t even have been King if the tradition wasn’t as it is. Viserys’ primary duty as King is to ensure stability of the realm, and naming Aegon just about fulfills that duty. It just so happens to also benefit Otto personally, but again, it’s to no detriment to the King. In the end, none of it mattered as Viserys got paranoid and did what he wanted. I suspect he will rue his decision sooner rather than later. In any case, the game of thrones is high stakes and Otto was always walking a fine line. He was doomed as soon as he got the information and he knew it, that’s why we see him hesitate before ultimately reporting the information. Either he reports the information and gets discredited or he lets someone else report the information, at which point the robustness of his surveillance network will be questioned. I don’t think he expected to be cast aside so easily after all his years of service and friendship to Viserys, so he’s clearly devastated when he gets fired. Finally, Viserys having the Maester send Rhaenyra a medieval Plan B suggests that he believes the rumors but won’t publicly admit it to save face. It would be an interesting play for Rhaenyra to not drink the concoction as a way to prove that she didn’t have sex with Daemon, but I doubt they’ll follow up on that detail. Overall, this was a fantastic episode that made strides in the development of the main characters, with the most significant one being Rhaenyra’s feelings of liberation and empowerment following the events that transpired. And for that, she has Daemon to thank…
Theme/Messages (5/5)
- As discussed earlier, the main theme of the episode was the human conflict between duty and desire. This was the best executed theme thus far in the show as it was naturally interweaved in the main storyline. It helps that it’s such a relatable challenge most people face on a daily basis.
- “The truth does not matter… only perception.”
- “Hard lessons are not welcomed but suffered.”
- “You cannot live your life in fear, or you will forsake the best parts of it.”
Acting (14/15)
Milly Alcock (Rhaenyra) was the star of the episode, with her facial expressions really enhancing the story being told with Rhaenyra. Paddy Considine (King Viserys) and Matt Smith (Daemon) continue to put in consistently high quality performances. Rhys Ifans (Otto) hasn’t been given much of an emotional range to act upon, but he sold his devastation at being fired by Viserys to perfection. It added weight to the moment and made me feel bad for him. Emily Carey (Alicent) was also given more to do in this episode and she didn’t disappoint.
Cinematography (14/15)
This episode’s great shots were mostly symbolic:
- Great detail put into the Targaryen ship (7:41)
- Unique side shot of Daemon walking towards the King with Rhaenyra in the crowd following him in the background (10:20 onwards)
- Powerful shots of Viserys and Otto face-to-face, with the light shining on the white sculpture of Valyria contrasting Otto’s dark figure (43:10, 43:55)
- Fantastic shot of Daemon on the floor at the feet of the Iron Throne (50:56)
- Nice shot of the Valyrian steel dagger resting in the fire (55:43)