Spoiler-Free Review Of HBO's 'House Of The Dragon' Episode 7
Image Source: IMDb
WARNING: SPOILERS FOR EPISODES 1-6
“Fire is a prison.”
Rhaenyra perfectly sums up what it is like to be a member of House Targaryen with this quote from last night’s episode. Being born or married into House Targaryen creates a prison that only death can relieve you from. As House of the Dragon progresses through the season, the main focus has been on conflicts within House Targaryen above all else. As all of the main players come together at Driftmark for the funeral of Lady Laena, a magnifying glass is put to new and worsening cracks within House Targaryen and House Velaryon.
Episode 1 explained that Rhaenys Targaryen was the “queen that never was” because she was passed over as heir to the Iron Throne in favor of her cousin, Viserys. This has been a constant topic of conversation between Rhaenys and her husband, Lord Corlys, but it comes to a head after her daughter’s funeral.The presence of Rhaenyra’s children begins to drive a wedge between not only King Viserys and Queen Alicent, but Lord Corlys and Princess Rhaenys as well.
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Last week's episode gave fans their first look at Laena’s dragon, Vhagar, which is said to be the largest and oldest dragon currently alive in Westeros. After Laena’s death, it was assumed that one of her daughters would take over the role of the dragon’s rider. In a disappointing turn of events, someone else steals that role from her daughters. Fans of the book series already knew what to expect, but new fans were left in shock and disappointment. This act is the catalyst for the rest of the episode.
Image Source: IMDb
After a massive fight breaks out leaving multiple people injured, King Viserys attempts to put a stop to the fighting and gossiping within the two houses. Unfortunately, this is the moment that his lack of control and power comes to light. As his health has deteriorated over the last few episodes, so has his control over his kingdom. Alicent also shows her true colors when the King does not agree with her and she lashes out by attempting to make her power known to all those that would question it— something she has been attempting to do since she married Viserys.
Fans have compared Alicent to Cersei since her first meeting with King Viserys in Episode 1. Last night’s episode showed that she is far worse than Cersei ever was. Unlike Cersei, though, Alicent is being manipulated by her father Otto who fans were not disappointed to see leave in Episode 4. While her father has stayed out of view since Viserys dismissed him, he never left the conversation, showing that even when he is gone he is still in control of his daughter.
The episode ends with Rhaenyra putting a dangerous plan into action that if successful would grant happiness to those involved. However, if it failed, it could very well destroy her entire family. After the outburst by Alicent, we finally see Rhaenyra willing to do whatever is necessary to protect her children and her title. Fans of the book will be surprised to see that the show made one major deviation from this plan in George R.R. Martin’s book. It perfectly sets up the final three episodes of Season 1 and leaves plenty to explore in Season 2.
Overall, this episode was my least favorite of Season 1. The overall tone was somber, the twist with Vhagar’s new rider was more than disappointing, and the episode was so dark visually it was almost impossible to see everything that was going on. It reminded me of Season 8 of Game of Thrones, which is not something that any fan wants to be reminded of. I am looking forward to seeing what the final three episodes have in store.
All-new episodes of House of The Dragon air Sundays at 9 P.M. ET on HBO and stream the same day on HBO Max.
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