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‘House of the Dragon’ Episode 8 is a Civil War rehearsal

October 10, 2022

For its eighth episode, Dragon House took a lesson from an HBO colleague. This summer, Repetition captivated audiences with its bizarre meta-setup, as star Nathan Fielder held elaborate rehearsals to prepare for life’s tough events.

So, with the death of a leader and a succession crisis looming – the epitome of a difficult life event –Dragon decided to try the same trick. In “Lord of the Tides”, Corlys Velaryon, the sea serpent and lord of Driftmark, is about to die due to battle wounds sustained in the Stepstones, and his plan of succession is not entirely clear: is Lucerys, the ostensible grandson of Corlys by Laenor, next in line? Or should Vaemond Velaryon, Corlys’ brother, get ahead of Lucerys because the latter is probably Harwin Strong’s son, not Laenor’s?

Dragon answers this question six years after “Driftmark”. The many Targaryen children have all grown up, and Rhaenyra and Daemon have two young boys of their own. But the same questions that have troubled the Red Keep since the mid-season time jump, if not earlier: Did Rhaenyra flaunt her privilege by giving birth to children out of wedlock? Will the people accept her as heir to the throne? And with Viserys’ failing health, they’re more urgent than they’ve ever been.

Driftmark Castle and the title of “Tidelord” are both significant in their own right, but in this case the feud doubles as a proxy fight for the even more crucial succession to the Iron Throne. As Rhaenyra puts it, “He intends to question the legitimacy of Luke, and by extension Jace, and by extension my own claim to the throne.”

Vaemond wants Driftmark for the sake of House Velaryon, but Alicent and Otto Hightower are counting on this paying proxy fight on a grander scale, with the Iron Throne as the prize. It’s a repeat for every time Viserys dies.

Alicent already runs things in King’s Landing, in all but name. “It’s not the king who sits on the Iron Throne these days, my good sister. She’s the queen,” Vaemond told Rhaenys in the episode’s opening scene. She and her father, the reinstated hand of the king, lead the meetings of the small council. They redecorate with seven-pointed stars to signify the Faith, whose headquarters are conveniently located in Oldtown, the prosperous seat of the Hightowers. They even “warmed up [Viserys’s] throne,” criticizes Rhaenyra – literally, in Otto’s case, as he sits in the large, mangled chair while the royal court is in session.

On the day of the hearing, Otto takes this powerful seat while the interested parties present their arguments, but a sudden commotion stirs the room: the doors of the throne room open and Viserys appears. With a golden mask covering half his face and a cane supporting his slow approach, he declares, “I will sit the throne today. He chases a knight offering his support, then tries to do so again when he stumbles on the steps – only to see his brother, Daemon, offer a helping hand after so many ups and downs in their brotherly relationship.

The whole procession – from the opening of the gates to the final placing of the crown by Daemon on Viserys’ head – is tender and a fitting tribute to Paddy Considine’s nuanced performance throughout the season. Between this sequence and Alicent’s arrival in Rhaenyra and Laenor’s pre-wedding feast, two of the DragonSo far, the best scenes have focused on people dramatically entering rooms.

For Viserys, the question of Driftmark’s legacy is actually not a question at all. The first line he utters after ascending the throne is: “I have to admit my confusion. I don’t understand why petitions are heard on a settled estate.

But Vaemond is not satisfied with this quick dismissal. “His children are bastardshe shouts about Rhaenyra, “and she’s a bitch.” These are the last words he will speak: Daemon defends his wife’s honor and cuts off Vaemond’s head with a single blow with his sword. Valyrian steel cuts cleanly.

(In RepetitionFielder’s experiments may have been ethically compromised, but at least they didn’t involve any decapitation.)

With Lucerys’ legitimacy – and by extension that of Jacaerys and Rhaenyra – reaffirmed, the family gathers for a group dinner, at Viserys’ request. The table hosts very little conversation before the king arrives; Alicent and Rhaenyra sit near the center, not speaking, Viserys’ empty chair forming a large symbolic space between them.

But the icy atmosphere thaws when the king takes his place and delivers a moving speech. “The crown cannot stand strong if the house of the dragon remains divided,” Viserys says in his best impression of Abraham Lincoln. “Lay aside your grievances, if not for the sake of the crown, at least for the sake of this old man who loves you all so dearly.”

At first, the family obeys. Rhaenyra, Alicent and some children toast; Alicent goes so far as to tell her former friend and current daughter-in-law, “You’ll make a beautiful queen.” The music plays and the room fills with laughter, genuine smiles – even from the still surly Otto – and a veritable dance of the dragons, as Jacaerys and Helaena trot through the room.

However, as soon as Viserys leaves the table – as soon as this “old man who loves [them] all so dear” leaves the room – Prince Aemond grabs the metaphorical mic and the fragile peace disintegrates. Let’s stress the timing again: as soon as Viserys leaves, his family exchanges reluctant smiles for fists.

Aemond, who has apparently grown (and aged) more than any of the other kids over the six-year jump, barely speaks in the episode until this point. He defeats Ser Criston in a practice fight, but as he tells the Knight Kingsguard, “I don’t care about tournaments.” He’s ready for the real thing.

So, with his dad gone, Aemond drops the forced Guy Fawkes smile he’d adopted for most of the episode and offers a final toast. “To the health of my nephews,” he said, “Jace, Luke and Joffrey. Each of them is beautiful, wise” – and here he stops and gives a slight nod, as if to indicate, yes, he wants to continue on this path – “strong. Let us empty our cups to these three strong boys. Or should it be “three strong boys” with a capital S, given the obvious double meaning behind his words?

Alicent and Rhaenyra’s two eldest boys – Aegon and Aemond on one side, Jace and Luke on the other – fall apart, before Daemon and the Knights separate them. The division of the house and its longstanding grievances reappear, too ingrained to melt with a few kind words and a meal.

And at the end of the episode, King Viserys of House Targaryen; the first of his name; King of the Andals, Rhoynar, and First Men; Lord of the Seven Kingdoms; and Protector of the Kingdom, takes what could be his last breath. If he did, the only thread that holds the two sides of the family together has broken and the repetition will give way to the real thing.

This is bad news for Rhaenyra, who is back in Dragonstone with her family at the end of the episode. For one thing, the rehearsal was not identical to the ongoing succession battle. Master of Laws Jasper “Ironrod” Wylde notes that in the case of Lucerys and Driftmark, “The Sea Serpent never officially named him heir, if it comes to that” – whereas Viserys officially named Rhaenyra and reiterated this decision over and over again. .

Still, with Alicent and Otto holding the reins of power in King’s Landing, that repeated statement might not matter. If Viserys hadn’t interfered and the Hightowers had succeeded, Vaemond Velaryon would probably still have his head and a giant castle to boot.

“If you want me to bear” the burden of the crown, Rhaenyra pleaded to her father in this episode, “then defend me and my children.” When this defender is gone, there may be nothing left to keep her in line with the throne or prevent the crown from descending into civil war.