Courtesy of HBO
The time has finally come. House of the Dragon episode has given us the 10 year time jump we have all been waiting for. Rhaenyra and Alicent will be portrayed by new actresses. Emma D'Arcy will portray Rhaenyra and Olivia Cooke will portray Alicent. They have high expectations to succeed because of Milly Alcock and Emily Carey's wonderful portrayals of the younger versions of their characters. Some things don't change with Paddy Considine as King Viscerys and Matt Smith as Daemon. It's a risk to do a 10 year time jump in any movie or show, but if you do it right it can be a great tool to tell a story. Does House of the Dragon do that in episode 6? Let's break it down.
Episode 6 starts with Rhaenyra giving birth to her third son. She is still married to Laenor but it's clear that the children aren't his. Alicent demands to see the child right away. Rhaenyra decides to make the long walk to Alicent's room immediately after giving birth to show no weakness. You can tell there is an underlined tension when they interact with each other. This tension only increases as the episode goes on.
We then see Viscerys who looks like a living corpse. It's astonishing how he is still alive and King of Westeros. Viscerys is happy to have another grandchild and is still naive to Rhaenyra's affairs. He is the only one naive to Rhaenyra's affairs. Everyone in King's Landing knows of Rhaenyra's affairs with the City Watch Commander Harwin Strong. Strong is the son of the King's Hand.
We meet both Alicent and Rhaenyra's children. They are training in the courtyard. Sir Criston sets up a matchup between Aegon and Jayce. Aegon is the more experienced fighter and proves that against Jayce. He goes a little bit too far causing Strong to stop the fight. He then gets in an altercation with Sir Criston and beats him up after Criston makes a comment about Rhaenyra's children being his. This causes Lyonel to resign as Hnad of the King but Viscerys doesn't accept it. Alicent grows madder throughout the episode. She meets with Lord Larys on a regular basis to discuss everything in King's Landing. Their relationship is an interesting one as it seems he is her right hand man.
We then see Daemon and his family. He is now married to Laena which was teased in the previous episode. They have two daughters and are about to have a third child. They are in a new house and are asked to stay at the house. If they stay, they will receive gold and the house will get to use their dragons. Laena is concerned about this idea as she wants to go back home and raise her children there. Daemon seems content there without having a big responsibility on his shoulders. Laena reminds him that he is more than that and was destined for greatness. Laena is giving birth but just like Queen Aemma it al goes wrong. The baby is dead and Laena will eventually die. Laena decides to choose the dragonrider's death of bring burned by her dragon. Daemon cries out wanting her to stop but doesn't make it in time as Laena's body is burned.
Harwin and Lyonel are headed back to House Strong. Larys has set up something with the criminals of King's Landing. They burn down House Strong killing Harwin and Lyonel. Lord Larys is the mastermind behind these attacks. Alicent hears the news and is shocked. This is not what she wanted. Larys ensures Alicent that this is what she wants. Rhaenyra and her family head back to Dragonstone to end the episode.
With a 10 year time jump, it can be hard for a show to remain in rhythm but House of the Dragon continues the rhythm and leaves you wanting more. The clash between Alicent and Rhaenyra will be must see TV. Once the King dies, the throne will be up for grabs between Alicent's son Aegon and Rhaenyra. There is always the wild card Daemon who can slither his way onto the throne somehow. Now that his wife is dead, he'll have more motivation than ever before. Next week's episode look great. It promises bloodshed, backstabbing, and politics which is what makes Thrones great.
Grade: A
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