I have watched yet another episode of this franchise which continues to amaze me. House of the Dragon is the best and most popular show being released at the moment and it is for very good reason. I along with 10s of millions of people wait until Sunday night throughout the week so that we can watch this show. I would like to talk about the events of episode 8 and its potential impact on the future of the show. There has been another time skip and it will also be the very last one as the show finally has all of its actors set for the future.
The most recent episode begins with us learning that Corlys was injured in the Stepstones and his brother wanted to take Driftmark from his brother’s “grandson” upon his death. This sets the plot for the episode as he tries to petition and ultimately fails. We all know that while he was technically right about everything, we still were laughing when Daemon sliced his head. Matt Smith’s one liners are beyond hilarious. The parentage of Rhaenyra’s children will likely continue to play a role in the story as it continues to circulate everywhere.
The other major plot point that we need to concern ourselves with is the king himself. Now that Viserys is dead, war is on the horizon. Alicent misinterpreting his last words was interesting and I just know that Paddy Considine will be winning something for his portrayal of this character. When the author tells you that you played a better version of a character that he wrote, that’s when you know just how great you are. Regardless, we are about to witness the consequences of his death in the next two weeks and the remaining seasons of the show. Now that Aegon is going to be crowned as king, we will see the House of the Dragon tear itself apart.
I would like to finish off by talking about Aegon and Aemond. We learn a lot about their personalities as they antagonize other people. We instantly learn how awful of a person Aegon is when we see the scene of that serving girl. It didn’t take long for the twitter world to descend upon him so quickly. I would like to congratulate his actor on his performance since he is evidently the new Joffrey. Aemond on the other hand is far too cool with the way he carries himself. I believe the casting for this was excellent and cannot wait to see what they do with these characters. Aemond’s animosity towards his family hasn’t gone unnoticed or away and it probably won’t anytime soon. I am excited to see what he will do throughout the remainder of the show. I am missing Prince Daeron however. We have yet to see the youngest son of the King and Queen and he has not even been mentioned in the show. I am glad that the author confirmed he’d appear in season 2 but that will happen years from now and I genuinely don’t get why he couldn’t have appeared even if only for a second. I am excited to see all of their dragons however. There were very powerful scenes and dialogue in this episode that I know this show will continue to provide to us fans in the next two weeks and years to come.
Mustafa,
I was waiting for someone to do a HOTD analysis for their blog, and yours did not disappoint. I am one of those people who are suckers for fantasy world building, and because of this, I have always wanted to read A Song of Ice and Fire and with it, watch GOT. So when I saw advertisements and anticipation videos for HOTD, I knew I had to watch this one. Unfortunately, I do not have an HBO subscription and have only recently, finally picked up the books, but I always tell myself that within the next year I will buy a month of HBO and binge everything at once. Your blog reminded me of this promise to myself, as well as reaffirmed my first impressions of the casting with specific statements like: “the casting for this was excellent” and “When the author tells you that you played a better version of a character than he wrote, that’s when you know just how great you are.” I think that the best time for this binge will be over spring break, and I hope the overwhelmingly positive reputation that HOTD has continues until then.
-Anton
Hi Mustafa! Though i have never watch the Game of Thrones or anything related to it, I have always found it interesting and maybe this was the push I needed to get into it! I gained a little understanding of the characters and their personalities, though I do fail to see how someone getting their head chopped off could be funny but maybe thats something I will not understand until I watch. Your post has left me with so many questions that I am dying to have answered. For one, what are the Stepstones and how did they injure Corlys? Who or what is Driftmark? Why is grandson in quotation marks? This plot seems very layered and I am sure all the characters have elaborate backstories that would be impossible to explain in one sitting. This show reminds me of the Hunger games prequel movie that is coming out in 2023, long after the Hunger Game trilogy premiered. Is that something you would be interested in watching as well? I enjoyed reading at the House of the Dragon in this post and hope to join you and the millions of other viewers soon!