Season 1 of House of the Dragon sets up the finale in its penultimate episode this Sunday, with the Green Council usurping the Iron Throne behind Rhaenyra’s back.
Aegon, the second of his name, is crowned king, but applause soon turns into fear and pandemonium when Rhaenys breaks through the floorboards upon Meleys. Lady Driftmark, with one single word and a tornado of dragon fire, could have ended the Dance of the Dragons one episode early, but she chooses to be merciful.
But did she choose mercy because Alicent’s words, much like her father’s manipulative prompts, won her over ?
That doesn’t sound feasible since Rhaenys has repeatedly shown her loyalty to Rhaenyra. She even mentioned in episode 9 how her House is not fickle enough to change her allegiance so easily.
Rhaenys flies off towards Dragonstone after sparing the lives of Greens’. The Targaryen Princess will bring Rhaenyra and Daemon the news of the King’s death and the Green Council’s most treacherous scheme. And then the finale will bring us one step closer to the bloodshed Dance of the Dragons has promised fans.
Rhaenys didn’t deal the final blow because the Queen Who Never Was knows how it feels to lose what’s rightfully yours.
She wants to give the rightful heir a chance to take back her throne from Aegon and the Greens, let Rhaenyra be the one to exact her revenge and take back what’s hers – something Rhaenys didn’t do.
Rhaenys’ destruction of the Dragonpit atop Meleys and the blood spill when the pandemonium ensued serve as an ominous preview of the bloody drama and mind-boggling politics which will follow in the Dance of the Dragons.
Episode 9 may have focused solely on the Greens, but it also marked out those loyal to the Blacks, including Rhaenys, Lord Commander Westerling, and Ser Arryk. The White worm is playing it safe, but as we know, Mysaria proves a reliable and necessary asset to the Blacks in the civil war.
Episode 9’s ending and Meleys entry from beneath the Dragonpit also marked the fulfillment of the second prophecy foretold by Helaena. Her warning about Aemond came true soon after she told it, and the “beast beneath the boards” was as literal as the first prophecy.
Both prophecies are now fulfilled, and fans await Helaena’s other predictions to warn them against the tragedies House of the Dragon must face.
Will her prophecy warn Lucerys against his uncle, who, according to Fire and Blood, commits the first Targaryen murder when Aemond kills his nephew? Or will it be something else?
Episode 10 will focus on the Blacks, as Episode 9 did on Green Council, and mark the beginning of the Dance of Dragons in earnest which season 2 will tackle – hopefully soon. The finale will air on HBO Max next Sunday, marking the end of season 1 of House of the Dragon.
About House Of The Dragon
House of the Dragon is the prequel series to HBO’s blockbuster Game of Thrones based on George R. R. Martin’s book Fire & Blood.
Set three hundred years before the events of Game of Thrones, House of the Dragon will show Westeros under the Targaryen family’s rule before the dragons went extinct. It will follow the Dance of the Dragons, the Targaryen civil war between siblings Aegon II and Rhaenyra, who fought for the throne after the death of their father, Viserys I.
Directed by Ryan Condall and Miguel Sapochnik, the show stars Paddy Considine as Viserys I Targaryen, Emma D’Arcy as Rhaenyra Targaryen, Olivia Cooke as Alicent Hightower, Matt Smith as Daemon Targaryen, Tom Glynn-Craney as Aegon II Targaryen, Rhys Ifans as Otto Hightower, Steve Toussaint as Corlys Velaryon, Eve Best as Rhaenys Velaryon, Sonoya Mizuno as Mysaria, Fabien Frankel as Criston Cole, and Graham McTavish.
Source: HBOMax
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