It’s Jim and Kent this week to discuss this week’s episode of House of the Dragon titled “The Lord Of The Tides”. This was a great episode with a sad, but inevitable conclusion. We will discuss all the great, terrible, and hilarious moments of the week. Any comments in BOLD are made by Kent.
1. Do you think that there is at least a moment where Alicent thinks that she and Rhaenyra can actually be on the same side, or was this all lip service? Also, is Alicent so naive to think that Vis’ last wishes were gonna be random words while on the milk of the poppy?
Jim: This is a tough one to say. While I don’t know if she was ever at peace with the idea of trying to be on the same side, I think she was trying to make it work after Viserys’ dinner speech. Given that the King had pushed the idea of family unity, I believe she was going to honor it, in the hopes of keeping her family alive when Rhaenyra took the throne. Let’s be honest, they were never going to be friends again, but she was going to try and save face. (I wasn’t even considering the idea of her trying to save her and her family’s life, but that makes a lot of sense to me.)
To answer the second part, I don’t think she thought that he was just going to spout off randomness while under the influence. I just also don’t think she thought she would see a deathbed opportunity until she decided to seize it.
Kent: Yeah, I do think so. I think that there is a small period of time where I think that she believes that this can possibly work itself out and perhaps she and Rhaenyra can rebuild a bit. I can’t tell if Alicent is supposed to be liked or disliked, but I kinda like her.
To answer the second part…..she can’t be that naive. Otto would be proud of her if she was trying to manipulate the words. But she seems to just be like, well Vis is saying it, this must be what he wants and believes. For all the strides that her character has made, this just made her look foolish, in my opinion. I’d rather her be manipulative.
2. Who crossed the line more: Aegon or Aemond? Does Aemond look substantially older than Aegon?
Jim: It is clear that Aemond crossed the line more. While dickish, Aegon was playfully goading Jace, toying with him in boyish locker room style, whereas Aemond stuck a knife in the pulsing nerve in the room that was nearly put to bed. I laughed out loud though when his roasted pig came to the table, thinking that the scene would ease a little, until of course that toast. And yes, Aemond both looks and acts considerably older and more mature than Aegon. I think it’s because he has to take a hard, 2-dimensional look at life. (Dude, the roasted pig was the proverbial cherry on top.)
Kent: I think it is Aemond. Aegon is just a reckless drunk and he has no fucks to give. I don’t know if he really wants to nail her, if he is trying to piss off Helaena, trying to irk Jace, or perhaps all 3. I don’t know. But whatever. You can forgive it easier than someone trying to legit take your spot and your power and your claim. I’m saying that as if I was living then. Aemond looks older to me, and it is probably intentional to indicate that he has been training his ass off, not resting on his laurels because he’s not the firstborn. I imagine that Daemon and Corlys would even nod in their approval of that. He really looks so similar to Daemon in a lot of ways. I wonder if Vis ever had a hairstyle like Aegon currently has. I hope not.
3. Should Vaemond have gone as far as he did during the petition process? Was it more important to die telling the truth or to live under false authority?
Jim: Clearly he paid dearly by going as far as he did. However, he played the hand he thought he had, thinking that Alicent and Otto would be the ones passing judgment. After the ruling, he just decided he wouldn’t accept the decree, and went suicide by Daemon (although, I assume he thought he would just have a valiant fight with the guards before his death, not a tip of the cap by Daemon). (Yeah, I doubt that he expected that quick of a death in that manner. )
Kent: Yeah, he did the right things. If honor, family, and all of this regal stuff are that important, which it clearly is, then that is how you go out. You go out as the most honest man in the room. And you get taken out from behind so you feel no pain. If he is just going to live a miserable;e existence under Luke, and be too stupid to fake his own death to go live in Pentos, then getting killed after that mic drop was the best care scenario.
4. Did Rhaenys walk out of this whole situation as the biggest winner? If not, then who?
Jim: Given the last scene, and what we think we know about the Hightower line, it’s clear Alicent is the big winner, as she now has the fuel to try and take the throne for her family. Also speculating that there would be a considerable amount of people from Driftwood backing her, she seems poised to start the fight for the throne. (After seeing the name of the tenth episode, I can’t really argue with you.)
Kent: In an episode dominated by female victories, it should come as no surprise that they had a female director (Geeta Vasant Patel) and she did a wonderful job with it. I am torn here. Baela’s hair game was on point, and she seemed to be a good future wife. I liked everything that she did in this episode. Helaena…..more on that soon. But I think Rhaenys won the week. She starts the episode with her husband who has been badly wounded and has no true heir to speak of. She knows that he’s not getting the throne, nor does she want it. So Rhaenys used what little bit of power that she did have, and her wit, and managed to ensure that the bloodline will eventually sit on the throne again in future generations. That’s really what she wanted, I think. Who else really made out that well?
5. What the hell is Mysaria (Daemon’s ex) up to? Please speculate wildly.
Jim: Varys equivalency (including the lack of testes). She seems to be poised to be a gatherer of information and doling it out to the highest bidder or as she sees fit. I could see her as an anarchist who wants to see no throne, like the High Sparrow’s ideas from GoT, however rather than revolting, by planting and watering the seeds of chaos allowing the monarchy to overthrow itself. (I am all in on anything that involves chaos just for fun. I am excited about these upcoming scenes.)
Kent: I’ll say this. If you have been listening to the Kenter At Your Own Risk podcasts, you will know that it has been my theory that Mysaria would be a big-time player. Then I also took special recognition of Talya. I feel that both times, Chris dismissed these things as crazy ramblings from me. I get it. I focus on the wrong things 92% of the time. But these 2 ladies in the same mysterious scene give me hope. Mysaria wants this info for a reason, right? But why, and how does it benefit her? The biggest tidbit would obviously be Aegon raping Dyana. Will she pull a Larys and scheme her way to bigger things? I doubt it. Does she want some sort of vengeance against Daemon? Maybe. I think she will use this info and get it to Daemon when the time is right to make Aegon look like a bigger douche than he already is. I haven’t read the story, so I am fairly sure I am wrong here, but I think Aemond becomes the character that we have possibly expected Aegon to be earlier in the season. I see Aemond as the king and not Aegon. Mysaria may play a role in Aegon’s downfall, somehow. That’s the best guess that I have at the moment, and also my worst.
The “Willem Blackwood Award for Momentary Brilliance” – Better known as what our favorite moment or most absurd or unexpected moment of the show was for the week.
Jim: While I partially am on the line with Kent, it was the moment I realized that Halaena was married to Aegon. I found this out after the fact, reading about the episode, and it made the toast seem more ridiculous. Being married, one would think Aegon wouldn’t want her talking like that in front of him. He would, however, Blatantly hit on Baela in front of her, but it just gave a weirder tone to the toast once I realized that, as well as Alicent’s reaction to his assault earlier. However, he seemed to ignore the comment, which fit the description. Additional props to the long game joke of Aemond having the roast pig prior to blasting the Targaryens/Strongs. His BFD energy is spreading to his personality.
Kent: Helaena’s toast wins it for me. Okay, technically Mysaria and Talya sharing a scene together is a personal thing for me, but Helaena was just fantastic in her few seconds of screen time. “It isn’t so bad. Mostly he just ignores me.” One other moment that I wish to acknowledge that doesn’t really fit here is Daemon helping his brother up the steps and with the crown. That may have been the most oddly touching moment of the series so far for me.