House of the Dragon Episode 8 Review: Viserys’ Final Game of Thrones

House of the Dragon episode 8 — out now on HBO Max and Disney+ Hotstar — is titled “The Lord of the Tides”. That’s as a result of it is largely targeted on deciding who will inherit the throne of Driftmark, what with Lord Corlys “Sea Snake” Velaryon (Steve Toussaint) believed to be gravely injured. (It’s a bit bizarre that the Game of Thrones prequel spin-off collection has primarily killed one in every of its foremost forged members solely off-screen. Thanks, time jumps.) In some methods, House of the Dragon episode 8 might’ve been referred to as “The Lord of the Undercurrents”. While everybody concerned can really feel it, practically nobody has the audacity to confess {that a} battle is inevitable and across the nook. This is, when you can time period it as such, the calm earlier than the inevitable storm.

And what a wierd tension-filled calm it’s. Six years have handed for the reason that occasions of House of the Dragon episode 7. King Viserys Targaryen (Paddy Considine) is a shadow of his former self. Half his face is gone, he is kind of bedridden, and he is surviving on the milk of the poppy — which stems the immense ache he feels. In his absence, the Hightowers are mainly the brand new rulers: Queen Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke), and her Hand of the King father, Ser Otto Hightower (Rhys Ifans). And given the Velaryon family has stronger ties to wife-husband Princess Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy) and Prince Daemon (Matt Smith) — each have been married to the Sea Snake’s kids — the Hightowers are naturally not inclined to let the usual guidelines of inheritance apply to Driftmark.

Rather than taking issues by fireplace and blood, as was the case in episode 7, political machinations and again dealings are the secret in House of the Dragon episode 8. The Hightowers have invited “petitions” that might be heard within the Red Keep, and for the reason that scales of energy tilt of their favour at the moment — the Hand of the King speaks on the King’s behalf when he’s indisposed — they’re sure of dealing a heavy blow to Rhaenyra. Holding Driftmark offers you management over the Seven Kingdoms’ greatest fleet, in any case. Add to that Alicent’s thirdborn Prince Aemond (Ewan Mitchell) profitable Vhagar to their trigger in episode 7, and that will make them formidable. Rhaenyra understands this too — which is why she units off for King’s Landing without delay after getting phrase.

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Wil Johnson as Ser Vaemond Velaryon in House of the Dragon episode 8
Photo Credit: Ollie Upton/HBO

Said phrase comes from Daemon’s daughter, Lady Baela (Bethany Antonia), at Driftmark. (Baela has change into a ward of her grandmother within the years since episode 7.) House of the Dragon episode 8 opens there, with Sea Snake’s youthful brother, Ser Vaemond Velaryon (Wil Johnson), making his case for why he needs to be the brand new lord of Driftmark ought to Corlys not make it. I’ve to confess, I needed to look his identify up. Vaemond has barely been within the present — that is partly an issue of leaping years, with characters not getting sufficient display screen time — and out of the blue, he is entrance and centre, vying for a strong seat. Like, who’re you? Princess Rhaenys Targaryen (Eve Best) warns her brother-in-law that his phrases are treason, however Vaemond is safe within the data that it is the Queen who guidelines nowadays.

Alicent is so busy doing the ruling that she would not even have time to greet her visitors, Rhaenyra and Daemon. Though that’s the extra charitable model. The two childhood greatest pals do not see eye to eye anymore — and issues ended very badly final time round. In truth, when they’re reunited on House of the Dragon episode 8, Alicent’s eyes drift in direction of Rhaenyra’s left arm, the place the scar has healed however stays seen. Rather than being a second of concession, the reunion finally ends up being spicy, with accusations levelled forwards and backwards. Given the state of her king father, Rhaenyra feels the Hightowers are occupying the Iron Throne with no legitimacy. She’s the inheritor in any case. Alicent protests that Viserys is guiding them from his mattress. Who do you select to consider?

Daemon’s chuckle at that second in House of the Dragon episode 8 says all of it. After all, it is clear who’s really calling the photographs. The resolution Alicent — with steering from her father, Otto — makes right here is basically a mirrored image on the larger image. If you overlook a son’s proper to inheritance (on this case, Prince Lucerys, Rhaenyra’s son and the Sea Snake’s grandson in identify if not blood) since you need somebody who’s in your favour (on this case, Vaemond the man who’s barely been within the present), you are setting a harmful precedent. Sure, you are serving to your individual trigger down the road — Rhaenyra the chosen inheritor vs Alicent’s firstborn Aegon — nevertheless it additionally opens you as much as questioning and suspicion from different lords sooner or later.

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Emma D’Arcy as Rhaenyra Targaryen in House of the Dragon episode 8
Photo Credit: Ollie Upton/HBO

For Rhaenyra, the petitions are a deep affront. The Targaryen Princess sees this as a questioning of her personal legitimacy to say the Iron Throne — if her kids are ignored for the Driftmark seat, what does that say about who wields final energy? At night time, Rhaenyra visits her ailing father as soon as extra, half praying to the gods to present him power to supervise the proceedings. But within the morning, because the petitions are heard within the Great Hall, there is no signal of Viserys. Instead, it is Otto who sits on the Iron Throne. As Vaemond Velaryon make his case in House of the Dragon episode 8, Rhaenyra is visibly annoyed. She may be the inheritor to the Iron Throne, however within the second, she’s completely powerless.

Then, the temper within the Great Hall shifts solely because the doorways open. In walks Viserys — clutching onto a cane, the King of the Seven Kingdoms slowly makes his option to the Iron Throne. Otto, Alicent, and Vaemond trade glances, figuring out that is going to spill chilly water on their plans. Viserys’ frailty is obvious for all to see in House of the Dragon episode 8, and he can barely maintain the crown on his head, however as soon as he makes it to the opposite finish of the room, it is clear that just one man’s voice issues now. The King notes that since Corlys is out injured, the most effective individual to talk on his behalf could be his spouse, Rhaenys.

Instead of constructing a case for herself as she had advised earlier, Rhaenys publicly agrees to the wedding proposals set out by Rhaenyra in personal earlier within the episode. It’s sensible. Instead of undermining herself in entrance of Viserys who’s all by the ebook, The Queen Who Never Was reveals that she is aware of how one can play the sport of thrones. However, her brother-in-law Vaemond is not having it. He goes on a rampage, calls Rhaenyra the W-word and her kids the B-word. Forget the insults; that is treasonous, particularly given how Viserys reacted in House of the Dragon episode 7. As you would possibly count on, the King will get up and calls for Velaryon’s tongue. But Daemon is 2 steps forward, as he beheads Vaemond from behind. And similar to that, the man we barely knew is gone.

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Ewan Mitchell as Aemond Targaryen in House of the Dragon episode 8
Photo Credit: Ollie Upton/HBO

That night time over dinner, the ailing Viserys does his greatest to bridge the variations between his spouse and his daughter. (House of the Dragon episode 8 units this scene up with a pleasant shot of the literal gulf between the Queen and the inheritor — which is appropriately stuffed by the King.) And for some time, his phrases work. Rhaenyra and Alicent acknowledge every others’ efforts. Even Rhaenyra’s kids get in on the act, doing their greatest to say one thing good about their uncles, Alicent’s boys. Satisfied with what he is seeing, Viserys asks for music, which ends up in a dance between one in every of Rhaenyra’s boys and Alicent’s solely woman. It’s a short trace of a union between the 2 warring factions. As he is carried away owing to his ache, the King thinks he is performed his responsibility.

But, clearly, that was all an act. Alicent’s boys are naturally extra bitter, given Rhaenyra and her household will sit on all of the thrones. Having beforehand mocked them over their marriages, Aemond — the boy who turned Vhagar’s new dragonrider in House of the Dragon episode 7 — makes a last speech. He chooses his phrases cleverly, calling Rhaenyra’s boys “strong” whereas implying something else entirely. As the youngsters start to battle, they’re separated and despatched to their chambers. Rhaenyra then tells Alicent that they may depart for Dragonstone within the morning — she obtained what she got here for — though they solely simply arrived.

As Alicent attends to her king husband after the contentious dinner, Viserys begins to babble in regards to the “song of ice and fire”. He’s speaking in regards to the dream that Aegon the Conqueror had — a imaginative and prescient a couple of lengthy night time when invaders will arrive from the North — whose particulars have been handed down technology to technology, from one Targaryen ruler to the subsequent. But the Queen misunderstands him, considering he is speaking about their son Aegon (II) because the “prince that was promised” and the “one to unite the realm.” It’s clear that Alicent goes to make use of these phrases to ascertain her son’s credentials later. Rhaenyra may need heard the complete factor (when Viserys was sober and in his senses), nevertheless it’s her phrase in opposition to Alicent’s now.

And with the King respiratory his final in House of the Dragon episode 8, the brittle peace he struggled to take care of appears to be like set to fade any second.

House of the Dragon episode 8 is now streaming on Disney+ Hotstar in India, and HBO Max wherever obtainable. New episodes launch each Monday at 6:30am IST/ Sunday at 9pm ET.