After 10 episodes of betrayal, subterfuge,
plotting, rampant incest, and numerous murders, the first season of "House of
the Dragon" ends with big things looming on the horizon. Here's what went down.
"House of the Dragon" Season 1 depicts much of King Viserys Targaryen's tenure
as King of Westeros — a tenure that, for the most part, is a time of peace in the realm.
We see the questionable circumstances under which
Viserys wins the crown over his more qualified cousin. We see the
decisions that lead to his family slowly falling apart, and we see his ugly death.
With the old king gone, the Blacks and the Greens are free to battle it out for the
Iron Throne. However, is that the only legacy that Viserys is to leave behind?
When he announces the king's death to the small council, Otto Hightower refers to him
as "Viserys the Peaceful." It's a fitting title. Aside from the frequent fighting
with the Triarchy in the Stepstones, no major conflicts seem to occur under Viserys' rule.
Still, the king's legacy isn't simply one of peace. Though the realm remains
united throughout his reign, his own house begins to crumble. Viserys never
really earns forgiveness for his part in the death of his first wife, Queen Aemma,
and the man we see at the end of Season 1 is barely a man at all — more a wisp
of one trying desperately to believe that all will be right after his death.
"What will they say of me when the histories are written?"
To King Viserys' credit, he never falters from his conviction that
Rhaenyra should be queen after him, despite the urges from others to name Aegon heir.
However, the longtime Hand of the King Otto Hightower has other plans,
which begin with him matching his own daughter with Viserys and end with him
arranging for Prince Aegon to be named king after Viserys' death.
As Alicent learns at the small council meeting,
her father and his allies have been planning to usurp Rhaenyra's birthright for years. Her
misunderstanding of Viserys' final words — meant to confirm Rhaenyra as his heir but
interpreted as a desire for Aegon to rule — is helpful to that end but hardly necessary.
Otto would probably have pushed to install Aegon regardless,
and given how Alicent has acted throughout the season, it's unlikely that she would have
resisted. Not even the brutal killing of Lord Beesbury by Ser Criston Cole
or her father's executions of political dissidents are enough to sway Alicent.
Though it's brought about by schemes,
Aegon's coronation almost feels inevitable when it happens. As Princess Rhaenys says,
"Men would sooner put the realm to the torch than see a woman ascend the Iron Throne."
Otto claims to be serving the realm, but he just wants his progeny to rule.
While Alicent feels conflicted, her sense of duty compels her to support her son's claim.
Most of "House of the Dragon" Episode 9 concerns the frantic hunt for Prince Aegon after King
Viserys' death. Apparently, the young prince has no interest in ruling the Seven Kingdoms,
which would seem to suit his younger brother Aemond just fine. However, both Otto and Alicent
are determined to seat Aegon on the throne, and they eventually track him down to do just that.
Though hesitant at first, Aegon responds quite positively to the
bows and cheers he receives at his coronation. That newfound sense of
power and importance is sure to be bad news for the realm, however.
Aegon's list of known crimes includes multiple instances of sexual assault,
patronizing child fighting rings in King's Landing, and being an
all-around horrible monster. The images of him lifting his sword as king are sure to
conjure unfavorable comparisons to "Game of Thrones" characters like Joffrey Baratheon.
With the crown on his head, Aegon's behavior will likely grow even more harmful. Alicent expresses
frustration and even rage at her son throughout Season 1, but at this point, would anything
compel her to denounce him? For now, Alicent seems locked in a trap that she helped build.
King Aegon II coronation is cut short by a surprise appearance from Princess Rhaenys on
dragonback. As the coronation takes place within the Dragonpit, it's a simple thing
for her to sneak away, climb aboard Meleys, and smash through the floorboards to escape. Sure,
there are thousands of innocent people in the way, many of whom are likely killed during the
incident, but that seems to be beside the point for the Queen Who Never Was.
Despite the violence of her appearance, Rhaenys chooses not to kill any of the
Greens. Instead, she simply flies off to Dragonstone to warn Rhaenyra,
ultimately allying herself and the Velaryon fleet to Rhaenyra's side.
One of the most powerful moments in the "House of the Dragon" Season 1 finale is Rhaenyra's own
coronation, where she dons the same crown that her father wore. While all others present bend
their knees to the queen, Rhaenys remains standing, looking on with obvious pride.
Rhaenyra accomplishes that which Rhaenys was blocked from doing herself
so many years before. Though she briefly considers allying herself with the Greens,
the princess refuses to embrace Alicent's belief that women must remain in the background.
No one has a wilder journey through "House of the Dragon" Season 1 than
Daemon Targaryen. He starts off as the King's bitter younger brother,
only interested in ascending to the Iron Throne himself. When his mocking of Viserys' dead son
gets him banished, he steals a dragon egg and claims Dragonstone as his own.
He eventually winds up fighting in the Stepstones,
grooms his niece like a full-on predator, murders his wife, remarries, loses his second wife,
and ultimately marries Rhaenyra. For just 10 episodes, it's an impressive tale of treachery.
The question that still lingers, however, is whether or not Daemon can actually be
trusted. The finale of Season 1 shows him clashing with Rhaenyra on several issues.
He wants to go straight to war and use their greater dragon numbers to beat the Greens
into submission, but Rhaenyra pushes for a less violent solution — at least at first.
When she brings up Aegon's prophecy for why peaceful methods should be embraced,
Daemon flips out, choking her and telling her that
Viserys' historical obsessions were only delusions of grandeur.
"Dreams didn't make us kings. Dragons did."
Though he's currently on Rhaenyra's side, this moment of aggression is
a grim reminder of the kind of person Daemon really is. He's a power-hungry
murderer with an inferiority complex who married his niece for clout. How
much longer should Rhaenyra trust him — and what else might he do for the throne?
Daemon Targaryen is right about one thing at the very least — the war between Alicent Hightower's
regime and Rhaenyra's faction will come down to whose dragons are stronger. At the very
end of "House of the Dragon" Season 1, we get a dark glimpse at what that could look like.
Rhaneyra sends her son Lucerys alone as an envoy to Storm's
end to try to secure the Baratheons as allies. However, when he arrives,
Prince Aemond is already there, along with his massive dragon Vhagar.
When Lucerys leaves, Aemond pursues, leading to a tense chase through a storm offshore. In the end,
neither rider is able to fully control their mount,
leading to Lucerys and Arrax perishing in Vhagar's gaping maw.
A tragedy in its own right, Lucerys' death also shows just how dangerous the Greens
could become. Sure, Rhaenyra and Daemon have the numbers when it comes to dragons by a lot,
but that doesn't guarantee them a victory.
"Dragonstone has 13 to their 4. I also have a score of eggs incubating in the Dragonmont."
Well, make that 12. It's hard to imagine any dragon, even Caraxes or Meleys, standing up
against Vhagar. That may be why Daemon starts trying to recruit the remaining riderless dragons,
beginning with Vermithor, the next largest after Vhagar and the former mount of King Jaehaerys I.
Turns out, a little Valyrian singing is all it takes to win the dragon's heart.
Before her son Lucerys is killed, Rhaenyra seems hesitant to engage in an all-out war
against the Greens. Since "House of the Dragon" Season 1 ends the moment
she learns of the murder, we don't quite know yet how it may change her plans.
Regardless of her heightened rage, much of Rhaenyra's original plan will likely play
out unaltered. Lord Corlys and the Velaryon fleet can still put King's Landing under naval siege,
though that might be tricky with Vhagar and the Greens' other dragons flying about.
At the same time, Rhaenyra still needs more allies to make a war feasible,
which is why Prince Jacaerys' mission to the North is so critical. The Arryns and
the Starks are hugely important during the original "Game of Thrones" timeline,
and they could enter the "House of the Dragon" story in a big way in Season 2.
At its core, "House of the Dragon" Season 1 is a story about patriarchy.
It's a story about two women who grow up as friends and are torn apart by the society
they live in — one that demands that men rule while women stand in the background.
At the behest of her father, Alicent Hightower buys into this world and makes herself a part
of it, believing it's the only way she can have a positive effect. Rhaenyra takes the
opposite approach, putting everything on the line to assert her own right to rule as a woman.
Where Alicent prioritizes duty above all else, her friend and rival prioritizes loyalty. Where
Rhaenyra believes in progress, Alicent believes in maintaining peace through the status quo.
To both of them, Princess Rhaenys represents a beautiful "what-if" — a woman who could and
should have been put on the Iron Throne, but whose birthright was rejected by an oppressive
society. When Alicent invites Rhaenys to join her in the fight against Rhaenyra, she rejects her.
"You desire not to be free, but to build a window in the wall of your prison."
For all her flaws, Rhaenyra dares to dream of a better world,
which is why Rhaenys chooses to ally herself, her dragons, and her fleet to Rhaenyra's cause.
Aegon the Conqueror's dream, referred to by Viserys as the Song of Ice and Fire,
looms large over everything that happens in "House of the Dragon"
Season 1. It's the thing that makes Viserys believe that his reign might
yet be legendary — the idea that he alone is preserving protection for the realm.
He clearly believes in Aegon's prophecy, and he makes Rhaenyra believe it too.
When she's crowned as Queen, the conviction that only a Targaryen
can defend the realm from darkness is still at the forefront of her mind.
Given what happens in "Game of Thrones" Season 8, this is a curious thing to focus on. The prophecy
of the "prince that was promised" is thought to be fulfilled by Daenerys Targaryen and Jon Snow,
but neither of them is the one to actually kill the Night King and
end the White Walkers' rampage. That honor falls to Arya Stark.
With this in mind, it's hard to see Rhaenyra's belief in the
prophecy as anything other than misguided. Yet,
it's a good enough reason for her to prepare for war, even before the death of her son.
Though Aegon II is indeed a Targaryen,
he represents a new line spawned by the Hightowers. All the old Valyrian blood is
allied against him. Perhaps that means they also have the power of fate on their side.
Rhaenyra asks her council on Dragonstone in the "House of the Dragon" Season 1 finale,
“As Queen, what is my true duty to the realm, Lord Bartimos? Ensuing peace and unity,
or that I sit the Iron Throne no matter the cost?"
She says that using dragons in the war will lead to a land of bone and ash,
to counter her uncle-husband Daemon's warmongering. Ever the thoughtful and
strategic leader, Rhaenyra clearly takes the safety and well-being of
Westeros seriously. So the question remains — what is her duty as queen?
Is it to ensure the least possible bloodshed? If so,
then bending the knee to Aegon II might be the best course of action. Doing so would
prevent war and certainly save the lives of countless civilians and foot soldiers.
However, one must also consider Aegon himself — a cruel young man with no sense of decency or
honor to speak of. Then there's the fact that only Rhaenyra fully understands the
Song of Ice and Fire, which compels her to maintain her claim to the Iron Throne.
For Alicent Hightower, the duty of a Queen is maintaining a peaceful status quo while
protecting your family at all costs. Rhaenyra seems to have a more holistic view of things,
but that's before her son Lucerys is killed by Aemond and Vhagar.
Perhaps now, her duty as a mother and a warrior may supersede her
distaste for violence. Her world is full of power-hungry schemers and corrupt aristocrats,
but we've yet to see exactly what kind of queen she will be.
All in all, "House of the Dragon" Season 1 leaves a lot of loose ends
blowing in the wind. In retrospect, the whole saga feels like a setup for the
real story — the Dance of the Dragons itself — which will begin in Season 2.
HBO officially ordered Season 2 early on in Season 1's run,
so there's no doubt that it's coming. However,
according to series co-creator Ryan Condal, filming for Season 2 won't begin until 2023.
When it does return, we may see some new faces, including ancestors of some "Game
of Thrones" favorites. There are also sure to be plenty of dragon-on-dragon battles as
the conflict heats up, and yeah, a lot more incest as well. There are several
engagements currently in the works, and yup, most of them are between relatives.
"You Targaryens do have queer customs."