House of the Dragon Recap Season 1 Episode 8 - The Lord of the Tides

Even though we all know the conflicts we’ve been watching all season can’t end well, this episode brought me right to the precipice of optimism. It won’t be enough after so many years of strife, but let’s take a look at what happened before next episode really kicks off the Targaryen civil war in earnest.

Driftmark

Rhaenys learns of life-threatening injuries sustained by Corlys in the rekindled wars in the Stepstones; Vaemond wants to discuss the succession plan for the Driftwood Throne. While Rhaenys plans to stick with their original plan of passing the seat of House Velaryon to Lucerys, Vaemond is pushing his own case and threatens to involve Queen Alicent.

We may not visit the Stepstones in detail again without an enemy as camera-friendly as the Crabfeeder, but the impact of the Throne’s negligence towards that region is now being felt. Corlys was the member of House Velaryon most intent on treating Rhaenyra’s children as Laenor’s children despite any evidence to the contrary. Rhaenys doesn’t like the idea of Vaemond taking over, but she hadn’t shown a lot of fondness towards Rhaenyra before Laenor was evidently killed. Even if Corlys survives what sounds like an infected wound, he’s positioned to be absent for some big shifts of power in the near future.

Dragonstone

Exploring some caves on Dragonstone, Daemon finds a clutch of three eggs laid by Syrax and hands them to the Dragonkeepers. As Jace is determinedly studying High Valyrian and Westerosi history, Rhaenyra and Daemon read a letter sent to them from Baela, who is warding with Rhaenys at High Tide. Concerned about possible scheming between Vaemond and Otto Hightower and hoping to solidify Rhaenys’s support, they decide to leave for King’s Landing.

A couple people have asked me about the reproductive cycle of dragons, and while I’m not an expert, Daemon’s reaction here suggests three new eggs is a pretty exciting development. Eggs are only laid by female dragons, though there has been some speculation that under conditions stressful to the species dragons may be able to change gender like the velociraptors in Jurassic Park. The books suggest Syrax was responsible for producing a LOT of eggs, including those that hatched and bonded with her children. Coupled with the reveal of Rhaenrya’s and Daemon’s youngest sons, Aegon and Viserys, the discovery is not only fortuitous but potentially crucial if a war breaks out after the children and the dragons have matured.

King’s Landing

Rhaenyra and Daemon arrive to find a dramatically different Red Keep, with Targaryen imagery replaced by symbols of the Faith of the Seven. They’re announced by the Kingsguard, but receive a welcome only from Lord Caswell. They proceed to visit King Viserys, who seems to be bedridden and weaker of mind and body than ever. After informing him of Corlys’s condition, they ask him if he can help affirm Luke’s claim before introducing their two children, Aegon and Viserys. After greeting his newest grandsons, the King falls back onto his bed and asks for his tea, which Daemon inspects.

The Small Council is now being run by Queen Alicent, with Otto as Hand, Lord Jasper Wylde as Master of Laws, Orwyle as Grand Maester, and Lord Beesbury still acting as Master of Coin. They discuss the matter of succession in Driftmark, but only Lord Beesbury seems opposed to considering candidates beyond Lucerys Velaryon.

I had mostly forgotten about Lord Caswell, but he also congratulated Rhaenyra on the birth of Joffrey way back in Episode 6. House Caswell is a prominent house in the Reach with a castle at Bitterbridge, a site of fierce fighting in the last Targaryen civil war between Maegor the Cruel and his cousin, Aegon (oh look, another one!). They aren’t nearly as wealthy or influential as other houses in the Reach like the Hightowers, Tyrells, or even Redwynes, but if the Blacks want to find allies in that region they need to start somewhere. The Small Council, meanwhile, seems to have devolved into exactly what you’d expect when Rhaenyra chose to leave town after the Strongs headed back to Harrenhal.

Erryk Cargyll, a member of the Kingsguard, is mistaken by the Queen for his twin brother Arryk before informing the Queen of an incident in the Prince’s apartments. We learn he’s referring to a serving girl Aegon raped, and Alicent pays the girl off to remain silent before providing her with some moon tea to avoid any future complications. Neither Alicent nor her daughter and Aegon’s wife, Helaena, are able to make him express remorse or acknowledge any fault.

I don’t think I understand why this scene was important. It’s our introduction to the twin members of the Kingsguard Arryk and Erryk Cargyll, but Alicent’s actions here only show us that her oldest son is a useless trash person and that she’s willing to level threats and spend money to avoid problems despite her outwardly pious appearance.

Don’t blame Alicent, your parents named identical twins Erryk and Arryk! How can you even tell she used the wrong name?

Finally meeting with Rhaenyra and Daemon, Alicent defends their use of milk of the poppy to ease the King’s pain and her choice of décor in the Red Keep.

Vaemond Velaryon arrives in King’s landing with a retinue and discusses his appeal with Alicent and Otto, who are clearly receptive and open to displacing Corlys and Rhaenys entirely. The Lady of Driftmark is visited in the godswood by Rhaenyra, who swears she had nothing to do with killing or arranging the death of Laenor. To secure an alliance, Rhaenyra proposes marrying Jace to Baela and making her Queen of the Seven Kingdoms when he ascends the throne. Still skeptical of the Princess’s motivations, Rhaenys plans to stand alone in the looming succession hearing.

Jace and Luke return to the training yard, but Luke can’t ignore the number of people staring at them. After some brief reminiscing, they watch Aemond sparring with Criston Cole. Their uncle has developed considerably since we last saw him, and now seems at least an even match for a member of the Kingsguard, winning his session with Criston before acknowledging his nephews.

Meet the new Aemond Targaryen! His older brother seems utterly useless, but Aemond seems to have passed him in both maturity and, oddly, age. Having claimed Vhagar and grown up, he gives off some serious “don’t mess with me” vibes.
Rhaenyra’s appeal to Rhaenys isn’t particularly subtle, but she doesn’t have time to move delicately. Withdrawing from the center of politics when your claim is regularly challenged might not have been the best move. Her proposal of marrying Jace to Baela is a strong one, and would seem to satisfy many of the needs Rhaenys and Corlys share. Also worth noting if you subscribe to the “Greenseer Larys” theory (mild spoilers): this conversation and the mention of Laenor take place in front of a weirwood tree. It seems like Rhaenyra and Daemon haven’t told the Velaryons what really happened to their son, but maybe they’ll be able to work around it.

Later that Night

Rhaenyra visits her father in the middle of the night and asks about his belief in the Song of Ice and Fire, admitting his decision to name her heir puts the realm in a weaker position against a future attack. Having second thoughts in the face of constant challenges to her legitimacy, she begs Viserys to help defend her and her family. While the Maesters are treating his wounds the next morning, Viserys asks Otto to arrange a supper for the entire family before turning down an offer of milk of the poppy.

The Next Day

“I’m not power hungry, I just love the way this throne of swords feels when I sit on it!”

Otto is taking the King’s place and hearing claims for the succession in Driftmark. Vaemond states his case first, petitioning based on his position as closest kin to Corlys and true Velaryon blood. Rhaenyra begins to challenge based on the Velaryon blood in Luke’s veins and Vaemond’s blatant ambition when Viserys arrives on his cane. The King makes his way slowly to the Iron Throne and is helped up the final couple of steps by Daemon, who sets the crown on his brother’s head. Expressing confusion over what was a settled matter, he defers to Rhaenys, who throws her support in with Lucerys and announces the proposed marriages of Baela to Jace and Rhaena to Luke. Vaemond challenges the use of precedent to support Luke’s claim when the King has set precedent aside in naming Rhaenyra his heir, then loses his composure and calls Jace and Luke bastards and Princess Rhaenyra a whore. As he prepares to continue arguing, Daemon cuts most of his head off in a single swing, eliciting a look of admiration from Aemond. Succession settled, the King receives assistance leaving the throne room.

Otto’s actions as Hand of the King here aren’t at all out of line, which really makes you wonder about Viserys’s choice to backfill Loras’s position even more. His dramatic entrance in this scene leaves nothing to be desired, though. Even a long, presumably painful walk to the Iron Throne couldn’t stop him from spiking Vaemond’s appeal like a volleyball, and the assistance he received from Daemon was genuinely touching. The younger Velaryon brother probably should have known he’d be forced to explicitly question Luke’s legitimacy if he’s making a case based on bloodlines, but maybe the Viserys curveball pushed him over the edge. Either way, he should have been keeping an eye on Daemon after calling his wife and niece a whore. That is not someone you want to insult and then turn your back to.

Later that Night

The gathered family rises for the King’s arrival to the table, and Alicent leads a prayer before dinner starts. Aegon tries to provoke Jace with jokes about his sexual prowess, and before tensions can escalate, Viserys stands, removes his mask to reveal one empty eye socket and more gaping wounds, and asks the family to set aside their grievances for his sake if for no other reason. Rhaenyra stands to toast Queen Alicent for her loyalty to the King and apologize for the disagreements responsible for the distance between them. Alicent thanks her, rises, and toasts to Rhaenyra and her house, saying she will make a fine queen.

Aegon continues joking at Jace’s expense, who rises in anger. Aemond stands as well, but Jace simply toasts to both of his uncles. Helaena takes her turn after cryptically saying “Beware the beast beneath the boards” and toasts to Baela and Rhaena, accidentally making fun of Aegon and lightening the mood. The King asks for music and Jace asks Helaena to dance; with everyone seeming to have a good time, Viserys starts to noticeably struggle and is taken from the room to his chambers.

A roast pig is placed on the table in front of Aemond, prompting a laugh from Luke after the Pink Dread joke from long ago. Aemond stands, and in a toast to Jace and Luke says “each of them handsome, wise…strong. Come. Let us drain our cups to these three Strong boys.” Jace responds by punching Aemond to little effect, but before things can escalate, Daemon steps between the two families and sends the younger boys to their chambers.

Just a terrific scene here, and for just a moment it really looked like Viserys’s appeal to his family would be enough to set things on a positive track. It might have even been enough if it was just Rhaenyra and Alicent, but the Hightowers have poisoned their children’s minds against Rhaenyra’s too effectively. Even Aegon seems content to ineffectively poke fun, but one-eyed Daemon’s intensity never wavers. Not only does he succeed in provoking Jace, the ease with which he takes a punch to the face suggests he's more prepared for real conflict than anyone…except, perhaps, Daemon. With these two standing out as the most dangerous fighters in the central conflict, it’s worth remembering Daemon’s extensive experience in actual warfare.
I’ve been thinking about Helaena’s words here for a while, and I haven’t come up with anything from what we’ve seen in the show or the books. If the Larys Greenseer theory holds, it could be referring to a rat “listening” beneath the floorboards, but I can’t imagine Alicent would withhold any information from him anyway. I can’t think of a situation where a dragon would be housed under any boards with an opportunity to attack anyone.
One final note: I guess it might run in the family, but I want SOMEone to teach their children to ignore comments clearly made to provoke a response. We only saw Harwin endure one jape from Criston before getting himself sent home, and Jace can’t help but rise to Aemond’s challenge here. It probably wouldn’t be enough to avoid a civil war that now seems inevitable, but I’d like to see someone play it cool while the only barbs are verbal.

After the dinner, Alicent asks Rhaenyra to stay, and the Princess says she’ll accompany her children home before coming back to King’s Landing on her dragon.

Mysaria receives a visit from Talya while Alicent goes to Viserys to check on him and give him some milk of the poppy. Confusing her for Alicent, the King says he believes the prophecy is true and asks her to protect it; his broken language leads Alicent to believe he’s asking her to put Prince Aegon forth and unite the realm. The King dies that night, reaching towards the ceiling and saying “My love.”

Okay, here’s what Viserys said to Alicent in the final scene:
“But you wanted to know…if I believe it to be true. Don’t you remember? Aegon…His dream. The Song of Ice and Fire. It is true. What he saw in the North. The Prince that was Promised. The Prince. To unite the realm against the cold…and the dark. It is you. You are the one. You must do this.”
Alicent’s interpretations of her addled husband’s words here are naturally biased, but the emphasis on “you” makes her takeaway more understandable. I don’t think she would have remained loyal or even friendly to Rhaenyra over time anyway, especially with her father, Criston Cole, and Larys Strong in her ear on a daily basis. The bigger impact of the King’s words will be on the timeline; knowing the direction things are headed and feeling a renewed sense of purpose, we should expect the Queen to move fast to consolidate power in the wake of the King’s death. At long last, the subject of succession is no longer one of speculation. The Greens and the Blacks will be moving to establish and solidify alliances now.