With enough potential heirs to fill Westeros, tensions around who will ascend to the Iron Throne in House of the Dragon are at an all time high.
The Game of Thrones spinoff House of the Dragon takes us back 200 years before Daenarys vowed to “break the wheel” and shows the Targaryen family at the height of their power. Ruling over Westeros is King Viserys Tagaryan (Paddy Considine), his daughter Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy), Queen Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke), Ser Otto Hightower (Rhys Ifans) and the disgruntled brother of the King, Daemon (Matt Smith).
With so much treachery and dragons, sometimes you need a quick recap of the episode to remind you of everything that happened in its over one hour length.
Spoilers ahead!
Love Film & TV?
Get the latest Film & TV news, features, updates and giveaways straight to your inbox Learn more
Episode six ‘The Princess and the Queen’ once again jumps ahead several years. But this time round, Rhaenyra and Alicent have been recast as to appear older, more mature and definitely more volatile.
The opening sequence ensures we know there has been a significant time jump with Rhanerya now having children of her own. It’s hard to ignore the obvious parallels with the first episode when we witnessed the death of her mother to childbirth.
Considering the events of the last episode, Laenor and Rhaenyra have a remarkably positive relationship. However, it is clear that any friendship that existed between her and Queen Alicent is far gone.
Teaming up with the Queen is Ser Criston who seems to be allegedly concerned about the shame Rhaenyra is bringing to the throne and the consequences of her ascension. He is determined to prove that Rhaenyra’s children are not Laenor’s but are Ser Harwin’s.
Daemon also seems to have found domestic bliss, marrying Lady Laena Velaryon and having children. Regardless, Laena’s thirst for power will not let him enjoy his early retirement.
But, his retirement is unsurprisingly cut short. Once more drawing parallels with the first episode, Daemon is asked whether he is willing to let Laena die for the chance their child might live. But this time, he is not given the opportunity to do so, with Laena instead choosing to take her own life by allowing her dragon to light her ablaze.
King Viserys is also still alive and kicking. Somehow. In the previous episode, a rat drank the blood of Laenor after he had been murdered. This week, the rat watched Viserys from afar, watching him slowly decay. Perhaps this is hinting that the King’s future may be short, and the rat will be waiting…
In one last shocking twist, Larys Strong interprets the wishes of the Queen to stage a fire that kills Ser Harwin and leaves the Queen in an uneasy but inescapable alliance.
At the end of Episode six, there is no denying that House of the Dragon is Game of Thrones and no character is safe from the grip of George R. R. Martin.
You can watch ‘The Princess and the Queen’ on Binge now.
Check out the trailer for episode six!
