Well, it appears that the Targaryens aren’t the only sadistic, power-hungry forces in Westeros. Ormund Hightower is pretty darn horrific in his own right. Although, anyone familiar with the goings on in Westeros likely wasn’t shocked to see that Alicent’s cousin, and guardian of her youngest son, Daeron, has his own designs on the Iron Throne in the form of young Daeron. After all, Otto was more than willing to essentially sell his daughter to Viserys to raise the stature of his House and get his grandchildren on the Iron Throne. Must be a Hightower family trait. And poor Daeron. Alicent was so hopeful that her last son would be able to live a normal life, untouched by the madness and power games that have turned her other two sons into monsters. And yet, if Ormund has his way, Daeron is about to get a truly awful education that is going to take a virtuous and principled young man and turn him into a sharp instrument of Hightower justice.
This week’s installment of House of the Dragon was a chess piece movement episode rather than one that really provided major plot. We received confirmation that Rhaena is going to adopt the “Nettles” arc from the source material – a switch that worked pretty seamlessly with the story as is. Seeing the genuine pain on Rhaena’s face as Daemon once again tried to dismiss her? Oof. She’s been through a lot and yes, made some terrible errors in judgement, but that’s still your daughter, Daemon. You know she’s not about to abandon a dragon after a life spent desperately wishing for one, feeling inadequate without one, and then achieving her goal. And that trick with the goatherd? That’s not going to hold up, especially if Mysaria is already onto you – and more than willing to sew doubt with Rhaenyra to shore up her position in court.
Having Hugh the Hammer stationed on his dragon outside of Tumbleton while his wife is inside – and things are starting to deteriorate – is the equivalent to placing a bomb outside of the walls and lighting the fuse and just waiting. It’s not quite Chekhov’s dragon – I suppose it could be Ulf whose stupidity sets things off – but I cannot help but assume that at some point in the near future, something is going to happen to Hugh’s wife that’s going to make Hugh do something rash. Whether that’s burn down Tumbleton or be forced to defect in order to save his wife, having him there, outside the gates, screams that something is going to go down that is going to change the game plan for everyone.
And then there’s Rhaenyra, learning that being in charge means managing egos and one crisis after another rather than actually doing the work you want to do. Not a fun lesson, but a crucial one that most rulers in Westeros never really learn. Think back to Game of Thrones. Robert pretty much just drank and whored, which allowed Cersei and the Lannisters to essentially take control over King’s Landing. Dany lasted such a short time, but she tended to use force rather than diplomacy (although, in her defense, a lot of the men she dealt with weren’t about to actually bend the knee). And Cersei? Well, she did whatever she could to keep control. She wasn’t about to enact any reforms so long as she could stay in power – it was just a matter of making the people fear her enough to remain docile. Rhaenyra, bless her, seems to actually want to make a difference. But I suspect she’s about to learn the lesson rulers everywhere must learn: You cannot make everything better for everyone.
And then there’s Aegon who is getting his own education in what life is really like for the small folk in Westeros, and it seems he’s not really taking to it well. Is Sunfyre alive? One assumes that a dragon rider’s bond with their dragon remains so long as both are alive. And it certainly seemed like Aegon felt Sunfyre still. So, I’m going with a yes, despite it looking pretty dire for her. Aegon with a dragon is a hell of a lot more powerful than Aegon, scared and crippled, without a dragon. So, for his sake, I hope she’s still with us. Although, the Greens are in such disarray at this point that I’m not quite sure just who is in charge of their forces. Aemond might still be alive at Harrenhal, although Alys Rivers is creepy enough to keep him around and make commands in his name. Ormund has his forces locked in at Tumbleton and his best asset is Daeron, who he is trying to get to stop using his dragon – which is such a tactical error, it’s actually impressive. And Ser Criston is headed to Harrenhal to meet Aemond – but really he’s about to head into a ghost castle and the web of Alys. Really excited to see those two interact. Should be a hoot and a half.
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