Hold onto your dragon saddle, we’re about to rock the whole of Westeros with our House of the Dragon episode 4 review!
Recap:
It’s been a year since our Rogue Prince Daemon (Matt Smith) conquered the Stepstones and Queen Alicent (Emily Carey) has borne King Viserys (Paddy Considine) a daughter, Helaena. The heir to the Iron Throne,Rhaenyra (Milly Alcock), is doing the Middle Ages version of The Bachelorette as all of the Realm’s eligible men, young and old (“He’s old enough to be my great-grandsire” as she so wittily quips to Lord Boremund Baratheon about one of her suitors) at Storm’s End. Yes, if you are keeping score, this is the first time in the GOTverse that we get to see inside of House Baratheon’s foreboding castle. Rhaenyra cuts her speed dating short to return home and is excited to see her Uncle Daemon (and not-so-secret crush) has returned to King’s Landing.
Daemon returns to be a thorn in his big brother Viserys’s side, offering his King of the Stepstones crown to the King as a gesture of fealty. Viserys loves Daemon despite his bad boy ways and welcomes him home and back to court and the Red Keep. A welcome he would soon come to regret.
Alicent and Rhaenyra start to tentatively rebuild their friendship when the latter sticks up for the Queen against a drunk Viserys and an impetuous Daemon. That fragile alliance comes in handy for Rhaenyra later when she gets into heaps of trouble with her father.
Speaking of … Daemon tempts Rhaenyra with a night out in Flea Bottom that opens our Princess’s eyes to a whole new world (ok, so it is definitely a FAR cry from the kind of night another princess gets in Aladdin but this is House of the Dragon, what were you expecting?!). They don’t consummate their unholy relationship but Rhaenyra strips both herself and Ser Criston Cole (Fabian Frankel) of their virtues in a sweet scene that is bound to have untold consequences for her sworn knight.
One of Otto Hightower (Rhys Ifans)’s little spies (a nice callback to Varys there) informs the Hand about Daemon and Rhaenyra getting too up close and personal in Flea Bottom and he gleefully tells the King. Big mistake, buddy. Naturally, Viserys beats Daemon up, wroth at the latter’s admission (even though he didn’t) and his audacity to ruin his little girl and heir. The King absolutely loses his shit when Daemon declares his intention to marry Rhaenyra. When Viserys confronts Rhaenyra later and commands her to wed Laenor Velaryon to save her reputation, she manipulates her father into firing Otto as his Hand.
We also get another tidbit about the Song of Ice and Fire prophecy as Viserys shows Rhaenyra a hidden text on the Valyrian steel catspaw blade (the one Arya uses to kill the Night King). The inscription reads: “From my blood comes the prince that was promisedβ¦and his will be the Song of Ice and Fire.” Again, HERE is more proof that a Targaryen aka either Jon or Dany was meant to kill the Night King. I am pissed off about The Long Night episode all over again.
This House of the Dragon episode ends with Daddy Dearest sending the maester with moon tea – a potion to get rid of an unwanted pregnancy – to his heir. Viserys obviously doesn’t trust his daughter or brother.
Impressions:
Sex sells, as it always has. In this episode, though, sex is used to relay the increasingly divergent paths our current Queen Alicent and future Queen Rhaenyra are on. These 18 year old girls are mere tools to be used politically by the men in their lives but they are still women with carnal desires. Let’s start with Rhaenyra…
Date night with Uncle Daemon was wild, guys! House of the Dragon has not shied away from the fact that the Targaryens f*** each other and it is the way of the world here. Game of Thrones had two shocking Lannister Twins going-at-it-like-rabbits scenes but they were designed to make us uncomfortable.
In contrast, Daemon’s seduction of Rhaenyra, his niece and future Queen, is done slowly and sensually. As if to seduce both the princess and us, the audience.One actually cannot blame Rhaenyra for falling for Daemon. We’ve all been there – the bad boy who plays hot and cold from minute to minute and then is ALL over you the next moment is absolutely the one we cannot resist. Smith brilliantly balances the cool indifference Daemon shows Rhaenyra at the beginning of the episode with the red hot desire he showers on her in the brothel he takes her to at the end of their date.
Incest aside … tell me you too wouldn’t be utterly seduced by a first date that starts with a discreet note coyly inviting you out, a thrilling adventure racing through secret passages to meet your suitor, getting dressed up in different clothing, attending a moving show based on your life and ending with a sensual make out session in the most erotic place in your hometown? Daemon knows how to show a girl a good time π
Why did Daemon not take Rhaenyra against that wall in the brothel, though? I was as sexually frustrated as poor Rhaenyra about this until Leonie pointed out that Daemon was suffering some impotency issues in earlier episodes. Perhaps he couldn’t, uh, raise the royal banner to carnally claim the princess. Some reviewers have suggested that Daemon was imparting a lesson to Rhaenyra about the power she possesses as a future Queen AND a Targaryen in the only way he knew how: by showing her the pleasure and power she can and should take.
Either way, it was HOT.
Not having such a sexy time is our young Queen Alicent. Viserys sends her the medieval version of “U up?” via a messenger and she must respond to his late night booty call because she is the Queen. She does her duty and lays back down, thinking of Westeros, but my Gods, the rest of us were nauseated as f***. Did you see the god-awful pustules on his back?! Ewwwwww.
Alicent is literally trapped under one old man (her husband) and doing the bidding of another (her father). She may not be my favourite but here’s hoping the Gods are watching out for her.
Rhaenyra,after being left breathless, pantyless and horny by Daemon, turns her attention to the dashing Ser Criston Cole. As deliciously wicked as her foreplay was with Daemon, her tryst with Criston is sweet, romantic and more about being an affirmation of her right to choose than her having any real feelings for the knight. Look, if you can’t have the one you love, shag the one you have, right? I ain’t judging, girl!
Theory:
The next episode will be the last one with the young Alicent and Rhaenyra. From the preview,we know there will be a royal wedding. Will it be a Red Wedding, though? I swear to the Gods, if the Rains of Castamere starts playing, I am going to set Syrax on the writers! Otto isn’t going to take his firing lying down. That man has all of Littlefinger’s ambition with none of his charm so shit is definitely about to go down.
House of the Dragon airs on HBO Max on Sundays and on DStv Express at 3am and M-Net Channel 101 at pm on Mondays.
