Warning: There are spoilers ahead for House of the Dragon episode 8!
“The crown cannot stand strong if the House of the Dragon remains divided!” The late King Viserys was more right than he knew. He was perhaps the only truly good man in his extended family. But we all know what happens to good men in in the world of Game of Thrones. And with Viserys’ death, the march to war is inevitable. The eighth episode of House of the Dragon has premiered, and we want to know what the Superhero Hype community thinks about it! This post is a place for all of you to leave your own reviews, thoughts, or anything else you want to say about House of the Dragon episode 8.
Six years after the previous episode, Lord Corlys Velaryon, a.k.a. the Sea Snake, has been grievously wounded in battle at the Stepstones. With Corlys’ survival in doubt, his younger brother, Vaemond, makes the claim that he should inherit Driftmark. And he does so face-to-face with his sister-in-law, Rhaenys, with an obvious intent to question her grandsons’ legitimacy. To settle the question of succession, Vaemond takes his claim to King’s Landing for a ruling from the king. And these days, that means a ruling from the Hand of the King, Otto Hightower.
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Rhaenyra and Daemon learn about Vaemond’s intentions, and they also go to King’s Landing to ensure that Lucerys/Luke retains his status as the heir to Driftmark. They soon see that Viserys is clearly on his last legs and withered away. Viserys is overjoyed to meet his two new grandsons, while Rhaenyra is also pregnant with her sixth child. In private conversation with her father, Rhaenyra brings up the dream about the Song of Ice and Fire, and urges her ailing father to fight for her sons.
To the astonishment of the court. Viserys drags himself out of his death bed to oversee the question of succession. He defers to Corlys’ wife, Rhaenys, to settle the issue. Despite her distaste for Rhaenyra and her belief that she helped kill her son, Rhaenys sides with Luke and publicly accepts Rhaenyra’s offer to marry her sons to their Velaryon cousins. However, Vaemond doesn’t take it very well. He angrily calls out Luke and Jacaerys/Jayce as bastards, declares Rhaenyra to be a whore, and challenges Viserys. Before the king can claim his tongue, Daemon beheads Vaemond.
We should note that an earlier part of the episode established that Queen Alicent’s son, Aegon, raped a maid in his service. Alicent was suitably horrified, but still prudent enough to make sure that the maid took a concoction to prevent any pregnancy. At the actual dinner, Viserys pleads with his family to put aside their differences. Rhaenyra and Alicent seem genuinely moved enough to make the attempt. Regardless, the tension between their children is barely hidden by their toasts to each other.
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Once Viserys leaves the room, Prince Aemond openly mocks his nephews by calling them “Strong” in his toast. But everyone knows that he’s simply naming their true father. A fight breaks out before Daemon intervenes and the families separate. However, Alicent asks Rhaenyra to stay and she agrees to return after seeing her children home. In his bedroom, Viserys mistakes Alicent for his daughter and confirms his belief in the Song of Ice and Fire. However, she misinterprets his words as a desire to see his son, Aegon, become king instead of Rhaenyra. Minutes later, King Viscerys, first of his name, passes from this world.
Note that this ending has given Alicent an out that keeps her from being truly villainous. By putting Alicent in the room with Viscerys before he died, the show has given her a justification that she didn’t have before. Alicent truly believes that she’s righteous. Let’s see how long that lasts.
We still want to know what you think. So make sure to leave your reviews for House of the Dragon episode 8 in the comment section below!
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