Otto Hightower (Rhys Ifans) and Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke) In House of the Dragon Episode 8

One might assume that it’s the roast pig that ruins everything. That’s not a bad theory as Aemond’s fiery reaction upon seeing it leads to some immediate conflict. Aemond (Ewan Mitchell), who as a young man has become every bit the irrepressible scoundrel that his Uncle Daemon is, tries to blow it all up. The presence of a pig at a feast reminds him of the time that his brother and step-brothers played a (honestly mostly harmless) prank on him. Not content to leave well enough alone, he stands up and delivers a toast to his step-brothers who are all very “Strong boys.” 

Aemond knows this is treason. Hell he just saw a man’s face get cut clean in half for uttering something similar. But what’s a little treason amongst family? At the moment, this feels like the last straw to viewers. This is the point of no return yet again. Recall though that Rhaenyra still promises to return to King’s Landing even after Aemond’s taunts lead to a violent reaction from her boys. A chance at peace isn’t over yet. Not for Rhaenyra and Alicent. The incident that truly kills any chance at peace comes in the episode’s final minutes. 

It’s easy for any story to address how hate leads to war. It’s harder, but more enriching, for a story to explore how love can lead to war. Here, House of the Dragon yet again chooses the more difficult, yet far more enlightening path. After his very busy night out at dinner, Viserys is brought back to his bedchambers and once again dosed up with milk of the poppy to dull his many pains. 

While in his delirium he mistakes his wife Alicent for his daughter Rhaenyra and attempts to finish the conversation they started earlier – the one about Aegon the Conqueror and whether his Song of Ice and Fire prediction was real. Does a Targaryen truly need to be on the Iron Throne when the Long Night comes from the North? Alicent was not privy to that earlier conversation. So when Viserys tries to belatedly assure his daughter that the Song of Ice and Fire is real, all Alicent hears is garbled words like “Aegon. The prince that was promised. It is you. You are the one. You must do this.” 

What other choice does Alicent have than to enact her dying husband’s final wish the way she heard it and put her son Aegon on the throne as King Aegon Targaryen, Second of His Name. Viserys’s rousing final message at dinner effectively primed Alicent and Rhaenyra into action. He meant that action to be reconciliation and peace but fate wants it to be war. And the grim hand of fate always seems to win in these stories. Choice was an illusion after all. But the characters still have to make it. 

Man, what an exciting, effective episode of television this all is. Much of that can be attributed to the hour’s final act, which in the long run is all viewers will remember from it anyway. The setup, however, takes a moment to get rolling. Vaemond Velaryon (Wil Johnson) is quite the exhausting little brat. His cartoonish fixation on Velaryon blood drags down “The Lord of the Tides’” opening scenes a bit. Granted, as a member of one of the only two remaining Valyrian families in the known world, Vaemond has some cause to be concerned about blood purity. That doesn’t make his histrionics any more charming to sit through.

You May Also Like

New Game of Thrones Prequel Will Introduce a Different Kind of Targaryen

“A century before the events of Game of Thrones, two unlikely heroes…

Five Reasons Why Fringe Was a Dark Warning For Our Future

The Privatization of Science The Fringe Division’s work often intersects with advanced…

The Walking Dead Season 11 Episode 23 Review: Family

Pamela Milton (Laila Robins) is stuck in a no-win position. The people…

Only Murders in the Building Season 2 Episode 5 Review: The Tell

Charles has been getting calls from Jan (Amy Ryan) from her prison…