*Of course, the Velaryon and Triarchy ships are operated by whipstaffs, not wheels. Toussaint noted his disappointment with not getting to play with a wheel in an interview with Den of Geek and other outlets.
For all the chaos on the waters of the Gullet, the skies above it are even more disorienting once Jacaerys Velaryon (Harry Collett) and Baela Targaryen (Bethany Antonia) arrive on dragonback to provide air support for the Velaryon fleet. Jace does so after literally locking his queen-mother Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy) in a room for her safety. That moment alone all but betrays that the Gullet was initially conceived as season 2’s conclusion as the “Rhaenyra wants to do stuff but can’t because she’s queen” was one of that season’s most consistent (and frankly frustrating) running bits. Still, it’s hard to argue that Jace wasn’t right to think of his mother’s safety considering the fate that befalls him…
Rhaena’s (Phoebe Campbell) arrival on the back of her untamed Vale dragon Sheepstealer is a deviation from Martin’s books in which another, more seasoned dragonrider commands Sheepstealer with ease. The fact that Rhaena’s inability to control Sheepstealer causes the confusion that leads to Jace’s death will likely annoy George R.R. Martin to no end (if he even got around to reading the script that is). But it’s also a solid narrative addition that continues the show’s shrewd exploration of the unpredictability of dragons.
Unlike the history books that recall major battles with reverent awe, House of the Dragon never loses sight of the fact that dragon warfare basically amounts to children flying around on nuclear warheads. The history books also don’t get to see what it looks like when a dragon is yanked down from the sky to the ocean to drown and its teenage rider lit up with arrows. But we do. And there’s nothing romantic about it. In fact, Jace’s ignoble end is one of the more striking images presented on the show yet.
While this premiere gets the most important thing, the Battle of the Gullet, right, the rest of the episode is hit-or-miss. The events presented – Aegon (Tom Glynn-Carney) and Larys (Matthew Needham) on the road, Alicent (Olivia Cooke) trying to ready King’s Landing for Rhaenyra’s arrival, Ser Criston Cole clearly wanting to die – are conceptually strong. The execution just often leaves something to be desired. A lot of it falls under “we’ve seen this before,” which makes sense given the episode’s likely status as a season 2 holdover, but it does rob the proceedings of some need momentum.
Gullet-included, this premiere operates at its best when presenting something wholly new to the mythos. This includes new characters like the wonderfully rowdy Northman Roderick Dustin a.k.a. Roddy the Ruin (Tommy Flanagan) and Alicent’s haughty and smell-averse brother Ormund Hightower (James Norton). It also includes some old characters revealing new tricks like Aemond’s (Ewan Mitchell) horrifying kissing of his mother on the lips and Ulf’s reveal of a tragic, fascinating backstory.
