Death seems to be playing a more important role than usual in the past couple of episodes of House of the Dragon. Represented in the Faith of the Seven by the Stranger, Death is without a doubt one of the main characters of this week’s "The Lord of the Tides," and it also spent a good deal of time in the limelight in last week’s “Driftmark”. Though it isn’t rare, of course, for important characters to suddenly kick the bucket in the Game of Thrones universe, rearranging all the pieces of the titular game, never have we lingered so long on the immediate impact of someone’s passing than in Episodes 7 and 8 of this first season of House of the Dragon. But while “Driftmark” devoted a good chunk of its runtime to the mandatory rites and pleasantries that come after a person’s death, “The Lord of the Tides” concerns itself with what must be done in the days that precede that dreaded visit from the Stranger, especially when the one he calls upon is a lord or a king.
As Lord Vaemond Velaryon (Wil Johnson) learns the hard way after calling Rhaenyra’s (Emma D’Arcy) children the b-word, the Stranger doesn’t always announce its arrival — but, sometimes, he does. When this happens, it is up to the soon-to-be-deceased’s friends and family to do everything in their power to assure their loved one will have a peaceful passing. There are also financial and bureaucratic matters that must be attended to, especially when there’s a hefty inheritance on the table, all while doing your best not to act as if the not-yet-departed is already gone. It is a delicate balance that many find hard to achieve, and living in Westeros makes it all the more difficult. And so, with Lord Corlys (Steve Toussaint) and King Viserys (Paddy Considine) just waiting for the Stranger to knock on the door, it is only expected that Houses Velaryon, Targaryen, and Hightower are butting heads over what should be done with the Driftwood and Iron Thrones.
The problems begin at Driftmark, six years after Lady Laena’s (Nanna Blondell) funeral. Due to a deadly wound suffered at the Stepstones, where war is raging once again, Lord Corlys has little hope of regaining full consciousness and reclaiming his place as head of House Velaryon. While he still breathes, his wife, Rhaenys (Eve Best), rules in his absence, but the maesters have already made it clear that he is running out of breaths. Having lost both of his children — at least as far as he knows — Lord Corlys wished his seat to be passed on to his second-oldest grandson, Lucaerys (Elliot Grihault). However, his brother, Vaemond, has some different thoughts about the future of Driftmark. Vaemond never made an effort to disguise his suspicions about the true parentage of Rhaenyra and Laenor’s (John Macmillan) children, not even during his own niece’s funeral. Proclaiming himself Lord Corlys’ closest kin and his only male heir, he wants to take the seat of House Velaryon for himself and intends to make his case before the king — or, rather, the queen.
It turns out that King Viserys hasn’t been sitting on the Iron Throne a whole lot these days. The mysterious disease that has been plaguing him since Episode 1 has reduced him to a mere shadow of his former self. Viserys’ whole body is now covered in sores, and whenever the king appears in public, he covers the right side of his face with a golden mask to conceal a skinless cheek and a missing eye. Cosmetic effects aside, the disease also causes Viserys a lot of pain, rendering him nearly unable to move, and the milk of the poppy the maesters feed him clouds his mind to the point where he struggles to recognize his own daughter. With the king unable to hold court or attend the small council meetings, it is up to Queen Alicent (Olivia Cooke) to make sure the realm is in order, with a little help from her dear father and Lord Hand, Otto Hightower (Rhys Ifans).
Considering the Hightowers' political alignment, as well as Alicent’s own personal beef with Rhaenyra and Lucerys, it looks like the odds are in Lord Vaemond’s favor. Add to that the fact that leaving the realm’s largest naval fleet to be controlled by a child isn’t exactly the smartest of moves and poor Luke doesn’t stand a chance. But Rhaenyra and Daemon (Matt Smith) aren’t letting Luke lose Driftmark without a fight. After all, challenging the boy’s right to the Driftwood Throne means putting his birthright as an heir of House Velaryon into question, i.e., calling him (and his brother) a bastard, which, in turn, is a direct attack against the princess’ claim to the Iron Throne. Now awaiting the birth of their third child, Daemon and Rhaenyra gather the kids and pack up their things for a trip to King’s Landing. Queen Alicent and Lord Otto might not be on their side, but the king most certainly is, even if he’s not as regal as he used to be.
Listen, say what you will about King Viserys. He probably deserves it. I mean, the guy chose to let his wife bleed to death so that he would get a baby with a penis that didn’t even survive for a whole minute outside the womb. Still, you can’t say Viserys doesn’t have his daughter’s back, at least not since declared her his rightful heir. And so, just as Rhaenyra and Vaemond were presenting their cases in court, Viserys put on his kingly pants and dragged himself to the Iron Throne determined to take the matter into his own hands. He settles it by stating that Rhaenys is the only one that can speak of Lord Corlys’ desires for Driftmark, thus giving her the power to decide who will take the Driftwood Throne.
Rhaenys has a lot of dogs in this fight. Perhaps even too many dogs. On one hand, she wants to respect her husband’s wishes, but, on the other, she blames Rhaenyra and Daemon for Laenor’s death. There’s also a chance that she would try to take Driftmark for herself and Baela (Bethany Antonia). The possibilities are endless. In the end, however, she chooses to stand by Rhaenyra, taking the opportunity to accept the princess’ proposal to betroth Luke and Jacaerys (Harry Collett) to Baela and Rhaena (Phoebe Campbell).
Now, Lord Vaemond must have seen that one coming. Rhaenys had already told him, early on in the episode, that she wouldn’t back his claim to the Driftwood Throne. Still, to say he is pissed after hearing the king’s verdict would be an understatement. The man literally loses his head, and I mean literally. He turns his rage towards Rhaenyra and her children, calling the boys bastards and their mother a whore. This is a crime punishable with having your tongue cut off under Viserys’ rule, but Vaemond doesn’t get to be so lucky: before anyone has the chance to even reach for his tongue, Daemon unsheathes his sword and cuts the man’s head in half — a scene that is curiously not that shocking when compared to some other things we’ve seen in House of the Dragon so far.
Tensions are running high inside the Red Keep, and Vaemond’s death is just the most obvious example. Alicent and Rhaenyra are still fighting their silent war, the queen is mad at Prince Aegon (Tom Glynn-Carney), who has gone from public masturbator to full-on maid rapist since his wedding to his sister Helaena (Phia Saban), and Prince Aemond (Ewan Mitchell) is all but drooling with rage from seeing Luke again after the boy cost him his eye. Now fully grown and looking badass with a scar and eye patch, Aemond is just waiting for the perfect moment to get back at his nephew. Considering that he seems to have graduated from Daemon’s School for Wildcard Second Sons With Nothing to Lose, it’s probably best not to push your luck with him. Still, family is family, and the Targaryens are able to put their differences aside for at least one last meal with their ailing patriarch.
It’s an oddly pleasant and touching scene for the Game of Thrones universe. King Viserys makes a speech about family sticking together, Alicent and Rhaenyra find things to compliment about one another, and Jace takes his aunt Helaena to dance. Aegon still finds the time to be a little bitch, but even he can’t ruin the atmosphere of joy that has taken over the room. Everyone just looks so happy… until, of course, the king leaves.
Tired and in pain, Viserys is carried back to his room by two guards just as a couple of servants are coming in with a pig on a platter. They lay the pig in front of Aemond, which reminds Luke of the time they gave their formerly dragonless uncle a pig with wings. Luke lets out a chuckle, and Aemond responds with the last in a series of toasts in which he compliments his nephews for being so… Strong. That’s enough to put an end to the party and prompt Rhaenyra to return to Dragonstone. Bizarrely enough, Alicent pleads with her to stay, and Rhaenyra agrees to return to King’s Landing as soon as possible on dragonback.
But the Alicent Rhaenyra will find upon her return will most likely not be the same Alicent she left behind. Lying in bed, high on milk of the poppy, King Viserys rambles to his wife about Aegon's dream and the Prince That Was Promised, most likely mistaking her for his daughter. Alicent doesn't understand, believing Viserys to be talking about their son Aegon, at first. However, when the king tells her she is the one that must unite the realm, something clicks inside her mind, and it is with strong resolve that she leaves her husband’s bedroom.
All in all, “The Lord of the Tides” is a somewhat uneventful episode by House of the Dragon standards, albeit an important one. Sure, there is no one getting beaten to a pulp at a wedding and all children remain in full possession of their eyes, but the pieces of the game have once more been rearranged. Lord Corlys is out of the picture, and the king might soon be as well. Driftmark and its fleet are about to be under Rhaenyra’s control, and Alicent believes she knows some secret about the realm that she doesn’t actually understand. Last, but not least, the kids are all grown up, and their upcoming nuptials symbolize the strengthening of political alliances. There’s a lot at stake, even if what’s happening on screen isn’t all that riveting.
That being said, Paddy Considine and director Geeta Vasant Patel deserve to be complimented for that beautiful final scene. The king’s whispers of “No more” are heartbreaking, and the lighting and slow-paced camerawork make the scene all the more touching. We actually get to see what happens, which isn’t always a given when it comes to Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon, and yet the darkness still reflects Viserys’ pain and isolation from the world around him. It’s tough to say whether the king has indeed received that long-awaited visit from the Stranger, but if we don’t see him around next week, this scene was a fitting goodbye.
House of the Dragon airs on Sundays on HBO. Episodes are also available to stream on HBO Max.