A family drama set during a funeral. Sounds like some independent film that gets rave reviews and wins a bunch of awards. Not really what you would expect from an episode of a GOT show. And yet this episode is completely set at Driftmark during Laena’s funeral, but naturally it was full of typical Westerosi insanity.
The actual funeral is interesting because we see a little about the Velaryon religion (they are said to have a pact with the Merlin King). I love all the different traditions and customs of the houses. One of those cool things GRRM throws in there that you can spend a ton of time trying to figure out if it has any actual relation to the overall story. I also enjoyed seeing the Valyrian wedding at the end.
The tension between the factions can be felt throughout the first half of the episode. It was uncomfortable to watch the people interacting with each other. Which can be totally relatable for most people.
Nightfall comes though and the fun begins. Aemond sneaks out and claims Vhagar. He goes on a nice joy ride, then returns and gloats to his cousins. The girls are upset because Vhagar was their mother’s dragon and they believe they should have had the right to claim the dragon. Aemond punches one of the girls and Jace/Luc attack him. They start kicking his ass, but then he hits them with a rock and things turn ugly. He calls the boys bastards, and it looks like he is going to smash the youngest ones head in with a rock. The older one slashes him with a knife. The Kingsguard finally arrives to break up the fight.
The family gathers to figure out what happened. Viserys wants to know where Aemond heard these vile rumors about the boys being bastards. He says it was Aegon. The king is not too happy with his sons, but demands that all of this be put behind them. He just wants his family to get along (remember, he believes the Targaryen dynasty must continue to save the world from the White Walkers).
Alicent demands justice. She wants an eye-for-an-eye. The king ignores her and she asks Ser Criston Cole to take one of the boys eyes. Viserys says no and it looks for a second like Criston might do it. But then he says that he is her sworn protector (basically that his duty does not extend beyond that, nor is he the Queen’s Justice). I would have loved to see Cole and Lord Commander Harrold Westerling battle in that moment.
Alicent snaps in that moment and grabs Viserys dagger and goes for the boys, but Rhaenyra steps in her way, they struggle for a minute (Rhaenyra goads her a bit), until Alicent slices the Rhaenyra’s arm. Rhaenyra probably could have made a case that Alicent tried to kill the heir and should be punished accordingly.
Another major part of the episode is the relationship between Daemon and Rhaenyra. They sleep together and she says that she needs him by her side. Before that she is with Laenor and he says that he wants to be a better husband and father. We then see Daemon paying Laenor’s boyfriend to kill him (he says to make sure there are witnesses). Laenor and Qarl fight, and when the guards come they find a body smoking on the fire. At the end of the episode, we see Qarl hopping into a rowboat headed out to a ship. His companion’s hood falls back and we see it is Laenor with a shaved head. Definitely did not see that coming. In the book, Laenor is killed by Qarl and it is definitely implied that Daemon had something to do with it. I wonder what will happen to Seasmoke (Laenor’s dragon)? Will Laenor return in a few years claiming to be Addam of Hull (I suppose he could do that since in the book, Addam’s mother claimed he was the bastard of Laenor and he bonded Seasmoke).
It looks like we jump ahead a few more years in the next episode (Aemond is older and has an eyepatch in the preview). I know I said this last week, but I think this has to be the episode where Viserys dies. I saw a complaint that Alicent seems completely unhinged and her attack on Rhaenyra seemed a bit extreme. First, she was upset because her child lost an eye. Secondly, she has spent the last ten years worrying that if her husband dies, Rhaenyra will ascend to the throne and murder her children because they would have a rival claim. A thought that has been in her head since her father warned him of it. Not really sure why people are not understanding her motivation.
