I feel like the show took something that was a few pages and really expanded it and gave it some depth. King Viserys is dead and the question of succession is brought immediately. Alicent tells Otto about Viserys saying he wants Aegon to be king, but she does not believe the lords of Westeros will believe that proclamation. Otto does not seem to care. It becomes quite apparent that he never meant for Rhaenyra to rule, since the Small Council already had contingency plans on how to proceed if Aegon was to be king.
There seems to be some confusion on what is happening. Alicent sends Aemond and Criston Cole into Flea Bottom to find Prince Aegon, while Otto sends Arryk and Erryk Cargyll on the same mission. It took a second for me to realize why they would both want to get Aegon. They both believe that old saying “whoever controls the king, controls the throne.” Or something like that, I think Littlefinger said something like that in GOT. If Alicent finds Aegon, she can convince him to not kill Rhaenyra, but Otto will order his grandson to execute the Princess. Neither thinks Aegon is strong-willed enough to stand up to them.
Turns out though that someone else was looking for the Prince, or at least had him. Mysaria, better known as the White Worm, has the Prince and will release him if Otto ends the child fights in Flea Bottom. They get Aegon back, but then the Cargyll twins run into Aemond and Criston. During the fight, Erryk does not help his brother because he does not think Aegon should rule. Some of those kids that fight are Aegon’s bastards. Erryk is disgusted by the Targaryen prince. He eventually helps Rhaenys escape the Red Keep.
During the coronation of Aegon, Rhaenys escapes with her dragon by blasting through the floor. She could kill Alicent and Aegon, and the rest of the Greens, but she spares them. It is that mutual respect between mothers that she and Alicent spoke of earlier. Also, Rhaenys is not a kinslayer.
Have to mention the Larys Strong foot scene. Apparently he has a foot fetish. Alicent allows him to rub one out while she shows him her feet. The weird thing about it to me was the way she rolls her eyes and just takes her socks off. It feels like they ahve done this before, which would mean she was cheating on Viserys. But aside from that, I do enjoy how the show is making Alicent a more nuanced character.
So yeah, next week should be an exciting time. The Blacks will learn of the betrayal and prepare themselves for war. Who will strike first?
