‘House of the Dragon’: Desire and Sign of Duty Episode 4

Warning: the review of the new episode contains spoilers

Reconciliations, but fragile, breakups and sex: welcome to episode 4 of The house of the dragonor House of the Dragon.

*

Watch out for spoilers for episode 4 from here.

*

The close-up of the necklace Daemon (Matt Smith) gave to Rhaenyra (Milly Alcock) kicks off episode 4 of The house of the dragonor House of the Dragonsuggesting the strength of the bond between the two.

Immediately after, the noise of the dragon Caraxes is heard: the good son returns home. Of course, when it comes to Daemon, the chances of ending up in chaos are enormous.

But he comes, crown on his head, to hear from his brother, King Viserys, how important he was to Westeros, after defeating the Fat Crab and securing free passage to Stepstone. Daemon is one of those who prides himself on looking humble. But brother is brother, Viserys is a good man and soon the two will remember childhood stories. No words are exchanged about Daemon waiting for his brother to chapter and announce the sending of help to start the suicide attack that ended up winning the war.

Meanwhile, Rhaenyra remains somewhat aloof. It is not easy to be a lady at court, even when you are a princess. She went on tour in search of a good suitor, but they were all too old, too young, or too stupid. Alicent (Emily Carey) adds that few women are lucky enough to have more than one suitor, let alone dozens. Rhaenyra then snaps that there is nothing romantic about being trapped in a castle to give birth to children. She soon realizes that this is the role of her former friend and she apologizes. Female solidarity in the first place. It’s a shame the series skipped right after the announcement that Viserys would marry Alicent over there. Did Rhaenyra just stop talking to Alicent?

The queen admits she is alone. And Rhaenyra says she missed her too. The second reconciliation of the night, ladies and gentlemen.

And then we have the reunion of Daemon and Rhaenyra. Daemon notices that his nephew is wearing the necklace he gave her back there. Talk about how she has matured over these four years. He also tries to convince her that marriage is a simple political arrangement. Once this is done, there is freedom for everything. Everything between them has a double meaning, with an air of flirtation. Daemon seems to like her niece, but he also seems to want to manipulate her.

The impression is confirmed shortly after, when he enters the room and sees simple clothes and a map. There is a secret passage in your room! He takes her out of the Red Keep, where Rhaenyra discovers, kidnapped by her uncle, fire-breathing wizards, a theater that satirizes the court and a house where everyone has free sex. Time heats up and soon Daemon and Rhaenyra are kissing. The foreplay begins. But she stops. It seems this incest story isn’t that smooth, at least not for this generation. Or was it a concern for her niece’s honor? I didn’t know the Targaryens were worried about this.

But also: no woman has ever been heir to the Iron Throne and, as we know, the rules for them are different. Even for those who belong to the House of the Dragon.

It turns out that Otto Hightower (Rhys Ifans), the Hand of the King, who can’t wait to see his nephew Aegon become the heir, has spies around. And one of them says that Rhaenyra was having sex with her uncle.

Viserys doesn’t believe it. But he will make amends with his brother. Daemon does not give up, he tries to convince Viserys to marry him Rhaenyra, combining business with pleasure. Viserys protests, saying that moreover Daemon is already married. And then Daemon remembers that Aegon the Conqueror took Westeros with his two women, who were also his sisters. “Make Westeros great again,” Daemon defends, after all, it was cool then. “You are a dragon, what you say is the truth, it is the law.” Viserys sees the proposal only as an opportunity for Daemon to ascend the throne. Until the king is sometimes clever.

Alicent, who has heard everything behind the screen, after fulfilling her duties as a wife, will take satisfaction from her stepdaughter and friend. Rhaenyra feigns indignation. She swears on her dead mother, lies in his face. This reconciliation will not last long.

Like Viserys and Daemon’s it doesn’t last. The king banishes his brother from court again. Let’s see if he will find his wife again this time.

Viserys goes to converse with Rhaenyra, who continues to deny everything. The king still reminds his daughter of the responsibility of the Targaryen kings, once again invoking the prophecy of Aegon’s dream. The dagger – the same used by Arya Stark (Maisie Williams) to kill the Night King – is engraved with the famous prophecy: “From my blood comes the prince who was promised, and from him will be the song of ice and fire” . “This responsibility is greater than the throne, you and your wishes,” says Viserys. That is, a monarch may feel free to do what he wants, following only his own desires and instincts, but in reality he has duties and responsibilities.

If Viserys has a clear vision of Daemon’s true intentions, it is Rhaenyra who opens her father’s eyes to Otto. She complains of being spied on so that Otto has the weapons to defend Aegon’s appointment, still a child, as heir. Viserys finally sees that Alicent’s approach was not spontaneous. And, shock to shock, he ends up removing Otto from his position as Hand of the King.

In the last scene, however, we see that Seguro died of old age and that Rhaenyra probably lied to him, sending the Master to his daughter’s room with a tea that is a kind of morning after pill. Because the truth is that, for Rhaenyra, there may be consequences that are impossible to hide. She doesn’t know that the sex with Daemon was actually interrupted, but that she, aroused, she had sex with Criston Cole (Fabien Frankel). Rhaenyra, after all, is a Targaryen fueled by fire and blood.

The house of the dragon He received criticism for his approach to violence against women, but in this episode he was right about the complicated relationship between Rhaenyra and Alicent. Rhaenyra’s half-gloomy “apology”, even though she is still hurt with Alicent for her marriage to her father, are of enormous delicacy. Relationships with Daemon (incest aside) and Criston are complex and full of power plays, but Rhaenyra has an agency there. It is rare to see female pleasure and desire intensified in this way.

What about Misarya (Sonoya Mizuno), who became a spy and owner of a swing? Congratulations to her that she got rid of the toxic male Daemon Targaryen.

The whole episode was preparing for Rhaenyra to finally accept a suitor, if only for sheer political opportunity, being free to do whatever she wants later. She comes to a compromise with her father: she agrees to marry Laenor Velaryon, to make peace with Corlys Velaryon, possessed by her to see her daughter rejected by the king, who preferred Alicent. In return, she earns Otto’s firing.

The biggest curiosity is Alicent’s reaction to the dismissal of her father, at the request of her friend-enemy Rhaenyra, who also lied to her about Daemon.

Source: Terra

Emily

Emily Jhon is a product and service reviewer at Gossipify, known for her honest evaluations and thorough analysis. With a background in marketing and consumer research, she offers valuable insights to readers. She has been writing for Gossipify for several years and has a degree in Marketing and Consumer Research from the University of Oxford.