Courtesy of HBO
After what has felt like forever, House of the Dragon is finally back. In true Thrones/House of the Dragon fashion, the season has started with a bang. After the death of Rhaneyra's son Prince Lucerys, Rhaenyra wants vengeance for her son's death. Thus, the title of this episode is very fitting. But, what was seen at the end of this episode is something that no one could have expected unless you read the books. But before we get there, does the episode live up to the long wait? Let's find out.
The episode starts off in my favorite place in the Thrones universe, Winterfell. Seeing Winterfell after all this time was truly awesome and made me reminisce about all the things that will happen there. We are introduced to Cregan Stark for the first time. He tells Prince Jace that Winterfell will support Rhaenyra as Queen and will send men to fight alongside her against Alicent. Cregan then gets a raven from Dragonstone and informs Jace of the death of Luke.
Rhaenys flies back to Dragonstone and is immediately confronted by Daemon. Daemon wants to fly to King's Landing and bring hellfire to Team Green. Rhaenys has other plans which include resting and taking a nap. She then reminds Daemon that the Queen has not given her permission to do this. Daemon is frustrated as he wants to exact revenge. At King's Landing, Aemond arrives back with Vhagar. We see Alicent and Criston Cole for the first time as they are both enjoying each other's company to say the least. Alicent then tells Criston this is the last time they can have sex with each other. They then hold a meeting as King Aegon takes his son Jaehaerys to work day. Aegon then trolls Tyland Lannister by almost making him give his son a pony back ride. As the meeting progresses, they talk about what they are going to do with the upcoming war. Aegon wants to get it over with but Otto tells Aegon to be patient and have a strategy. Aemond arrives to the meeting which pissed off Alicent. Aemond gives his mom a smirk and basically has no regrets over killing Luke.
We finally see Rhaenyra for the first time. Her face is covered in dirt and looks distraught. In the most emotional scene of the episode, Rhaenyra finds a dragon wing and Luke's cloak on the beach. She breaks down immediately after seeing the cloak and accepts the death of her son.
Aegon holds court for all of the petitions that the locals have. One local wants his sheep back and at first Aegon obliges. Otto steps in and says the dragons need the sheep to eat in case there is a war. Aegon then tells the man that the sheep are to stay with the dragons. After court, Lord Larys pulls Aegon aside and basically tells him that Otto should not be his hand. Larys reminds me of Littlefinger in the sense that he always starts trouble and somehow that trouble benefits him. Alicent and Otto have a conversation. Alicent tells Otto that her sons for resent him if he keeps telling them what to do. Otto tells Alicent that he is doing what needs to be done to win this future war and questions if Alicent is doing the same. This can be an important part of this season if the boys rebel against Otto and kick him to the curb.
Rhaenyra arrives back at Dragonstone and tells her council only four words: "I want Aemond Targaryen". Daemon immediatelty obliges Rhaenyra's wishes and he bribes two local men names Blood and Cheese to get the job done. Daemon was wearing his signature black hoodie and you know when that comes out something crazy is happening. Blood and Cheese sneak into the royal castle and look for Aemond. They first see Aegon on the throne drinking and bantering with his boys. They then sneak past Aegon and head upstairs where the royals live. They find Aegon's wife/sister Helaena and her two kids. Being the idiots that they are, they immediately believe one of the kids is Aemond. They ask Helaena which one is the son and like the movie Sophie's Choice, Helaena picks out Jaehaerys. In one of the most brutal scenes in the history of the Thrones universe, Blood and Cheese kill Jaehaerys. The sounds coming from that were truly horrifying. Helaena takes her daughter and immediately runs to Alicent's room and again is enjoying the company from Criston. Helaena barges in the room to see her mom having sex and says "they killed the boy". The episode ends there and in true Thrones fashion you are left speechless at the end.
This season premiere was awesome. It had everything you want from it. It had the politics, the funny one liners, and of course the brutal murder. It will be interesting to see how Aegon responds to his son dying. Next week's episode should be where shit hits the fan and as a fan, I can't wait.
Grade: A-
What did you think of the season premiere of House of the Dragon? Are you Team Green or Team Black? Leave your opinions in the comments below
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