House of the Dragon leaps ten years into the future for one of the best episodes of the season so far. New actors for some of the main characters can be a bit jarring at first, but they do a terrific job.
When we open on House Of The Dragon this Sunday, ten years have passed. Rhaenyra—now played by the excellent Emma D’Arcy—is in labor, about to give birth to her third son.
The babe is born and immediately the queen demands that the boy be presented to her. Rhaenyra declines to have it sent, determined to make the long trek herself and not give Alicent—now played in much more ruthless fashion by Olivia Cooke—the satisfaction.
She’s joined by her husband, Laenor (aged up and played as an overly-confident dandy by John McMillan) who thinks the whole thing is ridiculous.
Alicent’s demand is a power play, obviously. She wants to flaunt her power over the princess and she wants to see if the baby bears any resemblance to Laenor. The boy, who Laenor blurts out is named Joffrey, does not. Like his brothers, he is white and has brown hair. “Keep trying, Ser Laenor,” Alicent murmurs. “Maybe someday you’ll get one who looks like you.”
An old and worn down Viserys (Paddy Considine) seems entirely oblivious of all this politicking around him. He refuses to believe Alicent’s allegations that the children are, in fact, Harwin Strong’s (Ryan Corr) but also doesn’t seem to care that his wife forced his daughter to present her child just moments after birth.
His obliviousness extends to the training yard, where Ser Criston Cole shows clear, unbridled favoritism for Alicent’s sons, Aegon (Ty Tennant) and Aemund (Leo Ashton) at the expense of Rhaenyra’s sons Lucerys or Luc for short (Harvey Sadler) and Jacaerys (Leo Hart).
This irks Harwin, who has come to the yard to watch. He confronts Criston (Fabien Frankel) and asks why he doesn’t give the younger boys the same amount of attention. So Cole pits young Jaecerys against Aegon and urges the older boy to give no quarter and show no mercy. Finally Harwin grabs the prince and hurls him aside.
Cole, clearly pleased, asks why he shows such interest in the boys. The kind of interest that a father might show. It’s an obvious taunt but Harwin is known for his strength not his wits, and he takes the bait leaping onto Cole and beating him. Cole doesn’t seem phased; indeed, he seems very pleased by the whole thing.
It’s a scandal, of course. Harwin’s father and Hand of the King, Lyonel Strong (Gavin Spokes) is furious with his son and tries to resign, telling Viserys he can no longer advise him faithfully. Viserys refuses saying that Harwin’s dismissal from the Goldcloaks is punishment enough; Alicent tries to get Lyonel to tell them why, but he says he cannot. He asks, instead, to take Harwin back to Harrenhal and out of the public eye. This, we soon find out, is a grave mistake.
Harwin is a very likable knight. He is more honorable and kind than Ser Criston, and clearly a better match for Rhaenyra. But neither he nor the princess has been careful enough. When he departs and says his farewells to the boys, even they realize that he seems more than just a friend. “Is Harwin Strong my father?” Jaecerys asks. “Am I a bastard?”
“You are a Targeryen,” Rhaenyra replies. “That’s what matters.”
Meanwhile, Alicent has surrounded herself with schemers and politicians. Ser Criston Cole now guards her chambers instead of Rhaenyra’s, and his bitterness toward the princess has only grown and festered over the years.
