‘House of the Dragon’ recap: The dread wedding
May he (cough, sneeze) reign long.
To reinforce Rhea’s death, we cut off the head of a fish. The king and his companions travel by sea. Drift Mark Offering a royal wedding to Lord Corliss. The king is marine; He loses his lunch over the edge of the ship. To add to his misery, Viserys is not even greeted upon arrival by Corlyce and Cousin Rynce. Only son Lenore and his friend Joffrey (not to be confused with the evil Joffrey from “Game of Thrones”) are at the door. The king’s new hand, Lionel Strong, thinks it’s funny. Lady Lena, who has aged a few years since we last saw her, appears and says that her father is waiting for her. like a boss.
Viserys is a long walk between some imposing architecture to reach Corliss. Corliss bends the knee, but it’s the coughing, exhausted Viserys who looks submissive. Reneece enters, excited to see her cousin. But when she takes the king’s hands and notices that his fingers are missing, she asks, “Are you all right?” If he was close to death, he would be Montgomery Burns. The couple conveyed word to Viserys that Lady Rhea had died. She was thrown from her horse and her head and neck were crushed even though she was an expert rider. The subtext is that they all know who is really responsible. Viserys changes the subject to why he is here: the marriage between Rhaenyra and Lanore. Corless called the offer generous. But he has questions about the succession protocol. Viserys explains that the couple’s first-born child, regardless of gender, will be next in line to the Iron Throne. Corliss asks if they will follow tradition and force the child to take the father’s surname, making the heir Valarion. The king says yes, at birth, but when he takes the throne he will have the name Targaryen in his title. The in-laws agree to the compromise.
Back at King’s Landing, Otto is evacuating High Tower. Betty Elant tells him that she regrets her role in the debacle the night Rhaenyra was seen kissing Daemon. He’s pretty salty about choosing Rhynera’s word over his. She blames Otto for trying to put Aegon on the throne. Otto saw it, the queenLike she’s the biggest idiot in the kingdom. He speaks his truth: the king will die, the kingdom will not accept Rhaenyra, there will be war. Oto believes that Rhaenyra will kill the children of Eliant to strengthen her hold on the throne. It’s dark, man, but given Rhaenyra’s recent lies and her lineage (Daenerys, anyone?), it’s possible. The alien cries. His father hugs him, then rides off into the rain. Later, in the Godswood, the queen meets Larrys Strong, a man with club feet, who looks like a sick Mickey Day “Saturday Night Live” character. Larris Drops the Bomb: He sees a potion being delivered to Rhynera by the Grand Master on the King’s orders. He allows the alien to connect the dots: his stepdaughter what After sex, the morning after medication is needed. But the aliens believe that the impregnator was a demon. Lauris is a chatty little schemer, his wand full of wishes.
Walking along the beach fully clothed, Rhaenyra and Lenore compare notes on their inevitable union. Rainiera introduces the terrible metaphor of preferring roast duck to goose because he finds goose fat. Lenore grabs her enlarged scar and says it’s not for not trying. Did our princess compare her future husband to a fat goose? He suggested that they do their duty with the wedding but “continue to eat as we see fit.” Lenore smiled. There will be an open marriage.
Meanwhile, Lenore’s parents are worried. Rhaenys dashed Corlys hopes that the two cousins were “getting to know each other”. “You know his true nature,” she tells her husband. Clearly they are talking about Lenore’s sexuality. Corliss believes that his son can outdo him because it is permissible for him to bed a woman. fearsome. That’s not what Rhaenys is worried about; She thinks that a succession of knives will come out and that her family is a target. He doesn’t believe that money and power are worth it. Corliss reminds him that he should have been on the Iron Throne first. Rhaenys says she’s over it. Even when they’re disagreeing and hashing things out, Corlys and Rhaenys speak passionately and hold each other unlike any other couple on the show.
As if to confirm the point about Lenore’s sexuality, we see her lying in some tall grass by the beach with Joffrey. Lenore is grumpy, but Joffrey is happy with the outcome: they can continue their romance, with Rhaenyrs blessing, even. The two begin to wrestle, but it turns into kissing, which looks dangerous outside while the visitors are still on the island.
On the boat home, Sir Kirsten Cole approached the princess. He wants her to run away with him, marry for love and start over with new identities – a very cynical plan given his fame and the King’s resources. Rhynera entertains the idea that it is too important to give up before deciding on her role. She expresses her understanding with Lenore, that she and Cole can continue their relationship. “So you want me to be your whore,” he says, annoyed. Cole cries about his vow of chastity. He thought he could restore his name if they were married. You mean if you went and pretended to be someone else? Kol is distraught that Rhaenyra chose the throne over him. Well, it’s a pretty scary throne.
Back home, Cole is summoned by Alicent. He is questioned about the night Rhynera went out. Since Alicent never mentions Damon by name, Cole thinks it’s about him and quickly confesses to having sex with the princess, much to Alicent’s shock. He is willing to die for his sin, but Alicent, nevertheless, thanks him for his honesty and dismisses him without punishment. Maybe Cole should take a vow of silence before spilling more secrets.
Frail King Viserys receives a leech cure and a sleeping potion. He is badly. He spreads rumours, asking Lionel if he will be remembered as a good king. Ma’am, you’ll be lucky if you’re remembered at all. Viserys laments that he has had no great victories or defeats, nothing you’d write a good song about, not even a “Weird Al” parody. Lionel, the diplomat, says that ruling in a time of peace can be considered lucky. The goblet is half full, you see.
Time passes. Dragons fly. Ships arrive at King’s Landing for the royal wedding. Inside, Rainera sits in the great hall with her father. Her hair is tied up and bejeweled, her dress is white with golden accents. Their table is piled high with pies and seafood for a welcome feast. The queen is missing. Riya’s cousin Gerald Appears from the beginning of the episode. The king and Rhaenyra offer their condolences, but are interrupted by the Valarion family’s thundering door. Lenore took her place at the table with Rhaenyra. When Joffrey bows to them and gives Lanore a pointed look, Rhaenyra figures out who Lanore desires. As everyone takes their seats, Damon steps forward confidently and doesn’t take any compliments. He walks over to a staring Viserys, who nods for a chair to be brought for his brother. waaaay at the end of the table. The king begins to speak but is interrupted by Alicent, who enters in a dark green robe. Everyone wakes up awkwardly. We learn that green is what House Hightower uses in his beacon to summon the banners to battle. She is expressing anger. Elant gives Rhynera the dirtiest look while congratulating her. The king talks about uniting the houses and promises seven days of tournaments and feasts before the wedding.
But first: dance! Lenore and Rhaenyra do a dance of seduction as everyone from Joffrey to Kol to Elaine and Daemon looks on. Jerrold blames Damon for Rhea’s “accident” in front of Viserys and Lionel. Damon says that he is next in line to take over Ravenstone, Rhea’s home castle, since he and Rhea had no heirs. When Damon says he’ll probably see Gerald there, it’s likely that he’ll kill or evict the Rhys family when he takes over. The threat scares Gerald away. Angry, angry, silent.
A bunch of mini-scenes play out to music and dance. Damon flirts with Laina, who thinks she’s hot. Joffrey figures that Kol is the person Rhaenyra plans to continue sleeping with. He fills Lenore in and says it’s good. They now know his secret. As partygoers dance to the Westeros remix of “Hooray for hip-hopJoffrey goes to confirm his idea. He overplayed his hand, oblivious to Cole’s highly emotional state. As the king watches, Uncle Daemon pulls Rhaenyra away from her dance partner and makes one last move for her, speaking in Valerian. He says that Lenore will bore him, and by the way, his marriage is “made”. She says the hours are getting shorter. If he’s going to move, he can fight through the Kingsguard and kidnap her. “Take me to Dragonstone and make me your wife,” she dares. He cupped her face in both hands. Incest Blindness : No one in the room sees them except Viserys.
Before anyone can witness the unfolding scandal, there is a scream. This is not The Red WeddingBut the fight is on. Cole and Lenore exchange as Joffrey lies on the ground, his face covered in blood. Attacked by Kol, Joffrey draws a small dagger, but it’s not enough. Kol screams and Joffrey is horrified as the guests repeat, who were cheering. Joffrey is dead. An unnecessary shot of a face stuffed with ground beef is shown as Cole realizes what he has done. The room is, perhaps, completely silent. Lenore, who had fallen down during the fight, finds her lover dead on the floor. He crawls and starts crying. So … seven more days of it, huh?
Actually no. The wedding, somber and private, followed shortly after with a long table of hastily rotting remains – quite the metaphor. The room is empty. Only the king, his hand, Alicent and the officers witness the union. The crying couple awkwardly kissed on the cheek.
This sad little wedding scene is interspersed with Cole entering the Godswood alone. He removes his weapons with the plan to kill himself. He points the dagger at his stomach, intending to knock Cole all over the grass. Alicent is there. “Sir Kristen,” she calls out, stopping him.
It’s unclear if the Godswood bit takes place before or after the wedding because the next thing we see is Viserys falling out with Alicent. Everyone leans in to help, but it may be too late. The camera pans back down the corridor to reveal a pool of Joffrey’s blood at the door. A rat, perhaps Elant had seen above his bed. In the previous episodedrinks from it as the final note of a mournful song, perhaps about the unremarkable reign of Viserys, the play.