Summary: After six years, Rhaenys receives news that Corlys has been injured and it is possible that he will die. Vaemond pressures Rhaenys to skip over Luke's claim to Driftmark but she refuses. Vaemond goes to King's Landing to press his claim. Daemon learns of this and he goes with Rhaenyra to King's Landing. King's Landing has changed now that it is under Hightower control. Viserys is delirious and bedridden. Alicent berates Aegon for raping one of the servant girls. Jace and Luke go to the courtyard where Aemond trains with Criston. Rhaenyra meets with Rhaenys and offers to marry Jace and Luke to Baela and Rhaena for her support. Rhaenys does not give an answer, being suspicious of Rhaenyra's involvement in Laenor's death. Rhaenyra begs Viserys to help her but he seems indisposed. The next day, Vaemond makes his case to Otto. When it's Rhaenyra's turn, Viserys returns and sits the throne. Rhaenys vouches for Rhaenyra and Viserys accepts that Luke is the heir. Frustrated, Vaemond lashes out and calls Rhaenyra's children bastards. Daemon kills him for treason. After, Viserys arranges a supper with his entire family and makes a speech to encourage them to get along. Alicent seems to be affected by these words and reaches out to Rhaenyra. Viserys is in pain and leaves, and immediately after a fight breaks out between the children when Aemond toasts to the "Strong" boys. Rhaenyra and Daemon head back to Dragonstone. That night, Alicent visits Viserys who thinks he is talking to Rhaenyra. She misinterprets his words as Viserys wanting Aegon to be the heir. After Alicent leaves, Viserys dies.
The Good: The main plot of this episode is a great concept: after many years, Rhaenyra returns to the Red Keep to defend Luke's claim to Driftmark. This is a good way to follow up a time jump as Rhaenyra's return allows the impact of the Hightower's rule in King's Landing to be immediately impactful. Seeing a quiet, subdued Red Keep is jarring, and it feels like Otto and Alicent have turned a familiar home into an outsider's realm, removing any Targaryen banners and replacing them with the seven-pointed star of Oldtown. And in this foreign place, Rhaenyra has no friends to help back her claim. The only people she can go to are Rhaenys and Viserys. Rhaenys is plain that she does not intend to help, believing that Rhaenyra played a role in Laenor's death. Meanwhile, Viserys has tragically become an inactive king, bedridden and delirious. The episode does a great job of building dread as Rhaenyra has no allies here in King's Landing to help her, while Vaemond has the backing of the Hightowers in his corner. It sets up an interesting and exciting scene in the throne room to hash out the rights to Driftmark. And that throne room scene more than delivers. It looks like things are heading towards a typical biased proceeding with Rhaenyra doomed to lose, until suddenly the doors open and out walks Viserys to sit the throne. The sequence of Viserys walking to the throne is literally 3-4 minutes long, and it is masterful. There's a funny irony to the doors opening and the music booming all for the entry of a decrepit old man who slowly limps inside, but it's indicative of the enormous strength that it took Viserys to come inside. It's not about his physical achievement, but it's about the mental one. For Viserys to still have the strength to come out to protect his daughter one final time was completely unexpected and it speaks volumes for the character and his love for his family. I've grown attached to Viserys after seeing his struggle in the last eight episodes, and there is something incredibly beautiful about seeing him finally show his strength in this sequence. Another outstanding detail is Daemon helping Viserys get up to the throne and placing the crown back on his head. For all the trouble that has brewed between these two, they are still brothers, and you can plainly see the bond that they have with one another. We have seen Viserys reach out time and time again to Daemon, so it's touching to see Viserys recognize and appreciate that it's Daemon who came over to help him. Meanwhile Daemon has always loved Viserys, and it's touching to see him also put the past behind him so that he could have a nice moment with his brother who he knows will not survive for much longer. There is such beauty and emotion to this sequence, and it fantastically pays off of key relationships that have been built since the very beginning of the show. Vaemond's death at the end of this sequence is spectacle done right. Vaemond's outburst in court fits his character, considering that we've seen his distaste for the Targaryens since his introduction, and it's sensible that he would lash out when his plan to take Driftmark for himself was foiled right at the very end by Viserys. Wil Johnson did a spectacular job of bringing this character to life, and his hate-filled rant towards Viserys and Rhaenyra was spectacularly acted, with some memorable and impactful line delivery. Vaemond did not care by that point and simply needed to get the truth out there in the throne room, and he paid for it with his life. Daemon's swift stroke of death was a magnificent moment, and it calls back to his request to be Viserys' hand, saying that he can protect Viserys from his own weakness. Here we get to see this actualized as Viserys merely wants Vaemond's tongue, but Daemon shows no weakness, refusing to let an open traitor like Vaemond live to corrupt others to his cause. Daemon is the King's Justice in this scene, and it's a lovely reminder of what could have been had Viserys and Daemon been able to work out their issues without Otto manipulating Viserys to turn him against his brother. The dinner scene is tragic and brilliant as Viserys gives one final attempt to reconnect his fractured family. His speech combined with his horrific appearance gives a sense of desperation from him as he all but begs his family to cease the fighting and become one again. Evidently, this affects those who care for him, namely Rhaenyra and Alicent who give nice toasts to each other for Viserys' sake. Even if it is an illusion, Viserys sits at the dinner table enjoying the happiness created in the union of families, and that brief smile that flashes on his face is heartbreaking. Whether it's real or not, Viserys does not care, and is mere happy to be sitting amongst those he loves. And it's made all the more tragic knowing that this peace is never going to last and that war is likely going to start the moment that Viserys finally dies. I feel for Viserys and his attempts to get everyone to get along, which seems to be the only thing that he's wanted ever since losing the wife that he loved. I suspect that Alicent and Rhaenyra could have possibly kept the peace had it only been up to them. Considering their history, the strength of their bond, their shared love for Viserys, and their susceptibility to Viserys' final speech, I think it is feasible and even likely that they would reconcile after years of strife. However, the problem lies in their children. Alicent and Rhaenyra have a fond past to remember, but their children have known nothing but hate for each other, instilled upon them at a young age by their mothers. This is a wonderful take on generational trauma, showing how these kids have developed an even bigger rivalry than their parents all as a result of them being raised to despise each other. The second Viserys leaves, the children force a fight. Earlier it was Aegon and Jace exchanging words and subtly insulting the other, but by the end it's Aemond who steps up and gives a terrific, intense toast that causes a fight to break out. The change in Aemond following the time-jump is quite shocking. He goes from an endearing introvert to a genuinely terrifying individual who carries a presence with him. He's taken after Daemon significantly, and also seems to admire the man, as he seemed impressed when Daemon executed Vaemond earlier in the episode. The other children have also been aged up effectively, becoming compelling, memorable characters in their own right, but Aemond is definitely the stand-out. Viserys' final words to Alicent are powerful, and it's tragic to see him unwillingly and unknowingly undo the work he just did to reconcile Rhaenyra and Alicent by making Alicent think that she has to crown Aegon as Viserys' successor. This ended up being an eloquent summary of Viserys' reign, where he did all that he could to prevent war from happening, but his actions unintentionally furthered the conflicts that led into war. As for Alicent, she should know better than to trust the delirious words of Viserys, but she is hearing what she wants to hear. The only reason she was vulnerable to consider reconciling in this episode is because of how disillusioned she has become with the prospect of her son Aegon being a king, accepting that he would be a terrible ruler. But with her faith shaken, all she needs to get back on track is the confidence of somebody else, and she hears that confidence from Viserys, and makes her choice to back Aegon over Rhaenyra in that moment. The end of the episode is heartbreaking as it seemingly covers Viserys' final moments. His pain is obvious to see, and it is devastating to see him barely holding onto life in these moments, begging for it all to end, crying, and hallucinating visions of Aemma, who he acknowledges in the episode-ending line of "my love". This is a profoundly sad ending for Viserys, one that hit me hard as the character really grew on me throughout the season. Much more than anyone in season 1 of "Game of Thrones", I was saddened by Viserys' death, and it serves as an important emotional and plot beat at the climax of this season. The Bad: I've made my peace with the jarring time jumps this season, but it does bother me that a significant event like Corlys getting grievously injured in war happened off-screen. Corlys is a major character, and it feels cheap to have something substantial happen to him without us seeing it. Vaemond's death has some minor, but forgivable flaws. The character wasn't quite fully fleshed out, and while the acting overcomes this flaw to an extent, it is still disappointing that we didn't learn more about Vaemond before losing him. Daemond killing him openly without Viserys ordering it probably isn't realistic, though I can forgive it because of the rich storytelling value it offers. The Unknown: What is Corlys' fate? Will he die from his injuries? Did Viserys actually die at the end of the episode? I'm quite confident he did, but he's surprised us before with his ability to cling on to life. I won't be sure until I see the body. Once Viserys is dead, will Alicent seek to crown Aegon? Will she continue trying to reconcile with Rhaenyra, or will she turn on Rhaenyra now that she thinks Viserys has approved of Aegon as his heir? Will the children play a role in preventing reconciliation between Rhaenyra and Alicent? Will there be any fallout for Vaemond's death? I suspect not since he was openly treasonous, but I wouldn't be surprised if somebody from the Velaryon family is upset by his death. Will Jace and Luke's weddings to Baela and Rhaena happen? Best Moment: Viserys' walk to the throne was emotional and superbly well shot. There is so much to love about that sequence as the King uses one last burst of strength to once again come to the aide of the daughter he loves more than anything else in this world. Character of the Episode: Viserys. Conclusion: This was a splendid, emotional episode that worked on every level. It may not be action-packed or intense, but it delivered an emotive farewell to King Viserys on what must be the precipice before war. Score: 75
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Aaron DhillonJust a university student who loves to watch TV. And analyze it way too much. Archives
March 2024
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