‘Home of the Dragon’ Episode 9 Recap: The Queen Who By no means Was

The king is useless. You already know that should you’ve seen the teaser for episode 9, titled The Inexperienced Council, which introduced the monarch’s passing after final week’s present. Simply earlier than Viserys died, he managed to make sure the realm’s disruption when he by chance gave Alicent the impression he needed their son Aegon to be king.

A basic combine up! This would not have occurred if the Targaryens did not insist of naming each second new child Aegon. 

The Inexperienced Council is the penultimate episode of Home of the Dragon’s first season. (The title is a reference to the Hightowers, whose home coloration is inexperienced.) It was top-of-the-line, too. Just a few characters obtained to shine like by no means earlier than, whereas others confirmed their true colours for the primary time. Warning: Home of the Dragon spoilers forward. As well as, this recap references sexual coercion.

The king is useless

We start this week with the top of King Viserys Targaryen. The outdated chap has seemingly been knocking on demise’s door for years, even again within the day when Milly Alcock was enjoying Rhaenyra. Queen Alicent is notified of his passing within the opening moments of the episode, and shortly seeks the council of her father, Otto Hightower.

“I noticed him final night time, earlier than he … he advised me he wished for Aegon to be king,” Alicent tells him. “It’s the reality, uttered along with his personal lips, his final phrases to me and I used to be the one one to listen to it. And now he is useless.”

The queen and the Hand name collectively a Small Council assembly, the place Otto reveals King Viserys’ obvious final phrases. That is a present for all of them, because it makes their succession plan simpler: It seems Hightower had been plotting with members of the Small Council to put in Aegon as King after Viserys’ demise all alongside. Viserys’ purported want is simply an additional weapon of their arsenal.

Amongst these not concerned within the plan are Lord Beesbury, Grasp of Coin, and Queen Alicent herself.

“Am I to grasp that members of the Small Council have been planning, secretly, to put in my son with out me?” Alicent asks with indignation.

Much more outraged is Lord Beesbury, who calls their plot theft, treason and seizure.

“I’m six and 70 years outdated, I’ve identified Viserys longer than any who sit at this desk, and I cannot imagine that he stated this on his deathbed alone with solely the boy’s mom as a witness.”

Beesbury accuses the group of regicide, of being social gathering to the king’s passing. Ser Criston Cole takes it upon himself to deal with Beesbury in an orderly vogue: By smashing Beesbury’s face onto the desk, killing him immediately.

Lord Commander Westerling orders Criston to put down his sword, however Ser Criston refuses, till Queen Alicent orders him to. Otto Hightower says nobody leaves the room till the enterprise is sorted, and Alicent brings up Rhaenyra.

“The previous inheritor can’t in fact be allowed to stay free and draw help to her declare … she and her household might be given the chance to publicly declare obeisance to the brand new king.”

Alicent rightly factors out that Rhaenyra and particularly Daemon would by no means bend the knee, and realizes the true plan is to have Rhaenyra and Daemon killed. Hightower calls for Lord Commander Westerling take his knights to Dragonstone and homicide the rival Targaryens.

Westerling refuses. He says he takes orders from the king, however there isn’t any king. He takes off his cape and leaves it on the Small Council desk.

All that is left to do is inform Aegon about his new obligation. However there’s an issue: Nobody can discover Aegon. Aegon is not in his chambers, and Ser Erryk, the Kingsguard knight sworn to guard him, does not know the place he’s both. Otto Hightower orders Erryk to enter King’s Touchdown and discover Aegon, and ensure the prince is dropped at Hightower and Hightower alone. The queen, Hightower says, can’t know.

Chasing Aegon

The queen, for her half, places Ser Criston on the case. “Aegon should be discovered, and he should be dropped at me. The very destiny of the Seven Kingdoms relies on it.”

Aemond, Aegon’s brother, says he needs to go along with Ser Criston, that he is aware of Aegon higher than anybody. Naturally, the primary place Aemond thinks Aegon might be is a pleasure home. However Aegon is not there.

Within the meantime, Otto Hightower has assembled King’s Touchdown’s lords and women within the Nice Corridor. It is a shakedown: He is forcing them to bend the knee to the brand new king.

“You as soon as swore your banners to Rhaenyra, you should now pledge them to the longer term king,” Hightower decrees.

One lord and one girl object, saying they will not break their oath to Princess Rhaenyra. The guards escort them out of the Nice Corridor.

Ser Erryk and his brother — whose identify, in all seriousness, is Arryk — go right into a combating den the prince is thought to frequent. It is like a cockfighting ring, besides as an alternative of roosters combating it is peasant youngsters. The prince spends many an evening betting on fights, Ser Erryk says. Nodding to a small, silver-haired boy, he says Aegon will get as much as a lot worse. “Certainly one of many” of Aegon’s bastards, Ser Erryk says.

Whereas Rhaenyra and Daemon sailed again to Dragonstone after the occasions of final episode, Princess Rhaenys continues to be in King’s Touchdown. Nonetheless, earlier within the episode, we noticed that her doorways have been locked, making her a prisoner in her personal chambers.

Now, Queen Alicent pays her a go to. She informs Rhaenys that the king is useless, and asks her to help Aegon over Rhaenyra. The Velaryons’ pact with Rhaenyra has meant solely dangerous issues: Laena’s demise, Laenor being cuckolded after which ostensibly killed. However Rhaenys shoots again that Velaryon oaths are usually not so simply damaged.

Queen Alicent says that Rhaenys ought to have been made ruler over Viserys — that Viserys was higher suited to being a rustic lord who spent his time looking and studying historical past books. In all probability true, however tough. The bloke simply died!

“We don’t rule, however we might information the boys who do,” Alicent says, “away from violence and positive destruction, and as an alternative towards peace.”

Rhaenys turns it again on Alicent. “You’re wiser than I believed you to be … and but you toil nonetheless in service to males. Your father, your husband, your son. You need to not be free, however to make a window within the wall of your jail. Have you ever by no means imagined your self on the Iron Throne?”

Alicent rejects the hypothetical and tells Rhaenys to name her when she’s made up her thoughts.

The queen and the hand

Whereas on the youngsters’s struggle pit, Ser Erryk and his brother are approached by a mysterious girl who says she is aware of the place Aegon is. That girl takes the brothers, and Otto Hightower, to her grasp: Mysaria.

Mysaria, who chances are you’ll bear in mind as Daemon’s fling in early episodes, returned final week, displaying herself to have informants deep contained in the Pink Preserve. She now goes by the identify of “White Worm.”

She guarantees to take them to Aegon if Hightower guarantees youngsters will cease getting used for leisure in King’s Touchdown. The Metropolis Watch are supposed to defend the youngsters, she argues, however they’re too simply bribed into ignoring the youngsters’s plight. Hightower mouths a considerably empty-sounding platitude about wanting into it.

Erryk and Arryk are despatched to the Nice Sept, and discover a kidnapped Aegon beneath the central pillar. They drag him out, however once they get exterior, they’re met by Ser Criston and Aemond, who’ve been following the brothers all alongside.

A sword struggle ensues, with Ser Criston besting Arryk. Erryk watches on, mysteriously not coming to his brother’s assist earlier than retreating. Aegon himself tries to run away, yelling that he isn’t minimize out to be king, however Aemond chases him down.

“I hoped you’d disappear,” Aemond tells his brother.

“I’ve no want to rule, no style for obligation, I am not suited,” Aegon squirms. He guarantees to board a ship and by no means be seen once more in the event that they let him go.

Aemond appears into the concept, however Ser Criston interjects. “The queen awaits.”

Hours later, having outmaneuvered her father in kidnapping her son first, Queen Alicent visits Otto Hightower. He reprimands her for treating the succession like a sport, and says they should keep unified.

“Our hearts have been by no means one, I see that now, quite I have been a bit that you simply transfer across the board,” Alicent says. “I needed no matter you impressed upon me to need. And now the debt comes due, a debt you’re completely happy sufficient to pay.”

Hightower says Rhaenyra and her household should be sacrificed for the soundness of the realm — sacrifice the few for the numerous — and that Alicent is being weak by not acknowledging this reality. The queen shouts that reluctance to homicide will not be a weak spot.

She says she has Aegon, in order that they’ll proceed as she sees match. The following day, she says, Criston Cole might be named Lord Commander of the Kingsguard, Aegon might be anointed and can take Aegon the Conqueror’s crown and sword.

Most crucially, they’re going to ship phrases to Rhaenyra, honest phrases that she will settle for with out disgrace.

“My husband would have desired this mercy to be proven to his daughter.”

This was an excellent scene, arguably Queen Alicent’s greatest but. And it led to a way more distressing scene of sexual coercion.

When Queen Alicent will get again to her chambers, she finds “Clubfoot” Larys Sturdy ready for her. He has information. Alicent sits on the sofa throughout from him, takes her slippers off and places her stocking-covered toes on the desk. Larys tells her there is a net of spies within the Pink Preserve, one which Otto Hightower is conscious of and has left in place as a result of it has sometimes benefited him.

Larys says he has even worse information, however stalls for a second. Alicent sighs, removes her stockings and places her now naked toes on the desk. Larys continues, explaining that Alicent’s girl in ready is without doubt one of the spies — and that there are extra like her. To cease the espionage, they should take out the Queen Bee, one thing he is able to if the queen needs it.

Alicent sighs once more, places her toes up on a chair and appears away. Larys sneaks his hand in his pants and begins masturbating to her toes. Clubfoot has a foot fetish — is smart, I assume. It appears to be like like the value Alicent pays for Larys’ intel and providers is … yeah.

King Aegon, second of his identify

On the morning of Prince Aegon’s ascension, Rhaenys is woken up by Ser Erryk. He says he cannot stand for this treason — now we all know why he did not assist Arryk — and needs to escort Rhaenys out of King’s Touchdown. On their journey, we see what seems to be a hanged servant, and what seems to be Mysaria’s outdated headquarters lit aflame. It is what seems to be Larys’ handiwork.

Sadly, earlier than Rhaenys could make it out of town, she’s obstructed by the throngs of individuals charging towards the Dragon Pit to see Aegon topped.

Aegon himself will not be eager in any respect on the entire enterprise. Using towards the ceremony along with his mom, he complains that Viserys by no means needed him to be king, that Viserys upheld Rhaenyra’s declare, that he is solely being made king as a result of that is what Alicent and Otto need.

When Alicent says the king modified his thoughts, that in his dying breath Viserys requested for Aegon to be named king, Aegon laughs.

“Don’t toy with me mom.”

Alicent opens a close-by field, which homes Viserys’ dagger, the one which was as soon as wielded by Aegon the Conqueror. She tells Aegon that, as soon as he is king, Otto Hightower will implore him to execute Rhaenyra. Alicent pleads with Aegon to reject her father, that Rhaenyra is Aegon’s sister and must be handled with civility.

Contained in the Dragonpit, Otto Hightower speaks to the individuals of King’s Touchdown.

“In the present day is the saddest of days. Our beloved king, Viserys the Peaceable, is useless. However it’s also essentially the most joyous of days, for as his spirit left us, he whispered his last want: That his first-born son, Aegon, ought to succeed him.”

Aegon is launched, and led by way of a procession of knights onto the stage. Aegon was named king, with Aegon the Conqueror’s crown positioned on his head. The individuals cheered their new king.

The ceremony went off and not using a hitch, and peace washed over Westeros. It turned out to be an incident-free succession.

Beginning the social gathering

Yeah so clearly that final bit was a lie.

After Aegon was named King, a huge dragon burst up from beneath the ground. Amid the mud and particles, we see the dragon is being ridden by Rhaenys Targaryen. She managed to sneak off throughout the ceremony and retrieve Meleys, her dragon.

Everybody runs out of the Dragon Pit, apart from the king and his gang — together with the queen, the hand and Ser Criston. Rhaenys and her huge dragon strategy them. She may burn them alive, and teases doing so by making Meleys let off an enormous roar.

However as an alternative of killing them, Rhaenys scoffs and flies away — to Dragonstone, to alert Rhaenyra in order that she will begin mounting forces within the struggle for the throne.

Let the Dance of the Dragons start.

Main takeaways

Home of the Dragon has actually hit its stride. Final week Viserys obtained to be the star, giving an impassioned speech that stole the present. In episode 9, it was lastly Alicent Hightower’s time to shine.

After being pushed across the chessboard, as she put it, she’s enjoying a extra lively function in shaping occasions. Alicent has proven honor. She pushes Aegon for king, as she believes Viserys to have needed, however her resolve to safeguard the princess within the course of is admirable. It is Ned Stark-esque. Sadly, it is unlikely to finish nicely. It is simple to see Alicent’s makes an attempt at civility to be spat again at her by Rhaenyra and Daemon who, rightfully, will really feel burned by the entire “Aegon is the brand new king” factor.

Alicent wasn’t the one character to get some shine in episode 9, as Rhaenys additionally dominated right here. Her scene with Alicent was nice, and her energy transfer of erupting from beneath the ground with a large dragon might be laborious to high.

By holding Rhaenyra and Daemon off the display and out of the loop, episode 9 did an excellent job at constructing suspense for the finale. But when it had one flaw, I assume I might need to say it is Larys Sturdy masturbating to the queen’s toes.

Very intense.