Power in Westeros revolves around the Iron Throne, and though dragons can cover vast distances, the throne doesn’t budge. House of the Dragon is designed to do what it says on the tin: tell the story of the Targaryens, a ruling clan consumed by the pursuit and preservation of power. Granted, HBO’s Sunday centerpiece is only following Martin’s lead as laid out in his account of the leadup to the Dance of the Dragons. Rhaenyra’s foray from the castle is an overdue departure for Dragon-and a relief for any fans who’d had enough of watching characters cooped up in one place. Through its first four episodes, the Game of Thrones prequel has largely focused on one setting, one stratum of society, and even one family-an aspect of this series that sets it apart from its predecessor, whose extensive set of locations and characters really explored the studio space set up by Martin’s imagination. (A desire for spontaneous sex can conquer all, including her hot bodyguard’s vow of chastity and prophylactic full-body armor.) Her exposure to the seamier side of the city vividly conveys how hemmed in she is by the restrictions and expectations imposed on women in Westeros-particularly a woman whose maidenhood could be crucial to the future of the Targaryen regime.īut the sequence in Flea Bottom and the Street of Silk also highlights a limitation of House of the Dragon. It’s not clear when last call in King’s Landing is, but the party’s still raging long after highborn lords and ladies’ bedtimes.įor Rhaenyra, this is an eye-opening excursion, one that makes cloistered castle life seem so suffocating that as soon as she gets back, she seduces Ser Criston Cole in an act of rebellion against the genteel life laid out for her. Among the masses, Rhaenyra can cosplay as a street urchin, feel “free of the burdens of inheritance,” and-in the company of a certified orgy guy-witness sex acts she’s previously seen only on the Red Keep’s NC-17-rated tapestries. Sure, there are drunkards and pickpockets and there’s public indecency, too-but unlike the liquor and larceny at court, these bawdy excesses aren’t buried beneath a veneer of boring refinement. King’s Landing looks alive, its streets overflowing with fortune tellers and food vendors, troubadours and tightrope walkers, magicians and mummers. When Rhaenyra and Daemon descend to street level, the screen teems with evidence of how much she’s missed. ‘House of the Dragon’ Focuses on Its Core Four In an earlier conversation, the princess confided to Alicent that she didn’t intend to be married off and “imprisoned in a castle.” True to her word, she stages a prison break as soon as her spacious cell is unlocked. (Prior to his exile on Dragonstone, Daemon was known in King’s Landing as both “Prince of the City” and-more relevant to his trip with Rhaenyra-“Lord Flea Bottom.”) For Rhaenyra, such sowing of oats wasn’t an option, but she shares her uncle’s “restless and chaotic” streak. Rhaenyra’s rescuer-and soon-to-be tempter-is her uncle Daemon, who’s been slumming it in King’s Landing for much of his life. Yet to Rhaenyra, who smiles as she makes her escape, the drafty doorway offers a literal and figurative breather from her stuffy, circumscribed existence at court. Martin’s Fire & Blood tells us of the “hidden doors and secret tunnels” installed by Maegor the Cruel-seems like a serious security risk. This X-marks-the-spot portal to the outside world-consistent with what George R.R. Instead she discovers her ticket to a night on the town: a bag containing commonfolk camouflage and a piece of parchment, the latter of which reveals the exciting (if somewhat unsettling) presence of a secret passageway right by her bed. Midway through the fourth episode of House of the Dragon, Princess Rhaenyra returns to her chambers, expecting to spend another night in. You can find information about how to support Jonathan’s family here. Editor’s note: On Saturday, Ringer senior staff writer Jonathan Tjarks passed away.
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