House of the Dragon delivered a bloody episode 5 on Sunday night on HBO Max. But if you stayed tuned in after the credits rolled to catch a preview of episode 6, you might have wondered what exactly took place between these two episodes. Suddenly, new actors are playing major roles, and the plot leapfrogged years into the future.
The preview starts with a dragon flying, and then a member
of the king's Small Council saying, "We should address the latest
development in the Stepstones." Wait, didn't Prince Daemon already handily
do that by cutting the Crabfeeder in half? Ohhh, wait, this isn't a rerun. The
Stepstones are giving Viserys ulcers once again.
Queen Alicent, now played by Olivia Cooke, age 28, instead
of Emily Carey, 19, helpfully tells us it's been a decade since Daemon fought
that battle, and he's since left the region undefended. Was this ... supposed
to be his permanent job going forward? Doesn't leave a lot of time for
murdering wives and fooling around with nieces. But what we take from this:
It's about 10 years in the future, so get ready to see your favorite and least
favorite characters aged, and in some cases, recast.
The camera then cuts to Princess Rhaenyra, formerly played
by Milly Alcock, 22, and now played by Emma D'Arcy, 30. From the way Rhaenyra
corrects her queen and former BFF, and the way Alicent cocks her head and gives
Rhaenyra the death stare, it seems like they haven't mended their friendship
over the past 10 years.
Long live the King
That's King Viserys, still played by Paddy Considine. And
while he appears in need of some creme rinse, and is looking pretty feeble, at
least he's not dead, which is surprising considering how scarred up he was
getting. How many fingers am I holding up, Your Highness? Those leeches must
know their business.
Aegon grows up
Then, Larys Strong, the man with the clubfoot who spilled
the tea about the pregnancy-preventing moon tea in episode 5, is heard asking,
"What are children but a weakness?" I already hate this guy,
Littlefinger-style.
Still, his line is the perfect lead-in to our introduction
to the next generation of Targaryens. We see a younger Targaryen, probably
Alicent's second son, Aemond, encountering a dragon. Then we see now-teenaged
Aegon, first son of Viserys and Alicent, and the royal family member much of
the kingdom wants to serve as Viserys' heir -- simply because he's a male and
Rhaenyra is not. (Aegon is now played by Tom Glynn-Carney, which shouldn't be a
huge adjustment since we barely got to see the child actor playing him before
this.) He's being trained to fight (his opponent might be Rhaenyra's son?) and
Aegon looks pretty cocky.
He's also wearing green, the color of his mother's house, as
we hear her say, "You will be our king." Seems like she's taken a cue
from her father, Otto, and is now pushing her son to the throne, not her old
friend Rhaenyra.
Rhaenyra's a mother
Rhaenyra wed Laenor Velaryon in episode 5, shortly after the
the princess' protector, Ser Criston Cole, beat the man Laenor truly loved to
death at a pre-marriage celebration gone bloody. The couple agreed they'd find
sex elsewhere, and it does seem from the preview that many people in the
kingdom believe Rhaenyra's babies are not her husband's biological offspring.
What's more, she's seen holding a baby next to a young boy.
Her children don't have the shocking Targaryen blond hair she and Laenor both
have; they have brown hair instead. Seems like that's what Queen Alicent is
sputtering about when she says, "To have one child like that is a mistake,
to have three is an insult."
So when you see a dark-haired kid, it's probably Rhaenyra's, and the young blonds are Alicent's. One of Rhaenyra's sons utters the famed "Dracarys!" command and his dragon lights someone up. I think it's a goat, not a person, but either way.
Marriage is all in the family
We also see a mother and daughter who appear to be a
pregnant Laena Velaryon and her child. Laena has been recast and aged too, and
is now played by Nanna Blondell. And who's her husband, seen riding dragons
with her? It sure looks to be Prince Daemon (Matt Smith). Yes, they're related.
Yes, they wed and had children anyway, like almost everyone else on this show.
V.C. Andrews has nothing on George R.R. Martin. Also, don't get in their way,
because this is one couple that'll stop at nothing to get whatever they want.
Ser Criston switches sides
Ser Criston Cole (Fabien Frankel) began as Rhaenyra's
protector, then killed her husband's lover at her wedding, and now he may be on
the side of Queen Alicent, who talked him out of killing himself in the
Godswood at the end of episode 5. He's seen fighting Ser Harwin Strong (Ryan
Corr), aka Harwin Breakbones, noted for his strength. If Ser Harwin is now
Rhaenyra's protector, this could be essentially an Alicent-Rhaenyra proxy fight
right here. Stay tuned.
Episode 6 of House of the Dragon will air on Sept. 25 on HBO
Max.
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