We've said it before, and we'll say it again: House of the Dragon is already better than Game of Thrones.
And as we mentioned before, don't go throwing your toys out of the pram just yet, as we're qualifying it thusly: the first season of House of the Dragon is better than the first season of Game of Thrones.
By scaling back the gargantuan size of the cast, the new fantasy epic series feels like it is much closer to the family in-fighting of Succession (with added violence)... but it also just happens to have loads of dragons in it.
And episode eight, titled The Lord of the Tides, might have been the best episode of the season so far. You can check out our full breakdown of the episode right here.
We're assuming you're reading this because you've already seen the episode, so you'll already know that in amongst the many, MANY memorable scenes and interactions within this hour of TV, it might come as a surprise to discover that the episode's - if not the entire show's - most powerful moment to date was entirely by accident.
The scene in question involves King Viserys (Paddy Considine) and Prince Daemon (Matt Smith), taking place inside the throne room.
Geeta Patel, the director of the episode, told Entertainment Weekly the following:
"When we were shooting that – I think the rehearsal again, the first day - the crown fell off of Paddy's head and Matt picked it up and we just kept going. We didn't stop [filming]. There was a discovery there of this moment. So then the three of us got together and they were like, 'We felt this. This felt like the turning point in our relationship'. It's just a silent moment.
"I was so thankful that accident happened, that the crown fell off because it proved to be, at least for me, quite a heavy moment and quite a turning point for a storyline that had started in the pilot: Hey, I want your crown and by the end here I'm gonna put the crown back on your head and I'm gonna help you to your throne."
Paddy and Matt absolutely KILLED it in this scene, and if you didn't stifle back a little sob when Daemon came to his ill brother's rescue, then you're a stronger person than I.
House of the Dragon: Episode Nine - titled The Green Council - will be available to stream with a NOW Entertainment Membership from Monday, 17 October.
You can also check out our interview with Paddy Considine and Matt Smith about the show right here:
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