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We’re going to need Season Two right now, please. Right now. Please and thank you.
Hello and welcome (back) to our weekly power-ranking of the characters of the first season of House Of The Dragon.
Need a quick reminder on this 200-years-earlier prequel to Game Of Thrones? Click right here.
Each week, we’ll be listing all of the major characters who have died – OUT! – as well as ranking the other characters from the least likely to make it to the next episode (or season), all the way up to who is the most likely to be ruling Westeros as we know it come the series’ end.
So here we go, the power-ranking for the tenth episode of House Of The Dragon, titled The Black Queen…
MIA – Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke), King Aegon II Targaryen (Tom Glynn-Carney)
After we spent all of last week in the King’s castle, this week we’re almost exclusively on the other side of the divide in the family. But Alicent and Aegon’s presence are still very much felt throughout, especially when the King’s Mother uses that stolen page as a bargaining chip. Tugging at the heartstrings might have worked, were it not for… well…
OUT! – Prince Lucerys Velaryon (Elliot Grihault)
Much like his grandfather, Luke was too kind for this world. He believed himself not suited for battle, and it turns out he couldn’t have been more right. Yes, he slashed out Aemond’s eye in the heat of the moment, but the second he shared a nice quiet moment with his mother, we knew things weren’t going to end well for the young prince.
But to actually get chomped into little bits while riding his dragon… that is actually one of the coolest ways to die in this show, if you think about it. And his death will not be in vain.
SEVEN – Prince Aemond Targaryen (Ewen Mitchell)
Uh oh… he’s going to be in SOOOOOO much trouble when he gets home.
For all of the back and forth that has occurred between Alicent and Rhaenyra, there is always an invisible line that can not be crossed, and the Hightowers crossed it when Aemond killed Lucerys. Yes, it seems like it wasn’t entirely his fault – both of the boys lost control of the huge living weapons they were flying through the storm – but if you aim your gun at someone, it remains your responsibility if the gun goes off and kills them.
SIX – Ser Otto Hightower (Rhys Ifans)
In a magnificent mirror version of the events from the second episode, Otto meets Daemon on the Dragonstone bridge, and Rhaenyra interrupts their pissing contest on dragonback, except now she’s on Daemon’s side.
Otto feels more like a puppet in this scenario than the usual string-puller we know him to be. If they really wanted Rhaenyra to consider the deal, then Alicent should’ve been the one to deliver it. But maybe, after being moments from being scorched by Rhaenys’ dragon last week, she has had her fill of near-death experiences right now.
FIVE – Lord Borros Baratheon (Roger Evans)
If you get right down to it, all of this is kind of Borros’ fault. Knowing he has some sway in the future Hightower VS Targaryen battle, Baratheon takes back his family’s support for Rhaenyra, mainly because none of her sons will marry any of his daughters. And just like that, he’s taken Alicent’s side, mostly because Aemond is already chatting up one of the Baratheon clan.
It also doesn’t help that Borros, massive douchebag that he is, gets some real glee out of belittling Lucerys in front Aemond, which is probably what spurred on the resulting fight. He’s not a nice man, but he’s managed to use his small pocket of power to massively influence the future of this kingdom.
FOUR – Prince Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith)
After all of these weeks of really liking Daemon, he reminded us all this week that he still can’t be completely trusted. It is a bit of a rollercoaster initially, ignoring his wife’s pleas to come to her bedside while she endures a painful early birth, planning a full-on war in her absence.
When Ser Erryk Cargyll arrives with the dead King’s crown in hand (presumably Aegon II is wearing the Conquerer’s crown), it is Daemon who places it upon his wife’s head.
But then when she tries to talk to him about the prophecy of the Song Of Fire And Ice, he nearly full on strangles her to death. Why? Simply because he felt so left out; nobody had actually trusted him enough to tell him the prophecy.
Before the end of the episode, he’s in a cave luring out a rogue dragon that looks big enough to rival Aemond’s behemoth, continuing to keep their armoury massively stocked up.
THREE – Lord Corlys Velaryon (Steve Toussaint)
After those weeks when it seemed like Corlys might simply die off screen, he came back with a bang this week. After finding out about his brother’s death at the hands of Daemon, he suggests that he and his wife should simply depart all this messiness and remain neutral.
When Rhaeyns points out that their children will forever be in danger while Aegon is ruler, he decides to dedicate his considerable army to Rhaeynra. Having announced that after all of those years of battle, he has finally managed to take control of the Narrow Sea, and he plans to shut it down completely, cutting off all supplies to King’s Landing.
This will be the make-or-break position of power for what will likely be a long, painful siege of the Red Keep.
TWO – Princess Rhaenys Targaryen (Eve Best)
She had her out! She could’ve got on her dragon with her entire family and just bailed! But Rhaenys knew she would never truly be free of her family ties. Rhaenys knows they’ll never willingly allow a woman to sit on the Iron Throne, but she also knows that the women of this kingdom have access to more influence than anyone else.
So she talks her husband into dedicating their might to Rhaenyra, even though they both still think she had a hand in their son’s murder. A complicated relationship for sure, but Rhaenyra is definitely someone you kind of want on your side than kind of not on your side.
ONE – Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D’Arcy)
In this episode alone, Rhaenyra lost her newborn child, her father, her throne, and her beloved young son. That slow turn from the fire to face the camera, the final shot of this entire season… it so perfectly maps out the future of her character, and of this show. Earlier in this episode, she says she did not want to use the dragons haphazardly and find herself ruling a kingdom of ash and bone. In that final shot, it is so abundantly clear that she will burn this world to the ground if it means getting revenge.
Remember that sudden 180 we had to swallow towards the end of Daenerys’ character arc in the final season of Game Of Thrones, when she went from somewhat reasonable future ruler to mad-as-a-bag-of-cats dictator?
This is that, but given the correct amount of time to feel natural.
And that is it for this season of House Of The Dragon. Thank you for reading weekly, we’ll be back when House Of The Dragon Season 2 arrives, and you can re-watch this full first season with a NOW Entertainment Membership.
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