Recap / House of the Dragon S1 E2: "The Rogue Prince"

"Men would sooner put the realm to the torch than see a woman ascend the Iron Throne."

— Rhaenys

It is now half a year since Queen Aemma's death.

In the Stepstones, we see the aftermath of an encounter with Craghas Drahar, "The Crabfeeder", the infamous prince-admiral of the Triarchy who, as the name suggests, has a habit of feeding his victims to the flesh-eating crabs of the region.

Meanwhile, in King's Landing, the small council is meeting to appoint a new member of the Kingsguard when Corlys Velaryon barges in, demanding justice for his men and ships lost to the Crabfeeder. The council tries to assure him that actions are being taken, with envoys sent to Pentos and Volantis in hopes of creating a common cause against the Triarchy, who back the Crabfeeder. However, Corlys doesn't believe that this is enough, pointing out that Daemon has been allowed to capture and hold the Targaryens' ancient seat of Dragonstone for the past six months, leaving the crown's authority at an all-time low. Although the council is still unwilling to go to war, Rhaenyra, serving as cupbearer, suggests a different option: send the dragon riders they have there, and provide a show of force to try and solve this crisis. Corlys seems open to the idea, but the council again shoots it down, suggesting that Rhaenyra go to choose the new Kingsguard member instead.

Rhaenyra looks over the candidates and is disappointed to find tourney knights and heirs, none of which have seen real combat. When she brings this up to Otto, he shows her the one who has: Ser Criston Cole, who fought in the Stormlands against previous Dornish incursions. Rhaenyra chooses him, despite Otto's protests that others, such as a Mallister candidate, could help to strengthen alliances with other powerful families.

Later, Viserys and Alicent continue their meetings, discussing Old Valyria and its history. Viserys asks about Rhaenyra, as their relationship has grown more strained in the past year, but Alicent says that she needs only more time, calling back to her own experiences losing her own mother.

At the Grand Sept, Rhaenyra and Alicent discuss the small council's recent actions, specifically their attempts to find a new wife for Viserys, with Rhaenyra worrying that they are attempting to replace her. Alicent tries to cheer up her friend by leading her in praying to the Mother, a ritual that helped her grieve in the aftermath of her own mother's death.

Later, Corlys and Rhaenys approach Viserys to apologize for their argument at the small council earlier, but again reiterate that the Crabfeeder must be dealt with, lest the Free Cities begin to think of them as weak. When asked for a solid plan, Corlys offers his daughter Laena's hand in marriage so that the two ancient Valyrian houses could be united again.

Viserys is wary of the match, especially given the age gap, and discusses it with Mellos and Otto while getting maggot therapy for the infected cut he received at the end of the previous episode. They both agree with the suggestion and that it is his duty to remarry, even as Otto sympathizes with the King's lack of desire for marriage after his own wife's death.

The next morning, Viserys goes out for a walk with his potential bride-to-be, the 12-year-old Laena Velaryon. At first, she shows more interest in the dragons, questioning him about the brief time he spent riding Balerion before he passed, and as to the whereabouts of Vhagar, now the last of Aegon the Conqueror's three dragons, who had flown to the east long ago. Laena then gives an obviously rehearsed speech about how she would give him good children and be a perfect wife for him. When he asks if her parents told her to say that, she says that her father told her that, while her mother told her that she wouldn't need to bed him for at least 2 years.

Watching this from a nearby balcony, Rhaenyra continues to feel insecure about her place as Viserys' heir, and Rhaenys quickly picks up on this, although she isn't in the mood to reassure her cousin. She tells Rhaenyra that her father's eventual remarriage was inevitable, and that if and when his new bride gives him a son, her days as heir are over. As "the Queen Who Never Was", she knows just what lengths the lords would go to keep a woman out of power.

Viserys dines with Alicent, discussing the idea of marrying Laena. Even beyond the Squickyness of it all, he doesn't know her well enough, though Alicent assures him that no matter what, Laena will come to like him when she spends more time with him, as she herself has. Before the conversation can continue, Otto comes in and tells Viserys that there is an emergency and he has to come to the small council at once.

At the council, Viserys learns that one of the dragon eggs has been stolen, and the culprit is none other than Daemon, who left a missive announcing his intention to wed Mysaria in the style of Old Valyria (i.e. polygamy). He says she's pregnant with his child, and the egg is for the baby. Viserys is enraged at this, especially when Rhaenyra asks which egg Daemon took and they learn it was the one laid by Dreamfyre, the same egg that Rhaenyra had chosen for her dead brother Baelon.^{from the books...}Dreamfyre was formerly the mount of Princess Rhaena Targaryen, eldest sister of King Jaeherys I and Good Queen Alysanne. She is also theorised to be the mother of Daenerys's dragons, as three of her eggs were stolen and sold in the east by Rhaena's lover Elissa Farman to finance the building of Elissa's ship. Viserys prepares to confront Daemon in Dragonstone, but Otto says that this would be too dangerous, offering to go instead. When Viserys agrees, Otto, his household guard, Ser Harrold and Ser Criston head to the island. Before he leaves, he insists that his daughter continue her meetings with the king.

On Dragonstone, Otto and the others are confronted with Daemon, Mysaria, and a group of Gold Cloaks. Otto repeats the King's demands — disband the Gold Cloaks, exile Mysaria, return the egg and the island to the Crown. Daemon refuses, claiming that his marriage is simply following Valyrian tradition, and mocks both Otto and Criston. When Otto threatens Mysaria, Daemon draws his Valyrian steel blade Dark Sister, and the two sides have a brief standoff which is broken when Caraxes appears over the hill, looking to defend his rider.

The conflict is only further halted when Rhaenyra appears unannounced over the horizon. Landing Syrax, she approaches her uncle despite Otto's protests. She challenges him to kill her now — if she dies, then he can once again take her place as the rightful heir to the throne, Prince of Dragonstone. After a moment, Daemon finds himself unable to do it, and returns the egg before returning to the castle.

Inside, Mysaria confronts him about his actions, revealing that she was unaware of both the wedding and the supposed pregnancy. Daemon tries to calm her, assuring her that she will be protected, but Mysaria argues that his "games" with the King only puts her in more danger then ever, and that while Daemon may be protected by being the King's brother, she has no such protection.

Back in the Red Keep, Viserys continues debating whether he should agree to the marriage proposal when he is informed that Rhaenyra has returned from Dragonstone. Confronting her, he angrily chastises her for risking her life like that, although he gives her props for solving the conflict bloodlessly. He finally discusses the prospect of remarriage with her, noting that while he has no intention of replacing Aemma, nor her as his heir, he needs a Spare to the Throne for the realm's stability. If nothing else, if Rhaenyra should perish, that would still leave Westeros with another strong heir in her place. Although saddened, Rhaenyra gives her father her blessing.

Viserys calls the small council together to announce that he has finally decided to remarry — but not to Laena, but Alicent. Corlys is angered by this disrespect and storms out, followed closely by a tearful Rhaenyra.

Later, on Driftmark, the seat of House Velaryon, Corlys speaks of their history. An ancient Valyrian house, perhaps even older than the Targaryens, but with one difference: They never had dragons, so they turned to the sea, building a seafaring legacy for themselves. Corlys himself took his famous "nine voyages", and turned his house into the richest in Westeros, richer than even the Lannisters. This, he says, makes both him and his audience "made from the same cloth".

His audience — Daemon, as it turns out — questions whether Corlys called him down to Driftmark just to mock him for his low status. Corlys clarifies that he means that they both play second fiddle to another, more powerful, and they have both been recently snubbed by the King, though Daemon stops him from speaking too harshly against his brother. Corlys has a proposal for Daemon, to get back their lost respect among the court. With Corlys's fleet and Daemon's army and dragon, they will sail down to the Stepstones and clear out the Crabfeeder, claiming wealth and glory for themselves. Daemon seems interested in this idea.

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Tropes in this episode include:

• Actually Pretty Funny: Daemon has to admit that Criston's response to his Malicious Misnaming is clever.
  Daemon: Ser Crispin, wasn't it?
  Criston: Ser Criston Cole, my Prince.
  Daemon: Yes, apologies. I couldn't recall.
  Criston: [unphased] Perhaps my Prince recalls when I knocked him off his horse.
  Daemon: [chuckling] Very good.
• Adaptation Expansion: In the source material, Craghas Drahar was named the "Crabfeeder" metaphorically (for ordering hundreds of pirates staked out on beaches to drown in the rising tides of the Stepstones). Here, the show seems to have taken the Bloodier and Gorier route, making the epithet literal, with all the gruesomeness this entails. Craghas is even shown personally crucifying/nailing his victims himself.
• Adaptation Deviation: Daemon is revealed to have lied about Mysaria being pregnant. In the source material, Mysaria was actually pregnant and suffered a miscarriage, something that worsened the falling out between Daemon and Viserys.
• Adaptational Jerkass: Daemon comes off worse in this episode than he does in the book's version of this same event. If Mysaria actually were pregnant (as she is in the book) Daemon wanting to give his bastard child the same honors typically reserved for trueborn Targaryen children could be thought of as a mark of caring and respect for his kid.^note While considered eccentric or even inappropriate in-universe, men treating their bastard children well—like Ned with Jon, or Oberyn with the Sand Snakes—typically endears them to the fanbase. But here there's no actual baby—plus Daemon made it all up without consulting or even telling Mysaria, leaving her annoyed at him. This makes it abundantly clear that the whole thing was just a petty ploy for attention and an attempt to provoke his brother.
• Altar Diplomacy: Much of the episode is devoted to the potential marriage between Viserys and Laena Velaryon. For political purposes, she checks all the boxes. But she's 12, and so Viserys is extremely reluctant.
  Lyonel: Lord Corlys is your Master of Ships. She is the eldest daughter of the wealthiest house in the realm. She comes from unimpeachable Valyrian stock. And she has Targaryen blood. What's to mislike?
  Viserys: She is 12.
• Anger Born of Worry: When Rhaenyra returns home from confronting Daemon at Dragonstone, Viserys begins by angrily listing how she disobeyed, before getting to the real point: she could have been killed.
• Artistic License – Biology: The crabs shown infesting the Stepstones and devouring the Triarchy's captives are not comparable to those known in Real Life. Sea crabs are generally omnivorous (and, in some extreme instances, carnivorous), but usually only prey on fellow sea creatures such as shellfish. The few species of crabs that are widely documented to have preyed upon (already dead) human remains are the blue crab and the coconut crab. None of these species are shown in the scene.
• Authority in Name Only: Rhaenyra was named Princess of Dragonstone and heir to the Iron Throne. However, it is Daemon who holds Dragonstone while Rhaenyra is still treated as nothing more than a cupbearer in the small council meetings.
• Bait-and-Switch: Lord Corlys offers the hand of his 12-year-old daughter Laena to Viserys to strengthen the alliance between the Crown and his house. Despite the vast age gap, Viserys does entertain the possibility and even goes for a walk with Laena to get to know her. In a private meeting, Lord Lyonel (the Master of Laws) recommends accepting the match and Viserys even receives Rhaenyra's blessing to remarry. However, the king ends up announcing to the small council that he will marry Alicent Hightower instead, to the shock of all present (except Ser Otto Hightower) and the anger of Lord Corlys and Rhaenyra.
• Big Damn Heroes: Just as a fight is about to erupt between Daemon's forces and Otto and the Kingsguards (with high chances of seeing the latter be reduced to ashes by the fire of Caraxes), Rhaenyra swoops in on Syrax's back to calm things down.
• Birds of a Feather: Corlys recruits Daemon to join him in opposing the Crab Feeder against Viserys's orders by citing their common Valyrian heritage, interest in defending the realm, and as second sons who had to make their word worthwhile rather than simply give it. Daemon is more skeptical and dismissive of their supposed likeness, but agrees to help him nonetheless.
• Both Sides Have a Point: All of Viserys' advisors tell him that marrying Laena Velaryon would be the most prudent political move he can make, but he does have some legitimate reasons for wanting to marry Alicent instead beyond having simply fallen in love with her. In Westerosi society, a marriage is not considered binding until consummated (this is how Tyrion and Sansa's marriage got annulled). Not only is Viserys put off by the idea of marrying a child, but it would be several years before the marriage would even be set in stone, and Viserys is suffering from several festering wounds that are not healing, so producing a male heir as soon as possible is his priority. However, he fails to explain this to anyone, leading both Corlys and Rhaenyra to take offence to his decision.
• Brutal Honesty: Rhaenys doesn't mince words when telling Rhaenyra the harsh political realities they live under in a patriarchal feudal society. Viserys will have to remarry eventually and is likely to produce a son. Men would rather break the decades-long peace and plunge the realm into the horrors of civil war to crown that younger brother than bend the knee to a woman on the Iron Throne.
• Continuity Nod: Near the end of the previous episode, Viserys cut the pinky finger of his left hand on the Iron Throne. Six months later, the wound has gone gangrenous.
• Deliberate Values Dissonance: Corlys offers his twelve-year-old daughter in marriage to the middle aged King Viserys. Although Viserys is creeped out by this, everyone else considers Laena's age a minor concern. Her mother does assure her that she won't have to consummate the marriage until she's older, but this means once she's turned fourteen. Viserys ultimately decides to marry Alicent, who's still creepily young by modern standards, but is at least near adulthood. He also doesn't seem to bother asking her before he announces the marriage (though she was working toward that goal all along at her father's behest).
• Didn't Think This Through:
  • Otto's plan to get the dragon egg back from Daemon apparently forgot to take his massive fire-breathing dragon into account.
  • Viserys decides to announce his decision to marry Alicent at a small council meeting, rather than talking with Corlys in private first and letting him down as gently as possible. The result is one publicly snubbed and seriously pissed off Corlys. And it's evident that Viserys' announcement deeply hurts Rhaenyra as well, who likewise could have been told this in private first but wasn't. Even then, he should have at least been aware it likely wouldn't go well with Rhaenyra to begin with given she and Alicent are childhood friends.
• Dirty Business: Rhaenys admits to Rhaenyra that she finds it distasteful to try to marry off her pre-teen daughter off to the grown Viserys, but the world of feudal politics means if she doesn't, someone else will grab the power.
• Dude, Where's My Respect?: Corlys is the wealthiest lord in the land and his family has been loyal to the Targaryens since the Conquest. However, when the Triarchy keeps capturing Velaryon ships and massacring their crews, Viserys refuses to act because it might provoke war with the Free Cities. Corlys then proposes that Viserys marry Corlys's daughter, something that will reaffirm the bond between the two families and is the politically shrewd move to make. Viserys then throws the offer back in Corlys's face by publicly announcing that he will be marrying Alicent Hightower instead. Corlys is furious and allies himself with Daemon.
• Eaten Alive: True to his name, the Myrish terror of the Stepstones, prince-admiral of the Triarchy, Craghas Drahar "the Crabfeeder" captures the seafaring vessels he comes by and nails their sailors on the driftwoods, to be feasted upon by particularly-carnivorous crabs. People subjected to this, understandably, die screaming.
• Everyone Has Standards: Despite being told any number of reasons why marrying Laena Velaryon would be an excellent idea politically (up to and including its ability to stop a potential civil war from breaking out), Viserys can't bring himself to overlook the fact that Laena Velaryon is currently twelve years old. Considering the time period the show is analogous to, however, he's pretty much the only character with this concern.
• Exotic Extended Marriage: Daemon claims that he's going to take Mysaria as a second wife (after Rhea Royce, who's still alive) "in the tradition of Old Valyria", much like Aegon the Conqueror who was married to both his sisters Rhaenys and Visenya.^{from the books...}Polygamy was indeed allowed in Valyrian culture, though not especially common — the Brother–Sister Incest part was much more common, and Aegon wed both his sisters because he was in love with his younger sister Rhaenys but was expected to marry his older sister Visenya out of custom. The next Targaryen monarch to practice polygamy was the infamous Maegor the Cruel. Thanks to his 0% Approval Rating, after his reign the Faith of the Seven were able to ban polygamy, despite grudgingly allowing the Targaryens to continue with brother-sister marriages. The exoticness is intentional, Invoked, since Daemon has decided to become a polygamist entirely for attention.
• Fake Pregnancy: Daemon says Mysaria is pregnant, and so the reason they have a dragon egg is to put in the baby's cradle per the custom for trueborn Targaryen children. She's not, though. A follow-on effect is that Mysaria not actually being pregnant means she won't later miscarry while being sent back to Lys at Viserys's command, as she does in the book. The source material has unrealistically high rates of pregnancy disaster, so removing one instance makes it incrementally Lighter and Softer, as well as less repetitive. It also makes Viserys look like less of a jerk (and Daemon more of one).
• Foreshadowing: Laena Velaryon is interested in the current whereabouts of Vhagar, Queen Visenya Targaryen's mount and the last surviving member of the three dragons with which Aegon and his sister-wives conquered (six of) the Seven Kingdoms.
• Freeze-Frame Bonus: Besides Ser Desmond Caron, Ser Rymun Mallister and Ser Criston Cole, you can also spot a Tarly, a Corbray, a Rowan and a Crakehall knight, all with their respective sigils and standard-bearers.
• The Gadfly: Daemon is enjoying the privilege of being allowed to fuck off to Dragonstone and hang out there with his girlfriend—something most of the small council thinks he shouldn't have been allowed in the first place. Then, bored, he decides to announce his marriage to a woman he hasn't so much as proposed to (while already being married), steal a dragon egg, and make up a Fake Pregnancy story, all to no end except trying to piss off his brother.
• Hypocritical Heartwarming:
  Corlys: I will not have Driftmark beggared while our king idles himself with feasts and balls and tourneys.
  Daemon: I will speak of my brother as I wish. You will not.
• Idiot Ball: Otto Hightower, normally a very clever man, decides to retake Dragonstone with a small company of men, despite knowing full well that Daemon has a fire-breathing dragon. He was gambling that Daemon wouldn't go so far as torching the King's Hand, and that disobeying would be basically declaring open war against the crown. Still, that's a big chance to take considering Daemon has never obeyed Otto's commands a day in his life. All so Rhaenyra can swoop in to save the day.
• In-Universe Factoid Failure: Rhaenys belittles Rhaenyra for being the king's supposed heir while also serving as a cupbearer in small council meetings. Except serving as cupbearer to a lord—let alone the king—is not a diminutive position. It's a respectable role commonly given to young noble children, including heirs. Rhaenyra is only unusual in that it's her own father she's serving as opposed to some other House's lord. Much like Stewards of the Night's Watch, as shown in Season 1 of Game of Thrones, serving in close proximity to the highest authority is an indicator that the cupbearer/steward is explicitly being groomed for command. A cupbearer is supposed to be present when politicking is happening, watching, learning—but not speaking. That will come when they're older. For a headstrong teenager like Rhaenyra—who has opinions and wants to voice them now, whose unsolicited opinion was just earlier dismissed—even that one caveat chaffs.
• Jerkass Has a Point: Rhaenys is quick to puncture Rhaenyra's feelings of security about being declared her father's heir, but she does speak with the authority of someone who's been rejected as ruler due to her gender, and warns Rhaenyra that if Viserys goes on to have a son, the lords of the realm will expect him to be the heir, not her.
• Just Ignore It: Viserys is well aware his brother is throwing a tantrum for attention. As such, he thinks that the proper response is to not give it to him. This may be an appropriate way to deal with your bratty little brother, but a king has to be concerned with how he is perceived. Letting his brother defy him with impunity makes Viserys look weak and indecisive, which could encourage others to challenge him, and Corlys specifically notes this while warning about the threat from the Triarchy.
  Viserys: My brother wishes to provoke me. To answer is to give him what he wants.
• Kill Me Now, or Forever Stay Your Hand: Rhaenyra dares Daemon to kill her and clear the only thing standing between him and being Viserys' only (current) heir. As she correctly surmises, he won't do it (either out of fear of the consequences or affection for her) and he's forced to back down, returning the stolen egg.
• Know When to Fold 'Em: Otto wisely orders his men to stand down from their confrontation with Daemon after his rival busts out Caraxes. Daemon also backs down when Rhaenyra dares him to kill her in order to become Viserys' sole heir. Notably, Rhaenyra had arrived on Syrax, and other than Daemon's personal reservations of harming his niece (he likes Rhaenyra and does not want to be branded a kinslayer, as kinslayers are considered to be the most dishonorable people in Westerosi society), he is not willing to risk Caraxes in a fight against Syrax.
• Malicious Misnaming: Daemon pretends that he doesn't remember Criston Cole's name and calls him "Crispin".
• Meaningful Echo: When Viserys meets with Laena, she repeats, almost word-for-word, her father's argument about joining their "two great houses". It's obvious that she's been coached in what to say, which drives home the point that she's a child being forced into the situation. This only serves to make the prospect even more distasteful to Viserys.
• Old Man Marrying a Child: As you would expect from a feudal society that relies heavily on Altar Diplomacy. Viserys is offered a marriage to Laena Velaryon, a twelve-year-old girl. That Laena was told by her mother the marriage wouldn't need to be consummated until she was fourteen doesn't make him feel any better. He instead opts to marry Alicent Hightower, who is also dramatically younger than he is, but at least in her late teens.
• Opinion Flip Flop: Daemon suggests he and Mysaria have a baby. She says no. He responds by saying good.
  Daemon: Well, perhaps when we are wed we could make that [story about you being pregnant] true?
  Mysaria: I ensured long ago that I would never be threatened by childbirth.
  Daemon: Good. Children can be such irritating creatures.
• Out-Gambitted: As Viserys is left without a Queen or a male heir, Ser Otto and Lord Corlys start to compete with each other to marry their respective daughters off to Viserys to gain more power. Corlys couches it in appeals to duty and to restore the glory of Old Valyria, but this isn't enough to make Viserys forget that he would have to marry a child. Otto takes a more subtle and ultimately more succesful tactic, letting Viserys slowly warm up to the slightly older Alicent instead of making an overt offer to join their Houses so that Viserys will think he came up with the idea himself and will have at least some emotional connection to his new wife instead of making the decision purely out of a sense of duty to the realm. Corlys leaves King's Landing in a huff and decides to ally himself with Daemon.
• Plot Parallel: Ser Criston is the most qualified knight for the Kingsguard (being the only one with real combat experience), and is the candidate whom Rhaenyra personally likes the most. Alicent is the most practical potential wife (being old enough to start having children right away), and is the prospect Viserys personally likes the most. In both cases, they're advised to pick someone better connected for political reasons, but brush that aside and pick the one they want.
• Poor Communication Kills: Viserys has kept his meetings with Alicent a secret from Rhaenyra, so his announcement that he's going to marry her close friend is a complete gut punch for her and it clearly hurts. At the same time, Viserys doesn't try to talk with Corlys about his preference for a bride before the small council meeting, so when the choice is announced Corlys gets into a spat with him and feels publicly snubbed and humiliated.
• Precision F-Strike: The normally staid Otto swears at his men to put away their swords when Daemon brings out Caraxes in their showdown, knowing how useless they are against dragonfire and not wanting to give Daemon an excuse to unleash his dragon.
  Caraxes: [roars]
  Otto: All of you… sheathe the fucking steel.
• Reaction Shot:
  • The usually stoic Lord Commander Westerling can be seen briefly scowling when Otto tells Daemon that Viserys wouldn't bother to confront him — because Westerling was there when Otto talked down Viserys from going himself, and thus Westerling knows Otto is lying and manipulating the brothers…
  • When Daemon tells Otto, "Lady Mysaria is to be my wife," the camera's focus moves from Daemon to Mysaria catch her reaction. Her gaze shifts from Otto to Daemon, and she stares at him for a moment. It's subtle enough to be ambiguous upon first viewing, but upon rewatch it's clear: this is new news to her.
• Reveal Shot: When Corlys, frustrated with Viserys, takes his request to someone else, the camera stays on Corlys's face for a longer than average time before swiveling over to reveal that he's talking to Daemon.
• Roar Before Beating: Downplayed Trope. Caraxes roars as a sort of posturing, trying to seem dangerous to scare Otto's gang off. He doesn't actually attack yet.
• Rule of Symbolism:
  • Six months later, Viserys's cut pinky finger from the last episode is now rotting. As Corlys and Rhaenys tell him, his reign is starting to appear dangerously uncertain with the Queen's death, Daemon and the City Watch seizing Dragonstone despite Rhaenyra's title, and the Triarchy now becoming a legitimate threat.
  • While Viserys is receiving a maggot treatment, Mellos and Otto are advising him on Corlys's offer with a tinge of manipulation, symbolically proving Daemon's claim from last episode right in that much of the Small Council — save for Lyonel Strong and maybe Lyman Beesbury — are like leeches to prey on Viserys for their ambitions.
• Sadistic Choice: Downplayed. Viserys, still somewhat in mourning, is now being urged to remarry, with Corlys offering his daughter Laena Velaryon. While the marriage on paper would be immensely advantageous for both houses as claimed by all advisors, Viserys is justifiably uncomfortable with the idea of marrying a twelve-year-old. He also secretly considers Alicent Hightower who's at least older, but still is at best in her late teens and is Rhaenyra's best friend. He decides on the latter, which leaves Corlys furious and Rhaenyra understandably shattered.
• Short Teens, Tall Adults: Rhaenyra, who's 15, is a short girl. She uses a stepstool and the camera lingers on it to remind us of this. Milly Alcock is actually of statistically average height (1.65m, 5'5") but the stepstool conveys the idea of her as small.
• Ship Tease: The whole bridge scene goes heavy on the Rhaenyra and Daemon vibes.
  • It sounds like they're alluding to them having children together someday.
    Rhaenyra: (in Valyrian) You're to have a child?
    Daemon: (in Valyrian) One day.
    Rhaenyra: (back to Common Tongue) I'm right here, Uncle.
  • "Object of desire" is a familiar stock phrase. When talking to Daemon, Rhaenyra calls herself "the object of your ire". This inverts the meaning of the phase, but—by virtue of rhyming—also suggests the original. Some viewers even reported mishearing it as "desire", like a Mondegreen.
• Spare to the Throne: Viserys tells Rhaenyra he needs to have more kids to Invoke this trope. He reassures her that she is the heir, not to be replaced; he merely wants another kid as backup, because having only one heir is precarious — especially when his current backup heir is Daemon. Given that Rhaenyra actually dared Daemon to kill her in this very episode (even if she was confident he wouldn't), he has a point.
  Viserys: I could never replace your mother, no more than I intend to replace you as heir. But you are my only heir, and our line is vulnerable, too easily ended.
• Tall Is Intimidating: Inverted Trope. When Rhaenyra walks through the throng of Otto's soldiers on the bridge at Dragonstone, she's a head shorter than all of them. Her physically unimposing stature contrasts with the influence she wields over Daemon.
• Taught by Experience: Ser Criston Cole fought as a foot soldier against the Dornish incursions, and was knighted for his excellence there. He is the only Kingsguard candidate to be a seasoned warrior, both before presenting himself to the princess and before his investiture as a knight.
  Rhaenyra: You saw combat in the Stormlands?
  Criston: Dornish Marches, Princess. I fought for a year as a foot soldier against the Dornish incursions. Ser Arlan Dondarrion knighted me after we razed two of the watchtowers along the Boneway.
• Time Skip: It has been 6 months since the death of Queen Aemma, but Viserys' problems persist.
• Trauma Button: Viserys is willing to overlook a lot in the name of the love he bears his brother, but anything that pertains to his dead baby son Baelon is a trigger for him. Last episode it was the "Heir for a Day" toast that was his tipping point; now it's taking Baelon's egg.
• Well-Trained, but Inexperienced: The candidate knights for the Kingsguard are well-connected noblemen with access to the finest martial training in Westeros, but because of the long peace, none have any combat experience outside of aprehending bandits and poachers. Ser Criston Cole immediately appeals to Rhaenyra because he, alone among them, is battle-tested, having earned his knighthood for his valor against the Dornishmen.
  Rhaenyra: Those men are tourney knights. My father should be defended by a man who's known real combat.
• You Wouldn't Shoot Me: Rhaenyra reminds Daemon that in order to be heir again, he would have to kill her, knowing that he wouldn't do that.
  Rhaenyra: I'm right here, uncle. The object of your ire. The reason that you were disinherited. If you wish to be restored as heir, you'll need to kill me. So do it. And be done with all this bother.

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