Recap / House of the Dragon S1 E9: "The Green Council"

"There is no power but what the people allow you to take."

— Mysaria

Alicent informs the Small Council of the King's death and his last words and is shocked to learn that several members have been plotting to install Aegon for quite some time. Lord Beesbury objects to the plot and is accidentally killed by Criston. Alicent objects to the suggestion to murder Rhaenyra and her family, as does Ser Harrold Westerling, who leaves his white cloak on the table when Otto commands him to murder the family at Dragonstone.

Aemond and Criston (on Alicent's orders), and the twin Kingsguard knights Arryk and Erryk Cargyll (on Otto's orders), separately search for Aegon in the city, while Otto informs the present lords of Viserys's alleged change in plans. While several bend the knee, others honor the oaths they previously swore to Rhaenyra. Lord Caswell attempts to flee the Red Keep and warn Rhaenyra but is caught and hanged. Arryk and Erryk express hesitance about Aegon's morals before being told the White Worm knows where Aegon is. Aemond complains that he is the more suitable king than his brother.

Alicent oversees the preparation of Viserys's body before asking Rhaenys for her support. Rhaenys rebuffs her.

Otto meets with Mysaria, who assures them Aegon is safe and asks him to stop the child Fight Clubbing in King's Landing. The twins find Aegon, who begs to be exiled rather than rule, but they are accosted by Aemond and Criston, who deliver him to the Queen. Alicent tells Otto that she refuses to kill Rhaenyra, preferring to leave her in exile. Larys tells her of the web of spies in King's Landing and that one of them is her lady-in-waiting Talya. Erryk spirits Rhaenys out of the Red Keep; Rhaenys disappears into a mass of smallfolk being herded by the goldcloaks to the coronation of a sullen and reluctant Aegon. The smallfolk cheer their new king, but Rhaenys, on the back of her dragon Meleys, emerges from the floor of the Dragonpit, turns in defiance with her menacing dragon at the new king and his side of the family and spares their lives before flying off.

---

Tropes in this episode:

• Abdicate the Throne: Aegon tries to run away and leave the throne to his younger brother Aemond. Defied because people won't let him.
  Aegon: Let me go! I have no wish to rule! No taste for duty! I'm not suited. [...] You let me go, I will find a ship and sail away, never to be found.
• Accidental Murder: Criston shouts "SIT DOWN" as he shoves Lord Beesbury, intending only to force the older man back into his seat. Aside from the inconveniently placed marble that cracks the man's skull, Ser Criston apparently underestimated his own strength and did not consider that Lord Beesbury is a frail old man. When it's clear Beesbury is dead, Criston looks a bit shaken at the result.
• Adaptational Location Change: During the episode, Aegon is found hiding at the Grand Sept to avoid being crowned king. In the book, the location where he was found differs depending on the source. Mushroom claims he was found at the fighting pit watching a fight while receiving oral sex from a pre-teen girl, while Septon Eustace claims he was found at the home of his mistress, a merchant's daughter. Given that the events of the show have generally leaned closer to Mushroom's account, this change may have been made to avoid depicting pedophilia on-screen (and possibly to avoid making Aegon, already a Hate Sink, even more despicable than he already is). He is still confirmed to have frequented a place where children are treated in unsavoury ways, however, and fathered several bastards there.
• Adaptational Sympathy:
  • Thanks to Viserys's tragically confused dying words, Alicent genuinely believes he wanted their son Aegon to succeed him for the good of the realm, and she is horrified to realise her father and his supporters had been planning to usurp the throne regardless. This is a marked departure from the books, where she was a power-hungry schemer who was involved in the plotting up to her neck (and according to one source, albeit a highly unreliable one, actually poisoned Viserys herself).
  • Criston Cole didn't intend to kill Lord Beesbury. While there were multiple conflicting sources in the book about how Lord Beesbury died, the two that described him as being killed by Cole both made it clear it was cold-blooded murder (either cutting his throat, or flinging him to his death from a high window).
• Armor-Piercing Question: Rhaenys directly asks Alicent if she really hasn't ever imagined herself sitting on the Iron Throne instead of her husband or her son. Alicent is clearly shaken by the question and leaves Rhaenys immediately afterwards.
• Awesome Moment of Crowning: Aegon is anointed and crowned king by Septon Eustace in an elaborate ceremony at the Dragonpit before the smallfolk of King's Landing. However, it's interrupted by Rhaenys's escape.
• Broken Smile: Aegon goes through the whole coronation process with a blank, empty expression that morphs into a power-drunk faint smile as he's starting to embrace the massive crowd cheering at him.
• Call-Back: Alicent's visit from Larys bears strong resemblance to the times her late husband had her summoned to his bed. She remarks that "the hour is quite late" and quietly endures being a object for someone else's sexual pleasure, looking away to make it more bearable.
• Calling the Old Man Out: Alicent finally realizes Otto has been manipulating her for the sake of his own ambitions and not giving her much of a choice.
  Alicent: Our hearts were never one. I see that now. Rather, I have been a piece that you moved about the board.
  Otto: If that is true, then I made you Queen of the Seven Kingdoms. Would you have desired it otherwise?
  Alicent: How could I know? I wanted whatever you impressed upon me to want. And now the debt comes due.
• Conveniently Unverifiable Cover Story: Alicent's misinterpretation of Viserys' deathbed words is treated as weak and suspicious grounds for Aegon's ascension by some lords who were loyal to Viserys and/or Rhaenyra, such as Lord Beesbury and Lord Caswell. Even Aegon himself doesn't believe a word of it and assumes it's a straight example of Mother Makes You King until Alicent swears otherwise.
  Beesbury: I will not believe that he said this on his deathbed, alone, with only the boy's mother as a witness.
• The Coup: While Alicent sincerely believes Viserys told her that Aegon should be the king, everything the Hightower-Targaryens do in the episode amounts to a coup to seize the throne and place Aegon as King instead of Rhaenyra (who was chosen as heir by Viserys). Which, it turns out, Otto and his allies on the Small Council were planning all along without Alicent's knowledge. Her assertion that Viserys named Aegon his successor just gives them a legitimate pretext for what they were going to do as soon as Viserys's body was cold anyway, which Otto describes as very good luck for them.
• Dead Guy on Display: Lord Caswell, who was caught trying to flee the Red Keep to warn Rhaenyra about the Greens' plans, is shown hanging from an arch in one of the Red Keep's courtyards, which Rhaenys passes by during her escape.
• Death Glare: Rhaenys fixes this upon the Greens after violently crashing Aegon's coronation before ultimately deciding to spare their lives and flying off to Dragonstone instead.
• Deliberate Values Dissonance: Rhaenys has no qualm killing untold numbers of smallfolk with Meleys.
• Dies Differently in Adaptation:
  • In the book, Lord Lyman Beesbury is either killed by Criston with his sword, thrown out a window by him, or dies in the Black Cells, depending on the account. Here, Criston slams Beesbury's head against the small council's table and an inconveniently placed marble cracks his temple.
  • The pro-Rhaenyra Lord Caswell was beheaded for refusing to bend the knee in the book. Here, he pretends to submit to Aegon's rule but is caught trying to defect to Rhaenyra and hanged instead.
• Dig Attack: Rhaenys initiates one at Aegon's coronation, when she orders her dragon Meleys to burst out from her underground stable out into the middle of the main chamber.
• Dirty Cops: Mysaria indicates that the Gold Cloaks take bribes to allow the child fighting pits to remain open.
  Mysaria: They are forced to fight, and worse. Your Gold Cloaks take the bribes given them to look away. An obscenity either tolerated or ignored by the crown.
• Driven by Envy: Aemond is deeply resentful that Aegon, despite being ill-prepared to rule and not even wanting the throne, will be crowned while he, who has devoted himself to training and studying and does desire the throne, is ignored on the grounds of being a second son.
• Drunk with Power: Despite initially being reluctant about his coronation, Aegon II shows hints of this immediately when he starts to work the crowd, animating them with his drawn sword and visibly eating up their cheers. This is the first time we've ever seen someone express approval of Aegon since he was a toddler, and he responds eagerly.
• Dying Moment of Awesome: Lord Beesbury—despite having almost the entire Small Council against him—continues to call them out on their coup right up to the moment Ser Criston cracks his head open.
• Everyone Has Standards:
  • Mysaria may be an Ambiguously Evil Knowledge Broker, but she finds the city's child fighting pits absolutely abhorrent and demands that the Hand shut them all down as her price for handing over Prince Aegon. The Cargyll twins also seem to dislike them, with Arryk, who had never seen them before, clearly shocked and disgusted when his brother explains him what happens there and why Aegon likes them.
  • Alicent wanted to put Aegon on the Iron Throne as much as the rest of the Greens but not to the extent of killing Rhaenyra. She is horrified to discover that the other Greens had been plotting behind her back to usurp and murder Rhaenyra this whole time, preferring to negotiate with her and explicitly saying to offer terms reasonable enough that Rhaenyra might actually accept them. And when Criston brutally murders Lyman Beesbury for his loyalty to Rhaenyra, Alicent covers her mouth in shock.
  • Aemond may have his own jerkass qualities, but even he is uncomfortable with how much of a pervert and hedonist Aegon is.
• Evolving Credits: The title sequence focuses on Alicent's bloodline, splitting into four branches. Later, Aegon's line splits into three bloodlines.
• Face Death with Dignity:
  • The Greens stand their ground and silently await their fates when faced with Rhaenys and her dragon bearing down on them. Mama Bear Alicent even steps in front of Aegon to protect him, showing that despite her frustration with him, she still loves her son.
  • Lady Fell and Lord Merryweather solemnly and quietly allow the Hightower guard to seize them, despite knowing quite well they can expect an uncomfortable imprisonment and possibly torture or death.
• Fan Disservice: Larys rubbing one out to Alicent's feet isn't graphically shown and yet highly disturbing. Alicent is only doing it in exchange for information and is visibly uncomfortable. It's even more unsettling that Larys has apparently been trying to get close to Alicent for this reason since she was a young girl.
• Feed the Mole: Larys claims that the reason Mysaria's spy network in the Red Keep was allowed to remain in place by Otto and others who knew of its existence was because they occasionally found it useful to feed false information into it.
• Fetishes Are Weird: Larys, the most Obviously Evil character in the show, is revealed to have a serious foot fetish. We get a scene of Alicent showing him her feet so he can masturbate to them in exchange for his services. The focus of the scene is how uncomfortable Alicent is with the coerced Sex for Services situation.
• Fight Clubbing: At Flea Bottom there are fighting pits where children no older than 10 years old are forced to fight each other, their nails sharpened and teeth filed down for maximum brutality. The practice is apparently so widespread that Mysaria makes their eradication a condition for telling Otto where she has hidden Aegon.
• Foil: After a couple of episodes of vague subtext, it's now made clear that there is a sexual dimension to how Alicent maneuvers both Criston and Larys, though both stop short of actual sex. Each is different and specifically tailored to that man. Criston wants a Courtly Love thing where he does little quests for his lady and loves her at a respectful distance. Larys wants to jerk off while looking at Alicent's feet. Alicent doesn't bother pretending that Larys's attentions are anything short of unwanted, and he doesn't seem to care. Their interaction's transactional; bared feet for information. Meanwhile, Alicent may or may not have feelings for Criston but she at least plays it like she does. If Criston thought he was making her uncomfortable, that would be a no-go for him. With Criston, Alicent need only ask. What he wants from her is the chance to play the white knight.
• Honor Before Reason: Rhaenys knows that a civil war will follow when the other Blacks learn of Aegon's coronation, but decides to spare the Greens when they are all at her mercy. For their part, the Greens are divided on the issue, with Alicent willing to spare Rhaenyra and trying to get Aegon to do so as well but Otto and most of the Small Council wanting her dead.
• A House Divided: A schism within the Greens breaks out between Alicent and Otto with both intending to crown Aegon but having very different ways of going about it. Otto favors the ruthlessly efficient method of assassinating Rhaenyra while Alicent favors peaceful reconciliation. This leads to a fight breaking out between Criston and Arryk when both find Aegon but have conflicting orders on whom to bring him to.
• Hypocrite: Ser Criston Cole, the same man who called Rhaenyra a "spoiled cunt" a few episodes ago, tells Aemond that all women are aspects of the Mother and should be treated with respect. To be fair, he seemed to regret making that comment and apologized to Alicent for saying something beneath him.
• I Gave My Word:
  • Lord Merryweather and Lady Fell publicly refuse to forsake the vows of loyalty they had previously sworn to Rhaenyra, even if they know imprisonment or worse awaits them.
    Lord Merryweather: I am no oath breaker. I will not bend the knee.
  • Otto promises Mysaria that he will do what he can to end the child fights in King's Landing. Whether or not he will keep his word remains to be seen.
• Insignia Rip-Off Ritual: Lord Commander Westerling takes off his white cloak in disgust at the thought of being ordered to murder Rhaenyra and her entire family. He lays it on the table and says that his duty is to protect the king, so kindly let him know when there is one.
• In-Universe Factoid Failure: "I'm next in line to the throne," Aemond says. He's not: Aegon and Helaena have a toddler-aged son, Jaehaerys. The idea that Aemond does not know this is basically inconceivable.
• Ironic Echo Cut: The heated Small Council meeting in which Otto and Alicent conspire to steal the crown for their own offspring cuts to Helaena waxing philosophically about how it is one's fate to always crave what is given to another, likely as a response to her twins arguing about toys or attention.
• Kinslaying Is a Special Kind of Evil: Rhaenys is able to pulp a whole crowd of anonymous smallfolk who had gathered to watch the coronation, but she ultimately balks at the opportunity to roast the entirety of the Greens, given they are still her family, even though a civil war would be far less likely with no Targaryen figurehead for those opposed to Rhaenyra's rule to support (other than possibly Alicent's youngest son, Daeron, who hasn't been mentioned but is stated by George Martin's Word of God to be in Oldtown).invoked
• Lack of Empathy:
  • Rhaenys shows no empathy or remorse for the hundreds of screaming terrified people she just murdered or severely wounded by bursting through the floor of Aegon's coronation.
  • Alicent being visibly uncomfortable and disgusted by Larys's getting off to her feet doesn't at all stop him from enjoying himself.
• Laughing Mad: Aegon gets the giggles under distress of his looming coronation, first when his brother wrestles him down, later when Alicent tries to give him a half-baked pep talk on the carriage ride to the Dragonpit.
• Locked Out of the Loop: Alicent discovers that the rest of the Green faction members on the small council have been making preparations for a long time to usurp the throne as soon as Viserys died, and didn't see fit to tell her.
• The Magnificent: Ser Otto Hightower proclaims the epithet of Viserys after his death: "King Viserys the Peaceful".
• Mama Bear: Alicent steps in front of Aegon to shield him from Rhaenys' impending dragonfire. It's purely symbolic since they both would still surely die and Alicent closing her eyes in anticipation confirms that. However, the gesture moves Rhaenys (a mother who's lost her own children) to leave them unharmed.
• A Million Is a Statistic: Rhaenys breaking through the floors of the Dragonpit via her dragon Meleys and the ensuing mass panic likely killed and injured hundreds of commoners. The commoners are shown, but the focus of the scene is clearly set on her sparing the core group of the Greens (though at the very least, Otto orders his men to open the doors to the sept so thousands won't be trampled to death running from Meleys).
• My Master, Right or Wrong: Discussed by the Cargyll twins.
  Erryk: Something must be done. Aegon is unfit to rule.
  Arryk: You tolerated the Prince's proclivities for years.
  Erryk: Because it was my sworn duty, Arryk.
  Arryk: It's for the Hand to find wisdom. We swore an oath of service until death.
• The Needs of the Many: Otto Hightower is quick to invoke this when discussing how to deal with the opposition.
  Otto: No king has ever lived that hasn't had to forfeit the lives of a few to protect the many. Though I understand your squeamishness.
• Negated Moment of Awesome: Just as Aegon starts to get comfortable with the cheering crowd, Rhaenys causes a mass panic when she has her dragon break through the boards of the Dragonpit.
• Not What I Signed on For: This episode sees two members of the Praetorian Guard, whose goal is to protect and serve the royal family, take issue with the Hightowers' actions over the upcoming coronation.
  • Ser Harrold Westerling, Lord Commander of the Kingsguard, makes it very clear to the conspirators that his oath was to protect the king, not to be complicit in a coup against the late king's chosen heir.
  • Ser Erryk is repulsed at the notion of a philandering alcoholic, rapist wastrel like Aegon, who spends his days witnessing deadly, clandestine fights between children (in which even some of his many illegitimate children are forced to participate), being king. He simply watches while his brother dukes it out with Criston over who gets to deliver Aegon back to King's Landing, and later spirits Rhaenys (whom he knows to be more or less against the Hightowers) out of the Red Keep to send her to Dragonstone.
• An Offer You Can't Refuse: Otto Hightower summons lords and ladies who swore oaths to Rhaenyra and demands them to swear loyalty to Aegon. Those who refuse are taken away to the dungeons to await certain execution.
• Ooh, Me Accent's Slipping: Olivia Cooke slips into her own Northern accent as she says "...which you know."
• Out of Focus: It's the only episode of the first season where Rhaenyra and Daemon don't appear at all. It instead focuses entirely on The Coup of the Hightower-Targaryen faction to seize the throne while Rhaenyra and Daemon are far away in Dragonstone.
• Princeling Rivalry: Aemond complains to Criston that despite Aemond himself being the more learned and skilled prince, Aegon, who has no interest in ruling, is the heir just because he's older. Subverted, as Aemond stops just short of saying he should be king, however. When his brother tries to get Aemond to help him run away, leaving the throne to him, he doesn't.
• Reluctant Ruler: Aegon has no interest in being king and would much prefer spend all his days indulging himself. He even tries to run away and has to be dragged back home to accept his coronation. However, once he gets a taste for the roaring crowds, he seems to start appreciating it.
• Right for the Wrong Reasons: Many lords refuse to believe Alicent's claim that Viserys changed his mind about his successor at the last minute on his deathbed. They think she came up with a ruse just to put her son on the throne, but the truth is that she misinterpreted his delirious dying words and truly believes herself to be honoring his wishes (not knowing the prophecy of the "Song of Ice and Fire" Viserys obsessed about all his life). Lyman and Aegon both point out that this sounds totally out-of-character for Viserys, a man who steadfastly upheld Rhaenyra's claim for 20 years. Of those who side with Alicent, it's not even clear if they actually believe her either. They don't need such a justification (though it does come in handy) and had been plotting their coup to crown Aegon upon Viserys's death for quite some time anyway.
• Rule of Symbolism:
  • Larys wants to masturbate to Alicent's feet. There's two aspects to this: the foot thing and the Alicent thing. The foot fetish is clearly linked to the fact that Larys "the Clubfoot" is a cripple. Feet are a symbol of power in a lot of cultures, as they give people the ability to do most things, while also having destructive power. Larys lacks this kind of power. Next, the person involved. Larys could've tried to find someone who's actually interested in this too, who wants to take part. It's an awkward and delicate task, but if anyone's capable of quietly finding such a person, it's secretmonger Larys. Failing that, there's a more-or-less tacitly permitted way for men in this setting to impose their one-sided sexual desire onto a woman bribed into enduring it—King's Landing has a huge prostitution industry for precisely that. Yet Larys has instead sought out the queen for this purpose. So it seems that by pleasuring himself to Alicent's feet, he is indulging in her power as queen.
  • Aegon likes to frequent fighting pits where young children are groomed to attack each other with sharpened nails and teeth, and it's implied that some of them are his children. It's an unsubtle metaphor for how he and the rest of Viserys's descendants are going to have to duke it out in a conflict arranged by their parents.
• Sacrificial Lamb: Lord Caswell, a minor lord whose few appearances thus far have comprised of supporting Rhaenyra, is hanged in the Red Keep and his body left there when he attempts to inform her about the usurpation. This shows that the Greens mean business about overturning her claim.
• Sex as Rite-of-Passage: When Aemond turned 13 years old, Aegon took him to a brothel in the Street of Silk because it was his duty as older brother to make sure he was as educated as Aegon was. Or at least that is how Aemond understood it when Aegon told him, "Time to get it wet." Aemond and Criston pay the establishment a visit since Aegon may have gone there again. The madam recognizes Aemond, remarking how much he's grown since she last saw him.
• Sex for Services: Larys Strong offers Alicent information on Mysaria's spy network and how her maid Talya is one of her spies in exchange for being allowed to view Alicent's feet so he can indulge his fetish.
• Ship Tease: Alicent gets very close with Criston before sending him off to find Prince Aegon, softly whispering in his ear reminding him of his loyalty and "feelings" towards her. This is done in front of Aemond — the son they raised together — and he seems completely unfazed by it.
  Alicent: Everything you feel for me, as your Queen...
  Criston: I will not fail you.
• Smarter Than You Look: Rhaenys admits this to Alicent towards the end of their conversation. After hesitating for a moment, she addresses Alicent by her full name to drive the point home, with a slightly sad look on her face.
  Rhaenys: You are wiser than I believed you to be...Alicent Hightower.
• Spanner in the Works: The Hightower-Targaryens do everything they can to ensure Rhaenyra won't know about her father's death and The Coup that is Aegon's crowning until she's in a position to be subjugated or killed, by delaying the announcement of the death of Viserys, locking up her ally Rhaenys, and ensuring the realm's Lords will swear fealty to Aegon. They didn't expect Rhaenys to escape, much less on the back of her dragon right in front of them.
• Sure, Let's Go with That: When Alicent reveals her interpretation of Viserys's dying words to the Small Council, she finds out they were planning on putting Aegon on the throne anyway, and they end up just using her story as PR spin.
• Took a Level in Jerkass: Criston has fallen far since he first joined the Kingsguard, as when he accidentally murders Lord Beesbury for expressing Undying Loyalty to Rhaenyra, he shows no remorse for the incident.
• Undying Loyalty: Even with the whole of the Small Council clearly aligned with Aegon against Rhaenyra's claim to the throne, Lord Beesbury refuses to renounce his support of Rhaenyra as Viserys's chosen heir, citing that he has known Viserys the longest of anyone on the council and doesn't believe he would have changed his mind. Criston Cole kills him for it, albeit accidentally.
• The Unfavorite: Aegon is skeptical of his mother's claim that Viserys chose him as heir, as he believes his father never really liked him.
  Aegon: He could have, but he never did because he didn't like me.
• Unwanted Rescue: Aegon had no desire to be dragged out of his hiding spot in the Great Sept and resists the efforts of the Kingsguard and Aemond to bring him back to the Red Keep.
• Villain Episode: The first episode of the series without Rhaenyra and Daemon, and it focuses from start to finish on Alicent and the Greens, antagonists of the designated heir Rhaenyra, and how they react in the immediate wake of Viserys's death. Rhaenys is the only main character allied with Rhaenyra who appears in the episode, and even then, she is a supporting character in this episode's plot.
• Would Hurt a Child: Many people in Flea Bottom have no problem profiting from young children fighting and injuring each other, or betting on it. Perhaps worst of all, Aegon's a frequent patron of the fights, and some fighters are implied to be his own children (fathered with prostitutes he visits). Mysaria implies that child prostitution is also a recurring problem in that area.
• You Fool!: On the way to the coronation, Alicent tries to persuade Aegon to spare Rhaenyra, but he interrupts her to ask if she loves him. An exasperated Alicent refuses to state the obvious.
  Alicent: Listen to me, Aegon. Your grandfather the Hand will try to impress on you that Rhaenyra must be put to the sword. You must reject this counsel. You must not rule with cruelty and callousness. For all her faults, she is your sister, your father's daughter—
  Aegon: Do you love me?
  Alicent: [Beat] You imbecile.
• You Have GOT to Be Kidding Me!: Alicent reacts with shock and disbelief at the rest of the Greens who plan on murdering Rhaenyra to secure Aegon's succession. Particularly when Tyland Lannister jovially says that they now seemingly have Viserys's approval and Alicent has to angrily remind them Viserys adored Rhaenyra.
• You Remind Me of X:
  Otto: [to Alicent] You look so much like your mother in certain lights.
• Your Approval Fills Me with Shame: In private, Alicent confides to Rhaenys (who's under house arrest) that she should've been queen instead of Viserys. Rhaenys takes offense to this, pointing out that despite her talk about women guiding their men, Alicent still labours on behalf of her father's schemes despite Alicent being horrified and disgusted by her father's plan to murder Rhaenyra.

---