YMMV / House of the Dragon S1 E7: "Driftmark"

• Alternative Character Interpretation:
  • Did Laenor go along with the plan willingly, or did he have to be pressured/threatened into it? His conversation with Rhaenyra shortly beforehand could go either way. He commits himself to supporting Rhaenyra and being a father to his children, which might suggest that he wouldn't be enthusiastic about abandoning them. But given his stated shame over failing Rhaenyra, he could be more willing than ever to do whatever is necessary to help their family survive the coming conflict, even if it meant faking his death. He looks angry in the final scene, but that could arguably be the grimace of a man straining against the tides as he rows out to sea.
  • Criston Cole’s refusal to take out Luke’s eye. Did he really refuse because he only swore to be Alicent’s protector? Or was it a case of Loophole Abuse? He had no qualms against the kids fighting each other and egging them on in the training yard. Alicent rather publicly claims that he’s sworn to her. Given his resentment towards Rhaenyra and allegiance to Alicent, he may have done it in a less public scenario. It could also be his way of protecting her as per his vows, since taking out Luke's eye would only get Alicent into more trouble.
  • Aemond throwing Aegon under the bus when Viserys demands to know who told him about the Strong boys' heritage. A way to get back at his Big Brother Bully for all the years of mockery he put Aemond through? Or a pragmatic way to protect their mother whose situation is already precarious, and Aegon happens to be the perfect scapegoat and would be unlikely to face punishment given that he's the king's eldest son?
• Fan Wank: The Valyrian language has a vocative case, i.e. is the case that you use when addressing someone by name. So when talking about Vhagar in the third person, calling her Vhagar is grammatically correct. Yet when addressing her by name one ought to use the vocative case, Vagus. David J. Peterson says he provided that translation but they neglected to use it. He approves of the following fan interpretation that patches it over, but holds that it is Fan Wank, not intentional.
  Fan: Neither of [Aemond's] parents are really trying to instill his heritage in him. His knowledge of [the Valyrian language] is probably purely through his tutors. So to—in a really scary moment—forget the grammar rules that he knows only intellectually, not with the intuition of a native speaker? I think totally checks out. It's like Aemond is fumbling and messing up, but he's holding his ground and continues trying rather than giving up or running away. He doesn't really know what he's doing, but goddamnit he's trying. I think the grammatical error really lines up with how he's characterized in that scene.
  DJP: This is a wonderful retcon, but make no mistake, it is a retcon. They just didn’t want to use a name that sounded different because they didn’t either understand (or care) how the cases worked.
• Moral Event Horizon:
  • Alicent arguably crosses it when she tries to order Ser Criston to cut Lucerys' eye out as retribution for Aemond losing an eye in their fight. When Viserys rejects this, she tries to do the deed herself, only to be stopped by Rhaenyra.
  • Rhaenyra:
    • She wants Aemond—a child who just lost an eye—tortured for information on whom told him her sons are bastards, despite knowing perfectly well that they are.
    • If Laenor's escape was not part of her initial plan, Rhaenyra crossed it when she suggested to Daemon to have him killed. And even if they did know, she still ordered a hit on a random man for the sake of their own desires, and let Rhaenys and Corlys think their last surviving child is dead.
• Shipping Goggles: In the eye trial scene, the final Shot/Reverse Shot overtly contrasts the trio of Rhaenyra, Luke, and Daemon with the trio of Alicent, Aemond, and Criston. Everyone can agree this is at least mother, son, and father-figure. To an Alicent/Criston shipper, it's specifically mother, son, and stepfather.

---