The “race” between Otto and Alicent’s individual parties lacks the urgency the writers clearly want us to experience, largely because there’s no desire on audience members’ part to see Aegon be found. This is where I’m forced to admit that despite my patience with the large and frequent time jumps the show has engaged in-with the notable exception of the deaths of Laena and Harwin-the debt accrued from that economic storytelling has now become costly. Much of this has to do with the fact that the search for Aegon isn’t very interesting yet it takes up the lion’s share of the episode.
The episode largely goes downhill from there. Thankfully, Harrold, in an impressive display of honor, refuses to follow the order, tearing off his Kingsguard cloak before exiting the room. At the same time, however, Alicent’s precious moral fortitude is about as substantial as tissue paper, because when Otto proceeds to order Ser Harrold to go to Dragonstone and kill Rheanyra, all the fight leaves Alicent. The thought of murdering Rhaenyra and her children, the youngest of whom are mere toddlers, genuinely disturbs her seeing her child ascend to the throne was a vision that never came at the cost of the life of her husband’s daughter who was also once a dear friend. I appreciate the layers of internal conflict Alicent expresses here. The top of the hour brings about some solid intrigue, especially with the revelation that despite Alicent’s heavy involvement with the Small Council, Otto and other council members have been secretly making arrangements intended to be carried out the moment Viserys dies.
Too bad its inception is brought about in the most underwhelming episode of the season.įor a series that opened with a slightly slow burn (when compared to the significantly faster pace midseason), it’s quite remarkable that the penultimate episode would be the one in which I would start to begrudge the pacing and creative choices of a show I’ve largely enjoyed, but here we are. Long brewing hostilities have given way to the beginning of a multi-year-long civil war, bringing us to the opening of what shall be known as the Dance of the Dragons. Plans to install the worst possible option as king are in motion before Viserys’ body has even been tended to. The king is dead, and a kingdom is now in peril, all thanks to a misunderstanding that sounds straight out of Shakespeare.
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