*Spoilers up through episode 9.*
Season finale! I didn’t review episode 9, since Matt Smith was in it, but it tees up all the big plot action here. Basically, the event that’s been hanging over our heads all season has finally taken place, and it’s time to see what Rhaenyra and Daemon are going to do about it.
After Viserys succumbed to his illness at the end of episode 8, the Hightowers spent the next episode scrambling to get Aegon unto the throne before the news of her father’s death even had a chance to reach Rhaenyra—Alicent justified it by misunderstanding Viserys’s last words out of context, while Otto is just a dick who’d been planning this all along. So Rhaenyra learns that her father is dead in the same breath that she learns that her younger brother has usurped her crown. While Daemon wants to go into full battle mode, Rhaenyra tries to keep a leash on her impulsive husband as she considers her next move.
Even as someone who hasn’t read the book and has only heard passing references to the Dance of the Dragons, I still knew we were obviously heading for this kind of showdown. For all his weakness and conflict-avoidance, Viserys was the only thing holding the realm together. Now that he’s gone, the succession shit storm has exploded, with the Hightowers grasping to hold onto power and a ton of folks preferring the idea of a drunken rapist man on the throne than a fierce woman with a couple of bastard sons. The misogyny of Westeros put Rhaenyra at a disadvantage from day one, but the circumstances of the last two episodes mean she’s even further behind—by the time she hears the news, Aegon is already sitting on her throne.
Of course, royal succession in a fantasy world is nothing like a democratically run election in the real world, but it still stresses me out a little as an American to see two dueling courts. With Aegon and the Hightowers at King’s Landing, Rhaenyra begins her opposing rule at Dragonstone, with her own crown and Small Council. She gathers up her closest allies and works to figure out who else will back her claim.
I know I already said Otto Hightower is a dick, but seriously—such a dick. During a confrontation that parallels his run-in with Daemon from episode 2, Otto comes to Dragonstone and has the nerve to say the following to Rhaenyra (in front of her dragon, no less!): “Your succession changed the day your father sired a son. I only regret you and he were the last to see the truth of it.” Somehow, though, he still doesn’t manage to take the prize for Worst Dude in the Episode. There are several vying for that title, and since the season wrapped several weeks ago, the finale’s climactic end has been thoroughly discussed across the internet. As such, you probably know exactly who the worst is.
Daemon, by the way, is also in the running for that title this time around. It’s not especially out of character, since Daemon gonna Daemon, but some of what we get from him in this episode is pretty startling. It stems from how ardently and immediately he moves to fight for Rhaenyra’s claim, which is also wrapped up in his anger and grief about Viserys’s death. Despite the fact that Viserys was gravely ill for literal years, Daemon’s mind instantly turns suspicious, raging that “that whore of a queen murdered my brother and stole his throne,” making his insistence on taking back the throne for Rhaenyra all the more personal for him.
And that’s the crux of Daemon’s damage in this episode. It’s all personal. His ideas to secure Rhaenyra’s crown, his war council, his massing of an army to fight for her. (Kudos to Jace, who’s forced to confront his stepdad about speaking for Rhaenyra when she isn’t in the room—though Daemon isn’t the least bit intimidated by him, the kid doesn’t back down.) Daemon bends the knee to Rhaenyra and calls her, “My queen,” but when he says that, he doesn’t mean, “This is the queen I serve.” Ultimately, he means, “This queen is mine.” Which is already causing issues and is bound to be an even bigger problem down the line.
Matt Smith already has experience playing the husband to a queen, given his two seasons on The Crown. But even though Daemon is hardly any prize, he doesn’t infuriate me the way Philip does. In the early episodes of the season, Smith plays Daemon’s interactions with Rhaenyra with an intriguing mix of “uncle teaching his niece the ways of the world,” “adult treating a teenager like an equal,” and “Targaryen getting hot for his blood relative.” He’s never really looked down on Rhaenyra because of her gender, and to be honest, I’m not entirely sure whether he’s really doing that now. It could just be more because she’s not doing everything he thinks she should, and despite his desire to defer to her, he can’t always bring himself to follow through. If Viserys had ever made Daemon his Hand, he might have had a similar attitude toward his brother.
But where Viserys likely would’ve folded, Rhaenyra holds firm, and Daemon doesn’t like that. His attitude may or may not be specifically gendered, but some of his reactions definitely are, and it’ll be interesting to see what happens with these two going forward. Rhaenyra married Daemon in part because she knew she’d need strong backing as queen—if she can’t get him to fall in line, he may prove more of a liability than a strength.
End-of-season thoughts:
Recommend?
In General – If you liked Game of Thrones, or if you’re into brutal fantasy stuff, I would. The first couple of episodes were a bit slow for me, but I quickly got on board with the show and was eagerly anticipating it every week. Paddy Considine gives an utterly masterful performance this season.
Matt Smith – Yes, as long as you can handle strong violence, language, and sexual content. Smith’s performance as Daemon is really compelling and always keeps me on my toes.
Warnings
Graphic violence (including rape, which is mostly not depicted onscreen,) strong sexual content, language (including sexist insults,) drinking, disturbing images, and strong thematic elements (including incest.)
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