The latest episode of House of the Dragon had plenty of jaw-dropping moments. The fantasy drama, part of George RR Martin’s Game of Thrones universe, saw the power struggle in King’s Landing after the death of King Viserys as rival factions struggled to gain control of the Iron Throne. Amid this, the episode ended with a bang and at the centre of that chaos was Rhaenys Targaryen, the Queen that Never Was, played by Eve Best. While many fans applauded Rhaenys’ badass moment, others criticised her ‘inaction’ in a moment where she had an upper hand. Also read: House of the Dragon director defends episode 1’s disturbing scene
Spoilers for House of the Dragon episode 9 ahead!
A quick recap: House of the Dragon is set roughly two centuries before the events of Game of Thrones, in a time when Westeros was ruled by the Targaryens. Viserys had appointed his eldest daughter Rhaenyra (Emma D’arcy) as his heir but the king’s second wife Queen Alicent (Olivia Cooke) wanted her son Aegon to succeed his father. In episode 9, through manipulation, politicking, and brute force, Alicent managed to crown Aegon (Tom Glynn-Carney). However, she failed to get support from the late king’s cousin Princess Rhaenys (Eve), following which she imprisoned her.
The final scene of the episode is Aegon’s coronation at King’s Landing, where we see Rhaenys escaping captivity and finding her way inside the castle hiding among the common folks. And just as everything is going well for Aegon, she bursts in, riding her fearsome dragon Meleys. She is within a few feet of the new king and all his supporters. While fans hoped she would burn them and support her late cousin’s wishes, Rhaenys simply left, leaving many fans disappointed.
Showrunner Ryan Condal and director Miguel Sapochnik defend Rhaenys’ choice. Miguel says, “We really wanted to make sure that there was meat on her character, that Rhaenys was not passive. But we felt this was an incredibly valuable moment, to rather than have her just bear witness to something, be able to take part in it, but her moral standpoint became the reason for the inaction rather than action.”
Ryan adds that the veteran princess acted as a mother in that moment and maintains the moment was heroic. “She knows if she sets fire to that dais she ends any possibility for war and probably sets peace throughout the realm. But I think she probably doesn’t want to be responsible for doing that to another mother. It’s a complex choice and one that people might dispute and have a problem with but that’s the choice Rhaenys makes in that moment. We see her busting out, being the one that’s going to take the news to Dragonstone, of the coup and of Rhaenyra’s throne being stolen. It’s a great heroic moment for her character,” he says.
House of the Dragon is an HBO original and streams on Disney+ Hotstar every Monday morning in India. The final episode of season 1–The Black Queen–will stream on October 23.