As you probably already know, House of the Dragon is a prequel. The Game of Thrones spinoff, based on George RR Martin’s Fire & Blood, is set almost 200 years before the events of the original HBO series. Unlike the original series, which ran out of adaptation material by the end of season five, key details from the Targaryen dynasty have already been revealed in Martin’s fictional story. If you want to know how the story ends, you can just google it – or read a book.
But since some of The Ringer’s staff haven’t read any of Martin’s novels, we decided to create this weekly precap for those of you who are fortunately unaware of what’s about to happen next. This is dialogue for viewers who treat House of the Dragon like a good old mystery box that twists and turns from week to week. Without further ado, let’s move on to this week’s Command Prompt.
The burning question in episode 9: Civil war looms in King’s Landing. From the people we’ve met so far, which single character would you support to ascend the Iron Throne?
Megan Schuster: This is easy: Daemon. It’s true that we didn’t see his royal ambitions in a couple of episodes – after Rhaenyra was made heiress, our troubled hero took out his frustrations at the Crabfeeder in the Stepstones and has been pretty content just banging around the Free Cities ever since. When his (now deceased) wife, Laena Velaryon, asked him to return to Driftmark and rule there, he declined not so politely, preferring to lend the power of his dragons to Pentos in exchange for heaps of cash.
But now he’s back in Westeros, married to his niece/queen-to-be, and we’ve seen those ambitions return. He (literally) crushed those who questioned the claims of Rhaenyra and her children to the Iron Throne, tricked his nephews into showing their true, traitorous colors, and even regained at least some favor with King Viserys found again. Sure, Daemon won’t be able to take full control of the kingdom without wresting power from Rhaenyra, but considering how sick she’s been of the whole “succession” thing lately, maybe she would fortunate enough if at least someone would draft in her immediate family to rule and prevent a war that could claim her life and the lives of her children.
Miles Surrey: There may be many political agents working behind the walls of the Red Keep, but at the end of the day there is nothing that wields more influence in Westeros than dragons. On that note, I’m all with Aemond Targaryen, the one-eyed prince who happens to possess the most powerful dragon in the realm. Though he lost one of his eyes in the chaotic aftermath of the first ride on Vhagar—a moment that sealed a lifelong bond between them—Aemond knows the compromise is worth it. You can understand why: even among other dragons, Vhagar is an absolute unit. (I imagine facing Vhagar in combat is as brutal as trying to attack Derrick Henry.)
Vhagar alone gives Aemond an advantage, but as the last House of the Dragon time warp showed, my buddy doesn’t just rely on his dragon to defeat opponents. Aemond had by far the biggest growth spurt of any Targaryen child – do the maesters in King’s Landing have access to PEDs? — and he apparently spent all his free time training with Ser Criston Cole for the inevitable civil war that would follow. Indeed, the biggest (only?) obstacle in Aemond’s path seems to be Daemon Targaryen, but even in a classic showdown between youth and experience, Aemond still has the grizzled dragon in the realm on his side. While his brother Aegon would technically inherit the Iron Throne, all indications are that Westeros will lose Aemond.
Arjuna Ramgopal: Aegon, Aemond – it doesn’t matter; give me RHAENYRA, the queen actually named by the dying king himself, Viserys I. Damn it, does the reigning monarch’s word mean anything to anyone? Sure, Viserys wasn’t the best king. In fact, he ended up being pretty awful because literally no one was listening to him… about anything. But if we just want to circumvent what the king decreed and has confessed to for decades, what kind of world do we live in here? Where’s the honor and respect?
Do you really want Joffrey Baratheon-esque Aegon and Aemond to run the show? They’re already terrible in every way imaginable, and they’re barely grown. Give them a kingdom to rule and you only ask for trouble. Rhaenyra isn’t perfect: she’s certainly made some mistakes, but who doesn’t have them on this show? She was indeed appointed and raised to lead and has the qualities required to do so effectively. She is caring, can negotiate when necessary, and sees problems that others don’t seem to see. In addition, she has dragons, a fleet and a demon. So join her if you want, but she’s the one I’ll fight back for this throne 10 times out of 10.
Katie Baker: Aemond’s potential combination of power and bitterness is definitely starting to worry me, but let’s face it, this guy with the head of Mac Tonight WISHES he could be like Daemon, and it’s going to take more than his obvious cosplay to convince me. I remain with Daemon, by which I mean supporting the rule of Rhaenyra, just as her dad, who dabbled around to the bitter end, intended. (That means Matt Smith can play the role of Prince Philip again!) This couple has proven to be smart and mostly, but not entirely, unscrupulous. Rhaenyra obviously still knows how to push Alicent’s buttons. She and Daemon have all these cute kids running around who I’m sure will grow up to be appropriately demented adults perfectly suited to be heirs. Yeah yeah, there’s this whole thing with these older sons and their “seed.” [being] strong”, but can’t we start the trusty Gendry-Laenor Slow Rowboat to Nowhere again for these three and be done with it? They can pretend to be minor Starks or Greyjoys or something and nobody would be the wiser.
Jonathan Barlet: I stand by my Queen Rhaenyra on this matter. Ever since we were first introduced to her, Rhae has proven time and time again that she deeply understands the game being played. And while, yes, this game may be a burden on her shoulders – as we have expressed in her private moments – she always rises with steady courage and grace. On the other hand, Team Green (consisting of Alicent, Otto, Larys Strong, the notable psychopath Aemond, and pretty much every other person on the Small Council) will pose a formidable challenge. But in the end, doesn’t it just feel like there are too many chefs in the kitchen with too many agendas? Give me the leaner, tight-knit squad of Rhaenyra, Daemon, and Princess Rhaenys with a clear direction. It may not be easy, but I firmly believe that they will sit on the Iron Throne. All hail Queen Rhaenyra.
Sign up for the Ringer newsletter