Tensions rise in the Royal Court as Otto’s intentions in the wake of Viserys’ death become apparent.

It took him eight episodes but Viserys has finally, painfully popped his clogs, and he leaves behind him a world unlikely to remain as peaceful without his authority in place. Indeed, barely is the body of the late king cold before Otto, his Hand and father of the Queen is plotting his next moves. What’s interesting about that is for all her bluster and various actions to date, Alicent herself doesn’t seem all that inclined to go along.

That said, it’s not the fact of her son’s accession to the throne over the established succession of Rhaenyara that’s bothering her – after all, it’s her mistaken interpretation of Viserys’ feverish words to her which sets things in motion, as she declares to the council that her husband had changed his mind and deemed Aegon his successor. Rather, it’s the methods which are intended to ensure this sequence of events which give her pause.

Of course, in order to put Aegon on the throne, someone needs to find him. Otto dispatches a pair of Kingsguard to track down the errant prince, who has managed to vanish into the less reputable end of the city, and Alicent elects to try to get ahead by sending Ser Criston and Aemond on the same quest. It’s a minor act of defiance which ultimately doesn’t really mean anything – Otto intends no harm to the boy after all, and both want him crowned – but it’s interesting nonetheless to note that the two have very different approaches to the same goal.

In amongst all the nobles being ‘persuaded’ to ‘reconsider’ the oaths they had made to Rhaenyra as Viserys’ successor is Princess Rhaenys, who has little love for the young princess (especially since she believes her to have been responsible for the death of her son) but a strong sense of justice, not least because she recalls her own experience of being denied the crown. Otto may well be able to browbeat, threaten and murder anyone else who isn’t willing to go along with his little coup, but Rhaenys is made of sterner stuff, and may prove a thorn in his plans.

Aside from the main dynamics, the smaller backstories here are equally fascinating. That Aegon is supremely unfit for the throne is abundantly clear. What’s perhaps more of a surprise is his reluctance to take it, which couples rather ironically with the fact that his younger brother is both substantially more capable and actually wants the job. Unlike his wayward elder sibling though, Aemond has a sense of duty and propriety.

Between this dynamic, the shifting loyalties of some within the Kingsguard and the ongoing game of political chess between Otto and his daughter, there’s plenty of that good old-fashioned Game of Thrones-style intrigue as the episode grinds inexorably towards the coronation of the reluctant young king before a herded audience of commoners, there to lend that last bit of legitimacy to Otto’s bold move. But this is Westeros, and one can never expect even the best-laid of plans to run entirely smoothly, setting us up for a nailbiter of a finale.

Verdict: An excellent, tense episode in which very little action is present or required. 9/10

Greg D. Smith