Six years after the events of the previous episode, the succession to the Driftwood throne comes into question after Corlys is gravely wounded in battle at the Stepstones. The matter will be decided at Kings Landing by petition from the various interested parties, but none are prepared for what awaits them there.

I do rather wish House of the Dragon’s writers felt more confident in their characters and plots that they didn’t have to keep skipping forwards. Whereas I welcome the focus on intrigue and politicking which echoes the very best of what Game of Thrones used to do at its height, it’s rather dull to keep skipping over long wars and other major events so that we hear about them only in afterthought. That said, there is much to like here, discombobulating as I found yet another leap forward in time.

Apparently, in the interim, war has continued to rage in the Step Stones, and Corlys has gone to handle this personally, becoming gravely wounded and feared dying in the process. This brings the question of succession to the fore. The way things are settled, Rhaenyra’s son stands to inherit the Driftwood throne, per Corlys’ express wishes. His brother Vaemond has ambitions of his own and it isn’t totally clear where exactly Princess Rhaenys’ intentions lie either.

Alerted to events, Rhaenyra and Daemon also make their way to Kings Landing with their various children, but find things much changed from their last visit there. Viserys has become progressively weaker with the disease which ravages him, and Alicent and her father undertake much of the running of the kingdom, intending to preside over the various petitions to decide the succession issue.

And that’s where things really start to get interesting. For me, the standout character of this show remains Daemon and this episode amply demonstrates why. Unlike Joffrey or other similar villains from its ancestor show, Daemon is a truly complex character, capable of great cruelty and violence to get what he wants, but also clearly capable of great affection for those for whom he cares. Whereas one could make an argument that his interests are best served here by staying the right side of the king, his affection for his brother and concern for his wellbeing seem here to be utterly genuine, as does his determination to defend the honour of his wife and his family.

Alicent meanwhile continues to be a little more enigmatic. She’s clearly party to machinations set in play by her father but once again it feels like she’s not necessarily one hundred per cent on board with all this. Her confrontation with a servant girl who claims to have been raped by her son feels like it’s heading in one, inevitable direction, but the episode seems on the surface to leave the question open as to the girl’s eventual fate. When all are gathered before the king, imploring them to mend fences and reconcile as family, it genuinely looks as if Alicent really wants to bury the hatchet with her stepdaughter and former friend. But Viserys is only a man, and in his absence the wounds between the various branches of his family will continue to fester

It’s an episode that has violence, cruelty and intrigue in all the right amounts, and it’s difficult not to be swept up in it all. I just wish they’d stop feeling like they’re rushing things.

Verdict: Happy as I am to see the show doing what it does best, I can’t help feeling we are compressing several seasons worth of development into one here. 8/10

Greg D. Smith