Chris Connor reviews the seventh episode of House of the Dragon…
After an extended time jump in the last episode and a raft of new introductions, House of the Dragon’s seventh episode ‘Driftmark’ is able to focus on the here and now with a far shorter gap following the events of last week.
The episode begins with the funeral of Laena Velaryon, the second wife of Daemon Targaryen and is one of the most action packed instalments of the series to date with tensions escalating between the warring strands of the Royal household, Princess Rhaenyra and her once friend Queen Alicent.
The episode gives far more prominence to the various offspring of the Velaryons and Targaryen with their differing viewpoints and awkward interactions clear for all to see. This comes to a head when Prince Aemond claims the dragon Vhagar over Rhaena, Laena’s daughter with a scuffle ensuing that ends in a near fatal fashion and results in Aemond losing an eye.
Naturally this doesn’t go down well with either the Queen or Princess tipping their relationship even further from where it started and with both furious at the others’ children – Alicent for the damage caused to her son, while the Princess demands to know where they heard the scandalous talk of her children’s true heritage as bastards.
The focus away from the two central leads is promising for the future of the show and gives many of the supporting characters far more purpose and interaction than we’ve had to date. Given the conflicts that will come, their roles will doubtless continue to grow and so the contrasting portrayal of the families and how they have raised their children offers an interesting mirror between Alicent and Rhaenyra. The Queen’s children show far greater levels of entitlement and are not dissimilar in nature to the likes of Joffrey Baratheon from Game of Thrones.
Emma D’Arcy and Olivia Cooke have more than proved worthy successors in their respective roles and the casting of the show has proved to be one of its strongest suits. We also see more of D’Arcy interacting with Matt Smith’s Daemon, the pair showing fine chemistry as we uncover the schemes of each and how they might come to benefit one another in the long run.
‘Driftmark’ gives us perhaps the largest shift towards what will become the Dance of the Dragons, but what has worked in the series’ favour is its slow buildup and while the time-jumps have made it at times hard to follow, it benefits the audience to see how these characters’ relationships have developed and grown.
The Princess we see here with Daemon is not the naïve young girl from a few episodes ago, but instead a head strong woman who is keen to stamp her authority on her claim to the Iron Throne.
With just three episodes remaining of a fine first season, House of the Dragon continues to drive us towards an all out conflict between various factions of the Royal Court, with all sides pulling strings and looking to find a position of authority. The production design and cast especially continue to impress and we can only hope the first series in what will surely be a long lasting show manages to finish in as strong a manner as it has performed in its past few episodes.
‘Driftmark’ an episode full of political intrigue, family infighting and gore, and is sure to delight Westeros’ legion of fans.
Chris Connor
