House of the Dragon' Episode 7

2022 - 10 - 3

laenor velaryon

'House of the Dragon' recap episode 7: Just you and eye (NPR)

On the 7th episode of HBO's Game of Thrones spin-off, guests at a funeral express their grief through sex and violence. Fantasy royals: they're just like ...

In a surprising departure from the book, Laenor and Qarl catch a break! - This show has a nagging tendency to kill off characters it introduces in the same episode: Lady Rhea, Ser Joffrey, Ser Harwin, Lady Laena. The voiceover we get is Daemon and Rhaenyra. The show doesn't want to give away that Laenor is in on the ruse quite yet, so what it shows us instead is Daemon killing the page. Rhaenyra pivots by calling the king's attention to the fact that Aemond treasonously questioned the parentage of Jayce, the heir to the throne. (Reader, watching this the first time, I really thought that she signed his death warrant with those words; "RIP LAENOR," I wrote in my notes.) They share a moment of sincere mutual affection; he resolves to let Ser Qarl go and re-dedicate himself to her as a true companion, if nothing else. She takes off and tests his dragonriding skillz, but he's up to the task. Corlys and Rhaenys get a nice scene in which the show re-establishes something it's already established — namely, that Rhaenys has her head on straight, and would have made a great queen. Which makes for a nice moment to step back and note how differently the show is presenting its two sets of royal twerps. There is a fireworks factory in our future, reader, and our bus is just now pulling out of the school parking lot. The king, the queen and their kids Aegon, Aemond and Helaena. That said, this episode kicks off by giving every freaking character listed above a long moment to gaze meaningfully at another character, and with a cast this huge, this process takes a hell of a long time.

House of the Dragon Episode 7: The Battle of the Kiddos (Esquire.com)

In Episode Seven, nearly the entire cast is present for Laena's funeral at Driftmark. The gathering includes Rhaenyra, Laenor, their two eldest sons, Daemon, ...

She asks Daemon to be her next husband to strengthen their claim to the throne, but her uncle reminds her that they cannot be wed as long as Laenor is alive. Grabbing Viserys's dagger and making a beeline to Lucerys herself, Alicent is stopped by Rhaenyra, who whispers that the kingdom now, "sees you as you are." It seems like no one is making a single good decision in Westeros, which can only mean that the kingdom is all going to shit when King Viserys finally keels over. Those cheering for the incestuous relationship can rejoice, however, as the uncle and niece both kiss and have sex after Rhaenyra quips that she is "no longer a child." Vhagar threatens to kill the brat after he wakes her up from a nap, but he holds out his hand and says some stuff in Old Valyrian. The King tells him that the gods are cruel for taking Laena so early, and Daemon retorts that it seems that the gods have been especially cruel to him. Aemond climbs up to the dragon's harness and commands her to fly. Rhaenyra feels that Daemon abandoned her at King's Landing, but he reminds her that she was only a child at the time. Speaking to Daemon for the first time in 10 years, Rhaenyra says that her marriage to Laenor is losing purpose. Daemon naming one of his daughters "Rhaena" is also one of the creepiest ways he's shown his affection for his niece yet. [Ser Criston Cole](https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/tv/a41311865/ser-criston-cole-house-of-the-dragon/), King Viserys, his three children with Queen Alicent, and Otto Hightower, who has once again been made the Hand of the King. [Milly Alcock is no longer playing the young princess Rhaenyra](https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/tv/a41387548/house-of-the-dragon-actors-change/), those in Westeros grieve over three characters who left us as quickly as they entered.

Why Did Last Night's House of the Dragon Look So Bad? (Vulture)

Kathryn VanArendonk is a critic who writes about TV and comedy. She gets mad when people say TV is a ten-hour movie. The night scenes in “Driftmark” were shot ...

The Next Generation Stepped Up on This Week's 'House of the ... (W Magazine)

It was the kids' time to shine in the latest episode of 'House of the Dragon' and it's clear familial conflict and drama has already taken hold of this ...

House of the Dragon recap: episode seven – behold, the ultimate ... (The Guardian)

After gasp-inducing violence and an unearthly consummation, there's now a dangerous union you really don't want to mess with. This mean all-out war.

'House of the Dragon' Episode 7 Recap: Say Uncle (CNET)

Taking place after a 10-year time jump, it saw the first blood of the inevitable Targaryen civil war spilled. That was thanks to Larys Strong, who in a mix of ...

House of the Dragon episode 7 review: Three funerals and a creepy ... (Polygon)

In a House of the Dragon episode with Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D'Arcy) and Alicent's (Olivia Cooke) coming Dance of the Dragons, and exploring how Laenor ...

[the royal children](https://www.polygon.com/23368925/house-of-the-dragon-kids-who-rhaenyra-alicent-daemon-jace-joffrey-aegon) that goes from bad to worse in — ahem — the blink of an eye. It’s enough to make [Viserys’ (Paddy Considine)](https://www.polygon.com/23328660/house-dragon-viserys-iron-throne-cut) plea for a return to the family’s status quo seem almost comically out of touch, a referee trying to stop World War II with a whistle. Again the episode chooses a ritual — the most elementally basic, the literally Biblical tradition of an eye for an eye — as the focus of its conflict. Through the ritualistic demand we get a glimpse of the real Alicent, a confused and frightened woman left in a permanent state of panic by her father’s abuse. Rhaenyra’s secret marriage to her [uncle Daemon (Matt Smith)](https://www.polygon.com/e/23144854) serves to inflate her reputation as a ruthless power player, and sir Laenor’s duel with his lover Qarl (Arty Froushan) provides cover for their bittersweet escape from the bloody power games of the royal court. The scene is lit and shot like something out of Neil Marshall’s [The Descent](https://www.polygon.com/hulu/2020/4/18/21224924/best-horror-movies-on-hulu), torchlight flickering over the faces of the young heirs to the Targaryen dynasty as their childish squabble rapidly turns bloody, fists and feet giving way to rocks and knives. While [House of the Dragon](https://go.redirectingat.com?id=66960X1516586&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.hbomax.com%2Fseries%2Fhouse-of-the-dragon%3Foffer_id%3D5%26transaction_id%3D102c87c7%255B%25E2%2580%25A6%255D4ed39326beedc6012ca%26utm_source%3DVox%2BMedia%26utm_medium%3Daffiliate&referrer=polygon.com&sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.polygon.com%2F23383650%2Fhouse-dragon-episode-7-review-laenor)’s seventh episode does a great deal to show Westeros sliding uncontrollably toward what will surely prove a calamitously bloody war, its own body count is comparatively modest by [the series](https://www.polygon.com/house-of-the-dragon)’ standards. From the somber but politically charged opening funeral scene to the darkly majestic and disturbing claiming of [the dragon Vhagar](https://www.polygon.com/e/23145224) by the young prince Aemond (Leo Ashton), “Driftmark” moves at an effortless clip. [Miguel Sapochnik](https://www.polygon.com/23331775/house-of-the-dragon-miguel-sapochnik-leaving-showrunner-alan-taylor) and writer Sara Hess pull it off with aplomb. His delight at her evident unwellness is perhaps the episode’s most sickening sight, a further deception concealed behind his somber façade and the arcane traditions of the royal court. [fake Ser Laenor’s (John Macmillan) death](https://www.polygon.com/e/23144583), is a case study in the episode’s preoccupation with social rituals as a means of concealing and revealing truth. Laena’s funeral provides her uncle with a chance to launch a veiled barb at Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy) over the parentage of her sons.