Just when everyone was starting to get over the atrocious Game of Thrones finale, HBO wasn’t done giving us adaptations of George R.R. Martin’s works. There came the idea of a prequel, a prequel that would tell the story of the infamous house that ruled over the Seven Kingdoms before Robert Baratheon and Ned Stark’s rebellion. The house whose people are closer to gods than men. The house that tamed the greatest power the world has seen- dragons. The house our Mother of Dragons – Daenerys Stormborn belonged to: House Targaryen or rather House of the Dragon. The show’s events are set 172 years before Daenerys Targaryen. The prequel focuses on King Viserys I’s rule. The rule that was going to give us the Dance of the Dragons. However, the show isn’t there yet.
The show is based on another book of George R.R. Martin’s Fire and Blood. The pilot of the prequel became HBO’s biggest debut and has since continued its glorious run with each episodes seeing a rise in viewership numbers. The latest report suggests that the show has an average audience of 29 Million per episode, making it the biggest hit after Game of Thrones. The show’s premise started out to be the king’s choice between his daughter and his brother but as things stand now, they’re quite complicated. Episode 6 was one of the most explosive episodes from the prequel yet. We got a lot of deaths, plotting, treachery, violence, politics… basically we got Game of Thrones. So I was curious to see what do they do with the next one. The promo for Episode 7 was extremely interesting and intriguing.
The crumbled pieces of episode 6’s plot is what episode 7 gathers and creates its own narrative. The quality of episode 6 was damn high so I was concerned that whether the subsequent episode will be able to match its quality. Until now the prequel has not disappointed me but I was worried for episode 7. However, now that it is out I can gladly say that the new episode is so much more. It takes the biggest jump in the story, not time wise but quality. So, without any further ado, let’s continue the Dragon Saga. Review Marathon – Episode 1 / Episode 2 / Episode 3 / Episode 4 / Episode 5 / Episode 6.
Episode – Driftmark (SPOILERS AHEAD)
Rating – ★★★★★
House of the Dragon Episode 7 Review: Darkness Looms Over Driftmark!
House of the Dragon Episode 7 opens with where episode 6 left us. I’m not sure the time gap between the two episodes but it can be more than a few weeks as everyone is gathering in Driftmark for Laena Velaryon’s funeral, who died in the last episode while giving birth. The first scene of the episode shows the funeral ritual of the Velaryons where they put the remains of a person’s body into a coffin and drop into the sea, as it is their greatest ally. However, this scene is not wasted.
Even while every character is quite we can feel tension between each and every character. Especially between Alicent and Rhaenyra, Velaryons and Rhaenyra’s sons given their illegitimate linage. The first scene even delivers exposition about the events that took place between episode 6 and 7, just by showing not telling. This is writing at its peak. We get to know that after Lord Lynol’s death Otto is back as Hand of the King, Alicent definitely had to do something with it.
Everyone is mourning Laena, especially Rhaenys and Laenor and her girls. Daemon is sad but he looks okay. The only line in this scene is the ritual “mantra” that is being said by the Lord of Driftmark during the proceedings of the funeral. That “mantra” too was designed in a way where it acts as taunt to Rhaenyra about her little arrangement with Laenor. There are three scenes in this episode that are some of the best scenes I’ve seen in a while, they’re written with careful precision and masterful direction.
House of the Dragon Episode 7 continues as once Laena’s remains are dropped in the sea we transition to the next scene. Where Rhaenyra enters the scene and with her the conflict begins. There are at least 5 beautiful silences in the scene. The scene is nothing special simply meal after the funeral but the way the characters interact or even approach each others, tells us how their relationship is. The most notable interactions were between Daemon and Viserys, where the King offers him to come back to King’s Landing but he refuses.
Aegon has no understanding of the situation and he keeps drinking to the point where he passes out. Laenor is standing in the sea as lost as a beggar and Corlyn asks his lover to bring him back. The scene is extremely long and doesn’t have much dialogue, it is a lot of staring and walking and still it feels like there is so much going on. It seems like everyone is up to something. The next scene is between Rhaenys and Corlyn where she blames him for sacrificing their children for his lust for the throne.
Aemond decides to claim Vhagar as he doesn’t have a dragon. After being unsuccessful for the first few times, he is able to claim him. Rhaenyra and Daemon catch-up where she tells him how miserable she is. This scene also explains why did she have sons with Ser Harwin if the entire point of Laena’s and Rhaenyra’s marriage was to make her claim to the throne stronger. Daemon and Rhaenyra pick-up where they’d left things in episode 4. They finally copulate. Aemond rides Vhagar and is able to hold on to her without any training.
Laena’s girl notice that Vhagar has been stolen, they awaken Jacaeyrs. Aemond returns after claiming Vhagar where Laena’s girls fight him as it was their dragon to claim but Aemond disagrees. Jacaeyrs interferes and Aemond calls them a bastards. Aemond attacks and starts hitting everyone. Jacaerys takes a knife and cuts Aemond’s eye out. That takes us to the next scene which is the best scene of the entire episode. I’ve never felt tension like this in a scene ever. I mean I know it wasn’t about life and death but the way things are revealed…my god.
Viserys questions what happened. Rhaenyra tells him that Jace was called a bastard. Viserys questions Aemond who told him that, after a brief glance at Alicent he gives Aegon’s name. Aegon is questioned and there he tells Viserys that Jace is a bastard, just look at them. Viserys asks everyone to stopping questioning the legitimacy of Rhaenyra’s birth and start uniting the family. Alicent is done as she demands justice. She wishes an eye of Rhaenyra’s sons for an eye of her’s An eye for an eye, literally. Viserys of course denies this but Alicent doesn’t stop.
She snatches Viserys’ dagger and attacks Rhaenyra where we get the famous line from the trailers, “Now they see you for who you’re” Rhaenyra is able to stop Alicent. She pushes her back but the dagger still cuts Rhaenyra. Daemon was enjoying the action until Alicent attacks Rhaenyra where he stops Ser Criston as he tries to interfere. Rhaenyra is injured and she is being treated where Laenor comes by and he gets to know what happens. Laenor apologizes to Rhaenyra and promises her that he will be better husband as she deserves better.
Otto visits Alicent where he is happy with what she did as it shows her passion to win the ugly game that they play. Viserys and Alicent leave Driftmark where she tries to apologizes to him but asks her to leave it. Viserys’ health looks worse now. Rhaenyra and Daemon form an alliance where she asks him to join her as she can’t face the Greens alone. She asks Daemon to marry her. Daemon tells her she can’t marry until Laenor is dead and that is when we get the first cold look from Rhaenyra.
Larys approaches Alicent if he should take revenge for Aemond but Alicent denies his help although, she does make him an ally and tells him that his efforts will be rewarded. She asks him to stick around. That means Otto and Larys on side. That’s not good. Daemon bribes Laenor’s lover (Ser Qarl) to kill him by offering him gold. Daemon kills a servant. Ser Qarl fights with Laenor in Driftmark where Laenor dies. Rhaenys mourns the death of another offspring. Her fear has turned out to be true. Rhaenyra and Daemon get married in Valryian fashion.
The episode ends with we realizing that Laenor is not dead and he is escaping with Ser Qarl to someplace far away. The dead body was of the servant Daemon killed and that is why it was burnt. This episode was awesome.
Verdict
House of the Dragon Episode 7 is undoubtedly the best episode from the prequel. I know I’ve been saying that with each episode, the prequel gets better and while that is true this is different. All episodes before this were improving in terms of the way the story was progressing. The way it was getting deeper and complicated. This episode didn’t just do that. It did that as well as improved the writing of the series dramatically. This level of writing in television is commendable.
This is unconventional writing and it takes guts because if you lose the audience here then they have the luxury to switch off the TV. Without explicitly stating everything letting the audience invest themselves in the scene and figure out hidden details and meanings… is just superb. Seriously kudos to Kevin Lau for writing this episode and I don’t know how many people will appreciate it but those three scene are amazing. I’d also like to talk about the direction of the episode.
Miguel Sapochnik wow, whatever Lau wrote you brought it on screen perfectly where it seemed seamless. It is one thing to write something great but to bring it to screen so beautifully… is talent. Sapochnik, your direction will be missed in the second season. With Larys and Otto together it looks like we only had one Littlefinger in Game of Thrones, we have many in the prequel. Episode 7 of House of the Dragon was the best episode of the show so far and the entire year. The episode was great and gets a rating of drum roll please……. 5 out of 5 stars. The betrayals and shocks have officially kicked in. I’m sure there’s more to come. If you haven’t watched it already, check out House of the Dragon on HBO Max or Disney+ Hotstar.
The GOT prequel has an incredible ensemble cast that includes Paddy Considine, Matt Smith, Olivia Cooke, Emma D’Arcy, Steve Toussaint, Eve Best, Fabien Frankel, Sonoya Mizuno, and Rhys Ifans. Along with the main cast, the supporting cast of the show includes- Milly Alcock, Bethany Antonia, Phoebe Campbell, Emily Carey, Harry Collett, Ryan Corr, Tom Glynn-Carney, Jefferson Hall, David Horovitch, Wil Johnson, John Macmillan, Graham McTavish, Ewan Mitchell, Theo Nate, Matthew Needham, Bill Paterson, Phia Saban, Gavin Spokes, Savannah Steyn, and more.
House of the Dragon’s first seven episodes are currently streaming on HBO Max or Disney+. New episodes will debut on every Sunday or Monday on HBO and HBO Max or Disney+ Hotstar depending on the region you live in, at 9 pm or 6.30 am.
If you have any questions regarding House of the Dragon, feel free to ask in the comments below. For more content, stay tuned. As usual, like, subscribe and share our articles as we here are trying to build a community of people High on Cinema!
