Tuesday, October 4, 2022

House of the Dragon, “Driftmark” - Part One, Review!

Part one of "Driftmark" deals with the aftermath of "The Princess and the Queen"!  Last ep, the division of Rhaenyra and Alicent has led to some deadly consequences for Lyonel and Ser Harwin with Larys behind it all!  Knights are preparing for a send off Laena’s sculpted casket from a rock overlooking Blackwater Bay.  Maester Kelvyn (Haqi Ali) presides over the ceremony.  Laena’s parents, Lord Corlys and Lady Rhaenys are there in mourning with the killer, Larys, behind them (they have been away for a bit, “We Light the Way”, ep. 5.  Otto Hightower is also present with his Hand badge (he has also been gone since ep 5).  We also see Rhaenyra with her sons and Laenor.  Plus, Daemon, Laena’s husband now widower.  Viserys is there with Alicent, her strange child, Aemon, and Ser Criston.  As the ceremony continues, Daemon chuckles.  The stone coffin falls into the sea.  Several dragons are around Driftmark.  

Rhaenyra sees Daemon and then goes to her son, Jace, and asks about his father, Laenor.  He just wants to go to Harrenhal for Harwin and Lyonel’s funerals. Viserys sees the people in his life who are separated; Rhaenyra, Alicent, and Daemon.  Aegon has contempt for his sister, Helaena, giving a ceremony with a spider at Laena’s headstone, but his brother, Aemond, not so much for the future queen.  Rhaenyra crushes the spider.  Ser Criston points out to Alicent that Larys has been staring at her.  She excuses it as he is now Lord of Harrenhal, it just took killing his father and brother.  Jace walks up to his cousins, Baela (Shani Smethurst) and Rhaena (Eva Ossei-Gerning), sitting by themselves.  Rhaena takes Jace’s hand in comfort.  Corlys talks to Luke will have his seat and High Tide. Luke says he doesn’t want it since everyone’s dead, not just Laena, but Harwin and his father.  Rhaenys walks with a drink and sees Rhaenyra and the hugs her grandchildren.  



Aemond sees Jace about to say something, but moves on. Daemon and everyone hears a dragon roar, Vhagar in mourning?, Laenor is waist deep in the waters at the shore.  Corlys sees this an angrily tells Qarl to get his “patron.”  The tension is all around this courtyard.  Viserys meets with his brother and says his girls are like their mother.  They talk and Rhaenyra hesistantly walks as she looks at them.  Viserys wants them back at King’s Landing, no that place is too corrupt, Daemon did not do well there and he just leaves.   Otto tries to give condolensces, but Daemon just calls him a leech. Rhaenyra sends her boys to bed.  King Viserys with his cane mistakes Alicent for Aemma, she is silent with pity.  Ser Harrold behind him gives him a reminder that she is Queen Alicent.  Viserys walks to bed and Harrold gives the night’s watch to Criston.            


It is getting darker, Aegon who has been drinking through the gathering is now asleep drunk against a wall.  The Hand, checking so no one can see, kicks him.  Then, drags him past Aemond, and the other guests.  Qarl brings up Laenor who also seems a little drunk staggering to bed.  Aemond hears the mewling of a dragon.  Later, by the fireside, Rhaenys sits saying that Laena wanted to return, but Daemon had stopped her.  She blames Daemon because the Driftmark maesters could have helped Laena.  Corlys says it was an act of the gods.  This scene I really like for Eve Best’s acting.  He says again about getting the throne for her, but Rhaenys says it is his ambition to get the throne and secure his legacy.  She confides that Driftmark should go to Baela, the eldest daughter.  Rhaenys wants her husband to announce it with all of the people there. Corlys notes that this will pass over Laenor, but it seems his wife is wiser since he would be King Consort.  Rhaenys wants to honor Laenor’s legacy which Corlys doesn’t see.  



She says her grandchildren are not Velaryon, but Corlys says history only remembers names.  On the beach, Rhaenyra tells Daemon that her husband will be “useless.”  She confides that they tried, but no child, and then went elsewhere for her desires.  Daemon smiles and brings up Ser Harwin.  Rhaenyra regrets not stopping Harwin from going to Harrenhal, Daemon points to Otto and Alicent, half right?  She brings up that Daemon left her and he says she was a child.  Rhaenyra then asks him if he loved Laena and Daemon says they were happy.  Then, they kiss, undress and it’s intimacy coordinator time.  Still, I kinda wonder whatever happened to Mysaria?  Aemond races across the beach and finds the sleeping form of Vhagar.  He has ropes down from his dragon saddle, when Aemond reaches out for one, Vhagar’s eyes open!  


He settles back until Aegon goes for the rope again, then it rears back, and its fiery breath forms!  Aemond shouts to it in High Valyrian, I recognize “Lykiri.”  It settles back and Aegon climbs up to sit on Vhagar’s dragon saddle!  Then, Aegon shouts, “Soves”, fly.   Vhagar twists almost throwing off Aegon.  Rhaena and Baela watch from their window as Vhagar, their mother’s dragon, crosses the sand.  Then, he takes flight, Aegon screams, dangling from the dragon saddle!  He is (at 10 years old) not exactly Hiccup, who was 15, from How to Train Your Own Dragon (2010)!   Aegon climbs back on and pulls back on the reins as Vhaegar hurtles down!  Then he has control, it’s off to Berk!  Aegon, the bully son, now has control of the most powerful dragon!  This part one, but “Driftmark” is already brilliant on drama with the funeral and how it affects the families!      


Five Dragon Saddles out of Five!  


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