House of the Dragon episodes

King Viserys, who is celebrating the pregnancy of his new wife Alicent, wants Rhaenyra to marry Jason Lannister to strengthen the relationship between the two ...

[Lord Corlys](https://www.dualshockers.com/who-is-corlys-velaryon-in-the-upcoming-series-house-of-the-dragon/) continues to fight the forces of the [Crabfeeder ](https://www.dualshockers.com/house-of-the-dragon-crabfeeder-craghas-drahar/)with the help of [Prince Daemon](https://www.dualshockers.com/who-are-viserys-daemon-and-rhaenyra-targaryen-in-house-of-the-dragon/). HBO Max released an official trailer for the fourth chapter to give us a glimpse of the upcoming events. [House of the Dragon](https://www.dualshockers.com/tag/house-of-the-dragon/) finally featured the Lannister family. Fans in the US can watch the show exclusively on HBO Max. Here's the exact release schedule you need to follow for different time zones: Much to everyone's surprise, Daemon and Corlys win the battle, and the Prince kills the Crabfeeder by cutting his body in half.

HBO's 'House of the Dragon' featured a slower Episode 4, but one that dramatically changed the relationship between Daemon and Rhaenyra.

The two then begin to undress each other with Daemon guiding Rhaenyra to a wall and then turning her around with her pants down. (This fallout from her decision seems to reinforce the idea that Rhaenyra made this choice in order to undermine future marriage.) After Daemon leaves, Rhaenyra returns to the Red Keep where she seduces and then completes her night’s quest with her Kingsguard, Cole. Fed up with everyone telling him what to do, Viserys tells Rhaenyra that she will marry the Sea Snake’s son, Laenor Velaryon. [Lord Corlys Velaryon (Steve Toussaint)](https://www.menshealth.com/entertainment/a40933597/steve-toussaint-house-of-the-dragon-interview/), has not returned to King’s Landing, instead keeping control of the islands and posing to marry his daughter to a noble-born member of the Free Cities—a move that would undermine the power of the Targaryen rule. (This may be an important conviction for the civil war likely to come.) There, disguised as a page, she finds Daemon, and the two of them travel incognito into King’s Landing where a Renaissance-like festival is being held. On her way back to King’s Landing, Daemon’s dragon descends close to her ship, knocking her to the deck and signaling a continued antagonism between her and the King’s brother (although she looks up somewhat smitten by Daemon’s tactic). She then discusses the same fear with Daemon, whose return to King’s Landing she questions. It is clear the episode will hinge on Rhaenyra’s marriage choice—a choice that turns out was never to be a choice at all. Rhaenyra suggests Alicent’s role is simply to produce heirs for the King. Meanwhile, King Viserys I (Padddy Considine) continues to age and develop totally gross-looking legions across his back and arms, an obvious portend for a diseased kingdom on the edge of civil war.

Rhaenyra (Milly Alcock) and Daemon (Matt Smith) on House of the Dragon Photo: Ollie Upton | HBO. This House of the Dragon review ...

ET on HBO and HBO Max in the U.S. But House of the Dragon has a schedule to stick to. Rhaenyra’s consecutive moments of sexual awakening serve as the climax of the episode as much as Daemon and Corlys’s war in the Stepstones did last week. At the same time though, continually jumping forward in time means that some moments have to be brought to the forefront more quickly rather than being allowed to simmer in the background for episodes at a time. There’s a lot to enjoy in “King of the Narrow Sea” even outside of the exchange of carnal knowledge, but let’s get to that first. And that refinement arrives in episode 4 “King of the Narrow Sea.” A crucial message is imparted on Rhaenyra in the only way it could have been. Truth be told, she still is something of a child, having spent most of her life locked away in the Red Keep, gossipping with Alicent and reading stories about mythical maidens and martyrs. Surprisingly, however, the proclaimed “King of the Narrow Sea” removes his crown, hands it to his brother, and acknowledges him as the one true king. The realm is secure, his wife is dutiful, and most importantly: his brother is back. The issue, however, is that Game of Thrones’ prurient moments were frequently sloppy and unsensual in execution at best and downright exploitative at worst. Not only does the act, you know, feel good, but procreation is kind of a big deal in a political landscape dominated by inherited dynasties.

Most of this week was dedicated to the royal family and its “queer customs.”

We talked last week about the conflict between love and duty as a persistent “Thrones” theme, but what happens when love is the duty required of you? [the premiere](https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/21/arts/television/house-of-the-dragon-premiere-recap.html) (more on this in a minute), “House of the Dragon” is ultimately about the decline of a convoluted, deeply inbred clan whose power is enabled by their access to the world’s most fearsome weapons. It was a bitter reminder that even when Rhaenyra isn’t being forced to “squeeze out heirs,” as she put it awkwardly to the heir-squeezer-in-chief, Alicent, her womb still belongs to the realm. That was Jefferson Hall also playing Tyland Lannister, the more conscientious twin of the ridiculous Lord Jason. Rhys Ifans, who first won wide notice as a goofball roommate in “Notting Hill,” has been highly enjoyable as the Machiavellian Otto. (The next family nameday party should be fun.) Which meant that for all her ill-advised sneaking, drinking and fornicating, Rhaenyra survived another week as heir to the Iron Throne. True to the maximalist tendencies of “Thrones” storytelling, the strategy seems to be that if you’re going to make a soap, you might as well make it as operatic as possible. The inbreeding is key to the downfall as probably the primary cause of the Targaryen madness described by the coin-flipping maxim. But “he’s got a strange moral compass of his own,” the actor said. For all the squeamishness the age differentials and so on inspire, we’re all checking modern moral standards at the door, to a certain extent, if we want to go along with this story. That was Alicent on Sunday night, winning the Understatement of the Week award. (“The hour is quite late …” Alicent protested, but the king gets what the king wants.)

House of the Dragon's fourth episode drops the battles and politics for a weird family night off for Rhaenyra and Daemon, one that brings the show's ...

[Relationships are reduced to tools](https://www.polygon.com/23322393/house-dragon-houses-characters-explained) and proxy warfare — which makes them all the more volatile, and a family conflict that much more dire. [Game of Thrones](https://www.polygon.com/game-of-thrones), this show is set during a time where people have dragons. This is the paradox every character must wrestle with: Family as a way to fulfill human need, and family as a way to secure power. [House of the Dragon](https://www.polygon.com/house-of-the-dragon) finally starts to bring the compellingly fucked-up family dynamics it has quietly set up to the fore. This isn’t because the king is shooting the messenger (at least not completely), but because Viserys is finally beginning to see that maybe his falling for Alicent was a manipulation, that his loveless nights with his new queen are the product of political gamesmanship. Her father, Otto Hightower (Rhys Ifans) then loses his job as Hand of the King not long after breaking the news of the scandal to Viserys. [House of the Dragon](https://www.polygon.com/23287745/house-of-the-dragon-pilot-game-of-thrones-hbo-fire-and-blood) has a lot of ground to cover, so it’s a bit surprising that it’s able to devote nearly an entire episode to what’s effectively a walkabout. Later, when Viserys receives word of what happened between the two of them, Daemon makes a Hail Mary that may or may not have been the goal all along: Asking for Rhaenyra’s hand in marriage. [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%2F23344676%2Fhouse-dragon-episode-4-review-targaryen) is a family show. (Probably not, though his fondness is likely real.) Was his ultimate goal to seduce her, have her seen in a brothel (mission accomplished), or was he just organically taking her to the place where he spends his days? After [the big spectacle of last week](https://www.polygon.com/23331475/house-dragon-episode-3-daemon-crabfeeder-dragon-battle), and the [kingdom-wide politicking](https://www.polygon.com/23321995/house-dragon-crabfeeder-stepstones-free-cities-explained) of prior episodes, House of the Dragon slows down and narrows its focus to [the three Targaryens at the center](https://www.polygon.com/game-of-thrones/23058669/house-of-the-dragon-cast-characters-story-fire-and-blood-targaryens) of its grand story and the people closest to them. Together the pair wander a mass of humanity where street performers, vendors, and sex workers ply their trades, and what begins as a bit of thrill-seeking fun takes a dark and strange turn when Daemon leads Rhaenyra into a brothel, and the two nearly have sex before Daemon, at the last minute, leaves in

During Monday's (12 September) episode, Rhaenyra Targaryen (Milly Alcock) takes leave of the palace in secret and is led on a romp around Downtown King's ...

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Daemon Targaryen is riding high off of sweet victory in the Stepstones, and Princess Rhaenyra has to figure out who she wants to marry.

I'll take her as she is and wed her in the tradition of our house," Daemon says, adding that he and Rhaenyra can return the House of the Dragon to its proper glory. Viserys breezes in, explaining that it was Aegon "The Conquerer" Targaryen's, and that the last of the Valyrion pyromancers inscribed Aegon's song in the steel. King Viserys thanks Hightower for being a valuable servant to the realm as he plucks the Hand badge off of Hightower's tunic. To save you a Google: Rhaenyra is 18 in the story, and the actress who plays her, Milly Alcock, is 22. Rhaenyra swears on the memory of Queen Aemma that Daemon never touched her, and Alicent buys it. Before the night is over, Otto Hightower receives a report that Rhaenyra and Daemon were seen together at the White Worm pleasure house. A rejected Rhaenyra goes to sit on a bench in the corner of the party. Cloaked in a commoner's garb, the secret path leads her to Daemon, who escorts Rhaenyra out into the streets of King's Landing. Aegon the babe prince might long proclaim, he has two things Rhaenyra cannot: A conqueror's name and a cock." This is apparently a big deal -- big enough to get Hand of the King Otto Hightower sweating. She then realizes the poor taste of saying this to the queen, and winces in embarrassment. "My crown and the Stepstones are yours," he says as he bends the knee.

Here's how Prince Daemon's return to King's Landing and Rhaenyra's big moment with Criston Cole played out in George R.R. Martin's book.

Much of that feeling falls at the feet of Mushroom, and how he goes about telling his tales of Rhaenyra and Daemon’s physical relationship with one another. Clearly, this isn’t how it played out in “King of the Narrow Sea,” but could there be love between Daemon and Rhaenyra? The second of Maester Gyldayn’s sources is “far more depraved,” according to the text: Mushroom, a vulgar court jester with Targaryen tales so salacious, I dare not repeat them all in a publication as prestigious as Vanity Fair. The specifics of Daemon’s immediate arrival are pretty similar between the book and the show, but the aftermath? Gyldayn relies on that latter category to chronicle much of what we saw in “King of the Narrow Sea,” leaving showrunners Ryan Condal and In that regard, the show’s fourth outing, “King of the Narrow Sea,” stands out as the edgiest episode yet.

The one thing keeping this sense of déjà vu from being completely overwhelming has been the childhood friendship between Rhaenyra Targaryen (played by Milly ...

Soon, [a new cast](https://www.cosmopolitan.com/entertainment/tv/a41028281/characters-recast-on-house-of-the-dragon/) will take over the roles to portray the pair in older age, helping the story barrel toward the civil war that leads to the end of a dynasty. I understand House of the Dragon’s need to prioritize plot and focus on showing the Targaryens’ progression toward their eventual demise. For women, such a setting is dangerous not only when it comes to childbirth or sexual violence; it is also a place where the most innocent of friendships can be torn apart by societal notions of responsibility and purity. That’s a shame, too, for the show’s depiction of Westeros. Yes, she’s in plenty of scenes, discussing succession with Viserys and her father, Otto (Rhys Ifans), but all we know is she’s an obedient wife and mother who watches closely from the sidelines of every set piece. Especially once Rhaenyra was unexpectedly named her father’s heir, House of the Dragon seemed poised to show how their relationship would evolve as a consequence of growing up in a system that prioritizes power above all else, and that treats friendships as nothing but currency. Later, when Alicent confronts Rhaenyra about the rumors of her night with Daemon, the encounter makes little sense. Some of this ambiguity is because the show has failed to give Alicent’s character much depth at all. The one thing keeping this sense of déjà vu from being completely overwhelming has been the childhood friendship between Rhaenyra Targaryen (played by Milly Alcock), the first female heir to the Iron Throne, and Alicent Hightower (Emily Carey), the daughter of the Hand of the King. The period it glosses over could have shed light on how Alicent and Rhaenyra’s bond shapes their lives in court after their surprising rises to power. One scene cuts between shots of Alicent obediently going to bed with Viserys and shots of Rhaenyra being seduced by her uncle, Daemon (Matt Smith), in a sweaty brothel. Their distinct personalities in the pilot suggested they would make good foils for each other: Alicent is dutiful and restrained; Rhaenyra, plucky and unruly.

Daemon plays some nasty games, as Rhaenyra comes face to face with the double standards of royal patriarchy. NOW STREAMING: ...

Not only that, he turns around and (metaphorically) kills the messenger, recognizing that Otto’s reporting of this incident is, at least in part, fueled by his own desire to see his blood (his grandson Aegon) on the throne. And so it goes that Hoes of the Dragon Episode 4, “King of the Narrow Sea,” uses sex and perception to shake up the dynamics of its central cast. Both parties involved take decidedly different tacks to the accusations: Rhaenyra swears on her mother’s life that nothing happened (a lie, but not a total one, since we pick up on the fact that Daemon couldn’t get himself up to do the deed), while Daemon himself gloats to Viserys in the throne room that he did deflower his niece. This is where we see the full extent of Daemon’s plan: come back with gifts and contrition, then bed Rhaenyra and force Viserys to let him marry her, thus giving him access to the throne. He takes her to a pleasure house, where Alcock’s lips curl upwards at the sight of men and woman taking pleasure in each other’s bodies. For an heir apparent who’s been stuck in procedure and tradition for years, such a move feels like the one thing she’s managed to do for herself. The more the night goes on, the more Daemon’s outing with Rhaenyra feels deliberate — both a chance to free his niece from the confines of her position and a way to undermine his brother’s rule. But the illusion is shattered with a small actor’s troupe, who playact her family story and all but predict Aegon will take the throne as Rhaenyra, being a woman is too “feeble.” Aegon, meanwhile, has two things needed to rule: “A conquerer’s name, and a cock.” By the weirwood tree, the two bond: Daemon purrs at her that “this is a tragic world,” and one must not be afraid of it. They’re too old, or too young, or too impetuous — two of them break out in a fight, and the victor is a boy no older than twelve. [Emily Carey](https://thespool.net/tag/emily-carey)) has given birth to Viserys’ ( [Paddy Considine](https://thespool.net/tag/paddy-considine)) son, Aegon, sure to present a real threat to Rhaenyra’s ( [Milly Alcock](https://thespool.net/tag/milly-alcock)) claim to the throne — despite Viserys’ entreaties otherwise, provided she takes a smart, strategic partner to wed. Just in time, it seems, for Daemon to emerge from his victory, sporting a makeshift crown and a close-cropped haircut (thank god, this wig looks a bit better on him).

There's another bloody wedding making its way to the world of Game of Thrones. House of the Dragon isn't going to have a devastating Red Wedding situation ...

We also don't yet know if it occurs at the wedding itself, or just one of the celebrations surrounding the wedding. By marrying those two, the strongest houses in the realm will have another link between them, and Rhaenyra's claim to the throne will become even stronger. [House of the Dragon](/category/house-of-the-dragon/) isn't going to have a devastating Red Wedding situation on its hands, but there is trouble brewing for some characters as they try to celebrate an upcoming wedding.

Rhaenyra and her uncle are revealed to be in a sexual relationship. After Ser Otto tells Viserys about the relationship, Viserys removes Ser Otto as his hand.

- Ser Otto will be livid at Viserys for turning his back on him. It’s quite hard to predict what will happen next. The fifth episode, titled “We Light the Way”, is scheduled to premiere on HBO on Sunday, 18th September 2022, in America & Monday, 19th August 2022, in the United Kingdom.

HBO has dropped its teaser for "House of the Dragon" episode 5, which features Rhaenyra travelling to wed Laenor Velaryon.

[New House of the Dragon episodes are available every Sunday on HBO and HBO Max.(opens in a new tab)](https://zdcs.link/JJWpn?cd36=Standard&%3B%3B%3Bt=video&%3B%3B%3Bm=content_body&%3B%3B%3Be=offer&%3B%3B%3Bi=text-link&%3B%3B%3Bel=New%20House%20of%20the%20Dragon%20episodes%20are%20available%20every%20Sunday%20on%20HBO%20and%20HBO%20Max.&%3B%3B%3Bcd62=video&%3B%3B%3Bcd63=06IY3bkOY8p1OHt5bRNzX6D&%3B%3B%3Bshort_url=JJWpn&%3B%3B%3Bu=https%3A%2F%2Fmashable.com%2Fvideo%2Fhouse-of-the-dragon-weeks-ahead-trailer&%3B%3Bt=video&%3B%3Bm=content_body&%3B%3Be=offer&%3B%3Bi=text-link&%3B%3Bel=New%20House%20of%20the%20Dragon%20episodes%20are%20available%20every%20Sunday%20on%20HBO%20and%20HBO%20Max.&%3B%3Bcd62=video&%3B%3Bcd63=04AycRgEfrBS3r8ougmXZRb&%3B%3Bshort_url=JJWpn&%3B%3Bu=https%3A%2F%2Fmashable.com%2Fvideo%2Fhouse-of-the-dragon-episode-3-trailer&%3Bt=video&%3Bm=content_body&%3Be=offer&%3Bi=text-link&%3Bel=New%20House%20of%20the%20Dragon%20episodes%20are%20available%20every%20Sunday%20on%20HBO%20and%20HBO%20Max.&%3Bcd62=video&%3Bcd63=06S0tF8ZlGc8FVXpIQOmTqD&%3Bshort_url=JJWpn&%3Bu=https%3A%2F%2Fmashable.com%2Fvideo%2Fhouse-of-the-dragon-episode-4-preview&t=video&m=content_body&e=offer&i=text-link&el=New%20House%20of%20the%20Dragon%20episodes%20are%20available%20every%20Sunday%20on%20HBO%20and%20HBO%20Max.&cd62=video&cd63=01QZXgtV6E2Y6YtHOkxi8En&short_url=JJWpn&u=https%3A%2F%2Fmashable.com%2Fvideo%2Fhouse-of-the-dragon-episode-5-preview) [House of the Dragon](https://mashable.com/article/house-of-the-dragon-review) episode five, we see a preview of Rhaenyra on her way to be married to Corlys Velaryon's son, Laenor. With tensions between Viserys and and Corlys running high, though, and with tensions around who the king's heir will be running even higher, there's only one way this was ever going to end.