House of the Dragon episode 8!

2022 - 10 - 9

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Image courtesy of "NPR"

'House of the Dragon' episode 8: A family dinner becomes a last ... (NPR)

On HBO's Game of Thrones spin-off, a question of succession turns the show into Succession.

He talks of Aegon the Conqueror, and the dagger, and the prophecy of The Prince That Was Promised. Viserys stands — sort of — and makes an emotional entreaty to his family to get along, for his sake. Rhaenyra goes to the bedridden Viserys and tearfully asks him to defend her against Vaemond. Daemon tries to shame Alicent for administering "milk of the poppy" to the king for his pain, but she's not having it. (Side note: If you believe that Rhaenyra knows that Laenor is still alive, there's no reason in the world for her not to come out and say as much to Rhaenys in this scene. Rhaenyra swears she didn't have Laenor killed — which is technically true — and that she was not complicit in it — which is a lie. She's the family member who's charged with daily care of the loved one with failing health, and he's the know-it-all brother-in-law who never calls but just breezes in once a year to complain. But listen: In the book, Rhaenyra's naming her first son with Daemon "Aegon" is a big deal, one that Alicent takes as an insult to her eldest son, Aegon. So for the repellent, older Aegon, son of Viserys and Alicent, let's go with Aegon the Aess. Daemon and Rhaenyra worry about Vaemond's petition to the Iron Throne, and wonder if Rhaenys will back him, because her true allegiance is a mystery. Aegon is a monster, yes, we get it, but reducing rape to a device that exists solely to remind us of that is just lazy, cynical writing. Corlys' younger brother Vaemond knows that Corlys wants Driftmark to pass through his son Laenor and his wife Rhaenyra to their second son, Luke (their oldest son Jace is still officially the heir to the Iron Throne, remember).

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Image courtesy of "Esquire.com"

House of the Dragon Episode 8: The Vibes Couldn't Be Worse (Esquire.com)

Sure, it may have seemed odd when House of the Dragon replaced the roles of the young Princess Rhaenyra and Queen Alicent with older actors, while characters ...

The little shit Prince Aegon turns and whispers to Lady Baela that he would satisfy her should his nephew, Jacaerys, fail in his duties as a husband. He tells Alicent about Aegon the Conqueror's dream and the whole Prince Who Was Promised prophesy, which kind of comes true at the end of Game of Thrones. hey all start having a nice time again, then the King is removed from the room and Aemond instigates another fight. Of course, the main succession problem for the Iron Throne is still in play, but Driftmark is sort of like a mini-game. I wouldn't be surprised if the character hissed a little whenever he spoke an "S," to sound like a snake-human hybrid. Back in the throne room, the King stumbles to the Iron Throne as Daemon helps him up. The princess introduces her father to his two new grandchildren (which she had with her new uncle-husband): another baby Aegon and Viserys Jr. In his absence, Corlys's younger brother, Ser Vaemond, seizes the moment and declares that he should be granted the claim to Driftmark over " [House Strong](https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/tv/a41278220/house-of-the-dragon-larys-lionel-strong/)'s pups." Meeting with Rhaenyra and Daemon, Queen Alicent explains that she and her father, Otto Hightower, are not ruling the kingdom, but merely "following the King's wisdom." [House of the Dragon](https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/tv/a40897130/house-of-the-dragon-hbo-release-schedule/) Episode Eight. [King Viserys](https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/tv/a40999968/will-king-viserys-die-house-of-the-dragon-got-prequel/) is downright skeletal and bedridden when Rhaenyra arrives, resembling the horrifying visage of a vampiric Prince Philip. It's a dreadful declaration for viewers who are still trying to resettle into the Game of Thrones prequel following the [massive cast changes we've seen](https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/tv/a41387548/house-of-the-dragon-actors-change/) since Episode Six.

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Image courtesy of "Den of Geek US"

House of the Dragon Episode 8 Review: The Lord of the Tides (Den of Geek US)

King Viserys I makes his final pitch for peace in a surprisingly emotional House of the Dragon.

If House of the Dragon is able to execute the war as well as it has the lead up to it then we’re in for some good, yet dark times indeed. And it’s to Considine and the writers’ credit that [Aegon the Conqueror and whether his Song of Ice and Fire prediction](https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/house-of-the-dragon-premiere-ending-creators-explain-that-bombshell-change-to-targaryen-lore/) was real. Thankfully House of the Dragon knows exactly what to do with annoying peons: CUT THEIR FUCKING FACES IN HALF. As the [newly-married Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy) and Daemon (Matt Smith)](https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/are-daemon-and-rhaenyra-house-of-the-dragons-one-true-pairing/) arrive at their father/brother’s bedside to argue their case for Luke Velaryon as The Lord of the Tides, they quickly realize that there is no use of it. Viserys removes his golden Phantom of the Opera half-mask to reveal a haunting void where a face should be and he delivers an urgent message as if it comes from beyond the grave itself: In “The Lord of the Tides,” all of House of the Dragon’s major characters are given a choice. [sickly monarch](https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/whats-wrong-with-king-viserys-in-house-of-the-dragon/) through all of House of the Dragon’s run but he is transcendent here. [House of the Dragon](https://www.denofgeek.com/house-of-the-dragon/) to both [Game of Thrones](https://www.denofgeek.com/game-of-thrones/) and [The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power](https://www.denofgeek.com/the-rings-of-power/). They’re all pot-committed and House of the Dragon has at least two more episodes to go and likely a few more seasons after that. In its eighth episode, “The Lord of the Tides,” House of the Dragon stands on its own once again. Without his old colleague Gretchen Schwartz presenting Walt with the opportunity to pay for his cancer treatments and help his family without selling meth, Breaking Bad is merely the story of a man backed into a corner with no other options.

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Image courtesy of "IGN"

House Of The Dragon - Episode 8 Review - IGN (IGN)

Another family reunion makes for a drama-stuffed House Of The Dragon this week, but while there are noises of peace, it begins to feel like both sides ...

These Targaryens have hit their stride.](/articles/house-of-the-dragon-episode-8-review) [Daily Deals: Nintendo Switch OLED On Sale, Discounts on Joy-Con Controllers, and More8h ago - Plus, deals on some of the best Alienware gaming laptops.](/articles/daily-deals-nintendo-switch-oled-on-sale-discounts-on-joy-con-controllers-and-more) [Keanu Reeves' Dream MCU Role is One That Fans Want Him to Play Too1d ago - Johnny Blaze in the MCU? Viserys wanted his family to hug it out, and bemoans their issues: “The crown cannot stand strong if the House of the Dragon remains divided. But later that night, as a cloaked figure hurries to Mysaria (Sonoya Mizuno) to report all these events, a raving Viserys talks to his wife about the Song of Ice and Fire prophecy, and she misunderstands him in a way that may be significant. Martin’s Fire And Blood, where Rhaenyra was reported to have dispatched Daemon to straight-up murder Vaemond and take the tongues of family members who repeated his claim. Alicent’s time is split between caring for him, ruling the kingdom alongside her father and a newfound devotion to the worship of the Seven, whose seven-pointed star now appears all over the palace. Egged on by a whisper from Daemon, Vaemond rashly condemns the three boys as bastards and Rhaenyra as a whore. Rhaenys might be able to help them – though she doesn’t fancy her chances – but still has reason to believe that one or both of them killed her son Laenor, who is presumably still living it up somewhere across the seas. Vaemond pledges to bring his petition to the king and, more to the point, to the realm’s effective rulers, Queen Alicent (Olivia Cooke) and the Hand, Lord Otto Hightower (Rhys Ifans). Viserys is sinking fast and dependent on milk of the poppy – just call it opium – to control his endless pain. They have no reason to be friendly to Rhaenyra or her sons’ claims as the health of King Viserys (Paddy Considine) fails. Her husband, Corlys (Steven Toussaint), has been away voyaging since the death of his children, and now he’s seriously injured following a pirate attack on his way home. [House Of The Dragon](/tv/game-of-thrones-house-of-the-dragon) Episode 8, which aired on HBO on Oct.

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Image courtesy of "Game Rant"

House of the Dragon Episode 8 Review (Game Rant)

Those who thought this was going to be Game of Thrones, but just with a new cast of characters have likely been a bit annoyed at how little action takes place.

There are characters that are going to be worth watching because they're evil and the best thing about the show, and what the series has set up, is that it's not clear who is going to come out on top. [this episode of The House of the Dragon](https://gamerant.com/house-of-the-dragon-episode-6-review/) is one that does things no other episode has done, while doubling down on some of the things that have worked all season. Paddy Considine does a rather incredible job of portraying a man that is quite older than the actor really is in the real world. He also does a phenomenal job of playing someone who knows that his days are growing short and who just wants to take in his family. Right at the top of the list is that Viserys, who at this point in the timeline is both quite old and quite infirmed continues to be an oddity in these stories. That has been one of the most interesting things about this season of House of the Dragon, because the people around him are not particularly good people. To some degree, that means that everything will be settled both in his kingdom and his family. And, as an old man who is coming towards the end, he wants to make sure that everything is settled before he goes. It's also a testament to the writers that while things might be a bit confused at the beginning, there is enough done on screen to mostly fill in the blanks, even if there are a few parts that still leave some questions unanswered. [House of the ](https://gamerant.com/house-of-the-dragon-episode-7-review/) [Dragon](https://gamerant.com/house-of-the-dragon-episode-7-review/) audience had to struggle to keep up with names of various characters and move those characters around on the chess board in their minds. For most of House of the Dragon, it wouldn't be totally unfair of a vast majority of the audience to end just about every episode by screaming "come on, get on with it!" It doesn't seem like it would have been too hard to actually show some of these scenes so that people could know who exactly was where and why.

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