‘House of The Dragon’ Episode 4: Everyone’s Doing It
House of The Dragon Episode 4 gives us some major politics and a love triangle.
Political intrigue! Love! Sex! Power! House of The Dragon Episode 4 has it all. In a slower, less action-packed episode, the show takes its time to really dig into some of the characters. Others make some big moves and a Princess has to make a hard choice.
***BEWARE, HERE BE SPOILERS***
The Return of the King 
House of The Dragon Episode 4 starts out in Storms End. There, young Princess Rhaenyra (Milly Alcock in this episode) is on tour, trying to find a husband. She’s unimpressed and after a fight breaks out between the feuding Brackens and Blackwoods, she cuts it all short. She returns to King’s Landing at the same time as her Uncle Daemon. Having won the Step Stones he returns, now known as the King of the Narrow Sea.
Arriving in the throne room Daemon dispels the tension by giving King Viserys Targaryen (Paddy Considine) the Crabfeeders hammer to add to the Iron Throne. He also gives Viserys his crown, leading the two to be reconciled. Later, at a party, Viserys and Daemon act nice, but Viserys gives Rhaenyra the cold shoulder for cutting her tour short. But it’s a day for reconciliation as Rhaenyra and Alicent Hightower (Emily Carey) make up after years of estrangement. Daemon and Rhaneyra also chat.
Party Time in the City
Talking to Daemon, Rhanerya opens up about not wanting to get married. She just wants to be alone. A lot of it seems to stem from her mother. She was forced to marry young and bare a succession of children, leading to her death. Rhanerya wants to avoid this. That night Daemon leaves a note in her room and a disguise, she follows a secret passage to meet up with her Uncle and they go out to party in the city.
Rhanerya enjoys a night of drunken partying in House of The Dragon Episode 4. It’s mostly light-hearted, though she does learn that not all of the common folk support her as heir. Things heat up when Daemon brings Rhanerya to a brothel. After watching a… show, the two ditch their disguises. Now out in the open, the two start to get pretty physical. Things go pretty far, and we’ve seen them have chemistry before. However, Daemon breaks it off. It’s not totally clear, but Rhanerya seems pretty into it. Daemon flees and leaves Rhanerya alone, she heads home but gets spotted on the way.
House of The Dragon Episode 4 Shows Not Every Love is True Love
Back at the Red Keep, Alicent isn’t having a great time. She’s been feeling like she’s just a breeder and losing herself. Meanwhile, she’s having to take care of a king who is literally falling apart. While Viserys seems to really care for Alicent, the reverse isn’t quite as true. When called to Viserys’ bed, it’s clear she doesn’t enjoy the sex. At the same time, her children cry a lot and seem to annoy her. All this is juxtaposed with Rhanerya having a very liberating adventure.
Truth, Lies, and Love
After Daemon rejects her, Rhanerya returns to the Red Keep. Drunk, aroused, and annoyed, she finds Ser Criston Cole guarding her door. It’s clear the two have some feelings for each other. She puts the moves on him and the two share a very gentle night together. However, not all is well. An informant working for Daemon’s old paramour Mysaria brings news to Otto Hightower that Daemon and Rhanerya were doing it in a pleasure house.
Otto brings the news to the King, who loses it. Rhanerya denies it happened to Alicent. Daemon, however, doesn’t deny it when Viserys confronts him. Instead, he asks for Rhanerya’s hand. Now that she’s been deflowered, no one would want her, but Daemon will take her. It seems possible he orchestrated the whole night to try to get Rhanerya. Viserys refuses and banishes him again. Viserys then tells Rhanerya the truth of the matter isn’t important, and that she will marry her cousin Laenor Valeyron to fix the breach between their houses. She agrees, but only if he fires Otto as Hand of the King. Viserys does so, and Otto is given the boot. The episode ends with the Grand Measter bringing Rhanerya Moon Tea, supposedly from her father.
Some Thoughts on House of The Dragon Episode 4
So far I think this was my favorite episode of the show. While a bit slower, it delivered some really strong performances. We got some really classic Game of Thrones political machinations. There were also a ton of great ambiguities, that hide some characters’ motivations. There are some pretty interesting moments in it as well.
Matt Smith gives a great performance as Daemon. It’s never quite clear if he’s manipulating Rhanerya or genuinely has feelings for her. Mysaria comes back and sets herself up to be a big player. She’s either working on her own, or with Otto, but is no longer dependent on Daemon.
That tea at the end totally didn’t come from the King. This is a ploy by either Otto or the Measters to drive them apart. Also, how is this the first time marriage to Leanor has been pitched to Rhanerya? He’s the most obvious choice and no one’s even mentioned it?
The Criston/Daemon/Rhanerya story played out much better than in the books and in a logical way. I suspect that Criston and Rhanerya’s later break may come down to him being a second pick here. All in all, House of The Dragon Episode 4 was a really strong entry. It blew away the last episode. I’m super excited about what comes next.
Let us know what you thought about the episode, down in the comments!
