'House of the Dragon' Episode 9 Recap: The Queen Who Never Was - CNET

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The king is dead. You already cognize that if you've seen the teaser for occurrence 9, titled The Green Council, which announced the monarch's passing after past week's show. Just earlier Viserys died, helium managed to guarantee the realm's disruption erstwhile helium accidentally gave Alicent the content helium wanted their lad Aegon to beryllium king.

A classical premix up! This wouldn't person happened if the Targaryens didn't importune of naming each 2nd newborn Aegon.

The Green Council is the penultimate occurrence of House of the Dragon's archetypal season. (The rubric is simply a notation to the Hightowers, whose location colour is green.) It was 1 of the best, too. A fewer characters got to radiance similar ne'er before, portion others showed their existent colors for the archetypal time. Caution: House of the Dragon spoilers ahead. In addition, this recap references intersexual coercion.

The king is dead

We statesman this week with the extremity of King Viserys Targaryen. The aged chap has seemingly been knocking connected death's doorway for years, adjacent backmost successful the time erstwhile Milly Alcock was playing Rhaenyra. Queen Alicent is notified of his passing successful the opening moments of the episode, and rapidly seeks the assembly of her father, Otto Hightower.

"I saw him past night, earlier helium … helium told maine helium wished for Aegon to beryllium king," Alicent tells him. "It is the truth, uttered with his ain lips, his past words to maine and I was the lone 1 to perceive it. And present he's dead."

The queen and the Hand telephone unneurotic a Small Council meeting, wherever Otto reveals King Viserys' evident past words. That's a acquisition for them all, arsenic it makes their succession program easier: It turns retired Hightower had been plotting with members of the Small Council to instal Aegon arsenic King aft Viserys' decease each along. Viserys' purported privation is conscionable an other limb successful their arsenal.

Among those not progressive successful the program are Lord Beesbury, Master of Coin, and Queen Alicent herself.

"Am I to recognize that members of the Small Council person been planning, secretly, to instal my lad without me?" Alicent asks with indignation.

Even much outraged is Lord Beesbury, who calls their crippled theft, treason and seizure.

"I americium six and 70 years old, I person known Viserys longer than immoderate who beryllium astatine this table, and I volition not judge that helium said this connected his deathbed unsocial with lone the boy's parent arsenic a witness."

Beesbury accuses the radical of regicide, of being enactment to the king's passing. Ser Criston Cole takes it upon himself to grip Beesbury successful an orderly fashion: By smashing Beesbury's look onto the table, sidesplitting him instantly.

Lord Commander Westerling orders Criston to laic down his sword, but Ser Criston refuses, until Queen Alicent orders him to. Otto Hightower says nary 1 leaves the country until the concern is sorted, and Alicent brings up Rhaenyra.

"The erstwhile heir cannot of people beryllium allowed to stay escaped and gully enactment to her assertion … she and her household volition beryllium fixed the accidental to publically state obeisance to the caller king."

Alicent rightly points retired that Rhaenyra and particularly Daemon would ne'er crook the knee, and realizes the existent program is to person Rhaenyra and Daemon killed. Hightower demands Lord Commander Westerling instrumentality his knights to Dragonstone and execution the rival Targaryens.

Westerling refuses. He says helium takes orders from the king, but determination is nary king. He takes disconnected his cape and leaves it connected the Small Council table.

All that's near to bash is pass Aegon astir his caller duty. But there's a problem: No 1 tin find Aegon. Aegon isn't successful his chambers, and Ser Erryk, the Kingsguard knight sworn to support him, doesn't cognize wherever helium is either. Otto Hightower orders Erryk to spell into King's Landing and find Aegon, and marque definite the prince is brought to Hightower and Hightower alone. The queen, Hightower says, cannot know.

Chasing Aegon

The queen, for her part, puts Ser Criston connected the case. "Aegon indispensable beryllium found, and helium indispensable beryllium brought to me. The precise destiny of the Seven Kingdoms depends connected it."

Aemond, Aegon's brother, says helium wants to spell with Ser Criston, that helium knows Aegon amended than anyone. Naturally, the archetypal spot Aemond thinks Aegon volition beryllium is simply a pleasance house. But Aegon isn't there.

In the meantime, Otto Hightower has assembled King's Landing's lords and ladies successful the Great Hall. It's a shakedown: He's forcing them to crook the genu to the caller king.

"You erstwhile swore your banners to Rhaenyra, you indispensable present pledge them to the aboriginal king," Hightower decrees.

One lord and 1 woman object, saying they won't interruption their oath to Princess Rhaenyra. The guards escort them retired of the Great Hall.

Ser Erryk and his member -- whose name, successful each seriousness, is Arryk -- spell into a warring den the prince is known to frequent. It's similar a cockfighting ring, but alternatively of roosters warring it's peasant children. The prince spends galore a nighttime betting connected fights, Ser Erryk says. Nodding to a small, silver-haired boy, helium says Aegon gets up to overmuch worse. "One of many" of Aegon's bastards, Ser Erryk says.

While Rhaenyra and Daemon sailed backmost to Dragonstone aft the events of past episode, Princess Rhaenys is inactive successful King's Landing. However, earlier successful the episode, we saw that her doors were locked, making her a captive successful her ain chambers.

Now, Queen Alicent pays her a visit. She informs Rhaenys that the king is dead, and asks her to enactment Aegon implicit Rhaenyra. The Velaryons' pact with Rhaenyra has meant lone atrocious things: Laena's death, Laenor being cuckolded and past ostensibly killed. But Rhaenys shoots backmost that Velaryon oaths are not truthful easy broken.

Queen Alicent says that Rhaenys should person been made ruler implicit Viserys -- that Viserys was amended suited to being a state lord who spent his clip hunting and speechmaking past books. Probably true, but rough. The bloke just died!

"We bash not rule, but we whitethorn usher the men who do," Alicent says, "away from unit and definite destruction, and alternatively toward peace."

Rhaenys turns it backmost connected Alicent. "You are wiser than I believed you to beryllium … and yet you toil inactive successful work to men. Your father, your husband, your son. You tendency not to beryllium free, but to marque a model successful the partition of your prison. Have you ne'er imagined yourself connected the Iron Throne?"

Alicent rejects the hypothetical and tells Rhaenys to telephone her erstwhile she's made up her mind.

The queen and the hand

While astatine the children's combat pit, Ser Erryk and his member are approached by a mysterious pistillate who says she knows wherever Aegon is. That pistillate takes the brothers, and Otto Hightower, to her master: Mysaria.

Mysaria, who you whitethorn retrieve arsenic Daemon's fling successful aboriginal episodes, returned past week, showing herself to person informants heavy wrong the Red Keep. She present goes by the sanction of "White Worm."

She promises to instrumentality them to Aegon if Hightower promises children volition halt being utilized for amusement successful King's Landing. The City Watch are meant to support the children, she argues, but they're excessively easy bribed into ignoring the children's plight. Hightower mouths a somewhat empty-sounding platitude astir looking into it.

Erryk and Arryk are sent to the Great Sept, and find a kidnapped Aegon underneath the cardinal pillar. They resistance him out, but erstwhile they get outside, they're met by Ser Criston and Aemond, who person been pursuing the brothers each along.

A sword combat ensues, with Ser Criston besting Arryk. Erryk watches on, mysteriously not coming to his brother's assistance earlier retreating. Aegon himself tries to tally away, yelling that he's not chopped retired to beryllium king, but Aemond chases him down.

"I was hoping you'd disappear," Aemond tells his brother.

"I person nary privation to rule, nary sensation for duty, I'm not suited," Aegon squirms. He promises to committee a vessel and ne'er beryllium seen again if they fto him go.

Aemond seems into the idea, but Ser Criston interjects. "The queen awaits."

Hours later, having outmaneuvered her begetter successful kidnapping her lad first, Queen Alicent visits Otto Hightower. He reprimands her for treating the succession similar a game, and says they request to enactment unified.

"Our hearts were ne'er one, I spot that now, alternatively I've been a portion that you determination astir the board," Alicent says. "I wanted immoderate you impressed upon maine to want. And present the indebtedness comes due, a indebtedness you are blessed capable to pay."

Hightower says Rhaenyra and her household request to beryllium sacrificed for the stableness of the realm -- sacrifice the fewer for the galore -- and that Alicent is being anemic by not acknowledging this truth. The queen shouts that reluctance to execution is not a weakness.

She says she has Aegon, truthful they'll proceed arsenic she sees fit. The adjacent day, she says, Criston Cole volition beryllium named Lord Commander of the Kingsguard, Aegon volition beryllium anointed and volition instrumentality Aegon the Conqueror's crown and sword.

Most crucially, they'll nonstop presumption to Rhaenyra, just presumption that she tin judge without shame.

"My hubby would person desired this mercy to beryllium shown to his daughter."

This was a large scene, arguably Queen Alicent's champion yet. And it led to a overmuch much distressing country of intersexual coercion.

When Queen Alicent gets backmost to her chambers, she finds "Clubfoot" Larys Strong waiting for her. He has news. Alicent sits connected the sofa crossed from him, takes her slippers disconnected and puts her stocking-covered feet connected the table. Larys tells her there's a web of spies successful the Red Keep, 1 that Otto Hightower is alert of and has near successful spot due to the fact that it has occasionally benefited him.

Larys says helium has adjacent worse news, but stalls for a moment. Alicent sighs, removes her stockings and puts her present bare feet connected the table. Larys continues, explaining that Alicent's woman successful waiting is 1 of the spies -- and that determination are much similar her. To halt the espionage, they request to instrumentality retired the Queen Bee, thing he's susceptible of if the queen wishes it.

Alicent sighs again, puts her feet up connected a seat and looks away. Larys sneaks his manus successful his pants and starts masturbating to her feet. Clubfoot has a ft fetish -- makes sense, I guess. It looks similar the terms Alicent pays for Larys' intel and services is … yeah.

King Aegon, 2nd of his name

On the greeting of Prince Aegon's ascension, Rhaenys is woken up by Ser Erryk. He says helium can't basal for this treason -- present we cognize wherefore helium didn't assistance Arryk -- and wants to escort Rhaenys retired of King's Landing. On their trip, we spot what appears to beryllium a hanged servant, and what appears to beryllium Mysaria's aged office lit aflame. It's what appears to be Larys' handiwork.

Unfortunately, earlier Rhaenys tin marque it retired of the city, she's obstructed by the throngs of radical charging toward the Dragon Pit to spot Aegon crowned.

Aegon himself is not keen astatine each connected the full enterprise. Riding toward the ceremonial with his mother, helium complains that Viserys ne'er wanted him to beryllium king, that Viserys upheld Rhaenyra's claim, that he's lone being made king due to the fact that that's what Alicent and Otto want.

When Alicent says the king changed his mind, that successful his dying enactment Viserys asked for Aegon to beryllium named king, Aegon laughs.

"Do not artifact with maine mother."

Alicent opens a adjacent box, which houses Viserys' dagger, the 1 that was erstwhile wielded by Aegon the Conqueror. She tells Aegon that, erstwhile he's king, Otto Hightower volition implore him to execute Rhaenyra. Alicent pleads with Aegon to cull her father, that Rhaenyra is Aegon's sister and needs to beryllium treated with civility.

Inside the Dragonpit, Otto Hightower speaks to the radical of King's Landing.

"Today is the saddest of days. Our beloved king, Viserys the Peaceful, is dead. But it is besides the astir joyous of days, for arsenic his tone near us, helium whispered his last wish: That his first-born son, Aegon, should win him."

Aegon is introduced, and led done a procession of knights onto the stage. Aegon was named king, with Aegon the Conqueror's crown placed connected his head. The radical cheered their caller king.

The ceremonial went disconnected without a hitch, and bid washed implicit Westeros. It turned retired to beryllium an incident-free succession.

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Starting the party

Yeah truthful evidently that past spot was a lie.

After Aegon was named King, a gigantic dragon burst up from nether the floor. Amid the particulate and debris, we spot the dragon is being ridden by Rhaenys Targaryen. She managed to sneak disconnected during the ceremonial and retrieve Meleys, her dragon.

Everyone runs retired of the Dragon Pit, but for the king and his pack -- including the queen, the manus and Ser Criston. Rhaenys and her tremendous dragon attack them. She could pain them alive, and teases doing truthful by making Meleys fto disconnected a immense roar.

But alternatively of sidesplitting them, Rhaenys scoffs and flies distant -- to Dragonstone, to alert Rhaenyra truthful that she tin commencement mounting forces successful the combat for the throne.

Let the Dance of the Dragons begin.

Major takeaways

House of the Dragon has truly deed its stride. Last week Viserys got to beryllium the star, giving an impassioned code that stole the show. In occurrence 9, it was yet Alicent Hightower's clip to shine.

After being pushed astir the chessboard, arsenic she enactment it, she's playing a much progressive relation successful shaping events. Alicent has shown honor. She pushes Aegon for king, arsenic she believes Viserys to person wanted, but her resoluteness to safeguard the princess successful the process is admirable. It's Ned Stark-esque. Unfortunately, it's improbable to extremity well. It's casual to spot Alicent's attempts astatine civility to beryllium spat backmost astatine her by Rhaenyra and Daemon who, rightfully, volition consciousness burned by the full "Aegon is the caller king" thing.

Alicent wasn't the lone quality to get immoderate radiance successful occurrence 9, arsenic Rhaenys besides ruled here. Her country with Alicent was great, and her powerfulness determination of erupting from nether the level with a elephantine dragon volition beryllium hard to top.

By keeping Rhaenyra and Daemon disconnected the surface and retired of the loop, occurrence 9 did a large occupation astatine gathering suspense for the finale. But if it had 1 flaw, I conjecture I'd person to accidental it's Larys Strong masturbating to the queen's feet.

Very intense.

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