As I noted a couple weeks ago, Westeros has never been a great place if you are one of the “small folk” or a woman, or both. The series has shown again and again how they get the short, pointy end of the stick and suffer the outrages brought on them by the royal families. The men of the small councils ignored the advice of Alicent and Rhaenyra and galloped off to battle, and now King Aegon, Second of his Name, lies close to death after getting burnt up in the Battle of Rook’s Rest.
So even though the Hightowers parade the severed head of Meleys through town, proclaiming victory, the residents of King’s Landing take it as a bad omen. Dragons are like gods, one says, so if the gods can be slain, what hope is there for us? It was also great how the camera kept the hanging bodies of the rat catchers in the background, as another reminder of what can happen to the little people.
And even though the Greens won, it was truly a Pyrrhic victory. Cole lost 900 of his 1500 men, the dragon Sunfyre died from his injuries, and of course, the King is now barely clinging to life. And as much of a prat as Aegon could be, it’s truly horrifying to see the Maesters pry his charred armor off his pus-filled, burned flesh. (Whoever did the squelching sounds deserves an Emmy.) And the Blacks lost Rook’s Rest, their largest dragon, and their best rider.
So, after that disaster, you’d think that the small councils might reconsider their actions and pursue a different course, right?
Well, let me welcome you to Westeros: Systemic Sexism edition.
While Aegon lies in a coma, a regent must be chosen to rule in his stead and lead the war. Alicent — who has literal Regent experience from her time as Queen to Viserys when he was too ill to rule — gets passed over in favor of the brash and inexperienced Aemond. After all, war is Men’s work! Not even Criston Cole will speak up for her. Later, when he tries to explain how he was protecting her, he calls her “Alicent,” which prompts the reply of “I did not give you leave to call me by name.” (Ooh, I like pissed-off Alicent. More of this please.) Aemond’s first rule order? Lock the gates so no peasants can escape the city and spread lies about how everyone is starving and demoralized. Oh, and cut the rat catchers down. Aemond’s whole vibe is that of the someone who was bullied in junior high and has never, ever forgotten it and has been working out for 15 years so he can punch you at the reunion.
Daemon, meanwhile is ignoring both his wife and the witch lady who appears to be clouding his mind. He’s still having waking dreams, including one where he’s having sex with his mother, who is telling him he should have been born first. (You should probably never look at GRRM’s PornHub search history. Never.) He’s gotten Lord Blackwood onside, but even the threat of death by Caraxes can’t make the hated Brackens turn on Aegon. But, there are many ways to wage a war. Like, letting the Blackwoods wage a war of terror and pillage and kidnapping and rape against their mortal enemies, all with the tacit approval of Daemon. (Hey, you think that Rhaenyra might have a few thoughts about this? After all, she was super cool about the whole dead baby thing.) It goes over so well that the River Lords bang on the door in the middle of the night to express their displeasure. Operation Hearts and Minds is going great, guys! And he’s not even pretending that he’s doing this for Rhaenyra. He wants the army for his own purposes, and then Rhaenyra is welcome to rule by his side in King’s Landing.
Corlys is grieving the loss of his wife. And even though their marriage was one of political alliance, it still very obvious that he loved Rhaenys. He, too, is blaming Rhaenyra, but Baela tells him to stop. She went into battle on her own accord, and she died doing what she loved most. It’s exactly the way Baela would like to go, burned in dragonfire. Corlys tells her he wants her to be his heir, but she turns him down. The Driftwood throne should be for someone of salt and sea, and Baela is of fire and blood.
Even sweet, young Jacerys is chafing at his mother’s rules. At least his motives are pure! He wants to help his mother solidify her claim! He wants her on the throne! At Baela’s prodding, he goes off to see the Freys. (You remember the Freys, right? In about 250 years, they’re going to host a wedding there with a red color scheme.) They control the river crossing that the Northerners Jace recruited will need on their march to King’s Landing. If he can secure the alliance of the Freys, then that will be a tremendous boost to the war effort. He gets the Freys to pledge fealty, but they would like Harrenhall for their own at the end of the war. Sure, no prob. I’m sure stepdad Daemon will put his own plans to the side for this.
Mom is actually very pleased with Jace’s negotiations, even though she looks mad. And the reason is the same as why Jacerys was so mad. She wants to contribute to the fight, but everyone needs to keep her safe to protect the lines of succession. And she is still worried about beating Aemond and Vhagar in battle. Jacerys has a thought. Under Dragonstone, there are two dragons — Vermithor and Silverwing — who are as large as Vhagar, but lack riders. Now, there are many Targaryens who over the years married into other noble houses. Maybe they could be persuaded to try riding a giant dragon? Perhaps they could find one in the records? The camera then tips back to reveal a wall of records and scrolls. It’s a long shot, but it might work. (Look at Jace! He’s being so helpful! This must mean he’s not long for this world.) [Editor’s Note: LOL long shot of a long shot…]
Sexism is a prominent theme this season, and it gets very overt at certain points. (Rhaenyra’s man at arms says the fairer sex has no experience with war. Rhaenyra reminds him that her father had decades of peace, and he’s fought in as many battles as she has.) Alicent has been pushed aside by her family and her lover, even while they claim to fight in her name and for her son. And Daemon has managed to anger everyone in the Riverlands as he tries to raise his army so he can march on King’s Landing, so he can be King and maybe bring Rhaenyra along for the ride. There are layers here, beyond the jockeying for the throne. I’m not about to claim that this is a feminist treatise, but there are some rather interesting threads you can pull at to look at how the power structures work.
This week can’t help but feel like a bit of a come down after the thrilling dragon battles at Rook’s Rest, but it was still very good. There is a lot of strategy and decision-making in this episode that is going to have repercussions in the weeks to come. And hopefully we will see if a plucky long-lost Targaryen can learn to ride a wild dragon.
Rating: 4 out of 5
Who’s the Worst?: One one hand, Aemond tried to commit regicide to take the throne, and Cole is his usual smarmy self, but Daemon, oh Daemon… Welcome back to the “winner’s” circle. Your open plotting against Rhaenyra and your encouragement of a rape spree helped to seal the deal.
