This week’s episode of House of the Dragon treats us to a series of twists and burns. With so much to unpack, here are some things that got us going “oh yeah give me more!” and some that got us screaming “why??”.

The battle lines are almost drawn and tensions rise. Once best friends, Rhaenyra (Blacks) and Alicent (Greens) are now rivals for the iron throne. Who should you root for? Who has the rightful claim?

The Blacks

Rhaenyra is still officially heir to the throne as King Viserys is sticking to his decision. She's also proven that she deserves it. She’s done her duty to marry Leanor Velaryon. She’s vocal at the small council, and shows that she is a decisive and wise leader.

emma darcy in episode 6

But at the same time, there are many unanswered questions about her position as heir. As we see in this episode, the father of her sons is not Laenor but Harwin Strong. Are her sons legitimate heirs to the throne?

Also, will the realm accept King Viserys’ decision to have a Queen on the Iron Throne? Will moving to Dragonstone further dampen her claim? Will it give a chance for Alicent to manipulate things in King’s Landing?

The Greens

Olivia Cooke as Queen Alicent

Green is the colour of Hightower, Alicent’s family, and this will be the colours flown by Aegon II Targaryen, Alicent’s son.

Though her son couldn’t care less (for now), Alicent is adamant that her son is the true heir to the Iron Throne. After all, he is King Viserys’ firstborn son. He has the looks of a true Targaryen king, unlike Rhaenyra’s sons.

Alicent is also gaining more ground, inch by inch as she has the king’s ear and is also outspoken at the small council. She also has an unlikely ally of Larys Strong, who will do unspeakable acts for her.

What did we think of the episode?

Another decade has passed and we’re excited to see how the characters have matured and their true colours revealed in episode 6.

We liked how Rhaenyra’s strength continues to grow, both as a woman and as a princess. She had the courage to deny the Queen alone time with her newborn, and would do anything to protect her children and her succession.

However, we aren’t fans of how Ser Criston Cole has gone from man of honour to the one who mans the door. His scorn for Rhaenyra boils over to what amounts to childish playground bullying as he mistreats her sons during training.

As tensions continue to rise and bowl over, the decade that has gone by sees a growing rift between Rhaenyra and Alicent, with more potential heirs to the throne between the two houses. That said, he pacing for the episode is still too jarring, with the episode opening with another time jump as rushed plot points pepper the hour. Give us more time to fall in love with the characters and actors!

All signs point to an epic clash between the Greens and the Blacks. We can’t wait to see how things unfold in the coming weeks!

Images supplied by HBO

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