House of the Dragon episode 4 review: Oh no, incest

At the end, House of the DragonThis is a show for families. Not in the sense that it’s “safe for the whole family,” of course — but it is, more than anything, AboutHow power can warp one family beyond recognition Following the spectacle and kingdom-wide politics of previous episodes, House of the DragonThe series slows down and focuses on the Targaryens, who are at the heart of the story’s grand narrative. And given the time to watch them closely, the series makes it clear that they are all unprepared for how rapidly things are changing, and it’s changing them in unsettling ways.

House of the Dragon has a lot of ground to cover, so it’s a bit surprising that it’s able to devote nearly an entire episode to what’s effectively a walkabout. After Rhaenyra (Milly Alcock) spends a day doing her least favorite activity — granting an audience to an endless stream of suitors from across Westeros — her uncle Daemon (Matt Smith) returns bearing a crown for his exploits against the Crabfeeder in the Stepstones.

It’s a provocative entrance for a man who absolutely loves drama, but it’s also a feint. Daemon bows to Viserys, his brother (Paddy Considine) who warmly welcomes the Targaryen. This sets the stage for the bulk of the episode, when later that night, Daemon sneaks a set of civilian clothes to Rhaenyra so they can go on an adventure through the seedier streets of King’s Landing. They wander amongst a multitude of humans, including street vendors and sexworkers. But what began as fun and thrill-seeking turns to something darker and more sinister when Daemon guides Rhaenyra through a brothel. The two finally leave in frustration.

It’s from this scandalous moment that House of the DragonIt finally brings the fascinatingly flawed family dynamics that it had quietly established to the forefront. Daemon and Rhaenyra were the first to be mentioned. This is a couple that have always been good friends, even though they compete for succession. Rhaenyra’s side of the equation is a simple one: She’s someone who has been brought so close to escaping her lot in life as a woman in a medieval society as the named heir of Viserys, but is in constant danger of it being snatched away. She is also a teenager, desperate to assert her will and fulfill her desires — something she cannot do as a princess.

Photo: Ollie Upton/HBO

Daemon is a little more complicated, but not terribly so; he’s wildly selfish, but also too cowardly to fully take what he wants. He is hard to interpret: Is he really in love with Rhaenyra? His fondness for Rhaenyra is unlikely to be fake, but it is possible. Did he really want to seduce her and have her in a brothel? Or was it merely a natural way to get her to where he lives his life? Does he have manipulative tendencies or are they just being pathetic Although the power dynamics are evident, his motivations are less clear.

Later, when Viserys receives word of what happened between the two of them, Daemon makes a Hail Mary that may or may not have been the goal all along: Asking for Rhaenyra’s hand in marriage. They are again at the edge of their respective fates after the fervent king denied him.

It turns out that every relationship pivots around this single night. Alicent’s (Emily Carey) friendship with Rhaenyra — thus far one of House of the Dragon’s most compelling and still-untapped dynamics, with her now being Rhaenyra’s stepmom and all — unsuccessfully tries to compel Rhaenyra to fall in line like she did, to marry and stop courting scandal at every turn. Soon after revealing the scandal to Viserys, Otto Hightower (Rhys Ifans), loses the job of Hand of King. This isn’t because the king is shooting the messenger (at least not completely), but because Viserys is finally beginning to see that maybe his falling for Alicent was a manipulation, that his loveless nights with his new queen are the product of political gamesmanship.

Photo: Ollie Upton/HBO

This is what happens when you’re on top of the world, sitting on the throne that everyone covets: Friendship is suspect, but family is distorted too. Family is the foundation of power in Westeros. It must be built with intention. Every character has to deal with this paradox: family is a means to satisfy human needs and family is a method to obtain power. The two can be reconciled, but they may never agree.

All of this is less immediately eye-catching as a dragon swooping in on a beach battle, but it’s just as tense, because that’s why those battles Matter. It’s worth repeating that unlike in Game of ThronesThe setting of this series is in an era when people had dragons. It’s about the machinations of nuclear powers, and no one, no matter how mighty, wants to go to war with someone who can scorch the earth around them, win, lose, or draw. So battles Must The fight can also be carried out in rooms, bedrooms or other private settings. Relationships are reduced to tools and proxy warfare — which makes them all the more volatile, and a family conflict that much more dire.

If this war continues for too long, it is understandable that the conflict could lead to an all-out civil war.