House of The Dragon Season 1 Episode 6 Review And Reaction

[Herbert Playz]

I was so glad to see Ser Christon Cole finally get his "just desserts", even though Cole still wins because he was practically begging for it and was purposely trying to reveal the secret. Harwin Strong attacks Cole after he throws out just a few verbal barbs. As strong as some of the men are in the show they are also so weak mentally. Tywin Lannister would have eaten all of these guys alive. They don't think strategically and are easily manipulated despite their physical strength.

The show is building up queen Alicent to be a brilliant player of game of thrones, without actually playing it. I think its pretty sad actually. Somehow I'm supposed to believe that Alicent has turned Ser Christon Cole and Layrs Strong to her side all by accident? She's being portrayed an innocent bystander that's totally oblivious to what she's doing. It all honestly it seems like the showrunners are trying to make Alicent to sympathetic. She's conspiring with the younger brother Larys Strong. Even if she didn't tell him to kill his father and his brother. She knows that he did it and he now stands to inherit Harrenhal and all its lands and incomes. By not revealing him, and telling the king, she commits the very sin that she judges Laenor and Rhaneyra for(deception).

On another note, I also don't care for the fact that the show confirms everything that was hinted at in the books about Laenor. I mean I have no problem with it but my point is they only do this for Laenor's character. In the books it was said Alicent read to Jaeherys the old king and that she also visited with Viserys after he lost his wife. It was very clearly hinting that Alicent was much more of a Margery Tyrell type that was playing the game of thrones and not some innocent girl. It was even rumored that she was sleeping with King Viserys before he decided to marry her. How else does the most powerful man in the world just wake up one day and decide that he's marrying Alicent? He had his choice of all the women in the the known world. So he just chooses her because she came to talk to him in his chambers to "comfort" him because of the loss of his wife?😂 That's my problem. If Laenor was king and there was some squire coming to read to Laenor in his chambers multiple times a week, let's just say I think the showrunners would have made things much more overt. There would be a lot of smiles and gazes and innuendo. 

The show is just letting Alicent off the hook far too much. She is absolutely playing the game of thrones, yet it tries to make her out as some type of innocent bystander whereas on the opposite side of things, the show clearly has no problem showing Rhaneyra as the liar, deceiver, spoiled heir apparent that will do whatever she wants, to whoever she wants, whenever she wants, to get what she wants.

Also I can't emphasize this enough. They are making out Laenor to be too weak. I like how they still show Rhaneyra willing to keep up her end of the bargain that her and Laenor struck all those years ago but to me the marriage seemed more like a partnership then. Now she is simply dictating terms to Laenor. So I don't really care for the way they are portraying Laenor. Laenor's father the Sea Snake, Corlys Velaryon is the wealthiest man in the seven kingdoms. Laenor is the heir to high tide/driftmark. Laenor is young, a skilled fighter and sailor, he has fought in an actual war and he is a dragon rider. This man is not weak, he is not soft, he would be full of ego and overconfident in every single thing he does. Think of Loras Tyrell times 10! Laenor could have simply refused the match and lived the life he always dreamed. By agreeing to marry Rhaneyra and do his "duty" he would absolutely be an equal in the marriage. He certainly wouldn't be ordered around like he's some piece on a chessboard, or like some mopey teen that doesn't get to play outside today. This man would be completely full of himself and likely not think anyone was above him. This would be a true power couple, his role would not be one of subservience.

Furthermore, in my eyes Laenor did not do his duty. In the books there is speculation that the kids are not Laenor's kids. I see they decided again to just confirm the rumors. I would have preferred if Laenor actually did his "duty"(like they agreed) and had legitimate kids with Rhaneyra to secure the succession and from there they go on and do their separate things. But I guess they wanted to turn this into a plot device for why Rhaneyra decided to leave court. By the way leaving court is just the dumbest thing she could do considering the stakes and concerns regarding the succession. As a matter of fact as princess of Dragonstone she should have the ability to raise a decent amount of men at arms and have them stationed in kingslanding ready to do her bidding at a moments notice. It struck me as extremely odd that the queen would command that Rhaneyra's newborn child be brought before immediately after birth. How is that even possible. Rhanerya is the named heir, I can't imagine Viserys letting that kind of overt hubris go on unchecked. Furthermore I don't understand why Rhanerya even bothered to comply.

[Herbert Playz]

Another thing about Alicent that I forgot to mention is why is she at council? Cersei was only at council because she was the queen regent but even so, Cersei was cunning and had strategic schemes she was planning out. Alicent doesn't seem to have any strategy to her, she's not a dragon rider and yet she sits on council and speaks more than the king and tries to overrule Rhaneyra who is a dragon rider and whose husband actually fought in the stepstones! Clearly Rhaneyra is the one with the superior insight on this issue. I know the show is playing up the rivalry but its getting ridiculous.