What is the saying about a crown? From Shakespeare: “Uneasy is the head that wears the crown.” So true of Aegon. As for Aemond, a quote by John Dalberg-Acton hits the mark: “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.”
Aemond continues his reign of terror – he intimidates his ailing brother, he fires his mother from her seat on the Privy Council, and proceeds to make plans to attempt to lift the blockade by the Triarchy. He sends away for his grandfather, Otto, to secure a trustworthy Hand of the King. Larys overstepped in thinking he was being named and Aemond put him in his place with contempt. It seems that hostilities are brewing below the surface.
Daemon continues to hallucinate while at Harrenhal – this guy can’t take the hint. Get out, while the going is good. His lack of sleep, suspicious demeanor, and resentment of all the mind games that are being cast on him are taking a toll. He needs to get out, recruit men for Dragonstone, and return home. Alys Rivers continues to goad him on and at the same time, dispense wisdom. We will see if Daemon leaves and chooses to listen to what counsel Alys has given him.
Rhaenyra continues her quest to find dragon riders – and this is no easy feat – given that if anyone comes forth to try and tame a dragon if the dragon does not bond with the human, they die a painful and fiery death. Rhaenyra, in her desperation, has done research on family history and bloodlines to see who is fit to become a dragon rider. East in theory but the reality is dangerous. As Ser Stefan Darklyn finds out, dragons are something that cannot be controlled. Death comes to those who attempt this reckless crusade.
We see several of the ‘smallfolk’ in the episode. Interesting to note is that the smallfolk are the ones who keep King’s Landing going – they are the workers in the hive – without the many thousands of people to run the place, King’s Landing would be an empty place, run into the ground. The small folk are starving. Food is scarce; people are fearful; disease and famine are the day’s plight. Talk in taverns is that the Targaryens in the Red Keep aren’t suffering – with the Regent having young ladies from a brothel being sent to him and his King guard weekly, with banquets and dancing, they’re clearly not suffering. The rest of the people are. Patience is running thin; anger is building at alarming rates and people are becoming desperate. Desperate times call for desperate measures.
We continue to see Addam and Allyn of Hull and how the Seasnake is beginning to acknowledge them. He speaks to Allyn and gives him a promotion to sail with him. Addam, on the other hand, keeps pressing his brother – thinking about the future, what could be, what could’ve been – Allyn is pragmatic, and Addam is a dreamer of sorts. They are both destined to rise in their own respective ways.
The Regent continues to trim fat from the Red Keep. He speaks with his Privy Council; he checks up on Aegon – literally withholding his medicine and terrorizing him – all because power has gone to his head. Aemond is in charge now and he makes it clear to his brother that he’s the Ruler now. The Grand Maester comes to the room at a pivotal moment – sensing that there’s been a terrible exchange between the two brothers. While the Grand Maester has been helping to heal the King, he’s wise enough to see Aemond resent it. Aemond gives false platitudes about his brother getting better. Absolute power corrupting, indeed.
In a brief exchange between Larys and Aegon, we see just how insidious Larys is. He hides behind that crippled foot – and still waters run deep. He counsels Aegon that Aemond has become unchallenged and reckless. Aegon is desperate for help, wanting to heal and knowing that the longer he lies in that bed, the worse things get. Aegon knows his life is in danger whenever Aemond is around. Larys tells him not to lose hope because even though Aegon is being grievously injured, that means that people will underestimate him. And those who underestimate Aegon will make a big mistake. Will Aegon and Larys form a secret alliance?
In the Vale, Rhaena makes a startling discovery…while out in the countryside walking with Prince Joffrey, she discovers a large portion of land burnt, littered with skeletons of sheep. She quickly comes to the realization that there is a large dragon in the area, but not sure of what it looks like or when it strikes, she shares her feelings about this with Lady Jeyne, who confirms that there is a large dragon. It’s wild, nobody has seen it long enough to know where it comes from, but the very fact that there is a large dragon in the Vale means that if it could be claimed, this would give the Vale the protection it needs. This sparks a tiny seed of hope in Baela, as she is without a dragon and for the longest time, has wanted to try and claim one.
Rhaenyra continues to chafe against her Privy Council, unable to take direct action. As a monarch, she cannot put herself in harm’s way. She scorns the fact that she was never fully prepared as a teenager in the politics of the realm, nor was she prepared for warfare, how to use weapons, and which Houses to maintain loyalties to. It’s a man’s world, after all. Myseria continues to help Rhaenyra by reaching out to her contacts in King’s Landing, full well knowing that if the smallfolk are shown any sort of appreciation or acknowledgment, they will be grateful to Rhaenyra. Small boats with food and provisions are sent out under the cover of night across the Blackwater Bay. The small folk see it – the first few people are on the beach, trying to catch crabs and clams, when the first few boats sail towards them, bearing the Black sigil of House Targaryen. Word spreads about the boats and the food, which creates panic and furor because the smallfolk are desperate to get their hands on fresh food. We see Ulf take down someone to get his hands on a bag of food for his family.
We find out that the third son of Alicent and the late Viserys resides in Oldtown, away from the stink and poisonous environment that is King’s Landing. Alicent is relieved to find that her son Daeron is doing well, and she worries about her brother Gawain and also Criston. They’ve all seen what Aemond has become and it’s terrifying when you can’t do anything to stop him. Being powerless is awful. In the rush of the smallfolk getting their hands on food, the capital became rife with tension. The Queen Dowager and the Queen went to the Great Septa Hall to light candles and to pray. That’s when a riot breaks out and it’s nothing but sheer terror for the women as they run to their carriage. People are angry so they naturally take it out on the first target in sight: the Royal family and their Kings guard. This angers Aemond to no extent.
Daemon continues to dream of his dead brother and understands why Viserys was so disappointed in him. Viserys needed help, he needed strength, and he needed his brother by his side. Daemon recognizes his terrible judgment and how he wasn’t supportive of Viserys. Does this mean a new Daemon will emerge?
Addam – for all his yearnings and talking about getting their due from the Seasnake – has an experience of his own. A very tense experience – imagine minding your own business, foraging for food on the beach and an exceptionally large dragon flies overhead and starts to pursue you. Imagine the fear coursing through your veins. The good news is that Seasmoke has found and bonded to his new dragon rider. The shocking news is that Addam doesn’t quite get it yet and the poor guy is just terrified, being face to face with a large dragon.
Back at Dragonstone, we see Rhaenyra and Myseria exchange information about how to win the throne. We also hear Myseria talk about her very painful past and how she got that scar. In a strange moment, the two women recognize a need in each other and exchange a kiss (however, what is the end game here with Myseria? Are there true feelings for Rhaenyra or is she just trying to secure her position) – they are interrupted with some shocking news: Seasmoke has been seen flying with a new dragon rider outside of Dragonstone!
We are getting close to the end now. Be with us for Episode 7 this coming Sunday, July 28 on HBO.
