It was something of a custom for penultimate Game of Thrones episodes to go all out in terms of surprise twists and mind-bending action, so can we expect the same from House of the Dragon for its first ninth episode? The promo images that HBO has recently released certainly seem to hint at such an outing.
As audiences embrace the death of yet another Westerosi king — and this time, one they actually loved wholeheartedly — Paddy Considine reflects on Viserys’ reign.
This is your daily roundup of news and developments from the Seven Kingdoms.
The Green Council forms in episode 9 promo stills
The penultimate episode of the first House season is dealing with the aftermath of King Viserys’ death, and the formation of the Green Council. For those of you not in the know, this is the opposition force that’s going to challenge Rhaenyra’s claim to the Iron Throne, green for the color the Hightower burns when they call their banners to war. The first promo images certainly seem to tease a kingdom on the edge of succumbing to mass hysteria and war, so go in expecting a few feathers to be ruffled, and that’s putting it extremely mildly.
‘House of the Dragon’ fans praise the only innocent soul in all of Westeros right now
You might be favoring the Blacks (Rhaenyra’s side) in the conflict to come, but the one innocent soul in all of this is surprisingly the only daughter of Alicent and Viserys. Helaena Targaryen has been forced to marry his brother Aegon, a man who doesn’t care much about her happiness, but even despite all the hardships visited upon her and the uncertain future ahead, the princess remains unchanged. Even Otto seems to like Helaena in a way that she never did Alicent, so naturally, the fandom now wants the producers to protect this girl at all costs.
Considine says Viserys’ reign was ‘compassionate’ and not ‘destructive’
Some argue that Viserys could’ve stopped a lot of bloodshed and death and destruction if only he made choices for the greater good of the kingdom. According to Paddy Considine, though, who essentially took this role and made it his own, Viserys is not a “destructive” king and it just wouldn’t do to see him that way. The path he followed was that of compassion, though it threatened to ruin his legacy. “He’s certainly not a destructive king, that’s for sure,” the British actor reaffirmed in a new interview. “He’s a compassionate king. And that’s rare for this kingdom that we’re familiar with.”
Viserys was indeed a rarity, but now we fear what might follow his death will make us question the veracity of his choices many times before this story comes to a close.
