House of the Dragon has turned out better than anyone expected, perhaps even on par with Game of Thrones in terms of objective quality. As fans celebrate this triumphant return to form for Westeros, others bid Paddy Considine — the talent who has been singlehandedly carrying the show on his back — a fond goodbye.
The end of Viserys’ reign is only the beginning as far as the Dance of Dragons is concerned, however, which is why HBO’s teaser clip for next week’s penultimate outing showcases a realm already in turmoil following the king’s passing. Check out all of that and more in today’s roundup of Game of Thrones news.
Bombshell revelation changes everything we know about the Dance of Dragons
Just before passing away and taking away that one Jenga block that brings the whole thing tumbling down, Viserys talked about the Azor Ahai prophecy one last time, what he refers to as Aegon’s Dream. While his words were meant for Rhaenyra’s ears, it was Alicent who got to hear them moments before his passing, which she apparently mistakes for meaning that her son Aegon should be the one to succeed Viserys, and not Rhaenyra, his proclaimed heir.
That changes the whole history as far as the Dance of Dragons is concerned, and perhaps absolves Alicent of abject ambition. As to what the show will do with the “Song of Ice and Fire” from now on beyond incentivizing the main players, your guess is as good as ours.
Greens and Blacks prepare for war in the trailer for episode 9
It’s Robert Baratheon’s death all over again. With Viserys gone, the Greens are preparing to seize power and stop Rhaenyra from being crowned queen. The Blacks will certainly fight back, thus taking us to the precipice of the infamous Dance of Dragons. While the civil war itself will take seasons to unfold, it seems that the first run will end with dragons taking flight and preparing to tear each other to pieces. It all starts next week on Sunday if this latest trailer is anything to go by, in a penultimate episode called “The Green Council” and followed by the finale, “The Black Queen.”
King Viserys is dead, but we can’t get enough of the memes
The king is dead, but his memory will forever live on in the Game of Thrones fandom. Even though House of the Dragon hits enough high notes to be considered a worthy successor to the main series, Paddy Considine’s absence will definitely be felt in the remaining two episodes and the seasons forthcoming. The man had essentially been carrying the show on his back, though his death was as inevitable as the war that would follow it.
As the community mourns the death of a king, let us take a moment to go through all of the brilliant memes that folks on social media thought up after watching “The Lord of the Tides.” Believe us, they’re going to give you a good chuckle.
