House of the Dragon reminds us there are no normal families in King’s Landing
At the end of the day, House of the Dragon is a family show. Not in the sense that it’s “safe for the whole family,” of course — but it is, more than anything, about one family, and how power begins to warp it beyond recognition. After the big spectacle of last week, and the kingdom-wide politicking of prior episodes, House of the Dragon slows down and narrows its focus to the three Targaryens at the center of its grand story and the people closest to them. 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 makes a show of bowing to his brother, Viserys (Paddy Considine), who welcomes the wayward Targaryen home with open arms. 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. Together the pair wander a mass of humanity where street performers, vendors, and sex workers ply their trades, and what begins as a bit of thrill-seeking fun takes a dark and strange turn when Daemon leads Rhaenyra into a brothel, and the two nearly have sex
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