House of the Dragon: Episode 9

2022 - 10 - 17

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Image courtesy of "Winter Is Coming"

Fire & Blood vs House of the Dragon, Episode 9: The Green Council (Winter Is Coming)

The ninth episode of House of the Dragon will undoubtedly split fans over the changes it makes to George R.R. Martin's Fire & Blood.

In the book, it’s Criston Cole who convinces Aegon to want to become king, after telling him that Rhaenyra will have no choice but to kill him should she be crowned. Intead of fleeing swiftly, she goes to the Dragonpit to get her dragon Meleys the Red Queen, bursting through the floor during Aegon’s coronation. In this episode, Alicent finally becomes self-aware and realizes, through circumstances and with the help of Princess Rhaenys, the way her whole life has been lived in service of men rather than for herself. This presents us with a character that seems quite different from the one in the book, but maybe this is just a more complex version. After creating a network of spies, she uses her influence to try and tamp down on the depravity in certain parts of King’s Landing, particularly cruelty against children. House of the Dragon gives us a divisive ninth episode in “The Green Council.” There are a lot of changes to George R.R.

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Image courtesy of "CNET"

'House of the Dragon' Episode 9 Recap: The Hand, the Queen and ... (CNET)

Episode 9 of HBO's Game of Thrones prequel lets Queen Alicent shine. We also learn some unsavory things about Larys Strong.

It's easy to see Alicent's attempts at civility to be spat back at her by Rhaenyra and Daemon who, rightfully, will feel burned by the whole "Aegon is the new king" thing. She pushes Aegon for king, as she believes Viserys to have wanted, but her resolve to safeguard the princess in the process is admirable. She managed to sneak off during the ceremony, head to the dragon pit and retrieve Meleys, her dragon. Aegon is introduced, and led through a procession of knights onto the stage. Alicent pleads with Aegon to reject her father, that Rhaenyra is Aegon's sister and needs to be treated with civility. The queen shouts that reluctance to murder is not a weakness. To stop the espionage, they need to take out the Queen Bee, something he's capable of if the queen wishes it. He reprimands her for treating the succession like a game, and says they need to stay unified. You desire not to be free, but to make a window in the wall of your prison. "The former heir cannot of course be allowed to remain free and draw support to her claim … While Rhaenyra and Daemon sailed back to Dragonstone after the events of last episode, Princess Rhaenys is still in King's Landing. The Green Council is the penultimate episode of House of the Dragon's first season.

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