House Of The Dragon – S1 E4 King Of The Narrow Sea Recap & Review
House Of The Dragon – Season 1 Episode 4 “King Of The Narrow Sea” Recap & Review
"King Of The Narrow Sea" Review :
Episode 4 of House of the Dragon begins with Rainyra listening to several different suitors as they move on and claim to be her husband. Whether he is too young or too old, the chosen one is not exactly marriage material.
When a fight breaks out, Rainera notices a lot and heads back to King's Landing. With just two months left to go on their tour, and with Rainera completely rejecting every lover, the group contemplates how Viserys is going to take it.
Damon sneaks into the main throne room, visible to the king's guards with drawn swords. He drops one of his, "Take it to the chair."
Damon wears his crown, as he is called the "King of the Narrow Sea". However, he drops the crown and falls on his knees, claiming that Viserys is the only true king. It's not clear right now what kind of game he's playing (if any), and you can defuse the tension with a knife. Although the pair embrace, Viserys tells Damon that he has a huge debt in the realm.
Later, Damon and Rainera talk about their changed fate in this world, including several of the latter's proposals. Of course, none of this is in the name of love, it's all about power and titles.
Speaking of power, Viserys assembles the small council in the throne room where he has bigger problems. Lord Corliss talks with Sealord of Braavos. He plans to marry his daughter Lana to Sealord's son. So why is this bad? Well, if Valerian formed an alliance with the free cities they would be forced to seek a marriage settlement of their own in order to fortify their borders. And that "marriage agreement," of course, comes from Rainera.
That night, Raina sneaks out with Damon. The pair wander through the bustling streets, eventually stumbling upon a stage play reenacting the birth of their brother Aegon. It seems that even here she is not able to escape from the politics of the throne.
Back inside, Alicent is called to see Viserys in the middle of the night, but it seems that his back injuries are far worse than in many episodes. This may have an effect later in the story.
Anyway, Viserys eventually ends up having sex with her. It's certainly not loving, considering how bored and submissive she looks, but it matches beautifully with Damon and Renera who appear in a pleasure house full of naked men and women.
Soft moans echo through the hallways, as Damon tells her "fucking is as much a pleasure for a woman as it is for a man." And with that, we see the real Targaryen destiny come into focus, as Damon and Rainera finally kiss... for a while anyway. Damon eventually walks away, leaving Renera alone.
Rainera, however, takes Damon's words to heart and returns to the palace again with Ser Kristen Cole. This is the one she sleeps with that night.
Otto receives word from a messenger, who actually tells about Damon and Rainera. Otto eventually tells Viserys what happened, while Alicent confronts Renera and asks for an explanation. Of course, it wasn't really sex, just kissing, and Rainera quickly pointed out that these rumors are scandalous and not true.
This doesn't particularly bode well for Damon, who is taken to the throne room in the morning and thrown to the floor. Viserys kicks him and demands the truth. Damon tells Viserys that he should let him and Rainera marry him, and in doing so will transform the House of the Dragon to its former glory.
Viserys sees this as a ploy to get the throne and wipes Damon's hand, telling him to go and get out of his sight.
Alicent sticks up for Renera that evening, pointing out to her husband that she confides in her friend after a conversation in the courtyard. Viserys protests over what to do and eventually brings Rainera to see him so they can talk.
Viserys calls her his "political behead" and proceeds to decide that she should marry Ser Lenore Valerian. It will link the two most powerful houses together. Rainera reveals that Otto is the real vulture and opportunist here, as he is trying to put Aegon on the throne.
Viserys puts it off, unless Rainera throws an ultimatum on his way out - Otto gets rid of the hightower as a hand and Rainera will get married.
Viserys makes a big decision. He reflects on how Otto has wormed his way, calculating it all with Alicent and Aegon. He takes the title by hand, indicating that he can no longer trust Otto's judgment, leaving him shocked and incredulous.
As the episode ends, Rainera receives a tea from the king, intended to "get rid of him of any unwanted consequences".
Episode Review :
Usually with TV shows, the sex scenes add absolutely no context or are just meant to fill the time. But not in House of the Dragon. Rainera and Damon / KristenThe combative kiss/sex between Viserys and Alicent against Cole is done beautifully. This is a way of showing the difference between duty and pleasure, as well as how rigid and obsessive some arranged marriages can be.
It's really refreshing to find a show that doesn't ruin a single scene, squeezing as much as it can into its run-time while leaving a lot of ambiguity in its dialogue. Unlike something like Rings of Power, which repeats the same information over and over and sacrifices good storytelling for good visuals, HOTD is winning this "fantasy war" with ease.
The show has a really nice ups and downs, managing to blend together politics, drama and fantasy without compromising on the story or pace of the show. The real test here will be whether the show survives its upcoming time-jump. We'll have to wait and see!
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