King of the Narrow Sea

It's possible that after I last week reached the conclusion that House of the Dragon is modeling its storytelling after The Crown, I was now looking for support of that theory in the newest episode. Whether it was confirmation bias or not, I certainly saw a lot more of The Crown in "King of the Narrow Sea."

Daemon returns to King's Landing after his victory at the Stepstones... and is soon pushing his relationship with Rhaenyra in new ways to trouble King Viserys. Rhaenyra bristles at continued efforts to marry her off. And Otto's position as Hand of the King is threatened.

Unusually long for an episode that has little conventional "action," this hour-(plus) of House of the Dragon felt like a pretty "Crown-like" day of stock trading: the fortunes of some characters rise as those of other characters fall. And a princess bristles at the role she's been assigned in the royal family (one The Crown plot line that keeps on coming back.)

While the state of the political landscape undeniably changes between the beginning of the episode and the end, there's still sort of a feeling that not much "happens" over a rather slow-paced hour. This is another table-setting episode, setting up a banquet to be served in probably another week or two. I haven't yet read Fire and Blood, the said-to-be-dry book of Westeros history upon which this series is based (and which George R.R. Martin chose to complete instead of The Winds of Winter). So I'm throwing out conjecture here that could be proven wrong right now by anyone who has cracked the book (or looked on a Wiki somewhere, I'm sure).

It sure feels like the rough model of season one of Game of Thrones is repeating itself: the king will soon be dead, and all the major players are being positioned for an ensuing struggle for the throne. Aegon, the heir of tradition, but so young as to be easily co-opted and corrupted by those with other agendas. Rhaenyra, the named heir, but who has "sullied herself" in the eyes of many who might have supported her. Daemon, the spurned brother with more experience, but who is the last person who should be on the throne.

I hang on to House of the Dragon for now, because it feels like that coming story is going to be a very interesting one. But I won't pretend that this week's slow-burn preparation was gripping. There was twisted chemistry between Matt Smith and Milly Alcock -- not so much romantic chemistry as a twisted mentor/mentee relationship. But those two actors really had to carry a lot of story that wasn't exactly "exciting."

So I'd give this week's episode a B- at best. Here's hoping the real fireworks are lit soon.