The Dance of the Dragons has begun with the penultimate episode ofHouse of the Dragon,and Rhaenys turned out to be the MVP. The King (Paddy Considine) is dead, and theGreens have usurped the throne. And the warning of Alicent’s daughter Helaena (Phia Saban) that she has been murmuring since last two episodes, “the beast beneath the boards,” finally came true. In a new interview withEntertainment Weekly, directorClare Kilnerand actorEve Bestbroke down the epic moment.
The moment Otto Hightower (Rhys Ifans) and his allies had long been conspiring for finally comes as Viserys dies in his sleep. As soon as the news breaks, a hunt for Aegon (Tom Glynn-Carney) begins, for his coronation to take place, and meanwhile, Rhaenys is locked in her chambers. In the end, Aegon is crowned as the new King in the dragonpit, and as he’s waving his sword in front of his new subjects, boom… an explosion happens, and up rises the Queen Who Never Was on the back of her dragon Meleys. “We wanted her to be rising like a phoenix from the ashes,” Kilner reveals. It is to be noticed that she is donning her silver and red armor which, per Best, she packed as she knew she was charting choppy waters when first arriving in Kings Landing to negotiate the succession of Driftmark. Best divulges, “She hasn’t worn it for a very, very, very long time and the fact that she’s wearing it means business. It’s like, ‘This is it. No more games.'"
Per the actor, it’s the moment when “she shows herself to be the greatest possible ruler. It was the most outrageous and explosive action of the season.” Though Best also notes that choosing not to destroy the Hightowers is also the “most merciful and most graceful act,” which showcases Rhaenys’ intelligence and the will to do the right thing: “She has all the ammunition, and the desire for revenge is so great. She’s suffered so much loss, and for her own sake and on behalf of so many others, the urge to destroy is so strong. And yet the choice not to destroy becomes even stronger. That’s the mark of greatness and [a] truly inspiring moment. The choice not to drop the bombs is the greater choice."
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So, while Rhaenys had the means and urge to stop the civil war that will ensue, she chose mercy. Kilner and Best attribute Rhaenys’ mercy to a prior moment in the episode, when Alicent reaches out to the Princess for her allegiance to Hightower’s cause. Best said, “I think there’s a kind of mutual respect that happens as a result of that scene. It’s two women living through the appalling treatment, abuse, repression, oppression, the horrors of this patriarchal system. They see eye to eye, they understand, they empathize.” Hence, when Alicent stands in the line of fire for her son, Rhaenys respects that.
The finale ofHouse of the Dragonwill premiere on Sunday, October 23, meanwhile check out the teaser below:
