A Succession War will turn into a War of Annihilation.
Clare Kilner directed this episode of House of the Dragon, along with the fourth and fifth episodes. She is a multi-award-winning director and screenwriter known for her strong understanding of performance. She delivered what showrunner Miguel Sapochnik described as a thriller cooped in a race against time. Everything exploded, and Alicent and Otto tried to control the situation.
The ninth episode, titled “The Green Council,” kicks off on the morning of Viserys’ death. A page boy in the Red Keep is the first to happen upon the King’s body. Like any spider in the White Worm’s intricate web, the boy delivers the news first to the Queen’s handmaiden, Talya, also a spider in Mysaria’s web of spies. From the kitchen to the Queen’s chambers, Talya then delivers the news to a devastated Alicent, who instructs her to remain in the room and tell no one. The Queen dresses and then makes way for The Tower of the Hand, where she delivers the news of the King’s death along with his supposed dying declaration to her father, Ser Otto. Still, in the Queen’s chambers, a resourceful Talya manages to relay the information to the White Worm using lit candles in a stand that she places behind the window facing Flea Bottom.
Within the hour, Ser Otto Hightower convenes the Small Council, to which he pronounces, “The King is dead. We grieve for Viserys the peaceful, our sovereign. Our friend. But he has left us a gift. With his last breath, he impressed upon the Queen his final wish: that his son, Aegon, should succeed him as Lord of the Seven Kingdoms.” To that pronouncement, the Master of Ships, Ser Tyland Lannister, responded, “Then we may proceed now with the full assurance of his blessing on our long-laid plans.” And immediately, the long-laid plans begin to be set into motion, and they are concise: replace captains in the City Watch loyal to Daemon, divide the gold in the Treasury for safekeeping, send ravens to allies of the greens in Riverrun and Highgarden, and put Rhaenyra and her family to the sword.
The fact that members of the Small Council had planned to install Aegon secretly without her knowledge was as shocking to Alicent as the plan to murder the Princess and her family. According to the Queen, ordering Rhaenyra’s murder was a step too far and contrary to the late King’s “wishes.” However, she somewhat relents when Grand Maester Orwyle affirms Otto’s plan when impressing upon her the dangers of allowing Rhaenyra to be free to draw support to her claim, “Your father is correct, Your Grace. A living challenger invites battle and bloodshed.” To reaffirm the need for murder and tilt the scales, Otto chimed in, “It is unsavory, yes. But a sacrifice we must make to secure Aegon’s succession.” It had gotten heated in the room when the Queen sought to have the murder plans shelved. However, the temperatures cooled to a quiet acquiescence when Ser Tyland asked Alicent for an alternative solution – she did not have any. Before the heated discussion, Lord Lyman Beesbury had angrily voiced his objection before accusing the green council of regicide. According to Lord Beesbury, the King was by all accounts well the previous night:
“I will not have this. To hear that you are plotting to replace the King’s chosen heir with an imposter! Hundreds of lords and landed knights swore fealty to the Princess. I am six-and-seventy years old. I have known Viserys longer than any who sit at this table. And I will not believe that he said this on his deathbed, alone, with only the boy’s mother as a witness; this is seizure! It is theft! It is treason! I will have no part of it.”
Lord Beesbury had barely finished making his objection and accusations when Ser Criston Cole angrily forced him to sit down. He shoved his head against the table, crushing it and killing him instantly. With that, Ser Criston had sullied his White Cloak a third time without consequence, and this time Lord Commander Westerling had had enough. “Throw down your sword and remove your cloak, Ser Criston.” With plot armor on his side, he got away with murder a second time, and boy, have I had enough of him.
Otto’s ambitions are coming to a head, and he will stop at nothing. With Lord Beesbury’s body still in the room, he ordered that the meeting should continue until the business of the green council concluded. The meeting ended when Lord Commander Westerling refused to take orders from the Council, which had tasked him with taking his knights to Dragonstone to slay the Princess and her family. Like Barristan the Bold in A Clash of Kings, who would succeed him many years later, he removed his white cloak and reminded the council that he only takes orders from the King, and until there is one, he will take no part in usurping the throne. To me, Lord Commander Westerling epitomized honor, and his resignation oozed class, qualities that Ser Criston lost over the years owing to his inability to get over unrequited love.
The six-minute scene in the council chambers afforded the penultimate episode of House of the Dragon its title. It set the tone for the entire episode and opened the door for the war of the ravens, as depicted in Fire and Blood.
There is a Beast Beneath the Boards
After the small council meeting had concluded, Aegon’s safety was paramount. Otto and Alicent hurriedly made their way to Princess Helaena’s chambers to look for him, and there, for the first time, we met Aegon’s children, whose names we can only infer from the source material. They are fraternal twins born In 123 AC, a year after Aegon and Helaena married. The boy is Prince Jaehaerys, and the girl is Princess Jaehaera. According to the source material, Aegon also fathered two bastards, a boy, and a girl, born the same year as the twins, one of whom we would meet later in the episode in the Street of Silk.
Having not found Aegon in Helaena’s chambers, Otto leaves Alicent alone with her daughter; the children had also left with the chambermaid. Helaena, as is now customary, mumbles the words, “There is a Beast Beneath the Boards.” At the dinner table in the eighth episode, she had mumbled an iteration of the exact phrase, “Beware the beast beneath the boards.” At the time, I could not understand what she was predicting. Forward to the coronation scene at the end of the episode, and you will see her warning play out. The coronation is taking place on the upper floor of the Dragonpit, which is the “Board,” and the “Beast” is the dragon Meleys bursting from beneath, mounted by her rider Princess Rhaenys.
The Search for the Crown Prince
The frantic search for Aegon by the Hand and the Queen’s parties brought back memories of Game of Thrones, specifically the conversation between Ned Stark and Renly Baratheon before Robert’s death. On his deathbed, Robert had named Ned, Lord regent, to rule the Seven Kingdoms until his heir came of age. Renly knew that Ned would face resistance from the Lannisters, specifically Cersei. To mitigate that resistance, he made a sensible proposition to Ned, which in some light mirrors the showdown between Alicent and Otto:
“Give me an hour, and I can put a hundred swords at your command. Strike! Tonight, while the castle sleeps! We must get Joffrey away from his mother and into our custody; Protector of the Realm or no, he who holds the king holds the kingdom. Every moment you delay gives Cersei another moment to prepare; by the time Robert dies, it will be too late for the both of us!”
Ser Otto wants to increase the sphere of his influence; he wants to dig his claws into Aegon before crowning him. Thus he tasks Ser Erryk Cargyll, Aegon’s sworn shield, to find the Prince and bring him straight to him. Otto’s instructions are clear, Ser Erryk is to take no one else with him but his twin brother, Ser Arryk; they are to remove their white cloaks to mask their identities, and no one is to know what they seek, not even the Queen. On the other hand, the Queen tasks Ser Criston Cole to find Aegon and bring him to her. She ups the stakes by invoking Ser Criston’s loyalty to her to ensure that the knight doesn’t fail in the mission. Aemond, who was in the room at the time, volunteers to accompany Ser Criston in the mission, stating that he, too, like Ser Erryk knew Aegon’s doings and would be better suited to find him.
While all this is happening, Princess Rhaenys is locked in the guest chamber, where she had spent the night having skipped Viserys’ last supper.
The search takes Ser Criston and Aemond to the Street of Silk, and in the quest, we learn that Aemond is envious of his brother. “Here I am, trawling the city, the good soldier searching for a wastrel who’s never taken half an interest in his birthright. ‘Tis I the younger brother who studies history and philosophy. It is I who trains with the sword, who rides the largest dragon in the world. It is I who should be..”
The showrunners leave us to conclude what we will from Aemond’s sentiments, and it is clear he fell short of stating that he should be the one succeeding his father, not Aegon.
Cut to Erryk and Arryk; the twins are not in harmony. Ser Arryk, like Aemond, feels that Aegon is unfit to rule. He tries to impress that opinion upon his brother, who, according to him, should know better due to his tolerance of the prince’s proclivities for years as his Sworn Shield. Though they are twins, they are not on the same page on the succession matter. Their differences play out when the White Worm leverages information leading to Aegon’s whereabouts. The twins use the information negotiated by Otto to find Aegon. As they leave the Sept with the Prince, where Mysaria placed him, Ser Criston and Aemond waylay them, and A Storm of Swords ensues between one of the twins and Ser Criston Cole as the other twin refuses to come to his brother’s aid. Ser Criston and Aemond are successful in their quest; they manage to take possession of Aegon, who is resistant due to his grown aversion to power; “Let me go! I have no wish to rule! No taste for duty! I’m not suited.”
At the negotiating table, the White Worm had leveraged Aegon’s whereabouts; she demanded that Ser Otto, the Hand, close the fighting pit exploiting children in Flea Bottom. She intimated, “I could have killed him as easily as a wasp on fruit. There is no power but what the people allow you to take.” Again, memories of the second episode of the sixth season of Games of Thrones came flooding in. I remembered the High Sparrow’s statement to Jaime Lannister when Jaime threatened him:
“Who are we? We have no names, no family. Every one of us is poor and powerless. And yet together, we can overthrow an empire.”
Like the High Sparrow, the White Worm only sought to champion the cause of the downtrodden.
Back at the Red Keep, the Queen makes a point of letting her father know that she has Aegon. They had revisited the issue of murdering Rhaenyra and Alicent was still defiant, “Reluctance to murder is not a weakness! I have Aegon. We’ll proceed now as I see fit. We will send terms to Rhaenyra on Dragonstone. True terms, such that she may accept without shame.”
Strike your banners and Rally to Aegon
Lords Paramount, Vassal Lords, and Landed Knights who found themselves in the capital on the morning of the King’s death found themselves in an impossible situation. Otto dictated simple, straightforward terms: “You once swore your banners to Rhaenyra. You now must pledge them to the future king. You will not leave this room without declaring your intention.” Those who refused to bend their knee were thrown into the black cells or faced the hangman’s noose. Among those who refused to pledge loyalty to Aegon was Lady Fell of House Fell and Lord Merryweather of House Merryweather.
Princess Rhaenys was also in the capital that morning, and her allegiance was not to be forced; the greens understood that much. The Princess woke up that morning only to find her room locked from the outside. Alicent thought guile and old-fashioned appeal would work. Winning Rhaenys to their side or taking her dragon out of the equation was paramount; without both, the greens knew it would be easy to force Rhaenyra to the negotiating table. Other than affirming that Rhaenys should have been queen, Alicent offered the Princess the Driftwood throne, which the Velaryons built by the sweat of their brow. In short, the Queen, in my opinion, offered Rhaenys nothing, and in response, the Princess said, “The word of my House is not fickle.” Seemingly defeated, Alicent, on her way out, said to Rhaenys, “I’ll leave you with your thoughts. Ring the bell when you have an answer.”
Foot Fetish
As Larys Strong was about to leave the tower of the Hand, having ratted out Lord Caswell, Otto intimated that the Clubfoot had been spending many hours with the Queen of late, and in the next scene, we found out what his motivations were. He left the tower of the Hand and headed for the Queen’s chambers, where Alicent found him waiting. “I’ve found out something that you should know. Have you asked yourself, I wonder, how it is that your father, the Hand found Aegon first?” That was not a rhetorical question, and Alicent knew as much. The Queen understood what was required of her. She teased him by removing her shoes so he could give her the answer. “There is a web of spies at work in the Red Keep. Along its threads travels news of all our doings. Your father knows this but has left it in place. More than once, it has proved advantageous to those willing to feed the weaver.” At this point, it was apparent that the two were bartering. Alicent removed her stockings and placed her feet on the table to have him spill more beans. “One of the little spiders is your lady-in-waiting. There is one way to destroy his advantage. It must be taken out at the head. When the Queen dies, the bees fly without purpose.” With that, the Clubfoot suggested the murder of the White Worm, and Alicent gave an implied nod. To conclude the trade, the Queen turned away as Larys jerked off to her feet. That was to be his reward.
Ser Arryk Cargyll
It was refreshing to see that there are still good men in the Capital willing to risk everything for justice to prevail. Ser Arryk Cargyll is one such man. He risked a lot to rescue Princess Rhaenys, and he did it because honor compelled him. “With me, Princess. I cannot let this treachery stand.” He gave her a hooded cloak to disguise herself. They made their way through secret passageways out of the Red Keep, and as fate would have it, they got caught up in the melee of a crowd the City Watch was forcibly funneling to the Dragonpit to witness Aegon’s coronation. Rhaenys was unwilling to leave her dragon behind, and an opportunity, although unbeknownst, had presented itself; before long, she was in the Dragonpit where Meleys was.
The Coronation
“Criston Cole will be named Lord Commander of the Kingsguard. My son will be anointed tomorrow at dawn. The whole of King’s Landing must witness his ascent. He will assume authority. There will be no more dithering. My son will take the crown of his namesake, the Conqueror, and carry Blackfyre, his sword. Let the people remember the ancient strength of House Targaryen.” – Alicent Hightower.
On the way to the Dragonpit, Aegon expressed reservations about his impending crowning to the Queen. According to him, his father never liked him and didn’t want him as his heir. However, he softened his position when the Queen told him that Viserys had changed his mind, that with his final breath, he had whispered to her that Aegon should take his place on the Iron Throne. She then handed him the Conqueror’s dagger as proof. Seeing that he was amenable, she impressed upon him not to have Rhaenyra put to the sword as his grandfather would have him do; “You must reject this counsel. We must not rule with cruelty and callousness. For all her faults, she is your sister, your father’s daughter.”
The coronation was not as grand, but it was military precise, and the crowd loved it. Ramin Djawadi’s score was perfect; it underpinned the moment’s gravity. Ser Criston Cole, as the new Lord Commander of the Kingsguard, placed the Conquerer’s crown on Aegon’s head, proclaiming him Lord of the Seven Kingdoms. As the crowd applauded, Aegon embraced his status even as he basked in the warmth of that moment. It was all unicorns and rainbows until Meleys and Princess Rhaenys burst from beneath the boards. The greens were exposed and vulnerable, and part of me wanted them all taken out, starting with Ser Otto, but the Princess, to my dismay, doesn’t roll like that. She chose to be merciful. The Queen had locked Rhaenys in one of the guest chambers earlier in the episode, giving her an ultimatum on her allegiance. And now, the Princess was here to deliver an emphatic reply, which was a resounding nay.
Theories And Speculation
War is afoot. Ravens will fly, and the beacon on the Hightower will glow green.
Rating
The ninth episode of House of the Dragon was thrilling and suspenseful, and Olivia Cooke’s portrayal of Alicent Hightower had me briefly conflicted; she was compelling. When writing this review, Rotten Tomatoes had the episode at 89% and IMDB at 8.9/10. I will give it a 9/10. The setup and the payoff of “The Beast Beneath the Boards” were excellent.
For more content on House of the Dragon, head to our in-depth article on Everything You Need to Know Before Watching House of the Dragon and my review of episode 8. You can also check out works by George R. R. Martin in case you want to learn more about the source material that influenced House of the Dragon and Game of Thrones.
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