‘House of the Dragon’ Episode 7 Review: Knives Are Drawn in Another Captivating and Tension-Filled Episode
The Targaryen family conflict has been building throughout House of the Dragon, and episode 7 pushed it past the point of no return. An awkward funeral leads to an even more awkward family squabble as blood is spilled and one side seeks justice. Episode 7 of House of the Dragon is a tense and engrossing episode that proves intense drama between characters can be more exciting than fantasy spectacle. [SPOILERS AHEAD]
Episode 7 of ‘House of the Dragon’ keeps driving a rift between Rhaenyra and Alicent
Emma D’Arcy and Olivia Cooke are in their second episodes as Rhaenyra Targaryan and Alicent Hightower, and both already own these roles. While Rhaenyra continues to hover over the line of duty versus her personal desires, she is proving to be a more mature and empathetic person.
Meanwhile, Alicent has gone complete villain, as her resentment toward Rhaenyra’s freedom has twisted her into a hateful and vengeful person. The actor may be older, but Alicent as a character has become more childish, throwing a tantrum whenever she doesn’t get her way.
The family first gets together at the funeral for Laena Velaryon (Nanna Blondell), and it could not be any more awkward. In a scene utilizing little dialogue, the series does an excellent job at establishing each character’s emotions and feelings toward others simply through facial expressions. The tensions escalate and explode after an encounter involving the children
Aemond is permanently scarred in a ruthless kid fight
After the funeral, Aemond Targaryen sneaks out at night and rides Vhagar in a scene reminiscent of How to Train Your Dragon. However, this means that Vhagar is his dragon now, leading to the other kids becoming furious at this act. A bloody and ruthless fight breaks out, ending with Aemond losing an eye. It’s a shocking moment in episode 7 and shows that House of the Dragon is not afraid to portray violence toward kids.
The episode’s highlight comes in the next scene as Alicent and Rhaenyra defend their children. Rhaenyra not only has to defend her children’s true parentage but also has to defend them against Alicent, who demands retribution. Poor King Viserys (Paddy Considine) tries to settle everyone down while barely able to stand. This scene is captivating and features excellent writing and some disturbing character moments. The way the scene ends foreshadows the eventual war as any chance at coming together is gone.
Barriers are put up as new relationships are forged
The Velaryons genuinely suffer in this episode as it begins with the death of their daughter and the “death” of their son. Rhaenyra wants to be with Daemon (Matt Smith), but she can only do that if Laenor (John MacMillan) dies. So, she and Daemon fake his death, allowing Laenor to run away with his lover. The two are now married, fulfilling a destiny that had been teased earlier in the season.
This is where the time jump can hurt the series because Rhaenyra and Daemon’s love story hasn’t been completely developed. If more time had been dedicated to their growing romance, Rhaenyra’s quick turn toward Daemon would have been more believable.
Overall, episode 7 of House of the Dragon is fantastic and sets up a promising conclusion for the next three episodes. War is getting closer between the greens and the blacks, and Daemon and Rhaenyra are reunited once more. It’s hard not to pity the Velaryons after this episode, but at least Laenor got a happy ending, which is more than most characters in Westeros can say.
House of the Dragon episode 7 is streaming on HBO Max.
