The penultimate episode of House of the Dragon is upon us, and now that poor King Viserys I has expired and passed into the great beyond (he was looking a bit ragged!), tensions between House Hightower and House Targaryen are at a boiling point. It’s high time to choose a side and see how your team’s succession hopes play out entering this last pair of episodes.
Prior to peeling back the layers of House of the Dragon Episode 9, let’s revisit the rotting heart of last week’s chapter, “The Lord of the Tides,” to recall all the horrific happenings. More Milk of the Poppy, please!
What happened in the previous episode of House of the Dragon?
Uncertainty is the only real certainty we can ever count on in the Seven Kingdoms, as we hopped forward six years to find Lord Corlys’ battlefield wound at the Stepstones causing House Velaryon to rethink its plan to fill the Driftwood Throne if he dies. Vaemond is the obvious choice being The Sea Snake’s blood brother, but Rhaenyra’s bastard Luke stands to inherit Driftmark as her second-born son “supposedly” sired by Laenor Velaryon.
With the King now bedridden and Lord Hightower sitting on the Iron Throne for him, royal figures gathered at King’s Landing to plead their case for the Driftwood Throne. Rhaenyra and Daemon arrive with their clan in tow to jockey for their right to rule Driftmark. Rhaenyra introduces her dad to her latest sons conceived with Daemon, named Aegon III and Viserys.
After Viserys the Living Corpse trudged valiantly to sit upon the Iron Throne once more despite his sad condition, Vaemond’s claim is shot down which triggers an insulting emotional outburst that results in his head getting sliced open like a fresh cantaloupe courtesy of Prince Daemon.
As a dying wish after this grisly demise, the King held a healing family dinner party, but as we know, any collective event in Westeros never ends well and this tense meal was no different. Toasts were raised, taunts were tossed, betrothed cousins were badgered, and the unruly pair of princes, Aegon II and Aemond, continued to provoke animosity against Rhaenyra’s illegitimate brood.
Mistaken interpretations can take on lives of their own, and later when the croaking King Viserys believes Rhaenyra is with him bedside instead of his wife, Alicent, he continued an earlier conversation he’d had with his daughter about Aegon’s Dream and The Song of Ice and Fire, a prophecy that foretells of a battle for all humanity and a Targaryen who will unite the realm. Alicent wrongly thought this Prince Who Was Promised referred to their son Aegon II, but it’s really a reference to Rhaenyra’s lineage and Game of Thrones’ Jon Snow, aka Aegon VI Targaryen.
Got all your Aegons all sorted out? Good. Now let’s battle our way into House of the Dragon Episode 9 titled “Green Council” to see what treachery looms!
When is House of the Dragon Episode 9’s release date?
House of the Dragon Episode 9 can be found exclusively on HBO and HBO Max on Sunday, October 16.
What is House of the Dragon Episode 9’s release time?
HBO releases weekly episodes of House of the Dragon at 9 p.m Eastern.
How many episodes of House of the Dragon Season 1 are left?
House of the Dragon Season 1 is made up of 10 episodes in total. After this latest installment gets delivered there will be one episode left.
What is the plot of House of the Dragon Episode 9?
King Viserys I has at long last perished and with Queen Alicent wrongly interpreting her husband’s prophetic request to usher Aegon II onto the Iron Throne instead of Rhaenyra, expect the women’s renewed friendship to be torched. Lord Otto Hightower is bound to reveal his true intentions and Prince Aemond’s dastardly deeds have only just begun as his conflict with Prince Daemon and those Strong Boys grows. More treason, more terror, and lots more teasing to come!
Who is in House of the Dragon’s cast?
House of the Dragon offers an international cast that stars Paddy Considine (King Viserys Targaryen), Matt Smith (Prince Daemon Targaryen), Emma D’Arcy (Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen), Tom Glynn-Carney (Prince Aegon Targaryen), Ewan Mitchell (Prince Aemond Targaryen), Rhys Ifans (Otto Hightower), Olivia Cooke (Alicent Hightower), Steve Toussaint (Lord Corlys Velaryon), Eve Best (Princess Rhaenys Velaryon), Wil Johnson (Vaemond Velaryon), and Fabien Frankel (Ser Christen Cole).
Is there a trailer for House of the Dragon Episode 9?
Yes, HBO offered up a new teaser for Episode 9 that sets up two opposing sides in the wake of Viserys I’s passing:
- The Greens, represented by Otto and Alicent Hightower and Ser Criston Cole
- The Blacks, led by Prince Daemon and Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen of Dragonstone.
It appears that the scheming Hightowers will try to enthrone Aegon II before notifying Rhaenyra of her father’s demise, and wormy Larys Strong seems to have new scandalous information that revolves around a certain blonde-haired child that could be Aegon II’s bastard. Secret missions are hatched and factions are solidified in this intense preview as we wind down to the finish line.
Will House of the Dragon get a Season 2?
HBO’s chaotic tales of the crumbling Targaryen Dynasty will indeed live on after this first season. Series creators Ryan Condal and George R.R. Martin have formally stated that they hope to keep mining Martin’s 2018 source novel, “Fire & Blood” for up to three additional seasons.
