House of the Dragon Season 1 Episode 6 Review: The Princess and the Queen

After a decade time jump, Alicent’s ultimate goal is to secure the succession of Aegon on House of the Dragon Season 1 Episode 6, “The Princess and the Queen.”

There has been much controversy about Emma D’Arcy’s portrayal of Rhaenyra before she even made her debut on screen. And in one episode, she shows those betting against her that they’ll never be victorious.

D’Arcy’s portrayal of the character is rough, with a jagged edge exterior, versus Milly Alcock’s portrayal. D’Arcy excels in portraying the hardened exterior Rhaenyra has had to acquire over the past decade.

Rhaenyra has kept her and Laenor’s affairs a secret for ten years, bearing cruelty from those in the realm who can see through the lies, with Alicent playing a significant factor. The optimistic, childish outlook on life is no more, and this is a Rhaenyra who knows the gravity of her actions and the importance of keeping her image secure.

I love what D’Arcy is bringing to the character and cannot wait to see what’s in store at the backend of the season.

With that being said, the pacing of “The Princess and the Queen” is incredibly upsetting. The episode focuses on expanding the story quickly rather than allowing the audience to spend much time with the newfound characters, which is an issue.

Spending virtually no time with Laena before her death is insulting and only prolongs my need for the series to slow down.

Out of everyone in the new cast, I was most looking forward to seeing what Nanna Blondell brought to the role of Laena. Now, that’s no longer an aspect to look forward to, and it feels like the wrong move for the series to make.

While Laena’s death scene is nowhere near as gruesome as others portrayed on screen, it is one of the most emotional, in my opinion. After pleading to Daemon to let her and their kids return home to Driftmark and being ignored, Laena is forced to die in foreign territory against her will.

However, I do like the parallels between episodes one and six between Aemma and Laena, changing the outcome and giving Laena autonomy over her body. She has a say in her death, whereas Aemma does not, adding an increased emotional aspect to the situation.

The only plus to Laena’s death is her getting to die an honorable Dragonriders death.

There are plenty of aspects to love about this episode, such as the chemistry between Emma D’Arcy and Olivia Cooke and the iridescent detail in the dragons’ showcasing. However, that does not exempt the fact that the storyline is being rushed along too quickly.

It’s evident the showrunners weren’t thinking long-term because they couldn’t predicate whether the series would be a hit or not. So, instead of slow burn, intricate, methodically told stories, we’re getting these fast-paced one-off episodes where we stick with one time period for one episode, two tops, and then are thrown into another time jump.

The fast-paced momentum in the series would be more tolerable if it was deemed a limited series, and it was known to have only one season. Moreover, with a Season 2 ordered for production, it leaves the audience wondering where exactly season one will end and what will be left of the original blueprint to tell.

Plus, the return of Emily Carey and Milly Alcock in Season 2 is a must! The showrunners may claim to be over with their portion of the story, but with how fast we skipped through the childhood years, it would be worth looking back on in Season 2.

Stray Thoughts:

• Aemon is giving off major Joffrey Baratheon vibes.
• Vhagar being reluctant to follow Laena’s orders because he knows what she’s asking of him will never not affect me. It almost looks like he’s crying when he finally obeys her commands.
• Vhagar is absolutely stunning, and I love that we’re getting to see more and more of the dragons intersect with the overall storyline and play an active role.
• The rivalry between Alicent/Cole and Rhaenyra/Harwin is juicy, enthralling, and cut down entirely too quickly. It’s almost as if the series is purposefully taunting us with exhilarating situations, only to rip them away in an instant gleefully.
• Harwin and Laena’s deaths will go down as one of the worst decisions within Season 1, whether it happened in the books or not. The pacing is atrocious.
• I would prefer we see a flashback or something showing how Laenor and Rhaenyra agreed to continue with their lie and how she and Strong came to be lovers in the first place. But, with his death, it’s plausible that we’ll never see that interaction.

What did you think of this episode of House of the Dragon? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

Critic Rating:

User Rating:

 

House of the Dragon airs Sundays at 9/8c on HBO.

 Follow us on Twitter and on Instagram!

Want more from Tell-Tale TV? Subscribe to our newsletter here!

13 TV Premieres We’re Looking Forward to in the 2022/2023 Season