House of the Dragon Season 1 Episode 8 - Matt Smith, Emma D'Arcy, Phoebe Campbell, Elliot Grihault, and Eve Best House of the Dragon Season 1 Episode 8 Review: The Lord of the Tides

House of the Dragon Season 1 Episode 8 Review: The Lord of the Tides

Reviews

Viserys works to reunite all units of his family on House of the Dragon Season 1 Episode 8, “The Lord of the Tides.”

Being hailed as one of the season’s best episodes, “The Lord of the Tides” focuses on the internal fighting between the two families. It’s been six years since we’ve last seen the characters.

Daemon and Rhaenyra share a beautiful life in Dragonstone, Lord Corlys is badly injured in the Stepstones, with Rhaenys running Driftmark, and Alicent rules King’s Landing in Viserys’ name.

House of the Dragon Season 1 Episode 8 - Rhys Ifans
House of the Dragon — The Lord of the Tides — Pictured: Rhys Ifans (Photograph by Ollie Upton / HBO)

A lot has changed in the six-year time jump, but what stays prevalent is the ongoing battle over Rhaenyra’s children. Everybody knows the truth about Jace and Luke, but without concrete evidence, there’s no proof.

Nonetheless, Vaemond, Corlys’ brother, is sick and tired of games, petitioning the king to hear him out and decide who should rule Driftmark in Lord Corlys’ demise. Of course, Rhaenyra and Daemon decide to return to King’s Landing to defend their titles, leading to the juiciest and most entertaining parts of the episode.

Since Rhaenyra’s departure, Viserys’ health has taken a dramatic toll and decline, leaving him crippled and at the mercy of Alicent and Otto to rule in his favor. As expected, their return brings a surge of drama, and boy is it scrumptious.

The animosities and hatred shared amongst family members always provide the best television, and “The Lord of the Tides” does not disappoint.

House of the Dragon Season 1 Episode 8 - Ewan Mitchell
House of the Dragon — The Lord of the Tides — Pictured: Ewan Mitchell (Photograph by Ollie Upton / HBO)
Reunion Amongst Uncles and Nephews

It’s been six years since Luke, Jace, and Aemond’s unfortunate night in the tunnels that resulted in the loss of an eye. However, despite the time passed, the tension between the three and Aegon is at an all-time high.

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While the adults of the family make strides in overcoming ill-feeling towards one another and generally getting along, the children are causing a commotion. After needless taunting and back-and-forths, the tension comes to a head, and Jace strikes Aemond.

It’s a gut-wrenching scene from Aemond’s facial expressions alone. It’s only one episode in, and Ewan Mitchell is already proving why he was the best-suited casting choice for the role. While I don’t look forward to Aemond’s brutal terrorization of his nephews, I am intrigued to see what Mitchell will bring to the role.

One thing’s for sure, if Jace didn’t have a target on his back beforehand, he does now.

House of the Dragon Season 1 Episode 8 - Olivia Cooke
House of the Dragon — The Lord of the Tides — Pictured: Olivia Cooke (Photograph by Ollie Upton / HBO)
Alicent’s Empathy

The series does impeccable work with Alicent’s character on this episode. Not only do we get clarification on her viewpoints on the actions of her children, but we also see her softer side — a side not seen since her days as a child.

Alicent’s screams and blatant animosity towards Aegon and the person he’s become is a highlighting moment to the season. It’s nice to see that despite the ongoing war for the throne, her empathy for those around her is not lost.

Moreover, part of me wonders if Viserys’ slip-up before his untimely death will lead Alicent to become more like Cersei Lannister. If she wishes to fulfill Viserys’ dying claim for Aegon to rule the realm against the imminent threat, all hopes of living peacefully will be thrown to the side.

The saddest part of the situation is that Viserys thinks he’s speaking with Rhaenyra, not Alicent. It’s clear that Viserys is under the impression he’s talking to his daughter and continuing their prior conversation. His mentions of Aegon are meant to be the original conqueror, not his son.

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Any hope of Alicent and Rhaenyra being cordial after Viserys’ statement goes out the window.

House of the Dragon Season 1 Episode 7 - Paddy Considine
House of the Dragon — Driftmark — Pictured: Paddy Considine (Photograph by Ollie Upton / HBO)
Viserys’ Goodbye

Paddy Constantine’s portrayal of Viserys is compelling and emotionally moving. First interpretation has the audience believing that Viserys is too far gone to hear the pleas from Rhaenyra to secure her and Luke’s succession claims.

However, that thought process is proven wrong when Viserys, barely able to move on his own, makes an unannounced appearance at the hearing held to determine the true ruler of Drfitmark.

Viserys’ unwavering love and devotion to fulfilling his promise to his daughter fuels his fight-or-flight response of ascending the steps. And let’s not get it twisted; his arrival is a fight or flight response.

Despite his physical limitations, upon hearing that Rhaenyra and her sons may lose everything they’ve fought for, he peels himself out of that bed and forces himself upright to defend her honor. The one thing Viserys did until his dying breath: defend Rhaenyra, which is honorable.

Stray Thoughts

  • The only thing I wish for Season 2 is the death of Aegon.
  • “The Lord of the Tides” can be classified as one of the most fantastic episodes of Season 1, all thanks to the interactions between Rhaenyra and Alicent.
  • Daemon’s actions on this episode have me finally coming around and warming up to him. His actions to help protect his family (helping Viserys and decapitating Vaemond) only shine a positive light on the character.
  • I, surprisingly, thoroughly enjoyed the pacing of this episode. 

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

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

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Cade Taylor is a television and film critic living in St. Louis, Missouri. He is a Senior Writer for Tell-Tale TV. His love for television developed at a young age, with a concentration on queer stories, sitcoms, teen dramas, and science fiction thrillers. In addition, he works full-time as a news producer, telling the stories of Missourians and helming "Produced in the Bi-State," a segment spotlighting actors, musicians, and entertainers from the St. Louis area. He can be reached by email at cade@telltaletv.com.