We have reached the end of the character installations I talked about for four chapters. We know the characters well, who they love, and why. At the end of five episodes, we learned what all the characters now want and what kind of people they are. A 10-year time jump awaits us now. In these ten years, all the characters will remain as we left them, but they are all waiting for the right time to reveal their truth. And that right time is almost here. So I have divided this article into six sections for you. In the end, I will put the overlooked details that caught my eye and finish by talking about the trailer. Let’s start.
First Episode’s Review
Second Episode’s Review
Third Episode’s Review
Fourth Episode’s Review
Better Than Sheep
We open the episode with Lady Rhea, whose name we have only heard as “Bronze Bitch” for 4 episodes. And we immediately say goodbye to her. On the way home, encountering her husband Daemon, Rhea provokes him, which is a dangerous game. While Daemon cleared the most crucial issue between him and Rhaenyra, he also took over the Vale in his possession as they had no children. In the original, Rhae dies differently, and Daemon wasn’t the cause of her death. But the series has slightly changed to show how far Daemon can go.
Voyage to the Driftmark
Our camera then returns to the Targaryen ship bound for Driftmark, the island of the Velaryons. The King is now very sick and goes to ask for a groom with his new hand, Lyonell Stong, and his daughter Rhaenyra. Here, Laena Velaryon, whom we met at the age of 12 in the second episode, welcomes them. Laena, played by Savannah Steyn, will, unfortunately, leave the show because she will be one of the names that have changed due to the 10-year time jump. On the other hand, we see Laenor Velaryon with Joffrey Lanmouth. Those who know the book have already understood the subject directly.
The King formally demands Laenor Velaryon from Corlys for his daughter. But Corlys has one condition: The next person to take the Throne will be Velaryon. Viserys, however ill, refuses. The Throne was the dragon and will stay as it is, he says. This is precisely what Corlys regretted at the end of the second episode. The Targaryens have always managed to keep on top of everyone thanks to their dragons. In this episode, there was an earnest emphasis on the fact that the Targaryens should go now.
As the King agrees with Corlys and returns to the ship, Rhaenys expresses her dissatisfaction with the situation in a nervous tone. In the second episode, she openly said that Throne could not pass to a woman; they would not allow it. Now, on top of that, her son has been drawn into a possible war in the future. Rhaenys, as always, looks at things as a politician. Corlys, on the other hand, emphasizes “justice.” We’ll see who’s right in a few episodes.
Prepare Aegon
Although Alicent comes to say goodbye to her father, thinking he is still lying, his father can no longer hold back what is inside and says those words that will determine the whole series’ future.
One day Viserys will die. And if Rhaenyra succeeds him, war will follow. The realm will not accept her. And to secure her claim, she have to put your children into the sword. She have no choice.
Neither jealousy nor ambition is the reason why Alicent wants to steal Rhaenyra’s Throne in the future. Finally, you all learned. They will fill Alicent for years, saying Rhaenyra will kill your children if she comes to the Throne. Otto will be the flag bearer.
After that, we will encounter this thought several times that if she can sit on the Throne, she will kill us all. It will be repeated many times. The decision is yours, of course. Once you meet the adult Rhaenyra, too, you will see if she is that person or not. I don’t want to spoil your taste by giving spoilers right now, but there is a killer sentence that Rhaenyra will use when she meets Alicent years later, which we will discuss at length in the future.
Marriage in the Name of Duty
Rhaenyra’s change was designed really well. She learns quickly and applies what she sees. She has already started to use the “Marriage is a must, but that doesn’t stop you from getting what you want” mentality that he learned from Daemon in the last episode. Anyway, Laenor was ready even before. Because Laenor is gay, as his family knows. He is with his friend Joffrey Lanmouth. While the book claims that Laenor is gay, nothing is said about the certainty of this. The screenwriters filled in between the lines, declared Laenor directly gay and paved the way for Rhaenyra. Rhaenyra’s idea that we should get married but do what we want in the background is also in Laenor’s mind. For this reason, the two of them are the most entertained at the wedding. Why not, right? The Throne will be theirs, and they will have sex with whomever they want.
However, this idea is not for everyone. Especially for Criston Cole. We understand that Criston fell in love with Rhaenyra. He invites her to flee to Esos. This part was essential to me. In my article last week, I asked who would open to whom first. So this means screenwriters didn’t use Mushroom’s story. Criston opened up and, unfortunately, didn’t get what he wanted from Rhaenyra. However, in the first episode, Rhaenyra told Alicent she does not want the Throne; all she wants is to travel to Esos and eat cakes. What a change…
Yes, though Rhaenyra still agrees to continue with him, loyalty is what Criston is looking for. As I wrote in the last chapter, the fact that Criston folds his white cloak before making love shows how much he cares about it. He himself admitted how important the cloak is. He wants to live as an honorable man. To keep his promises. Unfortunately, he failed to keep his promise to the realm against Rhaenyra. But it wasn’t because he didn’t get an answer that he switched sides. The screenwriters have done a great line filling here, too.
Foreign Flowers in the Garden
I told you in my second episode article that the character of Larys Strong will be with us, maybe even in the series’ final episode. I think you understand why. Yes, Littlefinger was a dangerous man too, but he wasn’t straightforward as Larys. He used to play his games behind the curtains. Larys got involved headlong in the story. He doesn’t hesitate to say whatever comes to his mind. The main part was the flowers. He said the flowers he had smelled were from Braavos, and they were not supposed to be here. This was the clear message that the Targaryens must go now.
Larys filled Alicent so well that only one fuse remained to be ignited after her father. And we can’t claim that Larys lied. He just whispered the truth of Rhaenyra, who was the real liar. Alicent summons Criston Cole as a bomb, ready to explode. That’s where the bomb exploded. Criston, my sweet, pure naivety. Love child. If she could have waited a little longer, the Queen was about to tell if something had happened between Rhaenyra and Daemon. But he confessed. This part is one of the screenwriters’ successful line-fillings. While Daemon doesn’t tell the truth even though it’s a lie, Criston is someone who can’t hide the truth.
Criston would consent if the Queen drove him out of the city or executed him. But Alicent forgave him. Fabien Frankel, who plays Criston Cole, uses his eyes wonderfully. The look, when Alicent told him, “you could go,” is the proof of why he will choose the greens. It is no longer possible for him to let go of a woman who spared his life and will bring him back from the dead at the end of the episode. Thus, the side of Criston with Alicent became clear.
Let me leave a nice footnote. In the fourth book of Game of Thrones, A Feast for Crows, there is a conversation between Arianne Martell and Arys Oakheart. Arianna says that Criston started the civil war. Although it is not exactly like this in Blood and Fire, I wonder how the scriptwriters will handle the subject.
Those Westeros Weddings
First of all, I would like to approach this part of the series from a technical point of view. They’ve done an amazing job. Everything was magnificent, from the Velaryon navy’s arrival to the hall’s entrance, from the dances to the directing that increased the tension. This episode will be engraved in the series’ history with golden letters. The entrance of the Velaryons, followed by the arrival of Daemon, and finally the appearance of Alicent… Simply exquisite.
Now, this chapter departs a little from the book. Normally, most of what happened in this episode should have happened in the tournament the King was talking about. Alicent comes to this tournament in green and Rhaenyra in black. Criston Cole beats everyone one by one again. He also puts Joffrey Lenmouth in a coma, where he dies six days later. Finally, Cole comes in front of Queen Alicent, and Alicent throws flowers at him. Thus, the parties become clear.
However, the screenwriters probably said that Westeros’ weddings are so amusing; let’s melt the tournament into the wedding, let’s tell everything there. But, again, they did a successful reading between the lines. So there are 3 essential points that we need to talk about in this sequence.
The first is Daemon’s approchement with Laena Velaryon. In the episode, Daemon, who could not get what he wanted from Rhaenyra, will marry Laena in the future. They will be very happy indeed. Sure, for a while. You will see them in later episodes.
Second, and perhaps most importantly, Alicent walks in with the greens. Alicent, wearing green, declared war unilaterally. Normally, as I mentioned above, while there is a situation that should be mutual, the screenwriters first wanted Alicent to choose a side. When war is declared in Oldtown, the Hightower tower turns green. In her emerald green outfit, Alicent officially called for war. The Hightower family stood up as she walked and said, “We are in this war, too.” Which they have stated themselves. Take note of Hobert Hightower, who said we are with you. We will meet him a lot in the future. He will sign one of the most honorable deaths in Westeros history. This episode had 2 excellent parts. Daemon not getting up when everyone else gets up when Alicent arrives. He’s truly a character. And Alicent calling Rhaenyra a stepdaughter. Worst than cursing.
The third important episode is, of course, Joffrey’s death. Those whose name is Joffrey should stay away from weddings, I think. Joffrey and Laenor made the mistake I mentioned above. Covert games aren’t for everyone. For Laenor and Joffrey, maybe it was okay to have romance behind the curtains, but going and saying we know everything to Criston Cole was officially a suicide attempt. As a result, Criston signed off on yet another case of Oberyn Marteşl, turning the boy’s head into a pulp. But, of course, there is no such thing in the story, so I wonder how Criston survived?
At the end of the wedding, Rhenyra and Laenor were officially married. The two of them will also lead a life as they planned. But things will not go as planned. The King is on his way to death. When the King dies, it will be a mess.
Some Beautiful Details
Driftmark is the name of the island where the Velaryons live. High Tide is also the name of the castle where King Viserys entered. Corlys seems to care about memories because he’s a traveling man. His castle is filled with a lot of interesting items. To understand some of them, I must rummage through the book again. A lot of belongings come from Esos, or rather, obviously belong to Esos. If you notice, he took the mask of Drahar, whom they fought in Stepstones 2 episodes ago, in his castle. Likewise, he had a mural painted about the wars of the Velaryons inside the castle, and placed the skeletons of the Esosians next to them. Another detail that caught my eye is that in the throne room, there is a massive map on which the entire universe is drawn. A detailed map big enough to cross the bone mountains in the east from Westeros in the west.
It will be a bit of a forced approach, but I attribute their use of close-up to this. In the last episode, Criston folded up the cloak and put it on the couch before making love to Rhaenyra. In this episode, Criston was sitting in a similar chair in the Queen’s room, but he leaned his sword on the chair this time. There may also be a technical reason, but it made up my mind that he was sending his love to Rhaenyra and his loyalty to the Queen.
Laenor and Rhaenyra will have three children. I mean, it’s a bit tricky, but let’s just say it’s their children. We also understand from Rhaenyra’s tears at the end of the episode that she is very saddened by Joffrey’s death. That’s precisely why she’s naming her third child Joffrey.
Everyone is discussing and creating theories about which disease the King got sick off. Those who watched this episode probably thought that he had Greyscale. In fact, there is no such disease in the books. However, the series added a disease to convey the stress of the King. The name of this disease is Leprosy. Announced by Paddy Considine, who plays the King himself.
I said we’d see 9 dragons in the first season. We’ve seen Syrax, Craxes, and Seasmoke so far. A fourth has been added. Meleys, the dragon of Rhaenys. In the next chapter comes the fifth and most majestic: Vhagar.
The series has always used original characters and progressed through them. If I haven’t missed it this season, they needed to add a character for the first time: Gerald Royce. Although there is no such character, the fact that he was added means that he will play a key role in the future. Obviously, writers saw something missing at some point and decided to add a new character.
In the next episode, we make a 10-year jump. It will sound foreign to most of you. Alicent’s children will grow up, and Rhaenyra’s and Daemon’s will also have children. The show is going to turn into a kindergarten. But these children will be the key figures of this series. Mostly Rhaenyra’s children. Because, as you’ll see in the trailer, Rhaenyra’s children are neither Targaryens nor Velaryons. We, as spectators, know why there will be no children between Rhaenyra and Laenor. But ordinary folk do not know. And that will cause a severe problem. Whose children are the children?