DISCLAIMER: The following contains spoilers for George R.R. Martin‘s Fire & Blood and HBO’s House of the Dragon. Proceed at your peril.
Can you believe we only have three episodes left of House of the Dragon? Sunday’s outing, “The Lord of the Tides,” looks as substantial in the Game of Thrones universe as last week’s “Driftmark.” Not only do we get another time jump (admittedly, I’ll cheer when these jumps are over), but the tides shift for a few key players, namely Viserys and Corlys.
As you can tell by the episode title, the focus will undoubtedly be on Driftmark, while the Velaryons decide who will sit upon the Driftwood Throne after Corlys’s passing. However, it appears the Hightowers are up to no good in King’s Landing, and Rhaenyra, understandably, ventures there to keep her eye on the family who rules in Viserys’s stead. I can’t wait.
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So, in honor of episode 8, “The Lord of the Tides,” arriving this Sunday, I’ve compiled a list of predictions. I’ll reiterate — the night is dark and full of spoilers, especially from Fire & Blood.
Daemon Is Retrieving a Dragon Egg for His First Son
Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy) and Daemon (Matt Smith) have two sons together — Aegon III (known as Aegon the Younger in Fire & Blood) and Viserys II. In the trailer for episode 8, we see Daemon retrieving a dragon egg. I believe this is for Aegon. We might not see Rhaenyra give birth to him, but since there will be another time jump between last week’s episode and “The Lord of the Tides,” we’ll probably see Aegon the Younger as a baby.
Aegon’s dragon is named Stormcloud, and, unfortunately, he doesn’t have a happy ending. More on that another time. Meanwhile, Viserys II gets a dragon egg that never hatches.
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Rhaenyra and Daemon Will Bring Maester Gerardys to King’s Landing
After Rhaenyra expresses concern about the Hightowers ruling in her father’s stead, Daemon suggests they depart for King’s Landing at once. They’ll bring Rhaenyra’s healer, Maester Gerardys (Phil Daniels), with them. He becomes a trusted, leal servant to Rhaenyra. Plus, he takes care of Viserys (Paddy Considine) when the latter’s health, already in a precarious state, takes a grave turn.
Remember when the show removed two of Viserys’s fingers earlier this season? In Fire & Blood, Viserys slices his left hand, requiring Maester Gerardys to hack off two fingers to save the king’s life. However, the series already did that. What if Viserys punctures his right hand? After all, the universe craves balance. Regardless, Gerardys will attempt to alleviate Viserys’s suffering unorthodoxly, prompting Alicent (Olivia Cooke) to pin the blame on Rhaenyra for the king’s downward spiral.
The Fight for the Driftwood Throne Won’t End Well for Vaemond
In the episode 8 trailer, we learn that Corlys (Steve Toussaint) suffers a potentially fatal wound during the War for the Stepstones. Fire & Blood claims he succumbs to a sudden fever. The question of succession arises, with Vaemond (Wil Johnson) seemingly placing himself as the frontrunner for the Driftwood Throne. Appointing himself as a viable contender will not end well for Vaemond.
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Why? It makes sense, doesn’t it? Corlys and Rhaenys (Eve Best) lost Laena and Laenor (well, he faked his death, but still) almost in one fell swoop. Vaemond is Corlys’s brother (nephew in the book), so, by rights, the lordship and Driftmark should pass to him.
Unfortunately, Vaemond will put his foot in his mouth by claiming Driftmark should belong to him because Rhaenyra’s sons are bastards, despite Corlys’s wish that Lucerys (Elliot Grihault) take the Driftwood Throne. Rhaenyra, upon hearing Vaemond’s statement, dispatches Daemon to decapitate him and feed him to Syrax. Don’t mess with Rhaenyra Targaryen’s boys!
Rhaenyra Will Employ Mysaria as Her Mistress of Whisperers
We haven’t seen much of Mysaria (Sonoya Mizuno) on House of the Dragon, but she plays a vital role in the inevitable Dance of the Dragons. Daemon appears to approach her in “The Lord of the Tides” trailer, concealed in his Kermit the Frog hooded cloak. You know Daemon is doing something naughty when he dons his hooded cloak. Anyway, while Rhaenyra allows Daemon to continue sleeping with Mysaria (She later says, “Let Daemon slake his hunger where he will.”), Daemon could be approaching her here to enlist her to Rhaenyra’s cause.
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Eventually, Mysaria gains the names “Lady Misery” and “The White Worm.” Her expansive network of informants ostensibly has no bounds.
There Will Be a Feast at King’s Landing
While Otto (Rhys Ifans) sits on the Iron Throne in Viserys’s stead, the king somewhat recovers his strength, at least enough to continue his royal duties. The Red Keep hosts a celebratory feast in Viserys’s name. It seems we see fleeting images of said feast in the episode 8 trailer. In Fire & Blood, Alicent and Rhaenyra appear to mend fences, even sporting the other’s colors and declaring their love for one another. Daemon also makes peace with Otto, toasting his abilities as Hand and his leal service to Viserys. At face value, the kids get along.
However, the enmity between Rhaenyra and Alicent’s children runs deep, and peace doesn’t come easily. Aemond (Ewan Mitchell) mockingly admires Rhaenyra’s sons, claiming he’s never known anyone “so strong as my sweet nephews.” It appears Aemond participates in a brawl at the feast with the Velaryon boys.
That’s not all. Mushroom the fool (who we’ve only seen once, briefly, in the series) reports in Fire & Blood that Aegon the Elder (Tom Glynn-Carney) takes offense to Jacaerys (Harry Collett) asking his wife Helaena (Phia Saban) to dance. Aegon and Jace exchange venomous insults, which explains one shot in the trailer where they’re standing next to each other. The Kingsguard intervenes before it gets physical.
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Helaena Will Already Have Children at This Point
Helaena and Aegon have three children — twins, Jaehaerys and Jaehaera, and a younger son named Maelor. According to the book, Aegon’s sexual appetites aren’t sated with Helaena, so he frequents the brothels on the Street of Silk. There’s a good chance he fathers a few unknown kids, too. My bet is Aegon’s a dick to Helaena. Remember that scene in last week’s episode? Aegon was only betrothed to Helaena then, but it was abundantly clear he had no desire to marry her.
There are fan theories that Helaena and Aemond have an affair, and some of her children might be his. That’s complicating the incest a bit too much for my taste. The primary incest relationship between Aegon and Helaena is already more than I can handle.
Grand Maester Mellos Will Die
Grand Maester Mellos (David Horovitch) isn’t long for this realm. Viserys’s trusted friend and servant dies before he does. In the book, the older man collapses while climbing the serpentine steps, most likely after a small council meeting. There’s a big to-do regarding who replaces Mellos, with Rhaenyra throwing her support behind Gerardys. Naturally, Alicent wishes to combat Rhaenyra by bringing in Maester Alfador, who serves House Hightower. Ultimately, Archmaester Orwyle (Kurt Egyiawan) fills the role.
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Vaemond’s Family Will Seek an Audience With the King
After Vaemond’s murder at the hands of Daemon and the jaws of Syrax, Vaemond’s younger cousins embark on a trip to King’s Landing to seek an audience with the king to press their claim to Driftmark. While we don’t know much about what was said beyond Viserys’s response, Vaemond’s kin will likely declare their worth because Luke is not a true Velaryon. In Fire & Blood, Viserys says, “You were warned. I will hear no more of these lies.” He orders their tongues removed.
If Otto continues to perform Viserys’s duties for the whole episode or the remainder of the season, this could alter some book events. So far, I’m perfectly fine with the changes from page to screen.
What are your theories for House of the Dragon episode 8, “The Lord of the Tides”? Sound off in the comments below!
House of the Dragon drops new episodes every Sunday at 9 pm EST on HBO and HBO Max.
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