House of The Dragon King of the Narrow Sea Review: Absence of trust reigns in King’s Landing

Daemon’s return to King’s Landing brings a bevy of festering problems to light in King of the Narrow Sea. House of The Dragon continues to bring the political mind games and murky familial relations in another strong episode.

Rhaenyra’s reunion with her uncle Daemon is far warmer than their last encounter five years ago. He takes his niece to a brothel where things start to turn a little incestuous. Daemon pulls away, but not before one of Otto’s spies reports on the incident.

The rest of King of the Narrow Sea is spent dealing with Rhaenyra’s denials, her reluctance to marry and Otto’s judgment. Oh and Rhaenyra gets to let loose some steam with Sir Criston Cole.

The only issue is the time jump in episode three absolutely hurts the reunion between niece and uncle. In episode three, Rhaenyra was daring her uncle to kill her. In their first onscreen interaction in years, they communicate as if there aren’t any issues between them.

Paddy Considine, Milly Alcock, Matt Smith and Emily Carey each get moments in the spotlight. However, it’s King Viserys’s confrontation with Otto and Rhys Ifans performance that shines brightest. Otto’s disappointment is palpable. However, it can be read in a number of ways. Disappointment in himself for failing the king or disheartened by his king’s decision. Ifans plays Otto in such a considerate manner he’s impossible to get an accurate read on.

With the overview out of the way, let’s dive deeper into the elements that stood in King of the Narrow Sea. There may be some minor spoilers. House of the Dragon is available to stream on HBO Max.

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The King of the Narrow Sea returns

Daemon returns to King’s Landing. The initial reception is a cold one. Eventually, Viserys and Daemon embrace. Meanwhile, Rhaenyra has just returned from a trip to find suitors.

Rhaenyra has no interest in the men her father has arranged for her to see. Daemon treats Rhaenyra like an equal. He tells his niece, that she should marry one of the men her father has lined up for her. She can always hook up with someone else.

Rhaenyra sneaks out into the city with Daemon. She gets an abbreviated look at how the common people live. Daemon takes Rhaenyra to a brothel.

Niece and uncle are turned on by the environment and kiss. Daemon pulls away in and runs off with another woman. Word of Rhaenyra and Daemon’s adventure reaches Viserys. Daemon is brought before Viserys and is once again barred from Kings Landing. Daemon says he did seduce Rhaenyra, which is not true.

Rhaenyra’s night isn’t entirely ruined. She finally gives in to her attraction to Criston. The next day is a nightmare.

Smith and Alcock were great in this scene. I just wish we had more scenes between the two leading up to the brothel scene.

A rekindled friendship

Otto sends a spy to watch Rhaenyra. He reports the incident to Viserys. Alicent overhears the conversation between Otto and Viserys. She’s angry about her father sending a spy and at Rhaenyra for doing something so dumb. Carey is fantastic in this scene.

She passes the message to Rhaenyra. Rhaenyra’s hurt and betrayed by the accusation. She denies doing anything wrong before revealing the truth to Alicent. She was into Daemon in that environment but nothing happened.

Both Rhaenyra and Alicent are in similar situations. They’re stuck in positions they didn’t ask for. Alicent wasn’t given a choice over marrying the king. Rhaenyra has to marry to protect her family’s legacy.

Viserys isn’t a cruel king like Joffrey, but the absence of passion in their marriage is evident. In spite of their unenviable situations, these two seem to have rekindled their friendship. Alicent offers advice on what Rhaenyra should tell Viserys.

Decisions, Decisions

Viserys and Rhaenyra engage in another angry father-daughter conversation. This scene presents another excellent opportunity for Alcock and Considine to shine.

Rhaenyra completely disputes Daemon and Otto’s account of what happened. Viserys doesn’t quite believe his daughter. However, Rhaenys agrees to marry Laenor Velaryon. In exchange, she asks her father to confront Otto. Ever since Otto’s grandchild was born, he’s been angling to have his kin sit on the throne.

No matter what Rhaenyra was doing, there was no reason for Otto to send a spy to record her actions. Unless he was trying to find something to use against her. After all, Viserys named Rhaenyra heir and as the hand of the king, Otto should do everything on the king’s behalf.

Viserys does fire Otto. Rhaenyra’s conversation made Viserys aware of Otto’s machinations. He even makes the connection about Otto sending Alicent to comfort him. Otto doesn’t say much, in fact, he barely moves during this scene. He’s not exactly sure where Viserys is heading with the conversation. When Viserys removed the pendant form, Otto, the former hand doesn’t try to talk his way out of it. He basically just accepts the decision. Considine and Ifans are simply tremendous in this scene.

King of the Narrow Sea final thoughts

Aside from the time jump taking away some necessary character development, King of the Narrow Sea is another excellent episode.

Alcock does a tremendous job of showing the indignity of this The Last Duel-like scenario. Smith confounds everyone with his intentions as Daemon. Considine tries to be a decent king as Viserys but is torn by a custom that demands otherwise. Ifans brings it all together with a masterclass in subtlety that pairs especially well against the magnanimous actions of Daemon.