\n<\/p>\n
Did Alicent truly believe that Viserys was talking about their son? Or was that merely what she wished to believe? (As important, should a drama hinge its central conflict on the kind of verbal mix-up better suited to a sitcom? Answering that is, at this advanced stage, perhaps beyond the scope of this recap.)<\/p>\n
The daring stealth mission in which Rhaenyra sneaks back into King\u2019s Landing (with Mysaria\u2019s help) to force a one-on-one meeting with her frenemy of frenemies clears all this up. Alicent really believes Viserys wanted Aegon. For her part, Rhaenyra really believes Alicent really believes it. But once the dowager queen mentions the Conqueror\u2019s \u201cSong of Ice and Fire,\u201d Rhaenyra figures out what went wrong and offers a clarification \u2026 which Alicent refuses to heed, although she seems to know in her heart that it is true.<\/p>\n
So there you have it: The war will proceed because Team Green\u2019s captain can\u2019t handle the truth. Alicent\u2019s refusal to change course undoes not only Rhaenyra\u2019s peacekeeping efforts \u2014 and Princess Rhaenys\u2019s before that \u2014 but also her own. The fan discourse about this ought to be fun, according to certain definitions of \u201cfun,\u201d anyway.<\/p>\n
More than clearing up the wacky mix-up at the heart of it all, though, the scene\u2019s primary value is in reuniting the actors Olivia Cooke and Emma D\u2019Arcy. Their chemistry is as natural and compelling as that of any two performers on television. Their characters\u2019 energies feel as entangled as the dueling dragons in the show\u2019s Season 2 logo; watching them tear and pull at each other leads to results just as combustible. Quibble if you will with Rhaenyra\u2019s rashness in seeking an unprotected audience with the Queen in King\u2019s Landing. But adding this scene, which isn\u2019t in the book, made for a better show.<\/p>\n
While Rhaenyra and Alicent strive to keep the peace, though, the men surrounding them fight for the opposite. Rhaenyra\u2019s Black Council, made up primarily of minor lords scared to lose what little power they have, pushes for an attack right away. Her estranged husband, Daemon, flies straight for the moldering ruins of Harrenhal, key to the important Riverlands region. He is greeted by a pragmatic castellan, Sir Simon Strong (Simon Russell Beale), who hands the castle over to him without a fight, and a mysterious servant, Alys Rivers (Gayle Rankin), who tells him that Harrenhal is the place where he will die. You win some, you lose some, I guess.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n