Editor’s notice: The under accommodates spoilers for Episodes 1-9 of Home of the Dragon.
In Episode 9 of Home of the Dragon, “The Inexperienced Council,” the end result of over 20 years of scheming and plotting from the Hightowers and their allies involves fruition with the coronation of King Aegon II (Tom Glynn-Carney). It was a well-executed coup that took benefit of their place within the Crimson Preserve and the absence of the true inheritor Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy). Nevertheless, with a lot meticulous planning through the years all of them appear to have forgotten to organize their chosen inheritor to rule. That they had Aegon’s whole life to coach him to be an excellent chief, as Rhaenyra has achieved with Jacaerys (Harry Collett), and but he’s a vicious, usually drunk, rapist who will little question be a horrible king. The Greens could stay to remorse their alternative to offer a monster a lot energy.
We first meet Prince Aegon on his second title day, when he’s celebrated endlessly by the Lords and Women of the realm for merely being born. A lot of them imagine that as King Viserys’ (Paddy Considine) firstborn boy he ought to be named inheritor to the Iron Throne, one thing the younger man little question usually hears all through his life. It isn’t till Episode 6, “The Princess and the Queen,” that there’s extra from Prince Aegon (Ty Tennant), who’s now an adolescent, when he convinces his nephews Jace (Leo Hart) and Luke (Harvey Sadler) to prank his brother Aemond (Leo Ashton) with a pig dressed as a dragon, aka “The Pink Dread.” Whereas some could argue that is simply the same old infantile enjoyable, it’s the begin of a sample of callousness and cruelty that the Greens had been conscious of however did nothing to treatment.
Aegon Is Formed by the Individuals Round Him
On this similar episode, Aegon’s mom Queen Alicent (Olivia Cooke) realizes that he was liable for the prank on Aemond and accosts him whereas he’s masturbating out of an open window. When he (as soon as once more) would not present any curiosity in ruling, she tells him that if Rhaenyra ascends his “very life may very well be forfeit” after which grips his face in her hand earlier than screaming at him that he will probably be king. This mixture of worry and self-importance that she is fostering in her son will show to be a lethal mixture. Later, Ser Criston Cole trains him in swordplay, and the favoritism that Cole reveals him and his brother, to not point out the cruelty he teaches him to make use of towards his a lot youthful and smaller opponent, is consultant of the bitter emotions inside Cole’s personal coronary heart. There isn’t any doubt that this continuous publicity to such poison will contribute an excellent deal to the person Aegon turns into.
When the Targaryens and Velaryons assemble in “Driftmark,” Prince Aegon is unfeeling in regards to the lack of a mom, as he’s too busy commiserating about his upcoming nuptials to his sister Helaena (Evie Allen). It is a second the place the stark variations between Jace and Aegon are blatant, as even in his personal grief Jace reveals compassion for Baela (Shani Smethurst) and Rhaena (Eva Ossei-Gerning), whereas Aegon solely has contempt for others inside his coronary heart. This has an excellent deal to do with their upbringings, with Jace cherished by his mom Rhaenyra and his “father” Laenor (John Macmillan) whereas Aegon was proven no love (that we have seen) from both his mom, father, or grandfather Otto Hightower (Rhys Ifans). They don’t appear to see him as an individual, only a pawn they will use to enhance their place — or within the case of Viserys, a problem whose mere existence divides the Seven Kingdoms.
Have the Greens Created a Monster in Aegon?
In Episode 8, “The Lord of the Tides,” Jace pushes himself to study Excessive Valyrian in an try and “honor the traditions of his forbears.” There isn’t any such self-improvement from Aegon — who, now a person, has moved on from pranks and merciless phrases to bodily violence and rape. Although she rebukes him, Alicent appears principally aggravated on the disgrace he has introduced her, not the bodily abuse and trauma he has visited upon a serving lady. Whereas at this level it’s in all probability too late to show his character round, this interplay the place Alicent claims he’s “no son of mine,” whereas Aegon pleads that he has tried so exhausting and that it’s by no means sufficient for her or his father. This once more reveals that Aegon has been raised by all of these round him with none semblance of kindness, care, empathy, or self-discipline — to not say {that a} variety phrase can be an applicable response to a rapist, but when his household had proven him any love as a boy maybe he wouldn’t have turn out to be one.
There are occasions of nice significance and seriousness, such because the succession of the Throne of Driftmark, after we can see Aegon smiling gleefully on the dismantling of his grandfather and mom’s long-laid plans. In these moments what is obvious to us, however maybe to not the Hightowers, is that Aegon bears them no love or respect and although they combat so exhausting to place him on the throne, he is not going to thank them for it. His habits on the household dinner reveals him to be immature, petty, and solely curbed by his present place. As soon as once more he’s juxtaposed with Jace — who maintains his mood, respects his betrothed, provides an eloquent but pointed speech, and dances with Princess Helaena (Phia Saban), each out of real kindness and as a parting shot to Aegon. Whereas, as an viewers, we will respect the Greens’ crafty and endurance all these years, it’s exhausting to root for any world the place a person akin to Aegon would turn out to be king.
By “The Inexperienced Council,” their second has arrived, and the Greens (after a manhunt) are prepared to put their chosen inheritor upon the throne. This episode additional reveals us Aegon’s unsuitability for any form of energy, as together with his restricted energy as prince he has opted to sleep his method by way of Flea Backside and benefit from watching the atrocious youngster preventing rings that include a few of his personal bastards. Even Aemond (Ewan Mitchell) would make a much better ruler; as he himself factors out to Ser Criston Cole whereas they hunt for his brother, he a minimum of is courageous, sensible, and rides the most important dragon on the planet. The Greens know Aegon to be unfit to rule, and but they proceed with their plans anyway, as they imagine it to be of their greatest pursuits that he does. That also stays to be seen; Aegon has all the time claimed that he doesn’t need the crown, a incontrovertible fact that they might take to imply he’ll enable them to rule in his stead whereas he acts as a mere figurehead, and continues his present way of life — although judging by the insane glint in his eye when he raises his sword aloft to the cheering of the individuals of King’s Touchdown, they’re gravely mistaken.
The Greens have created a monster. They’ve schemed, plotted, and killed, and now stated monster sits on the Iron Throne — however they’re feeling excellent about themselves if the ridiculously self-satisfied look on Otto’s face (earlier than Rhaenys makes her look) on the coronation is something to go on. In some way, it has but to happen to them that the years after they handled Aegon as a pawn and allowed his violence and savagery to go unchecked would come again to revisit them in variety. Now that the Greens have given him limitless energy over the realm, and themselves, there’s a good probability they are going to come to want that they had chosen a distinct path.
