House of The Dragon episode 8 ‘The Lord of the Tides’ was one of the most emotional chapters yet in the history of Game of Thrones. The episode shows the departure of the noble King Viserys I Targaryen from the land of the living after making his last stand in an attempt to reunite his family. It leaves so many cues to the nature of the morally grey characters in the series, no one is truly evil, nor completely good. They walk over a thin line, swayed by ambitions, love, greed, jealousy, and influences by their own kin. The eighth episode was also the biggest one yet in terms of runtime as well as how much the storyline progressed.
It is sometimes difficult to keep track of all the details when there’s so much going on-screen, so here’s a list of 16 details you might have missed in House of The Dragon episode 8.
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Evenfall Hall, the seat of House Tarth
In the opening scene of Episode 8 ‘The Lord of the Tides’, Princess Rhaenys tries to assess the condition of her husband by asking a few questions directed at the maester at Driftmark. One of the questions was how far they (Corlys’ convoy) had reached. The maester replies that they have reached Evenfall. This helps Princess Rhaenys to determine the time it would take for her injured husband to reach Driftmark. Evenfall is the seat of House Tarth in the stormlands. It is located on the western coast of the island of Tarth along Shipbreaker Bay, and the home of Game of Thrones’ fan-favorite, Brienne of Tarth.
Foreshadowing of Vaemond’s fate
Right after her conversation with Driftmark’s maester, Lord Vaemond Velaryon begins to argue with Princess Rhaenys about the line of succession for the throne of Driftmark. Empowered by the Hightowers, he declares he doesn’t need her support, openly calling Rhaenyra’s children with Laenor bastards. Rhaenys warns him what he is doing is treason, and the King would have his tongue for this, which is exactly what Viserys says to Vameond right before his brutal execution.
Reference to House Stark
Right after Queen Alicent leaves the meeting of the small council to greet Daemon and Rhaenyra on their arrival, Otto Hightower stands up and speaks something that seems a little out of place to get that much focus. He says, “Shall we levy a tax on the sale of new wool?” As it turns out, it is a cool little reference to the North, more specifically, the Starks. The North is one of the major suppliers of wool to Westeros. Levying a tax on them foreshadows the Starks’ resentment and their later alignment in the Dance of the Dragons.
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Foreshadowing of House of The Dragon’s version of the Cleganebowl
When Jace and Luke go down to the training area in the Red Keep, the kingsguard and some other knights are seen training in the background. Two of them seem pretty identical. They are the legendary Cargyll twins from Fire & Blood, Arryk and Erryk, and their sparring scene here is the foreshadowing of House of The Dragon’s version of the Cleganebowl, which we might get to see in the near future.
The old knight staring at Jace and Luke
Jace and Luke begin to flit around in the Red Keep training yard, where not only the members of kingsguard are training, but there are also spectators who are watching them spar. One of the older knights is seen staring at the young princes, which makes Luke very uncomfortable. The old knight belonged to House Mallister, one of the most prominent noble houses from the riverlands. However, it is not known which one of the Mallister knights is portrayed here.
Rhaenys missing from the feast, and Cargyll’s alliances
Viserys orders Otto to hold a family supper after the hearing for the Driftmark throne. Notice how every member of the family in King’s Landing is present, except Princess Rhaenys. She is still in the crypt with Vaemond’s body contemplating her choices. Also, notice the Kingsguard members standing at the back. Yes, the Cargyll twins again, bus this time, they are prophesizing their future alliances.
Beware the beast under the board
Ever since her arrival on-screen, Princess Helaena has been shown to possess a special gift, the ability to foreshadow the event of House of The Dragon through her playful mumblings. This time she mutters, “Beware the beast under the board.” A lot of theories are currently in the air about the statement, from her warning the strong boys about Aemond’s monstrosity to the upcoming threat of Blood and Cheese.
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Lord Caswell greets Rhaenyra
On her return to King’s Landing, the only person from the small council present to greet Rhaenyra and Daemon is Lord Caswell, the same person who first congratulates Rhaenyra in episode 6 on the birth of Joffrey. He is one of the council members still loyal to the blacks, along with Lord Beesbury.
Vince Gerardis reference
Discussing her father’s health with her husband and uncle Daemon, Princess Rhaenyra mentions maester Gerardys, a Westerosi form of Gerardis, a little Easter egg reference to Vince Gerardis, George R.R. Martin’s agent and executive producer of House of the Dragon.
Mysaria’s spy
It is clear at this point that Mysaria has been keeping tabs on the insides of King’s Landing, through her spies like Alicent’s handmaiden, Talya. This has been happening over the period of nearly a decade now, with Talya first appearing in episode six when Alicent and Larys were talking about Rhaenyra’s children being Ser Harwin Strong’s bastard sons.
The Pink Dread
The last supper seems to be going well, until Viserys has to leave and a couple of servants serve a roasted pig on the table. Lucerys begins to chuckle, as it brought back memories of how he, his brother, and Aegon made fun of Aemond back when they were little, dressing up a pig as a dragon and calling it “The Pink Dread”.
Viserys’ face holds a deeper meaning at the supper
The way Viserys is seated during the feast also portrays a visual representation of what Viserys is trying to achieve here. The side that’s more rotten and covered with a mask is facing the Hightowers, and the less rotten side faces Rhaenyra and her family. By removing the mask he shows he wants both sides to lay their hearts bare, get rid of all the ill feelings, and reconcile for his sake.
GoT references:
No son of mine
Alicent briefly disowns Aegon after he rapes her maid earlier in the episode, telling him, “You are no son of mine.” This is a direct reference to what Tywin Lannister says to his son Tyrion in Game of Thrones, right before his death.
Vaemond’s head-chopping parallel
While there are many who would compare Vaemond’s execution to Ned Stark’s beheading, there was another scene in the pilot episode of Game of Thrones itself that reminds you of his death in House of The Dragon, and the scene is somewhat even more brutal. The White Walker beheads a brother of the Night’s Watch the same way.
King Viserys from House of The Dragon and Viserys from Game of Thrones
The way King Viserys II Targaryen’s face is covered with a golden mask is a neat reference to Viserys from Game of Thrones, who dies after wearing the “Crown of Gold”.
Death of an Arryn and Death of a King
If you notice carefully Season 1 of both House of The Dragon and Game of Thrones, they begin with the death of an Arryn (Aemma in House of The Dragon and Jon in Game of Thrones), and ends with the death of the Kings in the respective shows.
How many of these did you catch during your first watch of Game of Thrones prequel House of The Dragon episode 8? Join the discussion on our Discord server.
