The first episode of “House of the Dragon,” which premiered Aug. 21, opens with a flashback to before Viserys (Paddy Considine) becomes king. What’s happening in the montage is explained in a voice-over, but it’s a little confusing at first just who is speaking.
Before the theme song, the speaker reveals herself to be Princess Rhaenyra, Viserys’s daughter. If the character’s voice sounds a little different than the person viewers meet soon after, that’s because the scene is narrated by the older version of Rhaenyra, played by Emma D’Arcy. Episode one stars the younger version of the character, played by Milly Alcock.
Why is Rhaenyra chosen to be the narrator for that scene? It makes sense given the events she’s narrating, which led to her father taking the throne. As she explains, King Jaehaerys I saw the death of both his heirs, his sons Aemon and Baelon, and he needed to name someone else from the Targaryen family to succeed him. The two people left with the best claims to the throne were Rhaenys (Eve Best), Aemon’s daughter, and Viserys, Baelon’s son. Many thought Rhaenys’s claim was stronger, since her father had been the firstborn son, but others thought the realm could never be ruled by a woman. Jaehaerys, trying to avoid a civil war over the issue, decided to call a Great Council to decide who would be the heir. All the lords of Westeros voted, and Viserys won by a landslide.
Rhaenys’s defeat is a lesson about the sexism the women of Westeros face — even if they’re Targaryens. At the end of episode one, Rhaenyra’s father names her his heir, and all the lords swear their fealty. But does that mean she’ll really become queen? Viewers will have to wait and see.
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