: Lord Commander Harrold Westerling chooses honor over politics, resigning his post rather than carrying out Otto's order to assassinate Rhaenyra and her family. The Hunt for the Reluctant King
The Green Council: A Deep Dive into House of the Dragon S01E09 Game of Thrones: House of the Dragon S01E09 MUL...
: To Alicent’s shock, her father, Otto Hightower , and most of the Small Council have been plotting this usurpation for years. : Lord Commander Harrold Westerling chooses honor over
The penultimate episode of House of the Dragon 's first season, titled shifts the focus entirely to King's Landing in the immediate aftermath of King Viserys I’s death. While the episode lacks the massive scale of some Game of Thrones ninth episodes, it replaces pure action with a suffocating, claustrophobic political thriller that officially marks the start of the civil war known as the Dance of the Dragons . The Usurpation Begins While the episode lacks the massive scale of
The episode opens with a quiet, predawn Red Keep as news of the King’s passing reaches Queen Alicent. A "classic mix-up" over Viserys’ last words—which Alicent genuinely interprets as a command to crown their son Aegon—serves as the catalyst for the Hightowers to seize power.