Top 10 Things You Missed in House of the Dragon Episode 8

King Viserys gives a fine and much overdue speech at his last supper about familial solidarity and respect. So why do his children and grandchildren have to go and muck it up? After Viserys departs for the evening - and the rest of his life - a roast pig is placed in front of Aemond, a sight Lucerys can’t help but chuckle at. It’s been several years, but apparently good jokes die hard, as Lucerys is clearly recalling the Pink Dread prank he, Jacaerys and Aegon played on Aemond back in Episode 6 by presenting him an underwhelming dragon, to say the least. Despite Aemond since claiming the finest dragon in the land, it seems he’s still not safe from ridicule.

With so many characters sharing the same name between generations and eras, it’s getting more and more difficult to keep track of everyone. But twin brothers whose phonetic first names are basically the same?? C’mon… As Alicent comes out of a Small Council meeting, she’s greeted by a knight whom she calls “Ser Arryk,” only for him to correct her as “Ser Erryk.” We honestly can’t hear the difference, but perhaps that’s what makes the exchange so humorous. Beyond “Fire & Blood,” there is another literary precedent for this mixup in George R. R. Martin’s “A Song of Ice and Fire.” Olenna Tyrell too has Arryk and Erryk guards, whom she merely calls “Left” and “Right” for simplicity. Such an Olenna thing to do…

Speaking of confusing names, “House of the Dragon” gets a lot more complicated when Rhaenyra and Daemon introduce to Viserys their newborn children, Aegon and, well, Viserys. So, just for all of you keeping score at home, we’ve got Aegon the Conqueror, Aegon the Baby, Aegon the Pervert, and Aegon the Jon Snow. And on the Viserys side of things, we’ve got King Viserys (deceased), Baby Viserys (baby), and Dany’s Viserys (eventually deceased). Thankfully, we’ve only got three of those characters alive currently on “House of the Dragon” to keep track of, but at the rate the show is going, that could quickly change in either direction.

Alicent Hightower has been a fascinating character to watch evolve over these first eight episodes, as she begins being a true friend to Rhaenyra and genuinely wanting the best for everyone in the realm. While the latter may still be true, it’s evident that she’s since become a realist and a true player of the game of thrones. In Episode 5, she’s shocked to hear Rhaenyra’s been given moon tea (an abortive substance) for what she thinks at the time is a tryst with Daemon. Now, upon learning her son Aegon the Pervert “overextended” himself with a serving girl named Dyana, Alicent finds herself prescribing the same treatment. Unfortunately for Alicent, it seems the secret’s getting out anyway.

“Game of Thrones” fans will be more than familiar with milk of the poppy, it essentially being like Westerosi opium. We all knew Viserys’s time in this world was coming to an end, but it’s never a good sign for kings when this drug is administered. After King Robert is mortally wounded in “Game of Thrones,” Ned Stark makes sure the milk of the poppy eases his pain; it isn’t long before Robert is dead. In the next episode, it’s revealed Ned too is on the alleviant after suffering a wound at the hands of the Lannisters. While Ned isn’t king, he is supposed to be a nominal one as Protector of the Realm until Joffrey comes of age. That doesn’t happen. Instead…

Despite their mutual respect for one another, a meeting between Alicent and Rhaenyra can’t go a few minutes without a snide comment being made. Upon reuniting with this episode, Alicent informs Rhaenyra and Daemon of Viserys’s treatment, namely at the hands of the maesters. Rhaenyra facetiously scoffs at this, insinuating that the maesters are working with Hightowers to seize the throne. While TV watchers may not know this, book readers will be keenly aware of House Hightower’s connection to the Order of Maesters. Not only do the latter reside in Oldtown, the seat of House Hightower, but the house was instrumental in their founding. Sufficient to say, both we and Rhaenyra know which side the maesters will take should further conflict arise.

Beyond being a Westerosi history show itself, “House of the Dragon” and its characters have already established themselves as being informed by their own history. In the beginning of the episode, a teenaged Jacaerys gets a language lesson in High Valyrian. However, the chosen sentences aren’t simple phrases like “The duck swims on the lake,” but whole historical details in their own right. Specifically, Jacaerys and his instructor are recounting Aegon the Conqueror’s landing in Westeros; in fact, you might even say the king’s landing. Indeed, the Blackwater Rush Jacaerys refers to is a river that empties out into King’s Landing’s Blackwater Bay. Kinda sneaky of Jacaerys’s High Valyrian teacher to throw in a history lesson as well.

Rhaenyra and Daemon have been away from King’s Landing’s for quite some time with the advent of this episode. So when they finally return, they naturally see some major changes to the Red Keep, and so do we. With Viserys’s ever-more failing health, Alicent has assumed some of his duties as queen. Of course, some of this consists of the upkeep of the Red Keep, which has since been adorned with Seven-Pointed Stars, the symbol of the Faith of the Seven. Not only that, but Alicent can be seen wearing Seven-Pointed Star necklaces throughout the episode, reaffirming herself to the Faith. Between the maesters and the Faith’s septons, Alicent is allying herself with major pillars of Westeros.

Just when we think Viserys’s illness can’t get any worse, the loss of an eye and part of the right side of his face has prompted him to wear a mask. While Westeros exists firmly outside real-world history, it’s no secret that its mechanics were inspired by it. Seeing as Viserys has been essentially diagnosed with leprosy outside the show, fans have now connected him with a real-life king, Baldwin IV of Jerusalem. Baldwin too had a slow-advancing leprosy during much of his reign that eventually blinded him. While there’s no evidence to suggest he wore a mask, he has been depicted as such in more popular media, such as in Ridley Scott’s 2005 film “Kingdom of Heaven.”

“House of the Dragon” has already called back to multiple famous “Game of Thrones” quotes, though not always verbatim. This one definitely is. Upon learning of Aegon’s transgressions with Dyana the serving girl, Alicent scolds her son with the words, “You are no son of mine.” Though the inflection and delivery aren’t entirely the same, the words are shared with someone else who also virtually presided over the realm, Tywin Lannister. Tywin says this to his son Tyrion, though they turn out to be famous last words as Tyrion then fatally shoots him with a crossbow. Thankfully, things go a little better for Alicent here, as her familial relationships seem at least a little bit better. Baby steps.