Emma D’Arcy as the elder Rhaenyra Targaryen
Dragon House In its upcoming Sunday episode, its young cast is getting old and introducing a bunch of new characters to the show.
As I discussed earlier, this was due to the show’s huge time jump between episodes 5 and 6, which pushed the timeline forward a full decade.
Undeniably, the two biggest characters in the recast are Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen and the young queen Alison Hightower. Millie Alcock was replaced as princess by Emma Darcy and Emily Kelly was replaced as queen by Olivia Cooke.
In the clip below, we also see John Macmillan as Laenor Velaryon, replacing Nate Theo in the segment. We haven’t seen much of Laenor so far. He battled his dragon sea smoke in episode three and cried at his wedding to Rhaenyla in last week’s shocking brutal entry.
But mostly, Leno has been a supporting cast. Now, grown up, we see him with Rhaenyla, who just had a baby boy. When he arrived, she was holding the baby and came out of her room, which shocked him. “What are you doing?” he asked in disbelief.
“She wants to see him,” Rhaenyra replied through gritted teeth.
It seems fairly obvious who “she” must be. It’s clear that the relationship between Rhinela and her longtime friend Allison hasn’t improved over the years. In Episode 5, we see where the friendship is going, with her father Otto Hightower and her new friend Larys Strong planting the seeds of doubt in her mind. She also appears to have formed a new alliance with Rhaenyra’s outcast lover, Kingsguard Ser Christon Cole.
Of course, it was not an act of kindness or compassion to summon Rhaenyra to take her newborn baby all the way through the Red Keep. We’ll find out more on Sunday. Now, here’s the clip:
I think Darcy is pretty good in this role. I’ve seen episode 6, so I see D’Arcy and Cooke as Raenyra and Alice, and the cast is on point, just as painful as losing Alcock and Carey.
Everyone plays an older, more shabby version of these characters – now a woman, no longer a girl, sliced into sharper edges with time and struggle. Darcy’s Rhaenyra gained wisdom and tenacity. She’s stronger now, but less hot, not burnt by the girly hubris of youth. Cooke’s Alice completely lost her timidity and became a shrewd political force in her own right. It’s a bit jarring, to be sure, but it advances the story to new and fascinating places.
Dragon House Tells the story of the turbulent Targaryen dynasty during a turbulent period of succession. King Viserys had named his eldest daughter Rhaenyra as heir to the Iron Throne, but medieval patriarchal society was reluctant to accept a female ruler. This pits Rhaenyra against his young wife, Allicent, who bears Viserys’ male heirs, including Aegon, whom many believe should be king.
War seemed to be imminent—a brutal civil war, later known as the Dragon Dance. It’s just a matter of time. Here’s a preview of Episode 6:
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