House of the Dragon.
This Week’s Villain of Westeros: The Guy Who Did … Uh … That
House of the Dragon finds a new way to be shocking in its Season 2 premiere.
Welcome back to Worst Person in Westeros! After each episode of House of the Dragon, Slate writers gather to answer a crucial question: Who is the worst person in Westeros? This week, senior editor Sam Adams and associate writer Nadira Goffe take on the challenge.
Sam Adams: Well, hello there. It's been a whopping 22 months since we last gathered to crown the worst person from the very first episode of House of the Dragon. Even in the streaming era, that's a long wait between seasons, so I decided to jump right into the Season 2 premiere without any prior recap. Big mistake. From the very first scene, I was lost—back in the familiar courtyard of Winterfell and then off to the Wall for a baffling conversation between two unrecognizable characters. Not even the introductory recap could help. I spent quite a bit of time poring over the Dance of the Dragons article on the A Song of Ice and Fire Wiki to get my bearings. This experience brings up a key issue: How can we determine the worst person in Westeros if we can’t even recognize the players? Nadira, how did you find your way back into the world of House of the Dragon?
Nadira Goffe: I tried to rewatch the episode but only managed about four minutes before realizing I had forgotten that Young Penn Badgley (aka Harry Collett) was actually Rhaenyra’s son, Jacaerys. So, I did what I always do in such situations and turned to YouTube for a thorough recap (shoutout to Man of Recaps for years of saving my brain). Now I'm fully caught up—and so is House of the Dragon, which conveniently picks up right where it left off. It’s been just days since Aemond accidentally killed Rhaenyra’s youngest son, Lucerys, eliminating any hope of avoiding an all-out war of dragonfire and brimstone. Now, Rhaenyra is seeking proof of death while her allies make preparations, and once she finds it, she demands Aemond's head. They already took one of his eyes; what’s another head (… and the rest of it)? Daemon is eager to fulfill this request while #TeamRhaenyra strengthens their alliances. Meanwhile, in King’s Landing, Alicent is trying to control her troublesome sons who hold the highest seats of power, all while enjoying the company of her sidepiece, Ser Criston Cole. Alicent’s father, Otto—who started this entire feud by setting Alicent and Rhaenyra against each other in their youth—is ensuring there are no more mistakes until the Hightowers are the uncontested rulers of the realm. Aemond remains in denial about his massive mistake, adopting an "All's fair in love and the war you created, Mom" mentality. In summary, most everyone in Westeros is awful. I have little sympathy for anyone except the grieving Rhaenyra and, particularly, young Jace, who learns about his brother’s murder. However, the abundance of terrible characters provides plenty of candidates for the title of worst person in Westeros. I have my own suspicions, but let's discuss our top suspects for the week. What did you think of Daemon and Aemond in this episode? To me, they seem like two sides of the same coin—sharing the same letters in their names doesn’t help—and both showed a disturbing level of callousness (Daemon towards Rhaenyra’s grief and Aemond towards his past wrongdoings) that was pretty icky, in my opinion.
Adams: Let’s start with Aemond, shall we? He’s arguably the most thoroughly, almost comically, evil character in House of the Dragon—a sneering, one-eyed villain without a single redeeming quality. Sure, he didn't intentionally kill his nephew, plunging the realm into the brink of a terrible conflict; yet, he doesn’t seem particularly remorseful about it either. Despite being a strong contender for the title of Worst Person in Westeros, I don't think he claims that title this week. His worst offense is barging into the small council unannounced and making it clear he's eager for war—pretty obnoxious, but not quite on par with the truly horrific acts he’s capable of. Strategically speaking, we should keep him in reserve for a week when his monstrous nature is more prominently on display.
I tend to view Daemon similarly—when someone is perpetually evil, it becomes somewhat monotonous. However, he does devise a particularly vile scheme this week. But before diving into that, let's consider another contender from their bloodline: Aemond’s brother, the newly crowned King Aegon. In his own way, Aegon is trying his best. Named after Aegon the Conqueror, Aegon II is burdened with the far less imposing title of Aegon the Magnanimous, though his so-called generosity stems largely from his weakness. (He’s also not the sharpest tool in the shed; he doesn’t even know what “magnanimous” means.) When commoners present their petitions, his instinct is to grant all their requests, not out of justice, but from a desire to be liked. His father, Viserys, while not the most commanding ruler, at least had a moral compass. Aegon, however, seems to take direction from whoever spoke to him last. And we know how much King’s Landing’s ambitious schemers love a malleable monarch. This week, Aegon is more of a slimy weasel than an outright terror: his main actions are inviting a toddler to the small council and humiliating Tyland Lannister when the latter points out that the eve of war is an inopportune time for Bring Your Princeling to Work Day. He’s obnoxious, but his behavior feels like it’s laying the groundwork for future misdeeds. What about you, Nadira? Who's your least favorite Targaryen this week?
Goffe: If incompetence and annoyance of the sniveling variety were the criteria, Aegon would undoubtedly take the crown. Watching Tyland Lannister increasingly tormented by a toddler wearing a 613 lace-front 18-inch wig is entertaining. Despite Aegon being my least favorite Targaryen this week, his status as the world's biggest pushover on the world's biggest seat isn't enough to label him the "worst." So, we need to find another Westerosi baddie to crown.
I'm tempted to choose Otto, but most of his scheming is residual at this point. Alicent, hilariously, comes off like an exhausted mother just trying to do her best—who among us can't relate? I have my eyes on a few characters in the background: Larys Strong is the most entertaining schemer to me. He proved his ruthless nature by orchestrating the deaths of his own father and brother last season, but he's barely in this episode. This leads to my main complaint about the show: plenty of villains are bad, but hardly any are badass!
It might be worth diving into Daemon’s terrible plot that you mentioned and considering that this week’s worst person might not be a Targaryen at all. To satisfy his niece-wife, Daemon plots to kill Aemond by hiring two randoms—the classic duo of the muscle and the navigator—to sneak into the palace and assassinate the prince. And, well, things don't go as planned. What do you make of the episode’s big fiasco?
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