What happens in episode two, The Rogue Prince?
WARNING: Spoilers for episode two, The Rogue Prince, ahead.
In the six months that have passed since episode one, the Crabfeeder and the Triarchy have caused chaos in the Westeros area of the Stepstones, as Lord Corlys had warned.
Back in King’s Landing, Viserys is falling ill and comes under pressure to remarry, while Rhaenyra is tasked with picking a new knight for the King’s Guard.
She chooses Ser Criston Cole against advice, arguing he’s the only candidate to have actually seen war.
Away from prying eyes, Alicent and Viserys continue to get close, but hide their friendship from Rhaenyra, with Alicent feeding back information to her father, Otto.
Viserys is confronted with the possibility of marrying his 12-year-old niece, Laena, daughter of Corlys Velaryon and Rhaenys Targaryen, to unite their houses more solidly.
Meanwhile, Daemon has been using his time away to strengthen his own allegiances, with plans to take a second wife in mistress Mysaria, and have children.
In a bid to get his brother’s attention, he steals a dragon egg ‘for his unborn child’ – the same egg meant for the crib of the dead Baelon.
When Otto and a team head to Dragonstone to reclaim the egg, Rhaenyra shows her first hint at ability to rule by flying there on her dragon, Syrax.
When Viserys announces he intends to marry Alicent Hightower, his decision fractures Alicent and Rhaenyra’s friendship.
Rhaenyra’s place in politics explained
Despite being named heir, the men of the King’s Small Council are reluctant to give her a seat at the table, or any kind of real responsibility.
Milly Alcock, who plays young Rhaenyra, said: “Everyone kind of resents her, and they question her and belittle her, so it’s a bit confusing I think. She feels very small.”
As a result, she takes the decision to appoint Ser Criston Cole seriously, and in turn proves to shock those around her, including Hand to the King, Otto Hightower.
She added: “She's basically saying I'm going to pick the person who's going to do the job right. She's smarter than they think she is, and she's trying to prove it.”
She later proves her worth further by riding her dragon to Dragonstone to confront Daemon, succeeding where Otto fails by getting through to him.
Showrunner Ryan Condal adds: “I think Rhaenyra’s arrival saves probably a lot of lives, but it changes the tone.
“It's the thing that she's been building towards the entire story which is wanting to do something to show her mettle and show her worth as the heir to the throne and she does it in a unique way.”
The Role of Women in the Realm
As Viserys meets with the young Laena, Princess Rhaenys and Princess Rhaenyra are seen discussing their place within the realm.
As “The Queen That Never Was”, Rhaenys warns Rhaenyra that men would rather see Westeros burn than put a woman on the throne, preferring to see the patriarchy continue without female interference.
Series director, Miguel Sapochnik, explained: “The important thing for us was to look at the way that patriarchy sees and conditions women to believe that they are of lesser value and the way that women in power treat women in power.
Eve Best, who plays Rhaenys, added: “There's something in Rhaenys that actually, perversely, wants to cling to this idea that it is just that the status quo is fundamentally sexist and the patriarchy cannot be touched.”
In this case, both Rhaenyra and Rhaenys are right, with Rhaenyra hoping to put in place a new world order in a way that Rhaenys was denied, and is therefore sceptical of.
Viserys’ new bride decision
Otto Hightower wastes little time after the death of Queen Aemma to apply pressure on King Viserys to rewed. Unknown to everyone, he already knows he wants daughter Alicent on the throne. Eventually, he’s successful.
Paddy Considine said: “The thing about being the King is it’s a very callous world. My wife's only just been cremated and you're asking me who I'm going to marry. It's pressure, pressure, pressure.”
His other proposed option was Laena Velaryon, which would be to build bridges with the Velaryon family after the ousting of Rhaenys as successor.
But faced with the idea of marrying a 12-year-old, Viserys can’t do it, instead choosing a woman who has become a confidante.
Emily Carey, who plays young Alicent, said: “She doesn't go intentionally to court the King. She cares, and she has seen her father go through the same grief that Viserys is going through.
“For Viserys, it's having someone who genuinely cares without having an ulterior motive of trying to get closer to him, and for Alicent, it's just someone to be with where she feels comfortable and not overlooked.”
Condal added: “We really needed to take our time to show not only the courtship of Viserys and Alicent, but also the political manoeuvrings to make it happen and to understand that Viserys is choosing her kind of against his own self-interest in many ways.
“It felt like Viserys' eventual decision to choose Alicent next was a big [decision] as that's gonna have some repercussions down the line.”