It’s time for House of the Dragon Episode 10 review, and this is epic fantasy action in a great Season finale. In this week’s episode ‘The Black Queen’ we deal with the reaction in camp Rhaenyra to the tidings brought by Princess Rhaenys.
This will be as where possible a SPOILER FREE review. I might have to mention one or two details, but for the most part I feel like I can express my thoughts without getting into the weeds. So here we go.
Epic Fantasy
There are some moments as a fantasy fan when you read them on page and wish you could see it outside of your minds eye. I had that feeling in the Season finale of House of the Dragon. I won’t get into specifics as always. However so far I have to say overall House of the Dragon has been an excellent adaptation of Fire & Blood. Because Fire & Blood is an in-universe account of this story, it is written with an air of unreliable narrator, a device creator George R. R. Martin likes to use. With Martin’s involvement in the show it therefore feels like House of the Dragon is the true telling of this story and the books are more the historical documents left behind and written by those not directly involved.
Last week I felt like events got a little too Hollywood at times for my taste. However this week I was pleased to see some subtlety return and for events to be less black and white than they appeared in the book.
RELATED: House Of The Dragon Episode 9 Review – The Dance Begins
There is a climactic event in this episode that book fans knew was coming, especially from the promo. That event felt better to me on screen than it did in book, and that should be commended. Instead of black and white, it’s shades of grey, (or gray I think you say in the U.S.?) Which of course, is far more realistic and Human. In this case we also get a glimpse of something Viserys said and perhaps foresaw. Just how dangerous and independent dragons can be.
Yet, it is the dragons that make this episode special for me. Again no spoilers, but I think we see some different and far more dangerous sides of the dragons fans all love. In Westeros dragons equal power. With an impending battle for supremacy imminent, and dragons on both sides, the dragons will dance.
Performances
As you’d guess this episode focused predominantly on ‘The Blacks’, aka team Queen. What a dramatic episode this was for Rhaenyra herself. There’s so much for her to go through in this episode alone from start to end. Moments, choices, fear, paranoia, anger, compassion, gratitude, grief, it’s all there and Emma D’Arcy is amazing. There is an element of a mirror between Rhaenyra and Allicent, both whilst seemingly leading their sides is also subject to having events run away from their control and take on tangents unexpected.
Daemon remains intensely interesting despite being quite unlikable. Aemond, one of two characters we do see a little of from team Green this week fills that same role for the Greens. Yet, both had little bits of growth this week in their characters I appreciated.
There is one face and one actor I was very pleased to see back this week. Steve Toussaint as Corlys, he and Rhaenys have been two of my favorites so far and Corlys had some scenes I felt were just bad-ass this week. I’m so glad we will get to see more of both of them in future seasons. I also have to give praise to the young actors playing Rhaenyra’s eldest children Jacerys and Lucerys, Jace and Luce. So far neither has much to do other than play a frightened child in the path of a storm they don’t understand.
However events have changed, and they will need to change and both did excellent with what are still smaller roles for now.
Final Thoughts
Dragons, dragons, dragons, and more dragons. Loved the spectacle, the aesthetics, the shots, the drama and the performances. This was epic fantasy and a great Season finale. I look forward to Season 2, especially as I think one of the most shocking things in the whole story will happen within the first two episodes. Get hype.
GRADE: A+
What did you think of my House of the Dragon Episode 10 review? What did you think of Episode 10? Leave your own review below if you can and let us know what you think. There’s space below if you can.
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