The latest promo for the eighth episode of House of the Dragon sees another person sitting on the Iron Throne for the first time since Matt Smith’s Daemon Targaryen mockingly sat on his older brother’s beloved throne in the first episode. This time, it’s Rhys Ifans’ Otto Hightower, the returning Hand of the King, who has assumed the highest authority in the realm in the absence of King Viserys I Targaryen. This suggests the imminent death of the character of Paddy Considine. As expected, this seizure of power hasn’t sat well with Emma D’Arcy’s Rhaenyra Targaryen, who was named as the heir to the Iron Throne as a teenager. The trailer shows Rhaenyra confiding to her new husband, Daemon, about how the “vipers rule in [her] father’s name” to which Daemon suggests that they take the Driftwood Throne instead. Daemon is technically next in line to inherit the Driftwood Throne by way of his marriage to Nanna Blondell’s Laena Velaryon, who committed suicide by fire following a failed childbirth in Episode 6. Since John MacMillan’s Laenor Velaryon gave up his claims by faking his death to run away with his paramour at the end of Episode 7, Daemon and his children with Laena, Rhaena and Baela, are the heirs to the Sea King’s throne. Later in the trailer, Otto teases the start of the Dance of the Dragons, saying that “the threat of war looms.” The show has slowly built up the growing tension between the Blacks (those allied to Rhaenyra) and the Greens (those allied to Alicent) over seven episodes and it looks like it will all boil over following the death of King Viserys I in Episode 8. We’ll find out more about who lives and dies once House of the Dragon continues with its penultimate episode on Sunday, October 9. In other news, House of the Dragon Season 2 is already confirmed. Unfortunately, rumors suggest that it won’t start filming until next year, so a 2024 premiere is highly likely. But, if it’s any consolation, it’s only a matter of time before HBO confirms a third season after Matt Smith hinted at it in a recent interview.
