S3E3: Rhaenyra Triumphant — Natalie Bochenski

One of the many monologue-capping bangers Shakespeare pumped out was Henry VI’s “Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown”.

If it wasn’t for the iambic pentameter and the monarch in question’s lack of lady pipes, it could have gone more like “Uneasy lies the cramping uterus below the head that wears a crown”.

Henry VI’s speech outlines his jealousy at sleep coming so easily to non-reigning others. Rhaenyra is also having sleepless nights - while also dealing with a very localised red wedding of her own, if you get my drift.

Now I’m not trying to say that getting her period stopped Rhaenyra from doing her new job. Women work and menstruate all the time. The last thing I want to suggest is that this is that old bullcrap about people not wanting to fly with female pilots because “what if they’re on their period and get mad and crash the plane?” But even those of us with the most forgiving of Aunt Flo knows you’d rather have a work day without it, than with it.

“Cramp” is a rather astute term for this week’s tense, dense and full of suspense goings-on at King’s Landing.

After two episodes positioning itself as a grand epic of battle and conquest, season three now turns that on its head, delivering a claustrophobic psychological thriller that is one of the most anxiety-inducing depictions of crisis leadership and policy wonkery put to screen.

The reason for the dazzling scene of Daemon accepting Lord Ormund Hightower’s surrender being placed before the credits becomes clear soon after we see the new addition of tearing threads in the animated Targaryen tapestry.

The show picks up with a close-up of Rhaenyra’s face, and the camera never strays far again.

The woman is in every single scene of the episode, a feat I’m not sure has been done before in the Game of Thrones-verse, with its typical sprawling storylines and extensive shifting character viewpoints.

It’s the closest to an extended single-take shot the show could likely achieve, given that it takes place over several days. Its focus on the woman of the hour could easily see it dubbed…

The Rhae-NRYAs Tour.

*Tear down the green banners; raise the thrust stage!*

HotD S3E3: Rhaenyra Triumphant

It’s a bitterly sarcastic title, isn’t it? Of all the things Rhaenyra feels in this episode, “triumphant” sits further south than even “rested” or “horny”.

For the Queen who styles herself a peacemaker, there’s not a moment of it.

Rhaenyra is dogged not only by the omnipresent camera in this episode, but also by the music, a disconcerting and occasionally terrifying mix of roiling bass and softly-shrieking strings, like Mussorgsky’s Night on Bare Mountain and Bernard Hermann’s Psycho score had a nightmare baby.

It all works to rattle Rhaenyra’s self-belief, that unbreakable sense of destiny she’s held since she first saw that noble white stag in the Kingswood (and definitely since she told Ser Christon Cole to take his plan to run away to sell fruit together and shove it).

Normally I try to compartmentalise these recaps as much as I can, dealing with blocks of action or grouping character developments together to try to create a recap narrative.

Given this episode’s changing up of the usual way of things - the symbolism reflecting Rhaenyra’s attempts to change up the capital is *chef’s kiss* - I thought I might change up this week’s recap format.

For with so many competing demands on her time, energy and seemingly empty Savings Maximiser account, there’s few people Rhaenyra didn’t annoy in some way.

Using a complicated risk assessment matrix, we’re going to draw on two key criteria to rank potential Rhaenyra antagonists: what indignities they suffered in this episode, and how likely the festering seeds planted today might burst forth with revenge branches tomorrow.

That’s right, kittens, it’s a good old-fashioned LISTICLE. Welcome, one and all, to the:

Red Keep Pissed-Off Power Rankings Risk List

In reverse order from “You’re probably OK” to “Danger! Danger!”, here’s who Rhaenyra should be keeping an eye on.

18. Magical Mysaria Tour

The newly-appointed Mistress of Whispers has got to be feeling happy with where she’s ended up. Her whole arc has been about self-preservation to the point where Destiny’s Child “Survivor” should accompany her wherever she walks, like those people on bikes or trikes or road mobility devices who just play music out of portable speakers as they zoom around like there isn’t such a thing as headphones. Yes, I know you need to hear the traffic. Yes, I’m always happy to hear “My Humps” in Doppler effect. Yes, it’s still weird.

Luck’s only part of the story though, as Mysaria certainly has the spy credentials to justify the promotion. She’s the new M, and seems to enjoy how Rhaenyra’s confirmation of that shuts Daemon up, at least for a little while.

Mysaria makes the point that she earned her position at the table; she wasn’t just born into it. She’s also acutely aware of what a hungry and restless population might do if not given a break, and preferably, some food.

Daemon, with his full belly and god complex, has no such compunctions. The rich eat, the poor bellyache about it, move on.

But Mysaria’s also a PR whiz, no doubt putting her low-born ally Sylvi (no “e” on that, according to the subtitles, so you know it’s fantasy, just like my name in Westeros would be Natali) up to that cheeky stunt of snitching on the highborn lords who hoarded all the food during the blockade.

Sylvi making noise about it at the Queen’s petitions allows MMT to set up her paparazzi-friendly foodbank launch, giving Rhaenyra the chance to look like the Goddess of Plenty handing out pomegranates and grain and quartered cheese wheels. As long as she’s got her eyes on Rhaenyra’s hearts and minds campaign, Mysaria should remain in her bestie’s corner.

17. Rhaenyra’s Dragonstone Small Council

Those guys. You know, the ones hanging out in the GIANT TABLE MAP WAR ROOM on Dragonstone. There were only two of them left by the last count. I totally remember their names.

It’s suggested that Rhaenyra send for them, but she immediately kiboshes the idea. They betrayed her with their silence, if not with specific deeds. They let Jace fly off to war and death in the water. Sure, they might be annoyed at having their line to power snapped off and maybe try to curry favour with alternatives… but they might also be pleased to just head home and try to wait out whatever comes next.

16. Grandmaester Orwyle

He’s a long-suffering legend, is Orwyle. He knows his bread is buttered on whichever side hits the floor first, so he goes about his business trying to make some headway on the transition plan to avoid becoming toast.

It’s Orwyle who delivers the news about poor Sir Simon as Ser Simon, murdered by Aemond at Harrenhal. However he has no inside info on Alys Rivers, whom Daemon knows to be at the fortress, but is of course a whisper on the wind when it comes to legitimate data collection.

More importantly, Orwyle’s the grinch who steals Rhaenyra’s dreams of a White Christmas - aka a big flashy coronation. Rhaenyra wanted the full Madison Square Garden version, complete with 1000 celebrities, a Paul McCartney performance and a castle INSIDE her already existing castle.

*Two Taylor Swift visual gags already? What can I say, there’s a lot of material to work with.*

The Treasury is empty, and Orwyle wasn’t privy to where the gold went. He’s trying to wrangle these big personalities while also being effective, which is even harder to do without cash for bounties and tourneys and candles and office supplies.

Now Maesters are sworn in service to the houses they are sent to. But we must remember their order is headquartered in Old Town, the seat of the Hightowers. Grandmaester Orwyle might have some awkward requests coming his way if Ser Ormund’s grip on the Reach tightens, and not just because that’s where all the food comes from.

15. Tim Curry

Ok, sure, his name was Ser Torrhen Manderly, but tell me he isn’t the spit of Frankenfurter himself, although probably more around the Cardinal Richelieu era.

This guy caught Rhaenyra’s attention as she flounced off from her ratty dinner party, applauding her menu choice as targeted and effective. He even made a sly comment about it being enough to make the smallfolk forget it was Rhaenyra’s blockade that sent the population into starvation mode in the first place.

From memory, Manderly is a northern house - they were one of the families that refused to send men to the Battle of the Bastards, consequently felt bad about it, then declared Jon Snow the King in the North (oh, my heart, what a moment that was). I’m glad to see a Northerner down south, very obviously angling for a seat in the as-yet-undecided new Small Council.

Given House Stark is staunchly loyal to the Dragon Queen, Tim Curry is likely a safe bet.

14. Ser Luthor

This handsome devil knows how to rock a beard and probably the world of a whole bunch of working ladies on the Street of Silk.

The commander of the Gold Cloaks is affably acting as a quasi-Queensguard while Rhae-Rhae settles in. It’s he she entrusts with her plan for the surprise banquet for the snooty city cheque bros.

But he does mention that ideally he belongs with his men, and if I’m honest, I’d much rather be in that locker room full of nude dudes too.

I think he’s loyal enough to Daemon - or at least not stupid enough to cross him - to understand that it’s early days and a Queensguard is on Daemon’s to-do list. He would know it’s best to give Rhaenyra support now, so the Gold Cloaks can continue to call the shots in the streets (and hopefully in the sheets, phwoar).

13. Daemon

Ahh, our ultimate bad boy power prince. His gripe is that Rhaenyra is even bothering with attempts at conciliation, diplomacy and fair dealing. If ever anyone agreed with Mad King Aerys’ desire to “burn them all”, it’s definitely our Daemon, bless him.

To his credit, he is bemused by Rhaenyra’s plot to nick the highborn’s hidden stashes, but not from a desire to see peasants eat so much as he’s a chaos gremlin who adores drama.

He’s not convinced in Rhaenyra’s plan to forsake a slash and burn campaign throughout all Westeros and beyond in favour of following in her father’s judicious footsteps. Daemon has made his peace with Viserys (through his trippy dreamscape time at Harrenhal), but still thinks he betrayed the family vision.

“He renounced his dragon. He never strove for greatness,” he argues in a mix of Common Tongue and High Valyrian, the pair’s little routine for deep philosophical questions. Rhaenyra reminds him that the vision of Old Valyria ended in the Doom, and they should take King’s Landing in hand before raising their eyes to the horizon. Daemon caps this poetic instruction by yelling “You’ve still got to kill Daeron” because he’s a bitch.

He shone in his pre-credits sequence, cockily standing in front of three dragons conveniently positioned to toast the Hightower host should Lord Ormund so much as squeak during his surrender. His cockiness extends to telling Ormund his preferred method of accepting surrender would be to scour the hillside, but deigns to accept Ormund’s perfunctory knee-bending.

*“You can call this a meeting of equals if you want, Ser Ormund. If it makes you feel better.”*

But Daemon’s cockiness might have seen him balls things up. Did he not think that pulling a dragonrider away from his dragon might cause some consternation? Did he not think to take Tessarion the dragon into custody as well as young Daeron? Given his penchant for burning things, one imagines he could have had his trio of dragons smite the much smaller Tessarion without much of an issue, solving the problem

And yet the blue dragon remains alive, and under Hightower control. Oh dearie me, Daemon…

So that could be a source of tension with his missus, BUT… Rhaenyra retreats to his bedchamber when her own is too overwhelmingly intimidating. He tenderly wraps an arm around her too, so I’m still convinced he’s going to stand by his lady wife/niece, as much as her “not being enough like Daemon” annoys him, and as much as his undiagnosed ADHD and narcissism may interfere with her plans.

On a side note, my Facebook feed has been full of ads for Matt Smith reading smutty lady fiction, sorry, “audio erotica”. Is this really the future? Doctor Daemon giving lascivious side-eye to the socials team while over-enunciating the word “thrusting”? Should I get into this field? “Oi, you, have a REDACTED tug on my REDACTED REDACTED while I shove my throbbing REDACTED into your REDACTED belly jelly”? Is that anything?

*Uncomfortable, Matt. It feels very uncomfortable.*

12. Lady Jeyne Arryn

The Lady of the Vale is about to have Daemon roll up looking for cash compensation for the army she promised but didn’t send. Rhaenyra needs the money for the treasury, but it’s unlikely Jeyne will feel inclined to make it reign, given Rhaenyra dodged giving her a grown dragon.

Daemon’s looking forward to the mission - the term he uses is “relish” - but once again he shouldn’t be so cocky. Lady Jeyne will likely about Daemon’s daughter Rhaena’s disastrous debut on Sheepstealer, which will send him absolutely mental. His own daughter playing a part in Jace’s death? Yikes.

Maybe after that bit of knowledge gets out, Rhaenyra would rather have made the decision to stay poor.

11. Alicent (and by extension, but probably not really, Helaena)

Maybe the Queen Dowager should be higher; maybe not. She was certainly less cut up about Rhaenyra lopping off her Dad’s bonce than I thought she’d be. There was a lovely snarky line about how Otto probably could have helped with Rhaenyra’s treasury woes if only she hadn’t “slew” him.

It feels weird writing “slew”, even though it is the technically correct past tense for “slay”. I guess we all say “slayed” now, because English keeps changing and I wish it would stop. It’s so delulu I’m crashing out, unc.

Rhaenyra - still frustrated by a lack of Aemond and Aegon to torture - is highly suspicious of Alicent, which is fair. But kudos to Alicent who points out she can’t be held responsible for the sneaky plans of men that dominate life in the capital. It’s a lovely nod to the sisterhood they continue to share by way of being female rulers.

Indeed, it’s Alicent whom Rhaenyra turns to for advice on how to sit the throne. How did she bear it when having to rule in all but name as Viserys slowly rotted from the inside out? It’s not good news - basically you’re boned. You have to make decisions that will cause injury and/or death, and you cannot please any of the people any of the time.

I may have mentioned before in these pages that I spent some time working in ministerial offices in my home state of Queensland, and while there weren’t calamitous food shortages, rogue dragons and shiny rival armies to contend with, the overall sentiment is… not untrue.

Poor Rhaenyra is clinging to her self-identity as righteous. Perhaps wanting to be just is evidence of the “weak heart of woman” as King Joffrey Baratheon would later state. I think Alicent recognises a genuine desire to do good, even though it came with a side of decapitated Otto head, and wants to help. It’s her idea to declare Aegon dead even though they know he’s not, which Rhaenyra quickly implements. But Alicent does push back against the confinement she finds herself in, knowing that the only way out is the death of Aemond and Vhagar.

It’s touching to see Alicent’s reaction to learning her least-known son Daeron is in the castle (hooray!), not dead yet (hooray!), and going to be sent to the Night’s Watch (hoo-roo!). “Do you expect me to thank you?” she snaps at Rhaenyra, who frankly thinks it’s a good deal considering Daemon keeps popping up almost cheerfully to insist on Daeron’s death.

What’s more intriguing is Alicent letting the cat out of the bag regarding the boy she barely knows - which turns out to be more true than she thought. Alicent could have played along; indeed, I had theorised that her note to Ormund in episode one might have carried some code about keeping Daeron safe. And that kid was certainly happy to…stay mum about it.

*“Do you wish me to thank you for that terrible joke?”*

Instead she ‘fesses up immediately, which goes slightly against the description of her as a conspirator that Daemon tendered last episode. Perhaps Alicent’s only goal now remains protecting Helaena and Jaeheara.

For her part, Helaena had a lovely moment where she asked if it made Rhaenyra feel better to kill Otto, in exchange for losing Jace. Even in her pain at being forced to stay in a room she doesn’t like instead of being able to escape and keep those chickens, she seems genuinely concerned about Rhaenyra’s grief - more so than Rhaenyra appears to be at that instant.

10. The Dragonseed Knights

I’ve grouped these three together for convenience, but also because they somewhat neutralize each other. We’ve seen Ulf’s greedy desire for lands and titles, but ultimately he’s likely to put keeping his head before rebellion. He attempted to secure himself the Targaryen surname, but didn’t protest when he was hilariously shot down by Rhaenyra. “Ser” will do nicely for the moment.

Similarly, the newly minted Ser Addam of Hull is probably going to be a bit more forgiving - at least initially - than his daddy about not yet getting the “Velaryon” moniker. When Rhaenyra praises his dragonrider debut as a confidence booster when times were desperate, he replies that it was his honour to serve, and he seems genuine. He seemed less obsessed with legitimacy than his brother, but depending on what happens with Alyn and Corlys, troubled air could lie ahead.

The curly one is the straight-maned Ser Hugh the Hammer. He is truly a good dude, a family man, and it’s him that asks about the technical side to their elevation to knighthood - housing, rosters, salary, superannuation, dragon parking, uniform allowances and most of all, taxi fare back to the capital for his missus. She fled the city to live with her brother in Tumbleton, where it would be… safe. With developments later in the episode, it seems that theory may no longer hold. After losing his daughter, how might poor Hugh react if something happened to his wife?

9. Alyn of Hull

The elder Velaryon don’t-call-me-bastard seems way more invested in his John Proctor-style “Let me have my name!” moment than his younger brother. But then, Addam has a dragon. Alyn doesn’t even have a ship anymore. And he has the white hair of Valyria, so his parentage is more immediately evident. If denied the legitimacy he has so longed for, could he prove dangerous?

8. The Red Keep Rats

Seriously, those things are everywhere. They carry disease, and worse, symbolism. Aegon may have killed all the rat catchers in the capital as revenge for his son Jaehaerys being murdered, but for goodness’ sake, somebody hire some new ones. Oh wait, there’s no money to pay them. Never mind. I’m sure we’ll find something to do with those rats.

7. The hob-nobbing snobs of King’s Landing

I am deliriously entertained by the highborn lords and ladies of King’s Landing. There’s so much toadying, they could be this guy:

The immediate sucking up was a joy to watch. “I always mistrusted the Hightower claim,” snivels one chinless wonder.

The manipulative skills Rhaenyra mastered in her youth come back to play here. She acts the gracious conciliator, joking about how she’s glad to have their support, even if it’s a little late.

She toys with them, much like a cat might do with a rat. Speaking of which…

I clocked the rat reveal just before it happened. You don’t have cloche covers and one-servant-per-dish if you’re not planning on a Heston-style gastronomic surprise.

The blue-bloods turn green at the sight of rat au vin, but Rhaenyra insists if it was good enough for the common people to subsist on during tough times, it’s good enough for them.

The cheque bros shudder at the affront to their wealth and power, but Rhaenyra’s having none of it. She reveals that the Gold Cloaks are rifling through all their hoarded goodies at that very moment, taking back food she will redistribute to the smallfolk. You can hear the gasps, tissues pressed against open mouths, backs of palms on foreheads.

The problem is, this is not Versailles. I don’t believe King’s Landing has reached Louis XVI levels of noble incompetence. At least a couple of those toffs would have flick knives in their fancy silk pants, and they might not swing in behind the new administration if a softer, more pliable option can be found, or returned.

A quick point of contention here… if the rats had been running rampant because Aegon killed all the rat-catchers, then who trained up new rat-catchers quickly enough to successfully catch enough rats to serve up at dinner?

6. Aemond (and possibly Alys Rivers?)

Baela is out doing regular reccies to hunt down Vhagar, because neither the great dragon nor Aemond have been seen since their tag team assault on Harrenhal. He may be out of sight, but he retains a huge presence in everyone’s mind, so he has to make the list on pure potential destructive energy alone. And if that Alys Rivers decides to do more witchy spell-casting, she could level up his destructive tendencies nicely.

5. The Smallfolk

The common people have complaints, and plenty of them. Poor, cramping Rhaenyra has to sit awkwardly on the uncomfortable Throne once more, this time to hear petitions from the weavers and the butchers about the dragons’ insatiable appetite for sheep depriving them of both wool and meat.

Rhaenyra does open up the Kingswood for some temporary small-species hunting, which garners excitement in the throne room. But Rhaenyra is learning that nothing exists in isolation. Solving one small problem inevitably creates another one elsewhere. So many knotty problems; it’s no wonder the tapestry threads were tearing in the opening credits.

Of course her stunt with the rat supper and the house raids will buy Rhaenyra some time and a lot of goodwill from her people. But the trouble is bellies need refilling every day, and petitions from subjects are many. Their demands will grow; Rhaenyra’s ability to deliver on them will diminish, because it always does.

And it wouldn’t take much to have the peasants revolting again. Food is one thing, but faith could be another.

4. The Faith
We now know who said the ominous “These are turbulent times” line that was doled out in all the season trailers. ‘Twas the High Septon, whose name I did not get.

Old mate didn’t hold back on his opinions about dragons. Conceived in lust and pride and sin, oh my. “They can only destroy, they cannot create.” One could argue that Aegon the Conqueror seemed to create a new political paradigm in Westeros when he united the Seven Kingdoms using dragons. I guess how successful he was may depend on Rhaenyra’s actions now though, so that probably falls on the neutral side.

It’s got to be rough to hear for Rhaenyra, who went to all that trouble to get more dragons in the hope it would impress/terrify people. But it hasn’t even impressed/terrified this one guy, because he refuses to anoint Rhaenyra queen. He anointed Aegon just a few months earlier, and Rhaenyra’s claim that Aegon is now dead has him smelling a rat.

“Don’t make an enemy of the faith,” he warns Rhaenyra, the catch-cry and catch-22 of religions for time immemorial. You need them for social fabric reasons, but when they don’t play ball, heads roll, one way or another.

3. Ser Ormund Hightower

Oh, he’s a cunning, clever one, is my shiny, spotless Mr Clean. Did you see his army? So ordered, and kempt, and reflective.

He’s so diplomatic too; telling Daemon he’s bending a knee not to save his own neck, but the lives of his 15,000-strong army. Given Caraxes, Vermithor and Silverwing were just chilling in a magnificent long shot behind Daemon, Ormund took that humiliation in a reasonably cheerful stride.

If you’ve been following these recaps, you might remember last season when I pondered why they hadn’t shown Daeron, even when they showed his blue dragon in the final episode. You might also remember last episode when I pondered why they kept a young lad with auburn hair whom I assumed was Daeron slightly fuzzy and out of focus.

It all became clear with the Daeron hostage handover plotline, because we got ourselves a Fake Daeron. A Cubic Targaryen, if you will.

Rhaenyra’s rage at discovering Ormund’s neat bait-and-switch was a delight to watch. She is holding back so much in those moments in the small room in which Fake Daeron is imprisoned. It’s hilarious when Alicent reveals the imposter, and the young lad explains Ser Ormund “blanched” his hair. Rhaenyra flips his long tendrils over looking for evidence of root smudge or ill-applied toner. But the bleach job is convincing.

The poor boy’s explanation of how he was recruited is truly heartbreaking - he was told to follow instructions and remain mute, or his own actual mother would be hanged. It shows us Ser Ormund is a serious player, and prepared to sacrifice innocents in service of a higher goal.

So perhaps we shouldn’t have been so surprised when Rhaenyra later learns of another development in Ser Ormund’s playbook. Instead of heading home, his army has taken over the nearby town of Tumbleton, a key stop on the way out to the Reach. An escaped dragonkeeper - one imagines he must have been tending to Tessarion - managed to make it back to the capital in record time to share the news.

Rhaenyra immediately pledges to burn them all, but the dragonkeeper reminds her she has loyal subjects there, who won’t take kindly to a random incineration. Switching to High Valyrian, Rhaenyra asks “What game is Ormund playing?”

Uh, Rhae-Rhae? I don’t know how to tell you this but… it’s the Game of Thrones. You win or you die. That one.

2. Corlys Velaryon

Having ignored his bastard children for at least 25 years, Lord Corlys has decided immediate moves must be made to legitimise them. And I get it, he’s just had another brush with death in the Gullet, he wants to lock his legacy down. But he does not take kindly to Rhaenyra’s desire to delay, particularly when she explains the reason - that her own sons were tainted by allegations of bastard birth, and if she raises Alyn and Addam to the nobility, it’ll draw more attention to her new heir Joffrey’s lineage.

Honestly, I think this is perfectly reasonable of Rhaenyra. She isn’t saying never, just not now. But I do also get Corlys’ grief and anger, given he lost Rhaenys and Laenor to Rhaenyra’s shenanigans.

But woah, the Sea Snake doesn’t hold back. Within easy earshot of castle staff, he rages that her three Velyarion sons were bastards. He says he was even prepared to name Lucerys as his own heir knowing this, but she won’t even grant him this one simple wish.

*Incredible body defence there by Ser Luthor.*

Lord Corlys is, of course, Hand of the Queen, and very well informed. He was the one who knew about the leftover Triarchy pirates now raiding and reaving along the shoreline, taking hostages and demanding ransoms. Getting him offside so quickly is not a wise move, but in Rhaenyra’s defence, she probably wasn’t expecting that level of vehemence from one of her longest-standing allies. If he decides to poison the well against her, things could go very south very quickly.

1. Rhaenyra

Yes, it’s a shocking twist that you definitely saw coming. Look, what can I say, I’m no George R R Martin.

But the sudden ghostly apparition of Prince Jacerys walking through the Red Keep is enough to remind us this is a woman dealing with the recent loss of two sons, with not a lot of therapy work done between that and this brand new, high-pressure queening gig.

The lack of sleep is a motif not just in Henry IV, but in Shakespeare’s Othello, Hamlet and most famously Macbeth. The big bard loved a rant about sleep. And what do we know about lack of sleep impacting decision-making?

The show also shows the squeeze of servants and supplicants asking her for endless advice and guidance. The constant noise and demand is its own type of torture wheel, spinning around and around and around.

And then of course there’s the matter of The Body of the Queen - in this case, a body undergoing the usual monthly cycles common to the female of the species, but uncommon to rulers.

Rhaenyra quoted Elizabeth I in the first episode, whose body was a constant subject of international intrigue. But perhaps we should think of Elizabeth’s elder sister, Mary I, the first English Queen crowned in her own right. Rhaenyra’s body has produced multiple children already with the potential for more. Mary’s body produced a phantom pregnancy and a fatal tumour.

But in her three short years on the throne, she violently shifted England back to Catholicism, after her father Henry VIII had forsaken the Roman church in order to remarry (Elizabeth’s mum, as it were). Her response to those who frustrated her efforts?

The nickname she got, whether fairly or not? Bloody Mary.

Of course Rhaenyra’s capable of ruling with female physiology. But it’s another thing, another little thing, something she has to manage while under the pressure of being a coup leader, and the first female one at that.

Alicent tells Rhaenyra that Viserys lived in a world of his own creation, and neither of them had ever set foot there.

Rhaenyra will have to make choices about what she chooses to be her reality, and how much reality will affect her ability to do her job - without a bloody mess.

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