Jaime and Cersei Lannister might have been the couple that launched a thousand “stuck in the washing machine” videos, but their tawdry tale of twincest was marred by Jaime’s uncharacteristic assault on Cersei in the Sept of Baelor. Their relationship was icky for reasons beyond the fact that they were siblings, because Jaime worshiped his sister while she manipulated him, and their coupling was only ever played for shock value. Compare that to Daemon (Matt Smith) and Rhaenyra (Milly Alcock), who appear to have their own power imbalance but turn out to be an even match. While I do not condone or endorse incest, seeing their scene play out as an exploration of her awakening desires instead of trying to make a moment go viral for pure shock’s sake was a delight.
There’s humor peppered throughout “House of the Dragon,” too, helping to balance the series’ tone and keep things from getting too grim. For example, the prospect of Rhaenyra being sold off to whichever royal man has the biggest castle is pretty depressing because she’s a human being treated like livestock, but her sequence of meeting suitors is surprisingly comical. The first person to attempt to woo her is an old man, and the next is a young boy. She rolls her eyes and is not impressed, because she’s a teenage girl and the whole thing is a waste of her time. By the time her youngest potential suitor gets into a sword fight with another young man, she has had enough and sails back to King’s Landing instead of meeting any more of the men her father has arranged for her to screen. Why should she, when she has the smoking hot Ser Cole waiting for her, and an equally attractive uncle who wants to embrace Targaryen traditions?
