HBO’s House of the Dragon is roaring onwards to its penultimate episode and the stakes have not been any higher than they are now. Episode 8 titled The Lord of the Tides is arguably the series’ most emotional episode yet. The episode begins with a six-year time jump and with the question of the succession of the Driftwood Throne called into question. With Lord Corlys Velaryon (Steve Toussaint) injured, his brother, Ser Vaemond (Wil Johnson) seeks to supplant Lucerys Velaryon (Elliot Grihault) as heir. In one of his last acts, King Viserys Targaryen (Paddy Considine) affirms Luke as Lord of the Tides and Prince Daemon (Matt Smith) beheads Ser Vaemond for his callous yet righteous insubordination

The gloom over House Targaryen seemed to have lifted a bit with a heartfelt and well thought of reconciliation dinner planned by Viserys. Despite the younger members of the two factions throwing jabs, the king seemingly had gotten the main players in Queen Alicent (Olivia Cooke) and Princess Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy) to make peace. However, the somewhat ramblings of a dying man might have set all of those gains ablaze. The trailer for the next episode, The Green Council, has been released by HBO and the embers of war have surely been lit. “The King is dead” Ser Otto Hightower (Rhys Ifans) declares and it would seem His Grace’s final exchange with his queen has set the realm ablaze.

The King and his daughter had spoken in an earlier episode about Aegon the Conqueror’s Dream that is “The Song of Ice and Fire” and “The Prince that was promised.” In his final moments, Viserys felt he was speaking to his daughter and in confirming that he believed the prophecy, he inadvertently makes his wife Alicent believe he wanted their son, Prince Aegon (Tom Glynn-Carney) to be king. “He told me he wished for Aegon to be king,” a grieving Alicent says in the trailer, completely misunderstanding her husband’s thoughts.

Commotion seemingly in King’s Landing and the ever-scheming Ser Otto saying, “The door remains shut until we finish our business.” A pointer to the episode’s title perhaps. “None can know who you are or what you seek”, Otto says to an unidentified person. The trailer also shows people seemingly getting rounded up and Rhaenyra is locked in a room.

While Alicent wonders about Rhaenyra, the devilish Lord Larys Strong (Matthew Needham) makes an appearance saying “I’ve found something you should know.” There is a Targaryen child seemingly hiding away. “This is seizure. It is treason at the least,” Lord Lyman Beesbury (Bill Paterson) is seen saying but now swords are getting drawn and dragons are flying. The Dance of the Dragons might just be about to begin. The trailer finishes with Princess Rhaenys Targaryen (Eve Best) asking a question, “Have you never imagined yourself on the Iron Throne?”

House of the Dragon airs on Sundays on HBO. Episodes are also available to stream on HBO Max. Check out the trailer below:

via Collider