7 details you might have missed in House of The Dragon Episode 9

Game of Thrones prequel House of The Dragon is performing way better than most expected. Fans love the cast, the storyline, the scenery, and the dragons so far. The penultimate episode of the first season is riled up with tension, with the Greens trying to keep Viserys’ death a secret until Aegon’s coronation. However, there’s much that goes down in the episode, little details that got lost in the crowd as we headed to Aegon II’s coronation in the Dragon pit. Let’s have a look at some of them.

Intro has been changed quite a bit

Just like its predecessor Game of Thrones, House of The Dragon has a fantastic intro that showcases changes that have occurred throughout the series. Since every dead king’s symbol is overflowing with blood, from the ninth episode onwards Viserys’ crown insignia will be shown all bloodied. However, unlike the previous episode where the “bloodline” led to Viserys and Aemma, all the way down to Rhaenyra, it now follows a different path, going the Hightower way. We see the bloodline falling into Alicent’s and moving forward to their four kids – Aegon, Helaena, Aemond, and Daeron – and then going on to Aegon and Helaena’s children. Notice that Aemond has a blue symbol, that will later come out to play in the final episode of Season 1.

Talya’s signal

Just as Talya reports to Alicent Hightower in the middle of the night about King Viserys’ death, the entire capital goes into lockdown. No one is allowed to leave once they are in, as the Greens begin to sniff out the supporters of Blacks, and make sure Aegon II’s ascension to the Iron Throne goes on smoothly. We already know from episode 8 that Talya has been working as a spy for Mysaria, and she quickly sends a signal through the window by lighting 5 candles, knowing what was about to happen to her.

Read Next: House of the Dragon showrunner Miguel Sapochnik’s wife makes a cameo in House of the Dragon episode 8

Helaena’s spider weaving

Mysaria and her web of spies is spread throughout the King’s Landing that keep tabs on everything that happens in and around the Red Keep. Helaena Targaryen, who is now well known for her prophetic abilities amongst the fans, is seen weaving the picture of a Black Widow spider, one of the deadliest spiders around. And she keeps repeating the phrase “beware the beast under the board”. Is the beast that Helaena’s referring to still out there, waiting to make its move?

Merryweather and Fell

After Viserys’ death, the whole capital is on lockdown, and the Greens begin to seize everyone they suspect to be supporting the Blacks. The first casualty is Ser Lyman Beesbury, who dies after Ser Criston Cole forces him to sit down. Next, we see Otto Hightower snuffing out the Lords who are loyal to Rhaenyra. We see three Houses that refuse to bend their knee to Aegon II. They are House Fell, House Merryweather, and House Caswell. Lady Fell and Lord Merryweather are escorted by the guards to their cells, where, according to the books, they are executed off screen. Lord Caswell who pretends to bend the knee and later tries to flee and warn Rhaenyra is caught and hanged by Larys and Otto.

Read Next: 16 details you might have missed in House of The Dragon Episode 8

Otto knows about Larys and Alicent

Alicent Hightower is preparing for the ascension of her eldest son, Aegon II, to the Iron Throne. Her strongest allies are Criston Cole, Otto Hightower, and Larys Strong. Larys Strong is her own master of whispers, and she gets important info at the cost of a price. Alicent’s father, Otto, suspects that there’s something else going on between these two, other than just the exchange of information. He questions Larys in private about his late night visits to Alicent’s chamber, indicating this has been happening for a while now and Otto has a hunch as to what it is.

Criston and Aemond callback to Daemon and Rhaenyra

When Aegon II goes missing after the death of his father, King Viserys, there’s a sort of a competition between Alicent and her father, Otto, who both send their champions to get Aegon so that they can mold him into the kind of King they want him to be. While Otto sends the legendary Cargyll twins, Arryk and Erryk, who both have doubts of their own, Alicent sends Criston Cole and Aemond. Notice what Criston and Aemond wear to blend in with the local people. This is a direct callback to the brothel visit in episode 4, when Daemon and Rhaenyra visit the pleasure houses to have some fun. Cole wears something similar to Rhaenyra, while Aemond’s outfit resonates with that of Daemon’s cloak.

Aegon II’s outfit

The costume department in House of The Dragon has done an incredible job of detailing so far, each outfit being special and standing out on its own. Notice Aegon II’s attire that he wears during the coronation. It looks like a mix of Alicent and Viserys’ royal outfits, with the chains, greenish cloak and gold highlights from his mother’s gown, and the Targaryen symbol and the dark theme inspired by his father’s.

How many of these did you catch during your first watch of the Game of Thrones prequel House of The Dragon episode 9? Join the discussion on our Discord server.

Read Next: Top 5 Moments from House of the Dragon Episode 9