House Of The Dragon Episode Eight Review - 8 Ups & 2 Downs
9. Down - No dragons!
No dragons on House of the Dragon this week?! "False advertising!" the enraged masses howl in outrage.
The Lord of the Tides was the first episode of the show to date that did not feature any dragons. However, the quality of this week's episode highlighted that the success of HBO's latest offering is not contingent on the appearance of Westeros' signature fire-breathing winged lizards.
With that being said, there were a few decisions concerning dragons that raised eyebrows amongst the more die-hard sectors of George RR Martin's fanbase. The first - and easily the most disappointing - was the fact that the episode marked yet another appearance where Rhaenys' steed Meleys was not depicted. The episode literally stated that Rhaenys was flying to King's Landing, would it really have been too much to ask for a detailed look at the dragon known as the Red Queen?
The episode also missed a chance to follow up on what was arguably the strongest point from its predecessor Driftmark: the burgeoning relationship between Aemond and his new mount, the legendary behemoth Vhagar. While this is undoubtedly a dynamic that will be explored in further depth in coming episodes, it would have been fascinating to see how the bond between the two has matured over six years in the immediate aftermath of their epic first flight.