The third episode of Home of the Dragon actually places the “hearth” in A Music of Ice and Fireplace. The episode begins with a tableau that’s equal components Pirates of the Caribbean and The Texas Chain Noticed Bloodbath, as injured foot troopers loyal to Prince Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith) and Corlys Velaryon (Steve Toussaint) lie howling within the mud at low tide. A grotesque determine, masked and lumbering with a hunched gait and lengthy, greasy tufts of skinny hair, approaches one in every of these writhing males.
That masked man’s identify is Craghas Drahar (Daniel Scott-Smith), also referred to as “The Crabfeeder” for his propensity to go away his enemies staked to bloodstained shores to allow them to endure an extended, painful loss of life being eaten alive by sea creatures. The fallen soldier defies this monstrous form, telling him to only wait till his prince arrives with a dragon to burn all of them to ashes. And Daemon Targaryen does certainly come by means of in a flaming blaze of glory — however not earlier than his poor, loyal swordsman will get nailed to a chunk of driftwood and left to die.
On the danger of stating the apparent, struggle and navy technique are as important to A Music of Ice and Fireplace as palace intrigue and pornographic descriptions of feast tables groaning with scrumptious meals. The battlefield is the place legends are born, alliances are examined, and the reputations of kings and queens are made and unmade. Sport of Thrones befell throughout an period of violent upheaval, the place everybody was at all times watching their backs and the ability dynamics may very well be upended at any time. Home of the Dragon, then again, takes place in a local weather that’s extra like our personal: The late days of a decaying dynasty, the place these in cost have turn out to be complacent sufficient that they really feel they will merely ignore any threats to their energy, irrespective of how violent, till they go away.
There’s a well-liked notion that guerrilla warfare was not practiced in medieval Europe, the idea for Westeros and A Music of Ice And Fireplace. And Sport of Thrones, as a rule, defaulted to formal clashes with lengthy lead instances. However simply as nomadic bands of Vikings and Mongols used disorganized techniques and the factor of shock to raid citadel cities all through Europe, Craghas and his military of mercenaries are preventing a guerrilla struggle in opposition to the Targaryen institution. They accomplish that ostensibly for the proper to cost tolls to service provider ships passing by means of this rocky sequence of islands on their technique to the Free Cities past. However they battle with a ferocity and sadism that implies that there’s extra happening right here than easy greed.
The Targaryens’ fleet of dragons make them probably the most highly effective pressure within the recognized world, and centuries of energy have made them conceited. However regardless of possessing this final trump card — to not point out extra ships, weapons, and troopers than their opponents — the struggle within the Stepstones has dragged on for 3 years. The important thing to the Crabfeeder’s technique is to neutralize the Targaryen forces’ Most worthy weapon by retreating into the caves that dot the rocky shoreline of the Stepstones, eliminating the Targaryens’ potential to wipe out his whole pressure with one whispered “Dracarys.”
And but, King Viserys (Paddy Considine) refuses to have interaction with information concerning the struggle throughout his son’s identify day celebration, telling involved envoys that “it’s been three years. Certainly this could wait three days.” He’s so positive that the Targaryens’ navy may (i.e. dragonfire) can by no means actually be challenged, he dismisses the seriousness of this menace from with out. And, to be honest, the Targaryens are fairly good at tearing themselves other than the within, too — there’s a lot to maintain a king, notably a soft-hearted one who tries to please everybody, busy at courtroom. But when a handful of sellswords and a self-proclaimed prince with a crudely long-established masks and nothing to lose may hold two of the good homes of Westeros (to not point out a number of dragons) at bay for years, what may an even bigger and higher organized enemy do with those self same techniques?
By comparability, the proud Prince Daemon has a lot to lose. His title, his wealth, his status, and maybe most significantly, his delight are all on the road. This complete struggle was spurred on by Targaryen delight, the results of an alliance made out of spite (one other Targaryen character flaw) when Viserys married Alicent Hightower (Emily Carey) relatively than his 12-year-old second cousin Laena Velaryon (Nova Fouellis-Mosé). And it’s spite that pushed Daemon to finish the struggle himself earlier than his brother’s forces may arrive, ensuing within the chaotic impromptu skirmish that closes the episode. And, not less than this time, Daemon emerges the winner, propelled to victory by Valyrian metal and his fiery Targaryen blood.
However though his intestines are being dragged by means of the mud, the Crabfeeder and his guerrilla forces have weakened Home Targaryen and Home Velaryon in ways in which have but to totally manifest themselves. They’ve exacerbated current tensions inside the ruling homes, and demonstrated a technique for combating what in any other case seems to be an undefeatable pressure. And the ruling homes of Previous Valyria are too busy preventing amongst themselves to spare a thought for the people who find themselves dying on their behalf — not an awesome technique for successful loyalty in the long run. Take the loyal soldier originally of the present: Cackling with aid, he cheers on Daemon because the prince swoops over the battlefield incinerating Craghas Drahar’s allies and ships. “Save me, my prince!” he cries — solely to be crushed underneath the mighty foot of the prince’s dragon.
Blinded by their very own conceitedness and complacency, the Targaryens have handled this struggle, the boys who fought and died in it, and far of the broader world as disposable. Their solely loyalty is to their very own petty grievances and wounded delight, and so they lack the creativeness to image a world the place sometime, another person may sit on the Iron Throne. Whether or not they tear one another other than inside, or are ambushed by enemies from with out, it doesn’t matter. Nor does it matter that the Crabfeeder could be very a lot no extra. The Targaryens themselves have sown the seeds of their final downfall on the shores of the Stepstones.