The Lord of the Tides
"The Lord of the Tides" is the eighth episode of the first season of the fantasy drama television series House of the Dragon, a prequel to Game of Thrones.
It garnered highly positive reviews from critics, particularly for its direction, writing, pacing, and performances of the cast, especially Paddy Considine, who was considered the highlight of the episode.
"The Lord of the Tides" introduced several new cast members, including Tom Glynn-Carney, Phia Saban, Ewan Mitchell, Harry Collett, Bethany Antonia and Phoebe Campbell as the adult versions of Aegon, Helaena, Aemond, Jacaerys, Baela and Rhaena, respectively.
Talya, Alicent's lady-in-waiting, is revealed to be a spy employed by Daemon's former mistress Mysaria, now a wealthy madam and the alleged "White Worm" of King's Landing.
Later, Rhaenyra pleads for Viserys to defend her succession to the throne, quoting Aegon the Conqueror's prophetic dream about the "Prince That Was Promised".
"The Lord of the Tides" was directed by Geeta Vasant Patel and written by Eileen Shim, marking their first time in the Game of Thrones franchise.
It marks the first appearance of Collett, Glynn-Carney, Mitchell, Antonia, Campbell, and Saban as the adult version of their respective characters, in addition to Elliot Grihault as adult Prince Lucerys Velaryon, succeeding Leo Hart, Ty Tennant, Leo Ashton, Shani Smethurst, Eva Ossei-Gerning, Evie Allen, and Harvey Sadler who portrayed the young version of the seven characters, respectively, in the sixth and seventh episodes, following a plot jump of six years after the previous episode.
The website's critical consensus said, "The family comes together for a short-lived truce in 'The Lord of the Tides,' a mournful installment that spotlights Paddy Considine's moving performance as the ailing King Viserys.
"[6] It received an "amazing" score of 9 out of 10 from Helen O'Hara of IGN, a rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars from Alec Bojalad of Den of Geek, and an "A-" grade from Jenna Scherer of The A.V.
[7][8][1] In her review, O'Hara noted it as "a smart, well-written, and character-driven episode that once again shifts the show forward in time without entirely losing the plot.
[8][1][9][10][11][12][13][14] Oliver Vandervoort of Game Rant said that he "does a phenomenal job of playing someone who knows that his days are growing short and who just wants to take in his family.
[...] [His] genius lay in the way he allowed Viserys' physical decline to be the catalyst for the king's emotionally stripped-down plea to his fractured family.
"[8] The scene in the Great Hall when Viserys walked across the room to reach the Iron Throne was also praised,[8][1][17] with Scherer saying, "Viserys' slow, agonizing journey across the throne room makes for a stunning set piece, richly earned by all the episodes we've spent watching him waffle and demure [sic] in the face of high stakes.
