As this week's episode of House of the Dragon continued to move the various pieces into place as we head towards the season 2 finale, two characters allowed themselves a brief moment of happiness among the death and dragon-fire.
Spoilers follow.
Along with Seasmoke seeking out his own rider, Aemond making the most sinister sick bed visit in history, and Daemon still wondering whey he's hallucinating at Harrenhall (hint: it might have something to do with the drinks your new witch bestie makes for you every night before bed), we got a surprising moment of passion between Queen Rhaenyra and her new adviser, Lady Mysaria.
The scene begins with Mysaria revealing how she got the scar on her neck after suffering unspeakable abuse at the hands of her own father. Rhaenyra embraces her ally to offer some comfort, but the hug lingers and the two end up sharing a kiss before being interrupted by a guard.
While speaking to The Wrap, Sonoya Mizuno (Mysaria) revealed that the kiss wasn't actually in the script, and was a last-minute suggestion from Emma D'Arcy (Rhaenyra).
“It wasn’t scripted as a kiss. I think it was scripted as … there’s just breath between them or something, and then whatever happens is interrupted,” Mizuno explained. "Because we were separate in the room … [and] Mysaria has told this story, [D’Arcy] felt the instinct to hold her, to comfort her. From that, it felt so organic to go into the kiss.”
“I don’t think either of them have been hugged like that in a long time, if not ever,” she added. “I think it was the hug — the intimate vulnerability of that hug — which which morphed into this very tender and passionate kiss, which was quite … amazing. I think it’s very thrilling in the moment for both of them.”
What did you make of the kiss? Is it something you saw coming, or did it take you by surprise? Let us know in the comments section, and check out a teaser for this coming Sunday's penultimate episode below.
"The prequel series finds the Targaryen dynasty at the absolute apex of its power, with more than 15 dragons under their yoke. Most empires—real and imagined—crumble from such heights. In the case of the Targaryens, their slow fall begins almost 193 years before the events of Game of Thrones, when King Viserys Targaryen breaks with a century of tradition by naming his daughter Rhaenyra heir to the Iron Throne. But when Viserys later fathers a son, the court is shocked when Rhaenyra retains her status as his heir, and seeds of division sow friction across the realm."
House of the Dragon season 2 sees Matt Smith, Olivia Cooke, Emma D’Arcy, Eve Best, Steve Toussaint, Fabien Frankel, Ewan Mitchell, Tom Glynn-Carney, Sonoya Mizuno, and Rhys Ifans reprise their respective roles. Additional returning cast includes Harry Collett, Bethany Antonia, Phoebe Campbell, Phia Saban, Jefferson Hall, and Matthew Needham.
The directors for the new season are Alan Taylor (Episodes 1 & 4), Clare Kilner (Episodes 2 & 5), Geeta Patel (Episodes 3 & 8), Andrij Parekh (Episode 6), and Loni Peristere (Episode 7).