Each episode of House of the Dragon has been crazier and crazier with each week, and this one is definitely no exception, but while it delivered on the unexpected twists, it really shined on the emotional side, and it is thanks to Paddy Considine's astonishing portrayal of Viserys.
His decay and illness is portrayed with pain and sadness, and its surrounded by a mostly slow-paced episode, with a lot of interesting character developments, especially during the throne room sequence, and the following dinner scene, which stand amongst some of the best moments in the whole season so far!
SHORT DISCLAIMER: The transcriptions are not always in the same key as the pieces I put as example, and sometimes they are simplified to make it clearer and more concise
The first half of the episode is sparsely scored, Djawadi allowing the scenes to develop naturally, supporting some particular scenes with brand new variations onf his already established themes. Right away, when Daemon enters the cave and finds new dragon eggs, we hear a noble rendition of Daemon's theme, followed by a complete statement of the House Targaryen Theme, which is also strongly associated with their dragons.
When him and Rhaenyra depart to King's Landing, we hear Rhaenyra's Rebellious Theme, the chanting motif that has accompanied her since the very beginning of the season. This leads to her visit to the King's room, where she finds out about Viserys condition. Djawadi supports this with a descending motif (EDIT: I just realized that this very same melody played right before Queen Aemma died in episode 1. The inclusion of the motif in here makes sense, since Viserys is closer to reunite with Aemma again after all this time apart from each other), which leads to an emotional statement of Viserys Theme, as we witness the King's illness.
Daemon's Theme
House Targaryen Theme
Vaemond Velaryon arrives with his men to King's Landing, and his entrance his supported with a grand noble statement of the House Velaryon Theme in full, very similar to what played as they entered the dinning hall in episode 5. Then we get to one of the most interesting pieces of score in the episode, in how Djawadi uses a certain theme to underscore a scene apparently unreleated.
I'm referring to the conversation between Rhaenys and Rhaenyra in the Godswood. When they talk about their possibilities againts the Hightower, Djawadi introduces some chords on strings. And as Rhaenys tells Rhaenyra that she will be the one standing after the Hightower get her on her knees, as we see Rhaenyra's expression of fear and despair, we hear the same melody that was played during Daemon's surrender at the beach of the Step Stones, in episode 3. It's a scene completely unreleated to Daemon or what happened in that episode, but they both share a common idea. "Hope is Lost". This is what came up to me, and I think Djawadi intended this time to be a sort of tragic theme for when one of the character faces unfavorable odds, like Daemon trying to defeat the Crab Feeder all by himself, or when Rhaenyra is faced with the possibility that her sons will not be named heirs to Driftmark, and even disowned because of their dubious lineage. We'll see in future episodes in case Djawadi develops this idea, but so far this is what I think it represents, and it's truly intelligent scoring on his side!
House Velaryon Theme
"Hope is Lost"
One of the best scenes in the episode is without a doubt the throne room sequence. Everyone is gathered in there to make a decision on the rightful successor to the Driftmark throne, when suddenly Viserys makes a surprise entrance. As the doors open, and they start to read his titles, the track "Protector of the Realm" (which Djawadi released at the same time as the episode) starts to play. And the very first thing we hear is the Iron Throne Theme (also called House Baratheon Theme).
As I mentioned in my analysis of episode 1, this theme was used in Game of Thrones to represent the Iron Throne, and the house sitting on the Iron Throne, which was the House Baratheon for most of the show. It then was revealed to be a theme for the Iron Throne itself, and it's really fitting that it plays here, when Viserys shows his true strength as a king.
The theme gets extended development through the piece (listen for a particularly strong statement of the melody at 1:47), and gets intermingled with another important theme. Viserys' Theme. I realized that both themes share the same opening notes, since Viserys is the King sitting in the Iron Throne, and the theme gets an emotional, noble statement at 0:23 and 1:25 of the track, which serve as a strong reminder of his might, as well as offering farewell to the theme, which only has one more note-worthy statement in the episode, and which I'm sure we'll get to hear less and less in upcoming episodes, after his death at the end of the episode.
The Iron Throne Theme
Viserys Theme
The first part of the dinner scene is unscored, and the music enters when Rhaenyra and Alicent toast each other, talking about their similarities instead of their differences, trying to make amends with the other. Djawadi supports this with an emotional variation of the Heir Theme, played beautifully on strings as they say their best whishes to each other. Viserys then orders some music to be played, and a piece of source of music starts to play, a jolly dance that then incorporates the orchestra to support this emotional moment of happiness. The interesting part of this piece is that it incorporates fragments of a couple of different themes.
The descending motif I mentioned above that played when Rhaenyra and Daemon entered Viserys' room plays again (the motif that played before Aemma's death in episode 1). Then we hear some hints of the Heir Theme, but the theme that is truly recognizable in this is Viserys Theme, which plays with emotion and sadness as he witnesses his family, reunited, and apparently happy for a brief period of time. It's such a lovely moment, a small measure of peace in the midst of all the betrayal, conspiration and blood, and Djawadi's music supports it beautifully, offering Viserys a brief moment of joy, before his tragic death (left unscored for greater dramatic purposes).
This is it for the eight episode, and what an episode it was! Djawadi's music supported Viserys final moments with great emotion, and offered this beloved character a well-deserved farewell. I cannot wait to see how his death will affect all the characters in the next two episodes, which I'm sure will be as great!
I hope you enjoyed this analysis as much as I enjoyed writing it! Feel free to check out my analysis of previous episodes, and stay tuned for the last two episodes coming soon! Feel free to share it with anyone you think might enjoy it, and see you next week!