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Wow, what an episode! I loved how all the tension and the conflicts escalated during the episode, and by the end, at the Sept, there's suddenly an unnerving quietness that surrounds all, keeping you on the edge of your seat until we get to Rhaenys bad-ass entrance, which is surely one of the best moments of the season! I liked how this was an episode for the Greens, as the title implies, and in the next episode we will get to see the Blacks point of view, so eveyrthing gets set up for Season 2, where the Dance of Dragons will properly begin! Too bad there's only one episode left, but I have enjoyed every minute of this show 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
Right away, we start with two gorgeous piano-based pieces, which have been already officially released, "Lament" and "Fate of the Kingdoms". The first one serves as a lament for Viserys the Peaceful, as we witness the empty halls and corridors of the Red Keep, right after the king has passed away, and the news start to spread around the castle. The main melody of the cue is, obviously, a mournful piano variation on Viserys' Theme. The theme accompanied him when he was alive, serving as a noble reminder of his strength as a king, but also of his good-hearted nature, and here the theme reminds us of that, with this sorrowful rendition on piano.
The theme gets developed in full during the first part of the cue, until a new melody is introduced at 2:27 of "Lament", and which can also be heard during "Fate of the Kingdoms"
Viserys' Theme
"Fate of the Kingdoms" opens with a piano rendition of Alicent Hightower Theme, an elegant melody which has been used to represent her at her most vulnerable, but which gained power and presence when she finally made a decision by herself in episode 5, during her entrance at the wedding banquet hall
Alicent Hightower Theme
As I mentioned, both "Lament", and then this "Fate of the Kingdom" present a new idea, used to represent the growing conflict around the succession to the throne. Listen to it at 1:22 and 2:26 of this track.
It's a repeating motif, which ondulates around a chord progression, which is derived from the Hightower Theme. This is a clever connection as this theme is no other than an idea representing the despair of the Hightowers as they search for Aegon through the city, with varying purposes.
I think it would be fitting to call it the Fate of the Kingdoms Theme, since all this chaos is to ensure the peace and safety of the Seven Kingdoms, or at least that's how Alicent sees it.
As such, it's clever that the theme is urgent and uneasy, and it's based around the Hightower's chord progressions, perfectly resembling the dramatic arc they go through in the episode. This idea gets expanded a lot in several other places during the episode, like when Cole and Aemond are looking for Aegon through King's Landing, or right after Larys and Alicent's conversation, when Rhaenys is guided out of the Red Keep by one of the king's guards. This cue even includes some references to the House Velaryon Theme, which has also come to represent Rhaenys as part of the house.
Alicent's Theme is also used quite a lot during these sequences. It plays when she witnesses how they embalm Viserys' body, or as she talks to Rhaenys, asking for her allegiance. This scenes also contain a couple of variations on some minor motifs, which are slowly gaining more power. One of them is the White Worm Motif. It's an unnerving idea, associated with Mysaria, the White Worm, and her web of spies, and which has been hinted at in some previous episodes. It plays in a couple of scenes between her and Daemon in the first episodes, and gets also used when Otto is informed by one of her spies of Rhaenyra's night escape in episode 4. It's briefly referenced in episode 8, when Talya informs her of what is going on in the castle, and in this episode, it plays again in full when Otto talks to her about the whereabouts of Prince Aegon.
Another idea that is featured in this episode is a sound motif associated with the dragons, and that I think will grow to become a theme for the Dance of Dragons itself. It was introduced in the first episode, in the title card, and repeated when Rhaenyra arrived at Dragonstone in episode 2. Then, it has been hinted at, associated with Aemond, when he netered the Dragonpit in episode 6, and when he tried to ride Vhagar in episode 7, and in this episode we hear it a couple of times, when Aemond talks to Sir Criston about Aegon, and right after the confrontation at the stairs of the Sept, when they find and capture Aegon. This leads to the coronation ceremony that closes the episode, which is both exciting and very interesting score-wise.
As Aegon is about to enter the Sept, a short, source-like trumpet fanfare proclaims his entrance, with a reference to the Iron Throne Theme. As he walks through the hall, we hear the chords of a theme we already know. No, it's not the Targaryen Theme. This is a celebration of the victory of the Hightowers, since they are sitting on the throne their preferred heir, Aegon, which will be easily controled by Alicent and Otto. The Hightower Theme plays in full, with references to the Fate of the Kingdoms Theme from earlier in the episode. This is the victory of House Hightower, and the defeat of House Targaryen. When he is crowned, the theme of the former king, Viserys, enters the scene, proclaming him as the new protector of the realm. The theme, even if it plays with the full orchestra, it does not achieve the might and strength it had in the previous episode, with Viserys entrance in the throne room. Here the theme sounds twisted, and uncompleted, since Aegon is not the ruler that Viserys wanted. The Iron Throne Theme then plays in full, but again, twisted and imposing, reinforcing the idea that this is not the right thing to do for the Seven Kingdoms.
The iron Throne Theme
House Targaryen Theme
But this suddenly gets silenced as a loud burst breaks through the Sept. Princess Rhaenys is not willing to let this betrayal go unchallenged, and she enters the Sept with her dragon bursting through the floor. Menacing percussion joins with the Dragons Motif I mentioned earlier, and with references to the Game of Thrones Ostinato, as the people try to run away from the Sept, and she gets closer to the throne and faces the Greens. The music stops for a minute so we can properly hear Meleys's roar, as Rhaenys lets them know that they are messing with the wrong house, and that they will not break their vows to defend Rhaenyra.
As she flies away, the House Targaryen Theme plays in full, establishing her as a very important member of the family, and reinforcing her allegiance to Rhaenyra and her family. Such a bad-ass moment, and Djawadi's score supports that perfectly!
And we're done with the penultimate episode! It's really sad to know that next week is the last one, but this has been one hell of a ride, and I have enjoyed a lot all of this episodes, and I'm sure the last one will deliver a great finale worthy of this fantastic season! I enjoyed this episode a lot, and I though the music was extremely fitting, with some intelligent scoring on Djawadi's side, who's showing his enormous talent when giving a musical voice to the world of the Seven Kingdoms!
Stay tuned for next week's episode, and in the meantime be sure to check out my analysis of previous episodes, as well as my analysis of the recently finished first season of the Rings of Power! I hope you enjoyed and see you all soon!
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