This story contains spoilers for “House of the Dragon,” Season 2, Episode 4, “The Red Dragon and the Gold.”
The Queen who never existed no longer exists.
In Sunday's episode of “House of the Dragon,” “The Red Dragon and the Gold,” Princess Rhaenys Targaryen (Eve Best) volunteers to lead her dragon, Meleys, into battle at Rook's Rest, which is under siege by the army of the Greens, led by Ser Criston Cole.
She encounters two more dragon-riding Targaryens: Aegon and his dragon-beast Sunfyre, who are quickly cut down, and Aemond and the ferocious Vhagar, who prove more formidable opponents. Vhagar deals a fatal blow to the much smaller Meleys, who falls from the sky. With a look of peaceful resignation on her face, Rhaenys plummets to certain death.
Her fate — and Aegon’s uncertain future — marks what is sure to be an escalation in the Targaryen family civil war known as the Dance of Dragons. Rhaenys, who was passed over in the line of succession in favor of King Viserys (Paddy Considine) because of her gender — only to see him name her daughter Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy) as his heir — was a rare voice of moderation and caution in the harsh world of Westeros, only making use of ferocious beasts when absolutely necessary.
Rhaenys’s disappearance also means that viewers of “House of the Dragon” will be deprived of Best, a stately actress who brought a steely poise and quiet wisdom to the role. Best has some experience playing women close to the throne, having starred as Carole Middleton in the final season of “The Crown” and Wallis Simpson in “The King’s Speech.” From her home in Italy, where birdsong could be heard in the background, she spoke to The Times about her character’s farewell and the real-world inspiration she found in some politics.
I guess you had some idea that things would end up like this for Rhaenys, but how did you react when you read the script?
It's the nature of the beast. If you're part of the “Game of Thrones” franchise, chances are there's going to be a sticky ending at some point. Did you know that… [Rhaenys was going to die]I just didn't know exactly when.
I was devastated for her. I think she's a magnificent character and a magnificent woman. There's that wonderful movie “The Last Samurai.” There's similar territory with Rhaenys. I told Ryan [showrunner Ryan J. Condal] At the end of last season, “I want her to become a full samurai when things get going,” because up until that point in Season 1, when she breaks her own glass ceiling on the dragon in such fantastical fashion, she's remained very neutral. She's treaded very lightly through the minefield.
When you see these noble characters, these warriors with truth and goodness on their side, [dying]It's agony. In the context of this world, it's a tremendous loss. In Westeros, as in our world, enlightened female role models are vital and sorely needed. That's exactly the role she plays, particularly in season two: this beacon, like an instruction manual for Rhaenyra. This is what a good ruler does. This is how he leads. That's something that's always struck me about the nature of this particular story, the backbone of which is the fact that these women are thrust into the middle of a patriarchal system that's in disarray.
What Rhaenys represents is someone with absolute authority, power, wisdom, intelligence, experience, political knowledge and absolute compassion: a constant awareness of [the need for] collaboration and choice for love, as opposed to destruction.
Eve Best as Princess Rhaenys Targaryen and Steve Toussaint as Lord Corlys Velaryon in “House of the Dragon.”
(Ollie Upton / HBO)
Have you thought about anything real?–Which world figures, historical or contemporary, are related to this character? There have been many women like Rhaenys.
Absolutely, 100%, almost every great woman you can imagine. [has] An element of [Rhaenys]Sara Hess, one of the show's executive producers and head writers, told me on the first day: “There's so much of Hillary Clinton [in Rhaenys]”God knows you can't compare Viserys to the other. [former President Trump]But the similarities are very clear: seeing the person who is absolutely, without a doubt, the most suitable for the job being marginalized simply because she is a woman, and then somehow having to find her way.
One of the things that gave me the most respect for Hillary Clinton was the period after… [the 2016 election]how she carried herself in her role and in her non-role and brilliantly maintained her dignity, her self-respect and her leadership. It seemed like territory Rhaenys was treading.
I became acutely aware of how extremely difficult that particular dance is: not letting inevitable human disappointment turn into darker feelings of revenge, resentment, guilt, not letting any of that fester as we see it is beginning to taint the choices we make. [Rhaenyra and Alicent] They're doing what they want. We see them both go down these rabbit holes of potential disaster because of their personal circumstances. Somehow, Rhaenys manages to stay above it all despite every blow thrown at her. The poetry of her literal death in heaven on her dragon and her release into eternity is perfect.
Why do you think Rhaenys eventually sided with Rhaenyra and Daemon, despite everything that happened? to their children for their sake (and their own right to the throne)?
The decision to side with her is a difficult one, but again, it puts the personal aside. The bigger picture is that Rhaenyra is clearly the heir to the throne. Rhaenys has a very strong feeling that “under my command, this story can never be told again. This will never happen again. Literally over my dead body.”
It is very clear that [Rhaenyra] It's an infinitely more sensible choice than Aegon's. In every way, it's the right thing to do. It's almost as if Rhaenys is programmed to do the right thing. She puts her personal feelings aside, which is very hard to do. It's a strong temptation to gouge out her own eyes, or to simply return to Driftmark with Corlys, sit and watch the sunset, and wash her hands of them all.
We've seen Rhaenys call for restraint time and time again. Why does she decide to use lethal force this time?
The time has come when it is really necessary. There is a point of no return. She has tried everything, she has advocated moderation, collaboration and communication. [told Rhaenyra] Go talk to Alicent about it, sister to sister, because these two women love each other and have the power to heal.
The Black Council spends a lot of time debating whether or not to release the dragons. When we were rehearsing, I said, “What's the context? How can we relate to this?” And Ryan said, immediately, “Nuclear war.” Nuclear war is inevitable. [in this world]and she knows 100% that she is the last adult in the room and the only person who can make that person take that action.
The moment where she says, “Send me,” was changed at the last minute. Sara Hess, one of the writers, suggested that we change it to, “You must send me,” which is brilliant, because it’s an instruction, almost like her last instruction. She knows that she’s sacrificing herself, in effect. She knows that it’s the red button, and if anyone’s going to have the responsibility of pushing that red button and dealing with the terrible, devastating weight of that action, it has to be her, because she’s the only one who can deal with that, not just physically, but emotionally. I think she knows full well that it’s a kamikaze mission, and she’s downplaying it.
Tell me about filming the battle sequence. What is the hardest part of riding a dragon?
Technically, it's incredibly demanding and exhausting. I definitely feel my age, I don't think this is my comfort zone at all. I had to ask for a lot more cushions. It was two whole weeks, just me, all morning and night, all afternoon, doing quite a bit of physical exercise. That was a challenge. But the most challenging part was the emotional story. The moment of their joint death was my penultimate take. The preparation for that was quite intense. I felt a lot of pressure to do a good death, to do justice to the character.
Ryan arrived on set very sweetly and gave a lovely speech, saying goodbye. The spotlight at that moment became more and more unbearable. It was difficult to do the camera angles and they had to prepare for everything. I was standing, waiting and feeling more and more anxious. [we got to it]I was like a pressure cooker about to explode. I was tied up and it was all over in an instant. We did two takes and that was it, which was perfect. At that moment, what was key for her was this absolute letting go and accepting. This is exactly what you go through as an actor: in the end, you just have to let go and accept because you're not in control.
