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Spoiler alert: This story is featured on HBO’sHouse of the DragonSeason 2, Episode 6, “Smallfolk,” is now streaming on Max.
This week’s episode of “House of the Dragon” saw a shift in the relationship between Rhaenyra (Emma Darcy) and her new best friend and right-hand woman, Mysaria, a.k.a. the White Worm (Sonoya Mizuno), as the two shared a passionate kiss in the episode’s final moments.
However, the kiss is interrupted and Rhaenyra immediately sets off on her dragon to find whoever has been spotted riding a wild dragon around Westeros — whether that person is Rhaenyra and her Black allies or Alicent (Olivia Cooke) and her Green allies — which leaves viewers with a lot of questions about this intimate moment and what it means for the rest of Season 2.
In Darcy’s opinion, one thing was certain: the kiss was not a calculated decision on Rhaenyra’s part.
“To be honest, I think in the beginning it was just a desire to connect,” Darcy said. variety“I think the first thing we see is intimacy, an intimacy that Rhaenyra rarely shares. In her other relationships, there’s often a lot of pretense and bravado from both sides. Certainly with Damon, I think both parties struggle to expose their vulnerability and their eroticism is based in power.
“Her relationship with Mysalia, on the other hand, is surprisingly sincere as it develops,” Darcy continued. “Initially there’s a great deal of empathy and gratitude for this person. Rhaenyra is deeply influenced by the life Mysalia has lived so bravely. And their bodies are completely fulfilled by each other. When they embrace and their bodies touch, I think it’s pure physical desire.”
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Although Mizuno said “everyone will have their own opinion,” he believes the kiss was a “surprise” for both Misaria and Leinira.
“For me, there was nothing Machiavellian about it,” Mizuno said in an interview on Friday. “It was a really beautiful, tender kiss, and it would be impossible not to feel something the way Misaria did in that moment. I don’t think she’s ever had a kiss like that, probably never before. And I think sex and sexuality are very complicated for her, given her history with her father when she was younger, and then her professional life. So that tender, loving, passionate moment must have awakened something in her.”
Mizuno spoke about how both actors envisioned their characters’ emotions before filming the scene. “When we talked about it, we talked about times when you realize you’re in love with someone later on, and you’re like, ‘Oh, right. I liked that person for six months and I didn’t realize it,'” she said. “But once you realize it, it’s full-blown teenage crush. So maybe there’s some of that. But there’s also a civil war brewing, so what do you prioritize?”
Daemon (Matt Smith) has disappeared from Dragonstone for half the season, only communicating with Rhaenyra through unsettling hallucinations and dreams while he raises his army at Harrenhall, but he’s sure to one day be reunited with his wife. What would happen if he found out about Rhaenyra’s intimate moments with Mysalia, who regularly had sex with Daemon when Rhaenyra was still a child?
“It looks like it’s going to be a bit of a rough match,” Mizuno said, “but whatever the match is, I’m looking forward to it.”
Readers can find out more about what happened to the Green Party in this week’s “House of the Dragon.” varietyInterview with actor Ewan Mitchell About the beginning of Aemond Targaryen’s reign.
More details below variety‘s full interview with Darcy about Season 2, Episode 6 of “House of the Dragon,” also includes their thoughts on how this kiss, which isn’t a reference to George R.R. Martin’s “Fire and Blood,” will affect the already strained relationship between Rhaenyra and Damon.
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Can you explain the situation Rhaenyra dealt with in this episode? She went from being hopeful about the idea of using the dragon seed for her own purposes to having the seed burn in an attempt to get her wish granted..
Maybe, as is often the case with Rhaenyra, her big ideas are a little unorthodox. Her strong belief that there might be another answer is in turn combined with a fear of bringing that idea to her male colleagues. I think she goes into most council meetings expecting that she’ll be kind of belittled or undervalued. So the stakes are high. A woman in a position of power is going to be criticized more harshly for being wrong than a man in the same position. So it’s a high-stakes game.
For weeks she had reluctantly listened to the council and her family, avoiding riding her dragon, Syrax, leaving flying and fighting to others, but when she heard there were unknown dragon riders out in the world, she immediately took to the skies – why had she finally decided that breaking the rules was worth it?
That’s great, but I don’t know if she’s considering any other courses of action. I feel like this is one of those moments of escalating civil war, and depending on who’s riding the dragon, it could mean the end of their fight. I think we’re already in a very tough spot. If someone allied with the Greens were to take over that dragon, I think it would be a very bad situation for Rhaenyra and her allies. Either way, I think her need for self-preservation goes out the window.
How do you see the evolution of Rhaenyra and Mysalia’s relationship from the beginning of the season to now?
This is a whole new type of relationship for Rhaenyra. She’s a very volatile character and she often lets her emotions get the better of her, especially in relationships. I think this is a sign of change. Their trust slowly grows. They don’t like each other at all at first. And I think it’s interesting to see two women who have developed mechanisms to manipulate and manipulate systems of power in such a patriarchal system. These skill sets are not really built to be used against other women. So Rhaenyra certainly feels quite threatened by Mysalia, and of course her history with Damon.
But as the series progresses, Misalia really influences Rhaenyra’s politics. She has a strong influence on Rhaenyra’s ability to understand what the kingdom and its people would be affected in the event of a civil war. That was a bit abstract for Rhaenyra, but Misalia somehow makes it more concrete. And I think it speaks to a different form of power that Rhaenyra might sometimes overlook in her eagerness for masculine, conflict-based power: getting the will and belief of the people — I don’t know if that was part of her political consciousness before Misalia.
Ollie Upton/Courtesy of HBO
This kiss between Rhaenyra and Mysalia is not included among the “historic” events recorded in George R. R. Martin’s Fire & Blood. Knowing that there are many inconsistent retellings and omissions in Fire & Blood, how did you feel about adding this scene to the show?
I find humor in how women are often missing from history books, even the ones that are written. Part of it is out of apathy — people aren’t interested in what women do. I like to investigate what happened between the forgotten pages.
Had you always seen Rhaenyra as a queer character, or was this a new experience for her?
It’s hard, because I don’t think the word “queer” is in Rhaenyra’s vocabulary at all. There are very few images and stories in the world that she has access to where she can identify in that way. I think she’s very sexual. That’s probably one of the real joys of playing her. I think she’s a hyper-embodied character who sees her body saying something. And that applies to a lot of different situations. I don’t think she’s scared of the dictates of her body. And certainly I think her early relationship with Alicent was very intimate.
How do you think this kiss will impact Rhaenyra and Daemon’s tumultuous relationship?
I don’t think she has any intention of telling him, but I think she would be very proud and encouraged, and I think she would be very happy if he knew. I can only imagine that there is a power struggle in their relationship and that being involved with his ex-girlfriend would be a useful point on the board.
What was it like working with Matt Smith less this season after being such close scene partners in season one, and will the feud between Rhaenyra and Damon continue for much longer?
It was frustrating, to be honest with you. We’ve talked about this a lot, but I had a lot of fun filming with Matt, so it was a shame we didn’t get to do more with him. I don’t want to give away any spoilers. But inevitably, a bigger villain is going to show up, and we’re both going to have to figure out how to handle that ultimate battle.
These interviews have been edited and condensed.
