(House of the Dragon spoilers will be found below.)
The penultimate episode of the first House of the Dragon season is already upon us. Last week gave us a fine soap opera by finally putting King Viserys I out of his rotting misery, and Prince Daemon Targaryen taking Vaemond’s head (although leaving him with his tongue) when he dared to call out Rhaenyra’s children as bastards (and he said even worse). We haven’t seen Daemon during this episode, although mini-Daemon is afoot and is skulking up a storm.
Yep, we’re talking about Aemond Targaryen, and it’s quite something that this family regularly throws on hoods to do mischief, and most people don’t recognize them. That’s not universal, though, since it seems that the front woman of one house of ill repute recognizes the most bitter Targaryen of his generation. More to the point, though, there’s the similar vibe to how Daemon’s idol (Daemon, still the crown prince of mischief) donned a hood that didn’t totally disguise him when he took Rhaenyra out for a pleasure tour, but it did allow him to murder his first wife and get away with it. Crime hoodie!
Alright, so Aemond tossed on his hood this week (during “The Green Council” episode) as though no one would notice his eye patch. He accompanied Ser Criston while they attempted to track down Aegon Targaryen. He’d gone missing, and everyone assumed that Aegon was up to no good, and Alicent had definitely misunderstood Viserys’ final words to her and beloved that he wished for Aegon to be king. You know, even though he’s the worst character of the show and a rapist, Alicent chose to believe this, and The Green Council subsequently wished to put their “long-standing plan” into motion.
Aemond, of course, wants to be Daemon so bad that it hurts. Aemond also wishes to be king, and it’s not clear (early on in the episode) if he truly means to help Criston, who’s on board with Aegon as king because of his devotion to Alicent (and hatred of Rhaenyra). As well, Aemond communicates that he wants to rule and is more fit to do so than Aegon, given that he’s trained with the sword, studies philosophy, and has the largest dragon in the world. Dude is salty, and people love it. Ewan Mitchell is killing this role, and people cannot get enough of the hood. Let the memes commence.
aemond putting his hood up as if it’ll hide the fact that he’s the prince with the eyepatch
— shanerys (@dernswift) October 17, 2022
Aemond going out into the streets with a hood like he not the only royal missing an eye.#HouseOfTheDragonHBO
— Unique Targaryen
(@ItsNiaMya) October 17, 2022
so happy that aemond is getting a crime hood this week like his uncle
— Claude
Spoopy Season
(@ClaudeInJail) October 16, 2022
That hood really disguises Aemond’s eyepatch well
— Jordan Schultze (@schultze_) October 17, 2022
I had too many glasses of wine or aemond looks kinda good in this hood? #hotd pic.twitter.com/ThwZbAicBz
— jay z’s verse in alien superstar (@bIackcindy) October 17, 2022
aemond is so cute wandering the city in his little hood oh I love him
— the wizard of loneliness (@gaylittlemikey) October 17, 2022
If the hood doesn’t mean Aemond wants to be Daemon I don’t know what does!!
#HouseOfTheDragonHBO
— Natalie (@nat_ferry98) October 17, 2022
Aemond going out into the streets with a hood like he not the only royal missing an eye.#HouseOfTheDragonHBO
— Unique Targaryen
HBO’s House of the Dragon airs on Sundays at 9:00pm EST.