Otto Hightower Just Won The Creepiest Moment Of House Of The Dragon Episode 3
Contains spoilers for "House of the Dragon" Episode 3
It is known that "House of the Dragon" and "Game of Thrones" have been partly inspired by real-life historical events, while at the same time being filled to the brim with creepy and awkward situations stemming from the intense politicking. We suppose that is to be expected, though, since real-life history has its fair share of bad decisions. As reported by BBC, author George R.R. Martin drew heavily from the real-life 14th-century conflict known as the "Hundred Years' War" in the crafting of his novels, and Martin said, "Believe me, the Starks and the Lannisters have nothing on the Capets and Plantagenets. It is the original game of thrones."
Knowing that series creator Martin is a history aficionado (the man wears a railroad cap), and with fans expecting a certain amount of scheming based on the collective experience watching "Game of Thrones," viewers are probably watching the actions of characters very closely. Although there are no obvious Littlefinger (Aidan Gillen) or Tywin Lannister (Charles Dance) types yet, certain actions from Otto Hightower (Rhys Ifans) are starting to raise some red flags. So far in "House of the Dragon," we have seen Otto manipulate his own young daughter Alicent (Emily Carey) into marrying King Viserys (Paddy Considine), as well as antagonize the violently erratic and dragon-riding Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith). But it seems as if Otto's recent suggestion in Episode 3 may be the creepiest Westerosi power grab of all time.
Who will be the next ruler of Westeros is a question people need answered
Episode 3 of "House of the Dragon" is primarily focused on lines of succession. Previously, Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen (Milly Alcock) is named heir to the Seven Kingdoms by her father, King Viserys, after the death of his newborn son and wife. Although there has never been a queen in the history of Westeros, Viserys is determined that he made the right choice. Unfortunately, many of his subjects and advisors openly question his decision, and harp on the fact that there has never been a queen, and if there is, the country will rip itself apart.
This issue of succession is compounded even more when Viserys marries Alicent, and she gives birth to a male heir — something that Viserys had previously wanted more than anything else. Named Aegon, which apparently is an exceptionally popular name among those of Targaryen lineage, the child is assumed by the realm to be the eventual new heir, so much so that other royal houses make marriage proposals aimed at Rhaenyra. The most insufferable proposal fans have seen thus far has been that of Jason Lannister (Jefferson Hall), who has all of the trademark arrogance of others of the same last name.
Otto suggests that Viserys betroth his own children to each other
Though Rhaenyra rebuffs Jason's advances, and even fights with her father over his attempts to find her a suitable match, she declares that she doesn't want to marry, and just wants to be queen. King Viserys then proclaims that as royalty, they are honor-bound to tradition and that they must marry to strengthen bloodlines and the lines of succession. He then adds that he will not force her hand and that she can marry whomever she chooses. However, that isn't an idea Otto Hightower thinks is good, and he has an entirely different suggestion.
Otto suggests that Viserys betroth Rhaenyra to Aegon, which should immediately get contemporary viewers to recoil in disgust as Otto honestly considers having a half-sister and brother wed together. This isn't unheard of in Targaryen history, as they have a reputation for marrying family members for the so-called preservation of a "pure bloodline." This has been previously mentioned by Cersei (Lena Headey) and Jamie Lannister (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) in "Game of Thrones," who justify their own dalliances by referencing the Targaryen tradition of marrying siblings. It is also mentioned that whenever a Targaryen has a child, the Gods flip a coin to see if the child will be inflicted with insanity.
It seem as if Otto Hightower wants his grandson on the Iron Throne by any means possible
Considering the political maneuvering of Otto Hightower, this makes sense as he wants to strengthen his own grandson's claim on the Iron Throne. Since there is some debate as to who the heir will be, by marrying the two siblings, there would be one unified claim. This isn't without historical precedent, as History Answers notes that royal marriage between blood relatives was common in real life up until the onset of World War I, which was only a little more than 100 years ago. This practice, perceived as keeping royal blood pure, often resulted in the proliferation of rare genetic diseases, such as hemophilia and physical abnormalities like the infamous "Habsburg Jaw."
As previously mentioned, the Targaryens do have a habit of marrying blood relatives, and the realm often suffers for it. The Mad King in "Game of Thrones" is the reason why the Targaryens are all but extinct at the start of the show, and his aberrant behavior and paranoia almost resulted in the destruction of King's Landing by hidden caches of wildfire. Again, this isn't without historical precedent, as the Economist (via Daily Mail) reported that highly inbred royal leaders often correlated to tenuous times of political upheaval and instability. By no means is Otto absolved of such a suggestion, and the thought is stomach churning. Although Otto seems to have his sights on subtle control of the Iron Throne, he can also relish in his newly acquired "creepiest advice ever" title across both "House of the Dragon" and "Game of Thrones."