'House of the Dragon' Episode 7 Leaves Us Wondering if [SPOILER] Is Alive or Dead

Oct. 3 2022, Published 11:03 a.m. ET

Spoiler alert: This article comprises spoilers for House of the Dragon Episode 7.

Every episode of House of the Dragon brings a new perplexing shocker that’s sure to shake up our personal homes. However, Episode 7 brings about one of the biggest questions of the sequence but: What came about to Laenor Velaryon? The episode, titled “Driftmark,” begins with Laena’s funeral and seems to finish with Laenor’s death. However, Laenor may not in truth be dead.

If there’s anything else we’ve discovered from Game of Thrones, it’s that characters we predict are dead are in truth alive, characters we predict are alive could be useless, and although anyone is useless, they can always come back to life. So is Laenor alive in House of the Dragon or did he die? What does Rhaenyra know relating to his death?

Is Laenor in point of fact alive by means of the finish of ‘House of the Dragon’ Episode 7?

Yes! (Cue Young Frankenstein voice) He’s alive! It may appear confusing, however on a rewatch, Daemon and Rhaenyra’s plot becomes very actual. Basically, Rhaenyra makes it clear to Daemon that she wants to wed him as a result of she will’t face the vegetables by myself, and likewise because they’ve all the time had a connection. He couldn’t kill her for the throne because he loves her, too; he may marry her for the throne now.

However, Daemon says reasonably clearly that they are able to’t marry because Rhaenyra’s still married to Laenor, and he would have to die in order for Rhaenyra to remarry. So Rhaenyra entrusts Daemon to hold out a plot — however now not the plot we expect. She does have love for Laenor, and he has absolutely served his duty as her prince; she doesn’t suppose it’s honest to kill him.

Instead, Daemon pays off Ser Qarl Correy to get rid of Laenor. Of route, we all know that Ser Qarl is Laenor’s lover, so he doesn’t look like the very best person to kill Laenor. In fact, Daemon can pay off Ser Qarl to lend a hand pretend Laenor’s death. Basically, after Daemon captures a random guard, Ser Qarl “fights” Laenor whilst Laenor’s squire runs for help. Next anyone sees, there’s an indiscernible corpse in the fireplace wearing Laenor’s jewellery, and his Velaryon parents are grieving over “his” frame.

But in reality, the body will have to belong to the guard that Daemon captures, as a result of moments later, Laenor is seen with a shaved head rowing off to some remote position with Ser Qarl the place they may be able to reside in peace. They are most probably heading to Pentos, where Laenor and Qarl will also be lovers with no need to cover.

Rhaenyra is for sure clued into the plot to stay Laenor alive.

Even even though Laenor isn’t lifeless, many of us are wondering if Rhaenyra knows he’s alive. However, beginning a wedding off with secrets, while fitting for the world of Game of Thrones, wouldn’t be an excellent first step for Daemon and Rhaenyra. When they talk about the matter, Rhaenyra makes certain to inform Daemon she does now not want to rule as a ruthless tyrant, taking the lives of those that don’t deserve it.

So while Rhaneyra would possibly not know the bits and bobs of the entire plan, she unquestionably knows that Laenor is alive. Not most effective that, however she appreciates that the realm may worry her as a result of they suspect that Laenor is useless. “They will concern what else we might be capable of,” Rhaenyra tells Daemon, however the fact of it'll be their secret.

How does Laenor Velaryon die in the George R.R. Martin books?

So a ways, House of the Dragon has stuck pretty faithfully to George R.R. Martin’s source subject material. However, Laenor’s demise (or survival) seems to be the collection’ first main deviation from the books. In Fire & Blood, Ser Qarl in reality does kill Laenor, but in plain sight of the public all over a fair at Spicetown. Merchants reported that the two males argued ahead of drawing swords, and lots of suspect that Ser Qarl was jealous as a result of Laenor used to be infatuated with a more youthful guy.

However, others, such as Mushroom, one of the many people to give a contribution to the retelling of Targaryen history, believe that Daemon did pay off Ser Qarl simply to kill Laenor. Regardless, there’s no account of Laenor heading to Pentos … whilst there are lots of accounts of Laenor death. Perhaps the showrunners wanted to turn something a bit extra optimistic for the show’s queer characters for as soon as.

New episodes of House of the Dragon air each Sunday at nine p.m. EST on HBO.

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