I'm not going to with time stamp annotations. I was too busy, didn't have the time to pause from time to time through the course of the episode. On the other hand, I am not going to need a second knee surgery and my work shed is finally here and in place and I got half my root canal in the bag. The end of the baseball season was not as bad as I thought. It's like when someone is slowly dying and suffering and you have to do a lot for them and you honestly don't mind, but by the time they die, you're sad, and you would give a lot just to have one more day with them, but it's also kind of a relief that you can get a break and you no longer have to someone/thing you care about in such a distressing state. I was honestly more regretful of the fact that the Padres won than the Dodgers losing. And hey, it took seven years from when the Padres hired Dave Roberts to be their interim manager, but he finally managed them into their furthest post-season advancement of the 21st century.

Anyway, Hot D. We pick up after Viserys death at the tail end of last episode. A page finds him and tells Talya, Alicent's maid, who in turn, wakes up Alicent to tell her. Alicent is rather surprisingly grief-stricken in light of her behavior wrt Viserys in the last three or so episodes. She tells her father, Otto, the Hand, along with her interpretation of Viserys' final words to her. He was responding to Rhaenrya's previous private inquiry about the show-added prophecy, and whether they were right to believe it, but Alicent took his words to mean he intended their son Aegon to take the throne. She tells Otto this, and he's all "well then, the smart play for our family now has royal sanction."

So they call a meeting of the Small Council and inform the Councilors that Viserys is dead. Immediately, several of the Councilors start planning how to crown Aegon and deal with Rhaenyra and her supporters, to the surprise of Alicent and Lord Beesbury, the Master of Coin. Turns out Otto has been planning this with their allies on the council for some time. Beesbury objects and points out Viserys' well-known wishes as well as the suspicious aspects of Alicent's claim that he had changed his mind, but in the midst of his speech, Criston Cole steps up, tells him to sit down and slams his face into the table, crushing his skull against the little stone balls they put in front of their places. The Lord Commander, Ser Harrold draws down on him and orders him to disarm and remove his cloak, Cole is ready to fight over the implicit insult to Alicent, but Alicent makes him stand down. Otto wants the Kingsguard to arrest Rhaenyra and Daemon etc, saying she will be given the opportunity to swear to Aegon, which Alicent knows they won't do. She points out that they are basically planning to straight up murder all her in-laws.
Otto & the Grand Maester are all "icky but necessary," even trying "this is what Viserys would have wanted," but the idea that he would have wanted his daughter & brother murdered doesn't fly with Alicent. Otto orders Ser Harrold Westerling to go Dragonstone with his knights and to be "quick but clean," but Westerling removes his cloak and says he only serves the king and isn't taking any orders from the Small Council until there is a king.

Alicent is not thrilled with Otto plotting a coup behind her back, but she needs to find the new king and let him know. He's not in his rooms with his wife-sister Helaena and their kids, but she starts yammering about the beast beneath the boards, and so a search is on. For Aegon. Ser Arryk & Ser Erryk of the Kingsguard go looking for him at the behest of Otto, who orders them not to let Alicent know what they are doing and only bring Aegon to Otto.

Anyway, a coup is ongoing in the Red Keep, as the servant who know of Viserys' death are herded into a dungeon, and nobles present are dragged to the throne room and demanded to swear their support for Aegon. Rhaenys, who is still there from the big family gathering, wakes to her room being locked.

Alicent sends Criston Cole to look for Aegon on HER behalf and Aemond goes with him, because he has been roistering with Aegon before and Cole is too reformedly chaste to know the brothels, and the Cargylls have a head start being more familiar with Aegon's habits than Cole. But the brothels haven't seen Aegon in a while, one madam claiming his tastes don't run to the fancier brothels anymore.

Otto refuses to let any nobles leave the throne without declaring a side. Those who refuse to swear are arrested. One clearly reluctant lord kneels when that is made clear, but Larys Strong as an eye on him. When he tries to casually ride out of the castle, he is dragged off his horse by armed men and Larys hands him over to Otto, who sends him to the King's Justice. He thanks Larys floating the issue that he thought Larys was loyal to Alicent, and Larys suggests his closeness to Alicent could benefit Otto.

The Cargyll twins search an underground pit-fighting establishment, and spot a white haired child who is one of several bastards Aegon has scattered in the low places of the city. Erryk (I assume) is disgusted and questions how they can serve a man like this, having come to this conclusion while guarding him and seeing all this while Arryk takes the "stay in our lane" position, trusting in the judgment of the Hand, rather than the quality of the prince. A woman approaches them, offering to tell them where Aegon is, saying she works for the White Worm, and that Otto will want to hear what she has to say.

Aemond's search with Cole isn't going as well, but Aemond starts to float the idea that maybe failure won't be so bad, and starts talking himself up as a superior candidate for the throne.

Alicent oversees Viserys' burial preparations and weeps over his corpse, before paying a visit to Rhaenys. She tells Rhaenys what's going on and asks for her support, pointing out how the Velaryons' alliance with Daemon & Rhaenyra has not been going so well for her, and Corlys' ambitions have nearly killed him. Alicent acknowledges that it would have been better if Rhaenys had been queen and even Viserys would have been happier that way, but now they, the women, despite being marginalized, have an opportunity and responsibility to guide those who do rule away from violence and destruction. Rhaenys is skeptical of the peaceful intentions of someone who has imprisoned her, and Alicent is frank that she hopes to withold Rhaenys', and her dragon's, aid from Rhaenyra, in the hopes that the lack of strength will make her more likely to negotiate than fight. She offers to let Rhaenys hold Driftmark and pass it on to her granddaughters. Rhaenys compliments her wisdom but questions the ends to which she uses it, in service to the men in her life, rather than taking the throne herself. Alicent is either shaken by her insight or appalled at the suggestion and leaves.

Meanwhile, Aemond & Cristone spot Otto having a sit-down with Myseria, who has Aegon in hand, and will turn him over in exchange for Otto cracking down on the children pit fighting. She warns Otto to remember when he puts Aegon on the throne that she could have killed him instead, and that rule is only through consent of the governed.
The Cargyll twins find Aegon hiding under a table in a sept, but he does not want to go back. When he asks to be taken to his mother, and the twins say they are bringing him to Otto outside the city, he tries to run, but he's not very sober. As Arryk drags him out, he is accosted on the steps by Aemond and Criston. Arryk fights with Cole over custody, while Aemond runs down Aegon when he again tries to flee, and Erryk just watches and refuses to help, leaving once it is clear that Alicent's people have won. Aegon does not want to rule and begs Aemond to let him flee the realm, and Aemond is considering it, but Cole is going to take them back to their mother.

Alicent confronts Otto about his maneuvering against her and he accuses her of not taking it seriously, of treating their quest for the throne like a game for a small prize. They argue about the degree to which Otto has been using her, and whether her ambitions for herself and her sons was really what she wanted, or what Otto conditioned her into wanting. Otto insists that sacrifices are necessary, but Alicent is not going to murder their way to the throne and since she has Aegon now, they are doing things her way. Which includes making a sincere offer of peace to Rhaenyra that is possible for her to accept without being humiliated and Cole as Lord Commander of the Kingsguard. She wants Aegon publicly crowned the next day, with Targaryen trappings to reinforce his legitimacy, and Otto is cool with that.

Larys Strong informs Alicent that she is being spied upon, by Talya among others, and Otto allows it in exchange for access to the take. He points out that it is suspicious how Criston and Aemond had a head start, but Otto found Aegon first. Larys' payment for this intelligence is that Alicent removes her shoes and presents her feet for his viewing pleasure, followed by her stockings, when he hesitates in sharing, and then allows him to masturbate to the sight. I used to be happy that Larys was being given depth and background and the show was giving us insight into his motivations. Be careful what you wish for.

Erryk Cargyll frees Rhaenys, and leads her out of the keep, past the hanged body of the lord who tried to leave and through the secret passages. She wants to go to her dragon, Meleys, but Erryk says the guards at the Dragonpit will be waiting for her, and she has to leave by ship. They are forced to try detours as the Cty Watch are press-ganging crowds to witness Aegon's coronation, and they are separated, with Rhnaeys being swept up with the crowd.

Aegon, riding to his coronation with Alicent, is less than thrilled and she's a bit pissed that he doesn't appreciate everything she has had to do for it. Aegon points out that his father never wanted him to be king, refusing all his life, over 20 years, to name him as heir over Rhaenyra. Aegon believes it was personal, because Viserys didn't like him, and laughs at Alicent's insistence that he changed his mind on his deathbed, but is tempted when she offers him Viserys' Valyrian steel knife. She tries to head off Otto's kill-Rhaenyra agenda by trying to argue against it, but Aegon wants to know if she loves him. At the coronation, with Otto leading the ceremony, and a cloaked Rhaenys in attendance, Aegon appears affected by the pomp and splendor. Rhaenys sneaks out down a subterranean stairwell while he is being annointed, and he is crowned by Criston Cole, while Aemond looks on, Helaena looks away and Larys looks satisfied. After both Otto's and Criston's proclamations of his kingship fall a bit flat on the crowd, Aegon actually gets a cheer when he faces them in his crown, and is clearly moved. This is probably the first time he feels liked or admired and he gets into it pumping up the crowd with his sword and basking in it all.

And then the floor explodes, because no one ever listens to Helaena. In a scene that is amazing and awe-inspiring, Meleys emerges from below the sept, with Rhaenys on her back in full armor somehow. Otto starts shouting for the guards, who are fighting the fleeing crowds to shut the doors to the sept, to open them instead. The dragon bears down on the royal party at the altar, Alicent tells Cole to protect Helaena and interposes her body between Aegon and Meleys. Meleys looks like she's look forward to this, and there is Eye Contact of significance between the Queen Who Never War and the now Queen Mother, who closes hers, anticipating the end, but Meleys only screams at them without fire. Rhaenys gives her another look and flies out of the sept and off as the screen goes black.

So, I sort of get what they are doing there. They clearly want to show that Alicent is better than Otto, she is trying to do the right thing, and even believes that she is doing what her husband would have wanted, and her attempts to be and do better have paid off, because Rhaenys returns the courtesy. But on the other hand, every significant actor on the Green side is clustered together for one shot of dragonfire. Absolutely everything that goes on from here on out would not happen if Rhaenys just finishes them off, instead of punking them and flying away. I could get behind her going to the Dragonpit and escaping with Meleys and Erryk, who, ITB, has a date with destiny fighting on Dragonstone for Rhaenyra, and deciding getting away clean and letting the Blacks know how things stand is more important than risking a flyby to the sept on the off-chance of making some kills. But she came up right in front of them, causing some needless destruction of innocent bystanders, but sparing the lives of the leadership of the other side in what is inevitably going to be a war. Lots of people are going to die who would not if she had said "Dracarys," instead of whatever is High Valyrian for "scream really loud". It's not even like we saw Aegon's kids present. Just one fireball and no more Alicent, Aegon, Aemond, Cole Larys Strong, or Otto Hightower. Boom. War is mostly over. There will still be a fight, since the other Hightowers will still have Daeron to uphold a claim and maybe Ser Tyland Lannister can rally his brother to that cause. But they'd be up against Caraxes and Syrax and Meleys and even Jace & Luke's dragons, with only Tessarion on their team. No Sunfyre and no Vhagar effectively hands the game to Team Black, especially since those odds mean there is no need to try recruiting new dragon riders, so there won't be any Betrayals. Before the coronation, we are showed a building in the city burning while a cloaked man walks away, that I assume was Larys' attempt to burn out Mysaria per his talk with Alicent. Which would explain how she goes from feeding Otto information to facilitating the Blood & Cheese incident. So a fireball from Meleys in the sept more or less means the Blacks have a clear shot at the capital city, with the enemy leadership beheaded, and the City Watch and its underworld both controlled by Daemon's allies.

We'll have to see how this is rationalized next week, but otherwise, the whole Dance of the Dragons has just been retconned into a massive own goal by Rhaenys. Up to that point, I thought this was a pretty decent episode explaining, or upholding prior established characterizations that were absent in the books, such as the nature of Cole's devotion to Alicent, rather than only hating Rhaenyra, or Larys' motivations and partisanship, or the aforementioned switch of sides for Mysaria, and the efforts to humanize Alicent again after her meltdown over Aemond's eye. But that scene inserted at the end for shock value or showing off a moment of awesome, might have ruined all the writing efforts.