It’s exciting to see the show offering a fresh perspective, especially where it allows them to avoid killing yet another queer character after Joffrey Lonmouth’s brutal death two episodes earlier. It does raise questions about how certain plot points will be handled in the future, but that also offers up more opportunities for the show to surprise viewers. It also casts Rhaenyra in a better light than she was looking for a hot minute there when it seemed like she was going to HAVE LAENOR MURDERED, although your mileage may vary on how “good” it is to let Rhaenys and Corlys believe they lost yet another child so soon after Laena’s death — not to mention the poor random servant who Daemon murdered to have a fresh body to use as “Laenor’s.” On Laenor’s part, he’s abandoned his parents to horrible grief, and left his beloved dragon Seasmoke as well as the sons he’s raised as his own. But considering his options, his history and trauma, his frustration with his life, and his general hopelessness at the role he was supposed to be playing, you can kind of understand why he chose to escape.
