Posted in: Game Of Thrones, HBO, TV | Tagged: Aegon II Targaryen, Aemond Targaryen, Ewan Mitchell, HBO, house of the dragon, Tom Glynn-Carney

House of the Dragon: Mitchell on Aemond's Power Moves, Taunting Aegon

Ewan Mitchell breaks down Aemond Targaryen's latest power moves on HBO's House of the Dragon - including intimidating sibling King Aegon II.

The paraphrased version of Proverbs 16:18 says, "Pride goes before a fall," and it couldn't been more literal than the House of the Dragon episode, "The Red Dragon and the Gold," the fourth of season two that saw King Aegon II Targaryen (Tom Glynn-Carney) becomes collateral damage after Prince Aemond (Ewan Mitchell) directs his dragon Vhagar to blow the fire that killed Aegon's dragon Sunfyre and taking the rider down with him while in a grapple with Rhaenys' (Eve Best) dragon, Meleys. Aegon barely survived but was in critical condition. The incapacitated king was slow to recover and made progress two episodes later in "Smallfolk," but not before Aemond visited to taunt him at the king's bed chambers and make moves in his stead. Mitchell spoke to Variety about how he defines Aemond and Aegon's sibling relationship, where Aemond stands as prince regent and parallels with Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith).

House of the Dragon: Ewan Mitchell on Aemond's Political Moves & Plans

Among the moves Aemond pulls is dismissing his mother, Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke), as the Dowager Queen from the King's council and calling for the return of her father Otto Hightower (Rhys Ifans) to return as hand to the king after Aegon dismissed him in favor of Ser Criston Cole (Fabien Frankel). When it comes to where Aemond stands with Aegon after the Battle of Rook's Rest, "It's never been great between those two. Aemond has always seen Aegon as someone inferior who lacks the dedication and persistence to be king, whereas Aemond has always seen himself as — although he is the spare — that he should have been treated as the first son. Aegon himself even says, in Episode 9 of Season 1, he has no wish to rule. You get the idea that he has no political ambition whatsoever," Mitchell shares. "You can see how that might look to members of the small council because that's someone you might be able to control and have some sway on their direction. You couple that with Aemond, who you could argue has a political agenda and does have his own ambition, and you can see how that might not be as lucrative to the small council because that might be a wildcard — someone you might not be able to control as much."

How Mitchell's character is rewarded, "I love that scene when they vote Aemond into power, and he goes from one end of the table to the other because there is this massive switch. Aemond has been serving the war from this side of the table, he said. "He goes to the other side, and he sees all of these other characters in a new perspective. How can they serve Aemond now? It's somewhat similar to the relationship with Aegon. How can he serve me now that he's in his bed and he's terribly crippled from what Aemond did to him in the skies above Rook's Rest? It raises the question of how much of a hindrance he might serve to me in the state that he's in, and now, with Aemond's newfound power, will he get in the way? Is he still on my side? I love all the shakeups in Episode 6."

On Aemond's ambitions, "He doesn't even want to sit on the throne. Aemond recognizes that he who sits on the Iron Throne ultimately becomes the most wanted man in the realm. Aemond has a pretty large target on his back already," Mitchell said. "A part of Aemond knows that anyone who sits on the Iron Throne accidentally cuts themselves. Heavy lies the head that wears the crown. Aemond might be happiest operating as prince regent. Or maybe he does want the throne! Maybe he does want absolute power. That's what I love about Aemond, that ambiguity. You don't know what master he serves, what he's ultimately striving for. Whatever it is, it's not going to be pretty."

When asked about Aemond's comparisons to Daemon, "I think they'd be really good friends in reality. Aemond wants to be his uncle, but he also wants to be better than him. To achieve that, he has to do more than what he did, which is a tremendous feat in itself," Mitchell said. "So much of Aemond's costume lends to the idea that he very much idolizes Daemon. He's Daemon's biggest stan. From the Targaryen blacks to the long hair, it's so reminiscent of a young Rogue Prince. It's a homage to his idol. I don't want to spoil anything, but if those guys end up meeting in a room somewhere, every household object would become a dangerous weapon."

For more, including how Aemond's interaction with Aegon reminds Mitchell of Stephen King's Misery, what he'll do once Aegon recovers, his Doctor Who fandom of Smith, what happens if Aemond grew up with both eyes, and working with director Geeta Patel, you can check out the complete interview. House of the Dragon airs on Sundays on HBO and streams on Max.

Enjoyed this? Please share on social media!

Stay up-to-date and support the site by following Bleeding Cool on Google News today!