House of the Dragon: Rhaenyra's Young Suitor Is More Important to the Story Thank You Think
House of the Dragon's fourth episode continues one of the season's most important storylines, following Rhaenyra on the journey to choose a husband, something she has been adamant about not wanting to do. One of the potential suitors arrives at the beginning of the episode in a young knight, with whom Rhaenyra clearly has very little interest. That knight obviously won't become her husband, but he does have a major part to play later in her story. He'll be coming around again.
WARNING: This article contains major spoilers for the fourth episode of House of the Dragon! Continue reading at your own risk...
At the beginning of the episode, Rhaenyra is listening to the offers of several suitors, part of a matchmaking tour that her father put together. One of those suitors is a boy much younger than Rhaenyra named Samwell Blackwood. Rhaenyra doesn't want to marry the boy, obviously, and dismisses him. Another one of the suitors is heckling Samwell, causing him to draw his sword on the much bigger man. As Rhanerya leaves the building, Samwell can be seen cutting down the bigger competitor, surprising the audience and letting us know there may be something more to him. Eventually, we will find out that there is.
Who Is Samwell Blackwood?
House Blackwood descends from the First Men and has a history of power in the Riverlands. At one time they assisted the Targaryens in battle. That's something the house will do again under the leadership of Samwell. While Rhaenyra doesn't choose the young Blackwell as her suitor, he does pledge his allegiance to her later in life.
One of the most pivotal points in Targaryen history is the Dance of Dragons, a civil war between Rhaenyra and her younger brother, Aegon II. This war forces houses to pick sides, as the prize of the confrontation is the Iron Throne. Samwell takes the side of Rhaenyra and leads his forces to battle in her name.
Even though there seems to be no warm regards between Rhaenyra and Samwell in this new episode of House of the Dragon, he does become important to her later in their lives. It'll be interesting to see if he pops back up later this season, given how fast the timeline is moving.
What did you think of the latest episode of House of the Dragon? Let us know in the comments!