The Lord of the Tides

"The Lord of the Tides" was directed by Geeta Vasant Patel and written by Eileen Shim, marking their first time in the Game of Thrones franchise.[1]

The title of the episode refers to the title held by Lord Corlys Velaryon as the episode focuses on the discussion of his successor.[2]

The episode stars Paddy Considine, Matt Smith, Olivia Cooke, Emma D'Arcy, Rhys Ifans, Eve Best, Fabien Frankel, Sonoya Mizuno, Graham McTavish, Jefferson Hall, Harry Collett, Tom Glynn-Carney, Ewan Mitchell, Bethany Antonia, Phoebe Campbell, and Phia Saban. It marks the first appearance of Glynn-Carney as adult Aegon Targaryen, Saban as adult Helaena Targaryen, Mitchell as adult Aemond Targaryen, Collett as adult Jacaerys Velaryon, Elliot Grihault as adult Lucerys Velaryon, Antonia as adult Baela Targaryen, and Campbell as adult Rhaena Targaryen, succeeding Ty Tennant, Evie Allen, Leo Ashton, Leo Hart, Harvey Sadler, Shani Smethurst and Eva Ossei-Gerning who portrayed the young version of the seven characters, respectively, in the sixth and seventh episodes, following a plot jump of six years after the previous episode.[3] Of the seven actors, Grihault was the only one not featured in the opening credits, but instead in the closing credits. In addition, it also marks the final appearance of Wil Johnson as Ser Vaemond Velaryon.

An estimated 1.73 million viewers watched "The Lord of the Tides" during its first broadcast on HBO.[4] Around 2.4 million viewers watched the episode across its four broadcasts during its premiere night.[5]

Paddy Considine's performance in the episode was widely praised by critics.

The episode received highly positive reviews from critics. On the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, it holds an approval rating of 91% based on 34 reviews, with an average rating of 7.3/10. The website's critical consensus said, "The family comes together for a short-lived truce in 'The Lord of the Tides,' a mournful installment that spotlights Paddy Considine's moving performance as the ailing King Viserys."[6] It received an "amazing" score of 9 out of 10 from Helen O'Hara of IGN, a rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars from Alec Bojalad of Den of Geek, and an "A-" grade from Jenna Scherer of The A.V. Club.[7][8][1] In her review, O'Hara noted it as "a smart, well-written, and character-driven episode that once again shifts the show forward in time without entirely losing the plot."[7] Bojalad called it "an exciting [and] effective episode of television."[8] Scherer deemed it "the series' best episode to date."[1]

Considine's performance was singled out by many critics as the highlight of the episode.[8][1][9][10][11][12][13][14] Oliver Vandervoort of Game Rant said that he "does a phenomenal job of playing someone who knows that his days are growing short and who just wants to take in his family."[14] Additionally, Bojalad called the performance "transcendent", while Scherer considered it Emmy-worthy.[8][1] TVLine named Considine the "Performer of the Week" for his performance in this episode for the week of October 15, 2022. The site wrote, "Considine's excellent turn as the decrepit royal in his final days will live in perpetuity. [...] [His] genius lay in the way he allowed Viserys' physical decline to be the catalyst for the king's emotionally stripped-down plea to his fractured family. [...] So many props to Considine for making the conflicted, complicated man someone on whose words we hung until the very end."[15]

Several critics highlighted Viserys' speech during the family dinner at the Red Keep.[8][12][16] Daniel Van Boom of CNET said that it was "a great speech" and his presence was "classic Game of Thrones quality stuff."[16] Furthermore, the dinner scene itself also received praise.[1][11] Bojalad named it "[the series'] finest hour, and maybe one of the best scenes ever in the Game of Thrones franchise."[8] The scene in the Great Hall when Viserys walked across the room to reach the Iron Throne was also praised,[8][1][17] with Scherer saying, "Viserys' slow, agonizing journey across the throne room makes for a stunning set piece, richly earned by all the episodes we've spent watching him waffle and demure in the face of high stakes."[1] Sarah Milner of /Film listed the scene as one of "the moments that defined TV in 2022."[18] In addition, critics also praised Patel's direction,[7][12] Shim's writing,[9][11] Cooke and D'Arcy's on-screen chemistry,[7][10] and the performances of Best,[1][19][20] Cooke,[7][9][21][20] D'Arcy,[7][1][10][22] Mitchell,[9][11][23][24] and Smith.[9][20]

"The Lord of the Tides" was included in many publications' list of the best TV episode of 2022. Mashable named it the third best TV episode of the year.[25] British GQ ranked it the fourth best episode of the year and wrote, "This was the episode in which House of the Dragon finally proved its worth, paying off the ruthless politicking of the season before it in spades, elevated by an all-timer of a performance from Paddy Considine."[26] Meanwhile, Decider and Entertainment Weekly included the episode in their unranked lists.[27][28]