House of the Dragon introduces potentially queer ruler Lady Jeyne Arryn
Amanda Collin as Lady Jeyne Arryn in House of the Dragon. (HBO)
House of the Dragon season two just crossed the halfway point with episode five and finally, things could be getting queer. Westeros’ newest character, Lady Jeyne Arryn, could potentially be a lesbian.
As the Dance of the Dragons civil war edges ever closer, the Greens and the Blacks need their allies more than ever before.
As last night’s episode (14 July) “Regent” suggested, newly introduced character Lady Jeyne Arryn (Raised By Wolves star Amanda Collin) could be a powerful person supporting team Rhaenyra Targaryen’s (Emma D’Arcy) Blacks.
Episode five finally brought Lady Arryn to the fore after several episodes through season one and two in which she’s mentioned.
To cut a long, spoiler-filled story short, we got to meet the commanding leader of the Vale as she chastised Daemon Targaryen’s (Matt Smith) youngest daughter Rhaena (Phoebe Campbell), who had been selected to look after the dragon eggs brought to Lady Arryn via Rhaenyra.
Lady Arryn had demanded dragons to keep the Vale safe as the Dance of the Dragons began, in return for supporting Rhaenyra’s bid for the Iron Throne, yet Rhaenyra sent eggs instead. Unimpressed with the Blacks seemingly exploiting her, Arryn gives Rhaena what for.
Yet when Rhaena, one of the most powerless and dragonless members of the Blacks, admits that she is upset with being as vulnerable and, essentially, useless as she is, Arryn takes pity on her, and decides to spend an evening with her.
This seems innocuous enough, but anyone who has read George R.R. Martin’s novel Fire & Blood – the book on which House of the Dragon is based – will know that Lady Arynn is very possibly looking for something more from Rhaena, as Arynn is very possibly a lesbian.
Though never actually confirmed in Fire & Blood, the book heavily suggests that Lady Arynn could be queer. The Vale leader never marries, is unbothered about finding an heir, and sparks a particularly close bond with friend Jessamyn Redfort, who is yet to appear in House of the Dragon.
Martin’s book even touches on rumours about Lady Arryn, including that she is far more keen on spending her time with women than men – yet it’s insisted that she and Jessamyn are never more than just companions.
We know how hit series of today like to twist the books they’re adapting from – Netflix’s Bridgerton is a case in point – so the potential to see Lady Arryn go from queer-coded to queer canon is very possible indeed.
Whether Lady Arynn’s gesture of kindness towards Rhaena is anything more than just that remains to be seen. Yet what we do know is that the Vale ruler is set to become a pretty hefty part of the remainder of season two, so the door is very much open.
It would be about time for House of the Dragon to introduce some more queer representation, too.
Season one saw a grizzly end for one of the show’s only queer characters, Ser Joffrey Lonmouth (Solly McLeod), while season two is yet to go any further in exploring Daemon’s bisexuality. Making Lady Arynn queer could really put the disco in the Dance of the Dragons.
House of the Dragon season two is available on HBO and Max in the US and on Sky Atlantic and Now in the UK.
