The Seven Kingdoms of HBO’s House of the Dragon has never been a realm of strict morality, with the vast majority of its characters operating in nebulous gray areas that challenge ideas of fairness and justice. While the second season of the show has garnered some criticism for its sanitization of certain characters, it nonetheless remains true to the belief that war leaves no one innocent, and that the choices one makes during times of conflict illustrate their internal values through their external consequences. Though the central focus of the series is understandably framed around the Targaryen royal family, the time spent with characters from other houses also serves to illustrate this idea of war bringing out the worst in people, a theme exemplified best by Sir Willem Blackwood (Jack Parry-Jones).
Willem Blackwood made a minor appearance in the first season of the show, swiftly becoming a fan-favorite despite his limited screentime. However, the character’s return to the stage several years later paints a drastically contrasting image of the once-upstart young lad. After allying himself with Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith) and brutalizing the Riverlands with wanton violence, Willem is brought to justice by Lord Oscar Tully (Archie Barnes). While his execution is brought about swiftly, Willem’s grisly fate was alluded to years prior as the series foreshadowed his eventual execution through poignant characterization and the recurring themes that prevail throughout the series.
Willem Blackwood Courts Rhaenyra in ‘House of the Dragon’ Season 1
First introduced in the early half of Season 1, Willem Blackwood, then played by Archie Todd, is one of the many prospective suitors for Rhaenyra’s (Milly Alcock) hand in marriage. Though still young, Blackwood nonetheless gives an honorable declaration of his intentions and promises to the Realm’s Delight, should he be chosen.
However, while giving his presentation, Willem is incessantly mocked by an older suitor from House Bracken, the family that rivaled the Blackwoods for generations. Despite his inexperience and youth, Willem challenges the verbose Bracken to a duel over the dishonor, ultimately slaying the older man then and there on the court floor. After such a display of audacity in the face of disrespect, Willem becomes an underrated but highly appreciated character in the series. Even though he stands little chance of winning over Rhaenyra’s heart, the young upstart nonetheless establishes himself as a memorable character for his boldness, bravery, and pride.
Willem Blackwood Grows Up to be Cruel and Violent in ‘House of the Dragon’ Season 2
Willem Blackwood returns in House of the Dragon Season 2 as a full-fledged knight, and it was clear he retained every bit of that brash attitude that made him so endearing in his youth. After Daemon sets up host in Harrenhal, Willem allies himself with the wayward dragonrider, pledging himself and his house to the Rhaenyra’s (Emma D’Arcy) cause. Daemon’s futile attempts to garner support from the other Riverlords reap little consequence, and after a failed meeting with House Bracken, he tasks Ser Willem with forcing the rival family to yield to their cause.
Following Daemon’s unspoken insinuation, Willem then leads the Blackwoods on a bloody crusade throughout the Riverlands, wreaking havoc and senseless violence under the Targaryen banner. While these efforts do ultimately bring the Brackens under heel, the terror he wrought in Daemon’s stead left the Riverlords outraged. After the young Lord Oscar Tully ascends to the head of his house after his grandfather’s death, Ser Willem is held accountable for his crimes against his countrymen. In one of the most politically savvy moves in the series, the fresh Lord Paramount of the Riverlands refuses Willem’s oath of fealty and sentences him to death by Daemon’s hand.
While Willem’s death feels as if it came swiftly, the violent knight was doomed to a grisly fate years before he ever allied himself with Prince Daemon. While the young Willem was initially praised for his stalwart defense of his honor in his duel against a Bracken, the incident can also be justifiably seen as yet another instance of senseless violence. And violence begets violence, as Willem’s vengeful disposition became more apparent as he rose in rank and power. As Oscar Tully highlights, it was Willem’s choice to allow his men to commit such atrocities against their foes and civilians, a character trait that was always within him. It’s a moment of brilliant and damning irony too, as Willem is sent to death by a young lord — an image strikingly similar to his own former youth. However, while Willem allowed his anger to fuel his violence, Lord Oscar instead demonstrates restraint and justice, executing a fair action for the sake of protecting his people, rather than vindictively seeking revenge.
The Blackwood and Bracken Rivalry Highlight the Centuries of Conflict in Westeros
Willem’s execution isn’t the most tide-turning death in the Dance of the Dragons, but it is a moment that reflects the overarching themes of the conflict with poignant accuracy. In a story about familial conflict and generational trauma, no two houses better exemplify the violence born from bitterness than the Blackwoods and the Brackens. Willem’s House Blackwood has been entrenched in an ancient feud with House Bracken for so long that they feel fated to forever be foes. It was their two houses that drew blood on the battlefield at the Battle of the Burning Mill, one of the turning points in the war as it established the commitment of the vassal houses to defending their sworn ruler.
The best characters in Westeros are neither wholly good nor wholly bad, as it’s their complexity that makes them so narratively compelling. But that praise isn’t reserved solely for the main ensemble, as Willem Blackwood’s heelturn serves as a brilliant example of the moral ambiguity that arises in times of war. Was the Blackwood right in defending his honor with a drawn blade, or was his vitriol a damning sign of his own violent tendencies? Was Willem’s violent tendencies an example of his personal character, or yet another instance of generational trauma affecting future generations? Regardless of the answer, it’s bittersweet to see Willem Blackwood, once beloved for his boldness, executed for allowing that brazenness to devolve into depravity.