House of the Dragon‘s Season 2 finale may not have been as action-packed as fans hoped, but audiences’ latest foray into the world of Westeros still expands the series’ lore in several fascinating ways. From finally revealing Sheepstealer in the Vale to showcasing the guilty side of Criston Cole (Fabien Frankel), showrunner Ryan Condal trades in the sword for a softer touch in Season 2, Episode 8, with one of the episode’s most entertaining highlights being Lord Tyland Lannister’s (Jefferson Hall) appeal to the Triarchy. Negotiating on Essos while Matt Smith‘s Daemon experiences his final vision at Harrenhal, Tyland’s entreaties on behalf of the Greens are both amusing and humbling, ultimately resulting in the introduction of one of House of the Dragon‘s most delightful new additions, Triarchy Admiral Sharako Lohar.
Played by popular YouTuber Abigail Thorn, Lohar steals every one of her scenes in House of the Dragon‘s Season 2 finale, “The Queen Who Ever Was.” The last roadblock Tyland needs to clear before his deal to exchange the Stepstones for the Triarchy fleet is finalized, Lohar enters the story with a commanding presence, refusing to lead the fleet against the Sea Snake’s forces until Tyland proves he can best her in combat. This dare results in a duel between the pair in a nearby mud pit, where Tyland surprisingly manages to earn the eccentric commander’s respect by catching her off-guard. As a result, the shockingly spry Lannister manages to win the support of one of House of the Dragon’s best new characters, setting up a crucial partnership for the Greens in the future. So, with this new alliance in mind, what’s the story behind the latest pirate in Westeros?
The reign of House Targaryen begins with this prequel to the popular HBO series Game of Thrones. Based on George R.R. Martin’s Fire & Blood, House of the Dragon is set nearly 200 years before Game of Thrones, telling the story of the Targaryen civil war with King Viserys.
Sharako Lohar Is the Greens’ Newest Ally on ‘House of the Dragon’
Even though her screen time is limited, Thorn’s Lohar is established as a veteran sailor in the latest episode of House of the Dragon. Offering a closer look at the Free Cities’ alliance that has been plaguing Westeros since Daemon’s war in the Stepstones, the Triarchy’s envoys immediately refer to their admiral as a vital part of the Greens’ new venture in House of the Dragon‘s Season 2 finale. Describing Lohar’s men as fiercely loyal to her and unwilling to fight without Thorn’s character, both the vast size of Lohar’s fleet and the dedication of her sailors imply the character’s long history with maritime fighting. Moreover, Lohar’s later toast to fighting the Sea Snake again suggests the two are past rivals, hinting at another mystery from Corlys’s past in House of the Dragon while also securing the Greens a powerful ally to match the Blacks’ master of the sea.
On a more personal level, Thorn’s depiction of Lohar is also uproariously funny, mishearing Tyland’s name in a House of the Dragon Easter egg to Tywin Lannister (Charles Dance) while also making off-the-cuff jokes about cannibalism and devouring one’s enemies. While the finale doesn’t go into the character’s personal history, Lohar’s ability to utterly humiliate Westeros’s Master of Ships suggests she has spent much of her life fighting, and her place as the commander of the Triarchy’s fleet secures her a crucial place in House of the Dragon‘s long-awaited Battle of the Gullet. Likewise, Lohar’s refusal to immediately go along with the Triarchy’s arrangement establishes Lohar as a proud free spirit, someone who follows her own rules and whose larger importance stretches beyond a brief appearance in this week’s episode.
‘House of the Dragon’s Triarchy Commander Plays an Important Role in ‘Fire & Blood’
As an adaptation of author George R.R. Martin‘s Fire & Blood, one of House of the Dragon‘s greatest strengths is its ability to flesh out the prequel novel’s minor characters and grant them larger roles in the Game of Thrones universe. House of the Dragon Season 2 already delves deeper into the backstories of characters like Hugh the Hammer (Kieran Bew), whose true parentage could spell disaster for Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy), and the series goes further in expanding Lohar’s presence in the Season 2 finale. While Thorn’s admiral doesn’t appear for Tyland’s negotiations during Fire & Blood, House of the Dragon‘s latest change to its source material sets up Lohar’s larger role in the Targaryen civil war.
Like House of the Dragon, Admiral Sharako Lohar is the commander of the Triarchy fleet during Fire & Blood‘s Battle of the Gullet, where Martin’s novel first references the Lyseni admiral. Lohar’s strategy during this battle causes future problems for the Triarchy, with the pirate also later developing a relationship with Rhaenyra’s youngest son, Viserys, in a move that alters the future history of the realm. That said, Fire & Blood’s Lohar is depicted as a straightforward sea captain, while House of the Dragon‘s best change to its source material is allowing Thorne to bring more raw, unhinged energy to Lohar’s portrayal.
Abigail Thorn Introduces New Kind of Rogue for ‘House of the Dragon’
Deviating from Lohar’s more political presence in Martin’s novel, House of the Dragon mainly accomplishes the captain’s altered characterization by borrowing from another sea captain featured heavily in Fire & Blood, Racallio Ryndoon. Specifically, Lohar’s request that Lord Tyland sleep with her multiple wives in order to breed strong children comes directly from Ryndoon’s own polyamory, reversing House of the Dragon‘s worst change by borrowing more from Fire & Blood than Game of Thrones. The biggest inspiration Lohar takes from Ryndoon, however, is in the character’s gender presentation. Like Ryndoon in Fire & Blood, Lohar is referred to using masculine pronouns by her Triarchy envoys but presents feminine, making the Triarchy commander one of the most visible examples of trans representation in House of the Dragon.
Not only do these changes honor some of the most underrated and unique characters to come out of Martin’s novel, but House of the Dragon‘s spin on its newest Triarchy pirate presents audiences with a rowdy, bloodthirsty rogue whose antics are almost as compelling as her chemistry with Lord Tyland. A brief book character with an important future in Westeros and the show, Lohar challenges House of the Dragon’s true villain by bucking the same gender norms that attempt to keep Rhaenyra off the Iron Throne, assuming a powerful position of leadership despite the Greens’ long track record of dismissing female authority. Moreover, with Lohar taking on the traits of Racallio Ryndoon, it’s likely Thorne’s commander will assume an even larger role in the future of Westerosi politics, giving fans plenty of reasons to check out Fire & Blood before House of the Dragon Season 3.
House of the Dragon is available to stream on Max in the U.S.
