The twins of the House of Dragon have names that are almost as identical as their looks

Episode 9 of house of the dragon“The Green Council” is perhaps HBO’s most explosive episode game of Thrones prequel series yet. The usual court intrigue on which the show has built its bones continues, but following the dramatic events of Episode 8, The Lord of the Tides, the drama in Westeros unfolds at an ever-increasing pace.

You might also think that you are seeing double. But don’t touch that dial or put down your Negroni sbagliato; These two handsome bearded men are twin brothers. Both are members of the Kingsguard, and both have diseased facial hair and an overall “got it together” aura. And they are twins named Arryk and Erryk.

For real.

[Ed. note: This post contains spoilers for episode 9 of House of the Dragon.]

Photo: Ollie Upton/HBO

The two brothers spend a good part of the episode tracking down Aegon, who has disappeared into the city’s underworld just when his family needs him most – when he needs to get off his spoiled bum and be anointed king. Ser Erryk, the sworn shield of then-pr ince-turned-king Aegon, complains to Ser Otto Hightower that he can’t keep an eye on the young future king because the boy flaunts his power to find excuses to escape. When they finally find Aegon, they drag him out, only to be stopped by Ser Criston Cole and Aegon’s brother Aemond, who take Aegon to get credit for the find.

But in the meantime something very interesting happens: while Ser Arryk duels (and loses) Ser Criston, his brother Ser Erryk just watches… and then rants about the whole happening. Disgusted with the political machinations following the death of King Viserys, he sneaks Rhaenys Targaryen out of the castle, leading to the episode’s explosive finale.

It’s beautiful for many reasons. First off, twins are categorically fun in cinema: They’re a staple of the direct-to-video action movies I love, and these two guys (played by real-life twins Elliott and Luketits, who are best known for their dual roles like Carl Gallagher in Britain shameless) would be perfect for trading kicks with the likes of Scott Adkins.

But it is also thematically gripping. The entire episode focuses on a fractured kingdom and the disconnect between the ruling class and the people they supposedly care about, and the fractures that occur when power vacuums occur (and who gets hurt in the process). What better example of this than twin brothers being torn apart by a looming war? It was a beautiful device in one of my favorite fantasy novels, by Ken Liu The Grace of Kingsand I’m curious where house of the dragon takes it too.

Photo Credit: Ollie Upton/HBO

It’s also a great upgrade for a character whose Thrones wiki entry was managed by the following exchange at the time of this writing:

Alicent: “Whatever it is, Ser Arryk, it will have to wait.”

Erryk: “I’m Erryk, Your Grace.”

I want to quickly direct this next part of the post to Arryk and Erryk’s parents. Cargylls – what on earth were you thinking??? (George RR Martin, I already know what name games you’re up to.) How on earth did you yell at one and not the other, or praise one and not the other? Why did you put yourself in these bonds???

I reached out to Polygon’s official parent of two, Matt Patches, for comment:

While I can see the benefits of summoning two twins by yelling a vaguely similar name from the other side of the castle, it’s a clever mistake for anyone else dealing with these fools. Proper “who goes first” shit.

Ser Arryk and Erryk Cargyll, I salute you. But maybe think about a nickname.