Last week on HBO‘s House of the Dragon, in an episode that was — it turns out — titled “Salt and Sea, Fire and Blood,” we got the highly anticipated Battle of the Gullet in an hour that was high on bombast and (mostly) low on emotional stakes. This week’s second episode flips that considerably for what was, for my money, one of the best episodes in the history of the Game of Thrones franchise.
High praise, given the three shows (so far) have delivered high watermarks for TV in general. But House of the Dragon Season 3, Episode 2 — and spoilers past this point — was an electrifying hour of television that pushed past our expectations of “everything is going to go wrong all the time” as Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy) and Daemon (Matt Smith) walk into King’s Landing and take over the Seven Kingdoms. (Cue up Egg explaining there are actually Nine Kingdoms.)
Don’t worry, things do go horribly wrong in the gut-punching final moments of the episode as the monkey’s paw closes its finger… You don’t get what you always wanted (in this case, Rhaenyra taking the Iron Throne) without having to pay the price. But what worked about this episode is how it sets the pieces in the first half of the episode and then watches it all snap into place in the second half. Alicent’s (Olivia Cooke) plan should go wrong, and we watched a previous episode (the premiere) where almost everything was working against the fragile peace she was trying to create by rectifying her original mistake i.e. declaring her son King in place of Rhaenyra. But instead, this time, thanks to stunning direction from Claire Kilner and writing from Sara Hess, it all came together beautifully.
I don’t know about you, but personally? I had goosebumps the entire time, and at least part of that is we’ve spent 15 years in the real world being told how important the Iron Throne is, and how — to paraphrase one of Ned Stark/Sean Bean’s most iconic lines from another fantasy franchise — one does not simply walk into the Red Keep. Yet here are Rhaenyra and Daemon doing that exact thing, powering through on the back of their own hubris and Alicent’s expert manipulation, for once, working the way it’s supposed to work. Until the end, of course.
This also is thrilling just because in any other show this should be the end of a season, and maybe even the end of the series… Rhaenyra taking the throne flips everything that’s happened previously on its head (and having seen the next few episodes, this isn’t a temporary thing, it completely changes the season and thrust of the series), and it happens in the second episode of Season 3. Wild stuff!
By the way, as usual HBO has not provided the title of this episode yet, as I’m writing this recap in advance. So let’s throw out that Season 3, Episode 2 is probably called “Rhaenyra And Daemon Go To Red Castle,” and see how close I get. Okay, enough review-y thoughts up top, let’s get to the recap. And unlike last week’s recap which broke down into separate locations, I’m going to start that way and then instead talk about that thrilling final block of action as soon as our cute little uncle and niece decide to take what is rightfully theirs.
The Gullet
Things pick up about where we left them off, in the wreckage of the Battle of the Gullet, and a body floating in the water. It’s a gorgeous shot as a dragon flies silently over “us” underwater, the fire lighting up the sky. Perhaps of note this is the second episode in a row to start with a dragon breathing fire… Not a wild thing to happen on a show titled House of the Dragon, but it does feel like, three seasons in, the series is pulling out all the stops to remind us the big lizards are very much part of the series.
In any case, we’ve got fire, and we’ve got blood as we continue to sit on the wreckage and the dragon — multiple, actually, it seems like this is the Dragonseeds who were told they were missing the battle thanks to Alys Rivers (Gayle Rankin) have finally arrived and are cleaning up the mess made by Corlys (Steve Toussaint) and his battle with the Triarchy. It’s all moody, and sad, and while this is going on, Baela (Bethany Antonia) is on Moondancer carrying Jace’s (Harry Collett) body back to…
Dragonstone
There, Jace’s corpse is taken by a group of bald Dragonkeepers and carried to the main hall as Baela leads the way. It’s all extremely morose, and made worse when Ser Lorent Marbrand (Max Wrottesley), the member of Rhaenyra’s Queensguard who locked her in her chambers so Jace could go save the day realizes, to quote GOB Bluth, he’s made a horrible mistake.
“The battle,” he asks, to which Baela says, “‘Tis won.” But at what cost???
Rhaenyra enters, and sees Jace, not wanting to believe that she’s lost yet another child, let alone the heir apparent. “What have you done?” Rhaenyra asks the unmoving Jace, as her Small Council enters. It’s all awful, nobody wants to say out loud what even she knows: Jace died. And D’Arcy gives a masterclass here, at first unwilling to touch the corpse, then shaking him and sobbing as she screams, “How could you do this,” over and over.
Marbrand tries to pull her away from Jace, and when she turns her rage to him, he kneels, pulls out his sword, and urges her to take his head. “And what good would that do?” Rhaenyra asks. “Will it wake my son?” She blames everyone in the room, accusing them all of betraying their queen as she once again cradles her son’s corpse and sobs, nobody willing to say a word.
This, not to jump too far ahead, is pretty important as a bookend for the episode, which finds Rhaenyra in a very different set of circumstances and once again forced to take the head of someone who betrayed her. Essentially, it’s digging into her duty versus her character; but also that essential question of “what good would that do?” echoes throughout all of this… What good does any of this do? Is any of this good, at all? What does all this death build to other than more death and destruction?
The Gullet, Part 2
Despite the sea battle being done, the war rages on, on the shore. All this death and destruction is mostly to transition us into Alyn of Hull (Abubakar Salim) searching for his father, Lord Corlys, who fell overboard during the battle last episode. Is he dead? And if so, what does that mean for Alyn and his brother Addam of Hull (Clinton Liberty)? There’s not a ton of tension here as you don’t kill a main character like Corlys by dumping him in the water and not showing his body, so you know he’s survived somehow. But as an acting showcase for Salim, who thus far on the show has gotten to look pretty constipated and that’s it, this is a good one.
Alyn continues to look for his father on shore through an array of dead bodies, alone, until he gets help: Baela on Moondancer shows up to join the search, knowing that her “grandsire” must be out there, somewhere. She’s sure they’ll find him, but more important to the scene is that Alyn wants to know what Corlys was like. She explains that he was kind, and loved his wife, and knows that Alyn is Corlys’s bastard. And as they continue to talk, Alyn is clearly ready to accept that Corlys is dead, though Baela isn’t there yet. Also, not to get too weird, but: there’s a little heat between the two of them, right?
…Which is when they see Addam, on his own dragon, also searching for Corlys. Sure enough, he finds his father, unconscious and hanging on some rocks.
“If this be victory, I hope I never see another,” quips (?) Corlys as he looks on the smoke coming from High Tide, once he’s recovered. He stands up, and tells Alyn that he has nothing to give him as thanks… But his name. That’s a pretty big deal, though, as it gives him legitimacy. Curiously, Corlys doesn’t offer the same to Addam, who actually found him. I guess Addam gets bupkis.
The Vale
After last week’s little whoopsie where Rhaena (Phoebe Campbell) rode Sheepstealer into battle and sort of accidentally led to Jace dying, she’s back at the Vale and seeking asylum from Lady Jeyne Arryn (Amanda Collins). Unrelated, and I realize this is old news at this point, but seeing back to back scenes of Salim and Collins, who played Father and Mother on HBO Max’s late, great Raised by Wolves, on a different show is really weird. There’s absolutely no reason for Jeyne and Alyn to interact other than it would be fun for me, personally, but if HotD can twist into a narrative pretzel to make that happen it would be much appreciated.
Anyway, back to the Vale. As Sheepstealer looms in the background, Rhaena begs an annoyed Jeyne for help after the “terrible thing” she’s done… Though Jeyne already has a fair idea of what happened, as the news that Jace is dead has already made its way to the Eyrie. Baela hangs her head in shame, and tries to make excuses, but Jeyne doesn’t care… She sent Baela on a ship to Pentos last season, and instead here she is, begging for asylum, while Rhaenyra will likely be there shortly, hunting for her.
Baela explains that nobody saw her, which isn’t exactly true — Jace did, before he died — and Jeyne is unmoved anyway, telling her, “Don’t come back here.” Baela plays one last card, though, offering her a dragon as protection from Aemond and Vhagar. All she needs is “blindness” to which Jeyne answers, “The Vale is vast. I cannot stop a dragon from abiding where it pleases. I do not wish to see you again.”
In case that isn’t 100% clear, Baela and Sheepstealer can live in the Vale, but don’t have any protection from Lady Jeyne. Meaning Baela, who is already on her own and not looking too hot, is about to become even wilder and worse for the wear.
The Riverlands
Picking up after last episode, the Winter Wolves, a group led by a guy named Roderick Dustin (Tommy Flanagan), have delivered the head of Jason Lannister (Jefferson Hall) to Daemon, and now they’re all partying the woods with Jason’s head and a severed lion’s head on pikes as they sing a song about “Fish Feed.” Fun! Good ambiance!
That’s when Ser Simon Strong (Simon Russell Beale) shows up with gifts, including wine from House Stong’s cellars, as well as a message from the queen. The message puts a little crimp in Daemon’s partying, as he discovers that Jace is dead — and the plan is in action, he’s meant to take the Iron Throne with Rhaenyra. He commands that the Winter Wolves march to meet him there as backup, as well as garrison Harrenhal. He tells his men to be fast and cunning, and “we will be the queen’s fist,” and it’s fascinating to watch Daemon switch from party mode to immediately backing up his queen. It’s a far cry from last season, which found him on the brink of forming his own play for the Iron Throne. Now, he’s Team Rhaenyra, all the way, and we get a reminder as to why later on (that would be his vision of the Song of Ice and Fire in Season 2, courtesy of Alys Rivers).
Before Daemon heads to King’s Landing, though, he’s got a moment to consult with Alys who tells him that his heading there is the beginning of the end. Of what, he wants to know. “Many things,” Alys answers enigmatically. “And the beginning of others.” And as payment for her help — whatever that is — Alys wants a gift: Harrenhal. Daemon scoffs, as Alys is not married, nor does she have any children. He offers another reward, but Alys is pissed off, and tells him to go home and not come back. Frankly, of all the characters on the show who seem to be bumbling around and figuring out things as they go, Alys is maybe the only one who seems to have the broad view of what’s happening. I would not piss her off, and we get a sense of where things may go with her later on in the hour, much to Daemon’s later chagrin.
The Road To Dragonstone
Is this a location? Unclear, but Larys Strong (Matthew Needham) and Aegon Targaryen (Tom Glynn-Carney) are once again back in their raven wagon, mucking it up with some classic Westeros comedy. “You seem to be in less pain,” Larys says after a pause. “No, I’m not,” shoots back an annoyed Aegon.
Anyway, while they likely won’t rival Hope and Crosby anytime soon, Aegon — rightfully — is worried they’ve been taken in my Rhaenyra’s men, and what will happen once they get to her court. Lucky (?) for them, they run into a fight between escaping Triarchy men and some of the Lannister host on the road. Aegon tackles one of their captors, stabbing him way too many times and making their escape into the woods, to Rook’s Rest.
What’s at Rook’s Rest? Aegon says they have allies there, but I’ll remind you that’s where the Dance of Dragons happened, Aegon was horribly burned, and his dragon Sunfyre died there. So Larys has a right to be wary of what Aegon is planning.
King’s Landing
On the battlements of the Red Keep, Alicent looks out over the city and sees Aemond finally leaving on Vhagar, breathing a sigh of relief. With Vhagar in the city, Rhaenyra arriving would be like two atom bombs crashing together. With Aemond gone, they at least have a chance.
So she heads down to visit Commander Luthor Largent (Tom Cullen) of the City Watch in order to get everything else in place for Rhaenyra’s hopefully peaceful takeover. This includes a non-zero amount of exposed shlongs from the naked City Watch dudes, a far cry from the naked female sexposition of early seasons of Game of Thrones.
Alicent takes Largent away from his Gold Cloaks, and tells him that Rhaenyra is coming, and with Aegon presumed dead and Aemond gone, Helaena (Phia Saban) is now in charge… And it’s her (definitely not Alicent) who is letting Rhaenyra take the throne “in the interest of peace.” Largent floats that “some would call that treason,” but as Alicent notes, the more important question is: would he?
As she continues to wander around King’s Landing, for the umpteenth time a member of the Kingsguard tells her to not stray from their sight as “the atmosphere is fraught.” This, by the way, is Ser Rickard Thorne (Vincent Regan), in case you’re curious. Alicent is looking for the head of the palace guard, and is calling a meeting of the Small Council… So yeah, everyone knows something big is about to go down.
While Alicent prepares to leave, she’s approached in her chambers by Jasper “Ironrod” Wylde (Paul Kennedy), the Master of Laws. He’s already acting predatory when he enters the room, talking about her “snaking your way into the halls of power… So young, so bold.” He closes the door, and approaches her talking about finding “what enjoyment we can as the world heads into darkness.”
And yes, in case you weren’t clear, he means to rape Alicent, knowing that the Red Keep is about to fall. He talks about how she found “enjoyment” with Ser Criston. He knows about her meeting with the City Watch, and wants her to beg, it turns him on. Alicent hits him and tries to escape, but he knocks her to the floor. And it truly looks like he’s going to have his way with her until Maester Orwyle (Kurt Egyiawan) enters, interrupting them.
Wylde tries to turn the situation around, revealing that she’s a traitor. But Orwyle doesn’t care, he saw him attack the dowager, and he’s dragged away to prison. Alicent says she’s in Orwyle’s debt… But he is concerned that she’s done something desperate. Which, uh, she has.
Dragonstone, Part 2
Later, the Dragonseeds are back after abandoning Harrenhal at Alys’s urging last episode. They’re ready for a hero’s welcome, or at least not what Daemon is about to lay down on them. Instead, Daemon looks at Ulf (Tom Bennett) like a child. Hugh (Kieran Bew) tries to explain why they’re back, but their orders were to pursue and attack Vhagar, and Daemon is dismissive. Ulf further tries to explain that there’s “something wrong in those woods,” but Daemon slaps Ulf, and Hugh only turns Daemon’s mood by revealing Alys told them to leave.
Daemon leaves without further instructions, and goes to find Rhaenyra. Instead he encounters Mysaria (Sonoya Mizuno), and the two spar. He’s confused how she made her way from prisoner to Rhaenyra’s confidant, and wants to know what game she’s playing. He thinks this is all about him, but it’s clear what Mysaria wants is safety and power — and we know, she wants Rhaenyra, though Daemon is unaware of that. At least in this scene, give it a bit.
They then sit as somewhat equals, and discuss how trusting Alicent may — or may not — be the move… Until a Maester enters, revealing that Vhagar has left King’s Landing. Daemon enters the Queen’s chambers, and talks to the distraught Rhaenyra about the death of Jace. Continuing everyone bringing each other up to date on the Westerosi news, Rhaenyra tells Daemon that Sheepstealer was at the battle, and has a rider now. Daemon doesn’t believe it, but Rhaenyra wants Daemon to find them, and he swears it will be done.
Which is when he reveals that Vhagar has left, the one thing that wakes Rhaenyra from her stupor. She’s not convinced to follow the plan, though, noting that all of her sons have died so she can sit on “a throne of swords.”
But Daemon, surprisingly gently, asks if she will let them die in vain. And then in High Valyrian, he tells her about his vision from Season 2. He saw “the darkness in the North. The Song of Ice and Fire. I saw a girl with silver hair in a desert far away and there were dragons at her breast… If it is real, what my brother told you… If it were true, what then would you do?”
You can likely figure this one out for yourself, but yes, Daemon is recounting the plot of Game of Thrones, and the coming of Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke) as well as the White Walkers to Westeros. And it’s only through having a Targaryen on the throne — he believes — that they can stop the coming wave of destruction. This is what Daemon’s brother Viserys (Paddy Considine) was trying to make happen, and ostensibly why Rhaenyra is pushing so hard to retake the throne.
Basically, Daemon is reminding her that this isn’t as simple as her life, or his life, or the lives of her sons; it’s the fate of the world at stake… Even though we, the viewers, know they’ve still gotten the prophecy a little wrong.
The Invasion Of King’s Landing
And here we go. The final half hour of the episode is pretty much non-stop action and tension filled as Rhaenyra marches to war. The Small Council attempts to tell Rhaenyra not to do what she plans on doing: riding to King’s Landing, Daemon and the Dragonseeds by her side. She “can’t” do it, and are worried that it’s a trap. But she doesn’t care, she’s done with talking. She shouts back that Ser Lorent can choose how he will die, and gets her crown from Mysaria before she leaves.
“I hope you will send for me,” Mysaria says as Daemon looks on. “Remember which one of us has been faithful.”
Daemon, meanwhile, smirks as he passes, and calmly brings up the interesting relationship as he and Rhaenyra walk to their dragons. Rhaenyra goes to mount Syrax, and Daemon gives Hugh and Ulf simple, straightforward instructions… Their job is merely to provide cover and circle, an implicit threat. And another implicit threat? “Don’t let me down,” he tells the terrified dragonriders.
The four dragons fly over the wreck of the Gullet, as back in King’s Landing Alicent hastily tries to save herself and Helaena, who is confused as to why caterpillars are gathering in the Godswood, despite it not being the season. My personal interpretation of this latest bit of Helaena weirdness: there is transformation coming, i.e. metamorphosis, but it’s not the right time. Possibly this has to do with how the purpose of the Song of Ice and Fire prophecy isn’t about Rhaenyra, really, but they are using it as the impetus to retake the throne. Got a different interpretation? Cool!
Regardless, Alicent tells Helaena the plan, and they need to get the sentries on the battlement to stand down as Alicent believes Ser Rickard has betrayed her — and they need to get the household guards to stand down, too. Helaena asks a lot of questions, since this runs opposite to everything she’s been told by Alicent since the beginning. But it doesn’t matter… Rhaenyra is coming, and Alicent needs Helaena — the Queen — to make sure this can be as bloodless a coup as possible. Alicent uses what Helaena told her last season, that she would be happier not being Queen; and Helaena agrees, saying she’d be happy keeping chickens. And despite knowing nobody on this show will be that lucky, how great would it be for one of the final shots of House of the Dragon being Helaena quietly feeding chickens on a farm? Pretty great.
On the battlements, the guards are preparing for war, but Alicent tells them to stand down on the authority of the Queen. “I will not have any beast harmed,” Helaena says. Alicent tells the head of the guards that they will be burned and die if they stand against Rhaenyra, and at least for the moment it’s not totally clear which way they’ll lean.
The Burning Of Harrenhal
Meanwhile, in the woods, Criston Cole (Fabien Frankel) continues to wait for word from Aemond, and finally gets it as they see Vhagar flying overhead. So they head to Harrenhal, which lets loose a slew of ravens as Aemond arrives. Immediately, he roasts the soldiers waiting there, laying down a ring of fire around the dilapidated castle… And then throughout the halls, as well. Funnily enough, this isn’t the first time a Targaryen has absolutely roasted the castle, as an event called The Burning of Harrenhal happened over a century earlier during Aegon’s Conquest of the Seven Kingdoms.
Similar to that previous burninating, there’s basically nothing anyone can do against this as Aemond single-handedly lays siege to the stronghold. Vhagar continues to lay down suppressing fire while Aemond engages in bladed combat with the remaining soldiers. It’s, in a word, a mess, as Aemond enters the main hall to discover Simon Strong and his sons in the middle of eating. Calmly, Simon dabs his lips as Aemond demands to see Daemon, but of course Daemon isn’t there.
Aemond demands Simon get his sword, but he doesn’t have one, and doesn’t want to oppose him. The commensurate salesman tries to make a deal, but Aemond came there for death, and that’s what he gets. He stabs Simon through the front, killing him, then strikes down one of his sons. The other stabs Aemond through the back, but doesn’t kill him; instead, Aemond has enough strength to kill the other son, too.
But as Alys enters, Aemond becomes weak from the blow, dropping his sword and collapsing to the ground. He drags himself to Alys, who stands there, unmoving. “Help me,” he begs, and falls unconscious.
Is Aemond dead? Almost definitely not, you don’t kill a total (prospective) motherfucker like that so easily. But it is sort of funny that Alys traded one silver-haired asshole for another so quickly… And as I intimated earlier, having the easily pliable Aemond in her care likely means that Alys has just switched sides; inasmuch as she has a side other than her own.
The Invasion Of King’s Landing, Part 2
Finally, Rhaenyra makes it to King’s Landing, and sure enough the guards abandon their posts, letting go of the massive, dragon-snaring harpoons on the battlements as the people below cower and hide. Alicent and Helaena flee as well, aiming to get to safety before Rhaenyra finishes her takeover. And briefly we see Kat (Ellora Torchia) look up at her husband on his dragon before hiding herself… It’s a quick, sad moment in the midst of all this, as ostensibly Hugh joined the dragonriders for his family. And there she is, so close, yet so far away.
Aemond descends on Caraxes, right in the front courtyard of the Red Keep, with Rhaenyra on Syrax not far behind. The guards immediately bend the knee and put down their swords, as Aemond struts in through the strangely silent courtyard. While Rhaenyra tells everyone, “Do not be afraid, I’ve come to make things right,” Daemon warns that “the true test is inside.”
Indeed it is, as things play out like two gunslingers coming into a Western town. Guards do attack, and Daemon makes swift work of them as Rhaenyra stands ready. He throws his helmet, shouting, “Who else dares rise against us in our house?”
And yeah, they just walk in, though the halls, cutting down any of the scant number of people who stand against them, until they find the Iron Throne. Daemon welcomes Rhaenyra to the place she’s been aiming for this whole time, and briefly they hold hands. She walks forward, and then yes, of course, the other shoe drops as a fleet of guards block the throne.
She tells them she’s looking for Aegon, who she doesn’t know is gone. “You are brazen,” says the head of the guards. “Brazen or thick.”
“I suppose that depends on whether I win or lose,” says Daemon with a smile, until they hear dozens of footsteps entering the room from behind. For a moment it looks like they’re surrounded by the City Guard, led by Ser Luthor. But they’re there not to back up the Kingsguard — but to help their old commander, Daemon, and their Queen… Rhaenyra, “The one true heir to the Iron Throne.”
She can hardly believe what’s happening as the Kingsguard toss down their swords, and Westeros belongs to Rhaenyra, at last. Daemon calls for them to round up every traitor and Hightower (uh-oh), as Luthor reminds Daemon that he gave him the gold cloak, and owes him eternal loyalty.
But before Rhaenyra can sit on the Iron Throne, there’s one thing that has to happen. “Bring Aegon the usurper to me!” she shouts.
Leading the gold cloaks through the halls, Daemon goes to claim Aegon, but of course: he gone. Orwyle is there, though, and explains that Aegon has fled only to get choked out by Daemon. Look, I don’t know if Maesters get a vacation, but Orwyle really needs one. Orwyle desperately explains that he pledges fealty to Rhaenyra, and when Daemon threatens to take his head anyway, he offers up someone else that might provide more “satisfaction.”
Before we get to that, Alicent and Helaena, now in disguise, are still attempting to flee the city, while Daemon has his allies released and finds Wylde imprisoned. But that’s not the main event, as the jailor explains that Larys left Daemon a gift, if he ever returned. Who is it, imprisoned in the dark? You”ll have to wait a moment for that reveal, but it’s a pretty great one, and Daemon agrees, laughing with delight.
Back in the throne room, the lords and ladies are paying tribute to the returned Rhaenyra, when two gold cloaks enter with Wylde. He tells her she’s going to hang for this, or burn, she wants to know who else on the council is alive… But is interrupted by Daemon returning with his true prize.
“The rats in the Black Cells have grown uncommon big,” he shouts as he brings out… Otto Hightower (Rhys Ifans), looking much worse for the wear. The one-time mastermind has fallen very low, and Rhaenyra looks on with disgust. Daemon makes him kneel, and tells her that Otto can stand in the place of Aegon.
“Just get it over with, will you,” Otto says as the assemblage looks on to see what Rhaenyra will do. But she doesn’t know if she can kill him. Otto urges her to let Daemon do it, to “spare me at least from being hacked at.”
If you’re wondering what the issue is? Well, one small part is this is Alicent’s father. Rhaenyra has known him since she was little, and now she needs to publicly murder him to cement her Queenship. Another part? I could be entirely wrong about this but… I don’t think Rhaenyra has killed anyone yet? Certainly not one on one like she’s being forced to do by Daemon in this moment, and I’m not even 100% sure if she’s killed anyone with her dragon. She’s tried desperately to be the woman her father wanted her to be, and he was good, just and played the peacemaker to a fault. Here she’s being thrust into the role of conqueror, and it goes against every instinct she’s ever had. The one and only kill that I recall seeing her participate in was a wild boar back in Season 1, Episode 3, and even that was only with the help of Criston Cole.
“In this moment, you will become Queen,” Daemon whispers to her as Rhaenyra shakes. The crowd moves, allowing her room behind Otto. He bends his head so she can get a clear shot at his neck. “I did my best,” Otto says as she swings — and misses, hitting him in the back. She swings again, this time taking off Otto’s head as she shakes and cries, having to kill her one-time best friend’s father, and kill for (probably) the first time ever.
Daemon has no such hesitation, cutting off Wylde’s head as he’s mid-sentence, saying “tell my lady wife–” to the gasps from the crowd.
Rhaenyra, standing in a puddle of Otto’s blood, begins to walk forward towards the throne, leaving bloody footprints behind her, tears pouring down her face. It’s a stunning metaphor, of course, for all the blood and death she’s had to leave in her path to make it this far, a stain on the ground that doesn’t necessarily make the prize worth it. She hesitates at the edge of the stairs, and we see her ascend, reflected in the puddle of blood. She sits the Iron Throne. She is Queen, at last.
…But don’t worry, there’s one final twist of the knife here, because nothing is ever simple. Remember how Daemon said to round up every Hightower? That includes Alicent and Helaena, who are dragged in by the guards. Alicent sees the dead body of her father, his decapitated head on the floor. She looks up at Rhaenyra, sitting on the throne.
What passes on Alicent’s face is a mixture of horror, betrayal, surprise, terror. But what passes on Rhaenyra’s tear-stained face? First, anguish for her friend. But then, steely resolve. She is Queen now, and must do what needs to be done.
Good god, what an episode, right? The heart of this show is Alicent and Rhaenyra, and ending on these dual reaction shots cements that just as they’ve finally figured out how to save everyone else, they may have lost themselves. Pretty much everything has changed in House of the Dragon, and believe me when I say things are not going to go how you think in the coming episodes. We’ll see you next week; same dragon time, same dragon channel.
House Of The Dragon Season 3 Premiere Dates And Episode Guide:
New episodes of House of the Dragon premiere Sundays on HBO and HBO Max at 9 p.m. ET. Here’s what we expect from the full list of episodes in House of the Dragon Season 3 with premiere dates.
- Sunday, June 21, 2026: House of the Dragon, Season 3, Episode 1
- Sunday, June 28, 2026: House of the Dragon, Season 3, Episode 2
- Sunday, July 5, 2026: House of the Dragon, Season 3, Episode 3
- Sunday, July 12, 2026: House of the Dragon, Season 3, Episode 4
- Sunday, July 19, 2026: House of the Dragon, Season 3, Episode 5
- Sunday, July 26, 2026: House of the Dragon, Season 3, Episode 6
- Sunday, August 2, 2026: House of the Dragon, Season 3, Episode 7
- Sunday, August 9, 2026: House of the Dragon, Season 3, Episode 8 *Season Finale*
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