I’ll just go ahead and say it: after last week’s banger of an episode of HBO‘s House of the Dragon, and this week’s episode, just hand the whole franchise over to director Clare Kilner and Sara Hess… This was the best one-two hit of hours we’ve gotten in the entire run of HotD so far, as — spoilers past this point — in Season 3, Episode 3, Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy) slowly loses her mind as she discovers that conquering Westeros and ruling Westeros are two extremely different things.
Look, we’ve all been watching these shows for a decade and a half now, and we’re well aware that Targaryens aren’t the steadiest people in the world. But what Rhaenyra has been dealing with thus far has been the normal level of stress rulers of the Seven Kingdoms have to deal with. Meaning: fighting over a pointy throne. Now that she and Daemon (Matt Smith) walked into King’s Landing last episode and took over the Kingdoms thanks to Alicent’s (Olivia Cooke) expert-ish manipulations, it’s time to deal with little things like making sure people can eat, and that folks actually follow Rhaenyra’s rule.
Add in that she’s got her father’s death-bed she’s supposed to be sleeping in, and his own rule weighing heavier on her head than the crown, and it’s clear that all these minor and major issues, all these advisors whispering in her ear, are pushing on the ol’ Targaryen madness in a big way. And she knows it, which only makes the whole thing more agonizing to watch.
It’s a crackling hour of TV that’s perfectly edited and paced, playing out more akin to Breaking Bad than Game of Thrones, full of spiraling tension that doesn’t let up until the very end (if it does at all). And in between all this there’s a lot of other plotlines going on, the introduction of Dan Fogler to the show, and even a fake-out involving another heir to the throne.
Whew! Lots to talk about here, so let’s get into the recap for the episode. As usual, HBO has not sent over the title in advance, so let’s assume House of the Dragon Season 3, Episode 3 is titled “Breaking Rhaenyra” and see if the Google AI picks up on that.
[Note: Not that anyone cares about this other than me, but since the episode takes place almost entirely in King’s Landing, we won’t break this down by location as with previous episodes. Unless we do.]
Ormund Hightower Bends The Knee
With Aemond (Ewan Mitchell) dying of a stab wound over in Harrenhal and the Triarchy in ruins, it’s time to set up some new antagonists for the Queen in Black. Specifically, Ormund Hightower (James Norton), the leader of the Hightower host, who we open with. In case you forgot, last episode Daemon gave the order to round up all Hightowers. That includes Ormund, who is — get this — a Hightower.
Previously, he had been told to wait for orders thanks to a falsified letter from Alicent (he doesn’t know it’s false), which allowed the takeover of the Red Keep. He’s also in charge of Daeron Targaryen (Charlie Gordon), who rides the dragon Tessarion — giving Ormund a bit of an advantage over other leaders previously aligned with Aegon Targaryen (Tom Glynn-Carney).
Okay, that’s the basis for me to explain that the episode opens with Ormund riding his horse through the Hightower army, which stands to attention. This show is complicated.
Waiting for Ormund is Daemon, and in a baller shot it’s revealed that this army of hundreds is faced down by the man himself with his dragon, Caraxes, alongside the Dragonseeds (the bastards with Targaryen blood who also ride dragons). And that’s it.
Ormund and his second in command approach Daemon without fear, merely a quizzical look on his face. “Glad news, Lord Ormund!” Daemon says. “The war is ended, your allies have scattered, and your nephews fled. There is a new queen and she sits her father’s throne.”
Standing about twenty paces from each other, Ormund doesn’t waver, while Daemon (who clearly has a few of these meetings today) simply explains that if Ormund bends the knee and swears allegiance, they’ll be offered clemency. Ormund isn’t sure about trusting Daemon (which: fair), but the latter shoots back that Otto Hightower (Rhys Ifans) doubted the legitimacy of the claim and lost his head.
Ormund angrily floats the idea of fighting, with Daemon stating that what happens next is “obvious enough” and throws back to Ulf (Tom Bennett), asking if he’d like to be Lord of Oldtown, the seat of Hightower power. While this is a good threat, it’s a little mean to do to Ulf, who has been jonesing for a castle this whole time. Ulf, though, merely looks over at Hugh (Kieran Bew) on his own dragon, knowing that they’re supposed to follow Daemon’s orders and that’s it, after getting a good yelling at for “thinking” last episode.
Left with no choice, Ormund explains that if it was just him, he would fight. He has others at his command, though, and bends the knee for their sakes. Daemon dismisses him, up until he does a Columbo, “oh, one more thing.” That would be Daeron Targaryen, Ormund’s ward, who Daemon wants to take hostage. The reason? That’s one of Aegon’s heirs, and as mentioned just before, he has a dragon. Daemon explains that it would be a mistake to leave him free, to potentially foment a rebellion. And further, they will treat Daeron “kindly” as long as Ormund behaves himself.
“Daeron” (more on that towards the end of the episode) comes with Daemon, but curiously leaves the dragon behind, which should have been an indicator that something was wrong. And then we’re right into the opening credits. They rock. You know that!
Ghosts Of The Red Keep
We’re now in King’s Landing proper, and with Rhaenyra in Viserys’s (Paddy Considine) bed chamber. This is Rhaenyra’s room, and while she has a pleased “I did it, daddy” look on her face, the empty, thrumming echo on the soundtrack seems to imply a void opening under her is more accurate.
“The air is thick with ghosts,” Rhaenyra says, talking to the imagined spirit of her father. She further explains that they’re not unhappy ones, as she sees herself as a child, as she was before she was forced to flee King’s Landing and attempt to retake the throne. She remembers her father, and her mother… And this is pretty much the key scene to the whole episode. The issue here is that Rhaenyra is trying to live up to her memories of her father (and mother) rather than forging her own path as a leader, something she starts to figure out by the end of the hour. But here, at the start, you can see D’Arcy playing Rhaenyra as someone who seems uncomfortable in her own skin.
By the way, while Rhaenyra is communing with ghosts, it’s Daemon she’s actually talking to, who is standing with one hand on Viserys’s bed and the other on his sword. As soon as he starts to talk, the “void” sound effect cuts out, breaking Rheanyra out of her reverie. He’s keeping her focused on the here and now, recapping that first scene; she’s repeatedly getting stuck in memories as she — essentially — moves back into her childhood home.
“I must justify my father’s faith in me,” Rhaenyra tells Daemon when he bitterly explains he should have incinerated Ormund’s army (and unfortunately, he’s right in this case). “Rule as he would have wished.”
Another recurring audio motif this episode? The off-key tolling of bells, which play every time Rhaenyra is snapped out of memory and has to start to actually rule. As Rhaenyra and Daemon walk through the Red Keep, which is going under a serious renovation as the Team Green banners are torn down, they discuss how she must have a coronation immediately to legitimize the rule. Only problem? Food, money, and organization.
Before they can get to that, Daemon introduces Rhaenyra meets “Daeron,” her half-brother. She tries to speak to the child, who won’t talk. As “Daeron” continues to not speak, Rhaenyra gets more and more frustrated, ultimately deciding to confine the “boy” to his chamber. Rhaenyra is disturbed that he’s just a little boy, but Daemon sighs and explains she’ll have to kill him.
The Extremely Small Council
Then it’s over to the Small Council — what there is of it — as Maester Orwyle (Kurt Egyiawan) tries to explain himself to Corlys Velaryon (Steve Toussaint) about where the gold at. The treasury is depleted, and there’s only enough gold to last a week or two.
“No!” says Rhaenyra petulantly. “What of my coronation?”
There’s definitely a level here (not to keep armchair psychoanalyzing Rhaenyra) that this episode is all about Rhaenyra reverting to a little girl and learning to be a woman again, and hopefully a queen. But as usual, the men are busy talking around her. The only one talking to Rhaenyra is Mysaria (Sonoya Mizuno), who vouches for Orwyle based on instinct, much to Daemon’s annoyance. Doesn’t matter, though, as Rhaenyra appoints Mysaria as her Mistress of Whisperers.
The issue with the money is the Lannisters took it, but both the Lannister twins are likely dead (we know at least one of them is, though the folks at King’s Landing don’t know about the other). And further complicating things, they would have told the previous Master of Coins where the gold is, but Daemon decapitated him last episode.
Rhaenyra stays focused on the coronation, particularly since Aegon’s was rushed… She wants there to be no doubt about her legitimacy. But there’s another problem, that Mysaria brings up: if Rhaenyra throws a blow-out coronation, the people, who are without food, will riot. Also, there are Triarchy pirates raiding the shores, and the city is low on grain. Basically, there’s what Rhaenyra wants; and what needs to happen. How to deal with all of this at the same time?
While everyone argues, Rhaenyra looks out at the kingdom in another fascinating shot. Is she imagining herself as ruler? Picturing what her father would have done? Whatever it is, she realizes she can rely on women more than men: she’ll send a raven to Casterly Rock, the home of the Lannisters, and ask Lady Johanna about the missing gold. In fact, she’s going to demand everyone send tribute, something Daemon approves of.
What about Rhaenyra’s Small Council from Dragonstone, Corlys wonders? Nope, they’re done.
And Aemond? He and Vhagar have disappeared at Harrenhal, something that worries Daemon… He knows Alys Rivers (Gayle Rankin) is there, and he knows that he spurned her request to rule Harrenhal in the previous episode. He’s started to put together that perhaps if daemon isn’t going to give her what she wants, she might get it from somewhere else… And with the nuclear bomb that is Vhagar at her disposal, that’s bad news.
Rhaenyra decides to send Baela (Bethany Antonia) out to hunt for both Aemond and the rider of Sheepstealer — who we know is Rhaena (Phoebe Campbell) — and will offer a bounty for killing Aemond: Harrenhal. So will Alys just kill Aemond herself if she gets wind of that? Probably not, that would be too easy.
Last little bit? After stepping up, making decisions, and declarations… A rat runs under Rhaenyra’s foot. Remember, Aegon hung the rat catchers, so the omnipresence of rats in the castle seems like a metaphor run rampant.
Rhaenyra-ing On Empty
Leaving the Tiny Council meeting, Ser Luther Largent (Tom Cullen) explains that he needs to return to his men of the city watch, so she decides to have Daemon appoint an official Queensguard. But that’s not all! Rats are eating the candles, and one million other things demand her attention.
But her attention is focused on Alicent and Helaena (Phia Saban): she wants to know where her gold is. They don’t know anything, though, and as Alicent explains everyone hated her and kept her out of the loop. This, by the way, is a surprising outcome from the ominous end of last episode, which found Rhaenyra coerced into killing Otto, presented with Alicent and Helaena, and seemingly about to have to kill them as well. Instead, they’re confined to their quarters and: whew.
There are a lot of complicated dynamics at play here… Alicent is pissed off, while Helaena is curious about whether killing Otto made the former feel better about her own son dying. Rhaenyra is not happy about that, she wanted to kill Aegon.
It’s actually a refreshing change to have Alicent explain things plainly and truly directly to Rhaenyra, even if she doesn’t believe any of it, versus the dangerous game of telephone that caused this whole mess in the first place. What perhaps is happening here, to speculate a bit, is that Rhaenyra is treating everyone the same, as about to betray her at every turn. Which: fair, that’s been happening for decades. But Alicent and Helaena don’t want power, they just want to live. They have no skin in the game, and that’s something Rhaenyra will hopefully come around to, that she actually has potential friends and allies that want nothing from her.
“Will you blame me only for what men have done?” Alicent says, which is the crux of it… It’s always the men, and Rhaenyra needs to learn to rely on women. Specifically these women.
Alicent then gives some, I would say, bad advice that makes sense at the time: Aegon is scarred, nobody knows what he looks like, and he has no dragon. So, declare him dead and take the throne. The reason this is bad? We know Aegon is alive, and that’s definitely going to come back and bite Rhaenyra in the butt. Still, Alicent does have a solid idea that if Larys (Matthew Needham) tries to raise up Aegon, “You can dismiss him as an imposter.”
Rhaenyra doesn’t buy that Alicent is only interested in helping, thinking she’s arguing for her son’s life. And in a way she is, as she shoots back, “You killed my father.” That void effect comes back as Rhaenyra starts to have a bit of a panic attack, and Alicent notices, concerned. Does she know that the Targaryen madness is starting to push on her childhood friend? Probably, and that’s going to put her right back into survival mode.
Rhaenyra calms enough to tell them that when Aemond is found and the challenge to her rule is done, she’ll free them — but cannot until that happens. She lays out how it will work, with armed guards and visits with Helaena’s child every few days. “None of this please me,” Rhaenyra bursts out when pushed. Alicent lays out that her position is she has to hope for the capture and death of her son, to which Rhaenyra laughs emptily. “I can only imagine,” she says, and in case you didn’t catch on, she’s thinking of her own son, Jace (Harry Collett), who was recently killed by Team Green’s forces during the Battle of the Gullet.
Mysaria Breeds Company
Rhaenyra takes the advice, though, unlike with her Itty-Bitty Council, and decides to declare Aegon dead. And she asks that her son Joffrey (not to be confused with the absolute a-hole from Game of Thrones) be brought back from the Vale to be raised as her heir.
She meets up with Mysaria, who makes the astute observation that the Red Keep is “both larger and smaller” than she imagined… It’s a grand castle, but ultimately the same petty arguments dog everyone, wherever they go. They briefly discuss whether Rhaenyra trusts Alicent yet, and she’s not quite there… Though to speculate wildly, is there a world where Alicent ends up as part of Rhaenyra’s Council?
As they continue to walk, they discuss Daeron, and interestingly Mysaria lays out facts, without opinion; she is actually there to support and council Rhaenyra, it seems… Which is when things get real bad as Rhaenyra thinks she sees Jace walking down the hall. It’s not him, of course, but with all the pressure and requests put on her, it’s clear her sanity is being tested.
This vision forces Rhaenyra into anger-mode, and she wonders aloud why she shouldn’t kill Daeron like her own sons were struck down. And she does make a decision, to have Mysaria cull anyone loyal to the Hightowers from the palace staff.
Waiting in the throne room, another problem: the High Septon (Simon Chandler). Rhaenyra tells him that she wants to be anointed, in full sight of the people, but is told, “alas, it cannot be done.” Why not? He anointed Aegon in a rushed ceremony, but Rhaenyra explains that Aegon is dead. the High Septon is shocked, and further explains they haven’t seen his remains, and the Silent Sisters haven’t tended to him. Rhaenyra, getting pissed off, yells that there is no error, and the gods decreed she must rule the Seven Kingdoms.
Rhaenyra takes the Septon’s hands and tries to calm things down by explaining she was granted a dragon in the time of her greatest need, but that’s the wrong tact to take: the High Septon thinks dragons are a “profane magic created in darkness and pride and lust… They destroy, but they do not create.” He pushes her hands away, and Rhaenyra laughs emptily. She goes to leave, but he isn’t done, telling her not to make an enemy of the Faith.
“Underestimate it at your peril,” the High Septon says, as Rhaenyra gets a wicked smile, clearly done with small men telling her what to do.
Call Me By Your Name
Speaking of men telling Rhaenyra what to do, she sits down to dinner with Corlys and he confesses that Alyn (Abubakar Salim) and Addam (Clinton Liberty) are his bastard sons. It’s all pretty awkward as the extremely serious Alyn and Addam have to hear about how Corlys fathered them, and how his late wife Rhaenys (Eve Best) extended him “grace” before she died.
“I did… Not guess,” Rhaenyra says, which is inherently funny because she’s one of the main characters of the show and has had exactly zero interactions with this plotline so far. Meanwhile, this is the most important thing in the lives of Corlys, Alyn, and Addam. “Though I believe I see it now.”
She continues, saying the right words about how many have mixed noble and common blood, and “their sons are no less stout of heart.” The thing underlying that is, uh, Rhaenyra’s sons, who she still beyond all reasoning is pretending are not bastards.
Corlys and Rhaenyra continue to compliment the two men as they eat, until Corlys explains that he wants to make Alyn his heir and that Rhaenyra legitimize them by giving them the Velaryon name. Once again, we see Rhaenyra wavering, and a heart-beat sound begins playing the background… Is she thinking of Jace? Her own journey to legitimacy? Merely reacting to a dinner becoming yet another diplomatic minefield to manuever?
She looks at the limp, dry bird on her plate, and puts down her cutlery, no longer hungry. She explains that she understands where he’s coming from, but he continues undeterred. “A word from the throne,” he says. “Tis simple enough.”
Court Is In Session
After dinner, Rhaenyra walks the halls and bumps into Baela. She avoids catching her eye, knowing she was the last to see Jace alive, and aided him in his attack on the Gullet — after her son locked her in her own room. So, more complicated feelings there.
And in her bedclothes, she stares at the still made bed of her father, unwilling to sleep there, unwilling to accept her own rule. Instead, she wanders the halls with a lantern in a nightgown, the sort of thing that definitely does not scream “insanity,” as she instead finds Daemon’s room and crawls into bed with him. For Daemon’s part, he rolls over to cuddle her, asking no questions. But it’s also hard not to see this as Rhaenyra reverting in the night to a scared little girl, looking to be comforted by her uncle-husband.
The next morning, Rhaenyra gets dressed with her attendants, all women, as they discuss her coming in front of the smallfolk for the first time as their queen. “For some, it will be enough to say they have looked on a queen,” says the attendant as she places the crown on Rhaenyra’s head. And the advice she offers — that having a sword would likely contradict what she wishes to convey to “petitioners in need” is good advice. Got that? The women play fair and straight with Rhaenyra. The men all want something from her, or to put her into a box. It’s all very clear.
…And just as she goes to look at chains for “gravity,” Rhaenyra’s period begins. Not only does this perhaps explain some of the pain and stress she’s been in over the past few days, but it’s exactly the sort of scenario detractors like to bring up for female leaders/potential female Presidents. Look, House of the Dragon is not going to turn into Veep or anything, but it’s hard not to see this plot point and immediately think of those in real life implications. It’s also just another thing for the men to hold against her.
We then cut to her in session on the Iron Throne, clearly uncomfortable, as various petitioners ask her to deal with things like with dragons eating all the sheep before they can get the wool. But if they sheer the sheep before the dragons eat them, that doesn’t deal with the problem of meat for the butchers, which can’t be hunted because all the hunters have been taken for archers. She suggests hunting the Kingswood, which causes gasps from the crowd, as it’s never been allowed before. She suggests hunting only rabbits, but there’s an interesting domino effect with this little announcement here: decades later, Robert Baratheon (Mark Addy) is injured hunting a boar in the Kingswood, which kicks off the battle of succession in Game of Thrones.
Future history lesson over, Sylvie, an ally of Mysaria asks for “justice for what the commonfolk have suffered these long months.” She explains the noble lords bought everything for their storehouses, and left “the poorer folk with nothing.” It’s not just the blockade that is keeping the people starving; it’s the rich. Again, HotD is not taking place today, but boy howdy is it hard not to watch this and think about how we’ve created our first trillionaire while most regular people can’t afford Taco Bell anymore.
Rhaenyra is shocked, the people gasp, and Sylvie challenges Rhaenyra as a Queen “who came to power as a champion of her people.” As Sylvie says this, Rhaenyra sees more rats under the throne. Perhaps the rats are coming from inside the house?
Knight And Day
Daemon isn’t so convinced about all this. “It is a dangerous element that seeks to blame the wealthy for the city’s woes,” he says as the Teeny Weeny Council argues. Rhaenyra is given tea for her cramps, which she does not drink. She’s also more concerned with Baela, and whether she’s found Vhagar or Sheepstealer yet… Easier to focus on personal grievances, than the intricacies of ruling millions. But Baela only saw Sunfyre, Aegon’s dragon, “long dead and decaying.” Rhaenyra decides to send Addam with Baela, but can’t decide anything else. And Corlys, still waiting for an answer on his sons, defers to the Queen.
Mysaria, meanwhile, asks, “what would your father do,” as Rhaenyra gets lost in thought, hearing seagulls at the beach. “A banquet, I think,” she says, and she’s right… Viserys would have tried to make peace with everyone, unwilling to offend.
Rhaenyra and Daemon next head to the central court where Ulf, Hugh, and Addam await. With the war won, she’s conferring knighthood on the three of them. Ulf wants to be Targaryen (“absolutely not,” says Rhaenyra), but gets Ulf the White instead. Hugh chooses Hugh Hammer as he’s a blacksmith by trade. And Addam? “Of Hull,” Rhaenyra says, declining to name him Velayron, much to his dismay. The men kneel, and Daemon knights them.
Following this, Rhaenyra walks with Ser Luthor, floating the idea of a dinner for nobles. But is once again interrupted, this time for Hugh, who is wondering about where he’s going to live. Unfortunately, his wife, Kat (Ellora Torchia), has gone to live with her brother in Tumbleton. Side note: Tumbleton is not a play place for Kindergarteners, unfortunately. Rhaenyra offers a house, but no timeline on that, explaining she is “awash in dilemmas and deficiencies.” She promises to attend to his request as soon as possible, but there are those rats again… They’re multiplying.
Eat The Rich
Soon after, Rhaenyra is taking a moment for herself when Alicent comes to visit. The latter apologizes for being sharp, and comes with a small request, of course. The request is that Otto’s remains be sent to Oldtown to lie by her mother’s remains. Unlike everything else that’s been asked of Rhaenyra over this episode, it’s a reasonable request, easily done, with no real repercussions. I’ll note again that while it seems on the surface unlikely to happen, Rhaenyra putting Alicent on her Small Council would likely be the best move she could make. Mysaria is her staunchest ally, but perhaps too devoted to her Queen. Alicent knows Rhaenyra, and actually offers good advice most of the time.
After the request, Alicent drops the facade of propriety, looking around the chambers, and notes, “it is odd to be here with you,” then goes to leave. But Rhaenyra stops her, calling her back… And asks for advice, on advice. Alicent ruled, essentially, while Viserys was ill, and she understands that dealing with petitioners is rough. If anyone understands what Rhaenyra is going through, it’s her. Alicent lays it out for her, that, “you may not rule and remain yourself. There are choices to be made, and you may, on occasion, have to turn your face away while people suffer and die.”
Alicent tells her truthfully that she’ll have to do things that she would have detested, but Rhaenyra isn’t convinced. “My father remained himself,” she says, to which Alicent laughs and answers, “Your father lived in a world of his own construction.” That’s figuratively and literally as if you’ll recall he spent a lot of time in his room of models, preferring to focus on that versus dealing with the very real problems of the realm bubbling right below him.
…and it’s once again Alicent’s counsel that proves immediately useful as Rhaenyra welcomes the lords and ladies of King’s Landing to dinner. She lays out the circumstances, throwing out jokes and explaining she comes before them as “a conciliator.” They all toast to her, and one of them explains they always stood against the Hightower claim. At which point the food is brought in: it’s maggot-filled meat and rotten bread.
What game is Rhaenyra playing? She’s giving them a good look at what the commonfolk ate while they stored all the food and resources. “I would have those with much, exercise stewardship and then to those with little,” Rhaenyra explains when challenged. They push back, and she furthers explains that the Gold Cloaks are raiding their storehouses and will distribute goods throughout the city; a redistribution of wealth.
“What the crown demands of you is not plunder, but a duty,” Rhaenyra says, and then leaves. Outside, Ser Torrhen Manderly (Dan Fogler) is standing, a glass of wine in hand, giddily watching the proceedings from afar. He does a “game recognize game” and then also notes that the smallfolk will love this move… And might even make them forget it was her blockade “that made bread scarce in the first place.”
Watching over the plundering, Daemon lays out the big problem here: that they will resent her for this. Rhaenyra is dismissive, noting they’re “merchants and minor nobles.” That said, we’ve seen over and over again that pissing off your ostensible allies does not turn out well, particularly in this franchise of shows.
Daemon continues with a second problem: it will do a little for a few people for some weeks, but not for the rest of the realm, or long term. It’s a band aid on a gaping wound. Rhaenyra understands this, and has a mission for Daemon: go to the Vale, and have Lady Jeyne (Amanda Collin) pay her debt to the crown in coin. While Daemon is psyched to get the gold, and Rhaenyra is going to summon the great houses to get more, there’s something else to think about, as Daemon offers… Why is she trying to rule King’s Landing, when there’s an entire world out there? As he explains, Aegon the Conqueror had three dragons and took over Westeros; Rhaenyra has six, a “power beyond imagining.”
His plan? Take over the world, and the gold will come. “They say there is a city at the edge of the world where men have wings,” Daemon whispers. And if you’re curious: no, we’ve never seen this on the shows… In fact, it’s a legend only, a city in eastern Essos. Whether it’s real or not? TBD.
Rhaenyra is tempted by Daemon’s words, that they are not men but gods, but she looks away. He begins speaking in High Valyrian, using the words of the Song of Ice and Fire prophecy to try and convince her to follow him in world domination. But she goes back to the words of her father, that “dragons were a power no man should trifle with.”
This gets to the two extremes pulling on Rhaenyra in this episode… Daemon wants power; Viserys renounced it. One is hubris; the other fear. If Rhaenyra is going to rule, though she may not realize it yet, she needs to find something in between. She backs off here at least, deciding to take King’s Landing in hand… And in a darkly comic moment, as Daemon leaves, annoyed, he shouts, “You still have to kill Daeron” from off-screen.
Truth Or Daeron?
Headed to Daeron’s chamber, Rhaenyra watches the boy as he sleeps, and sees a bird whittled from wood… He’s still a little boy, despite the weight that’s been put on her. Perhaps it was a dream, though, as Rhaenyra, bags under her red eyes and pale, wakes up in a carriage with Mysaria. They discuss how she feels about the death of Jace (she feels “rage”), as they come to the people to distribute the goods taken from the nobles.
“Let the Septon deny you,” Mysaria says as the church bells ring. “This will be your anointing.”
Rhaenyra, the people’s Queen, speaks to the appreciative crowd, promising to “rule judiciously, with strength, but also mercy, as befits a true queen.” She brings gifts, and reminds them that it is honor of her father. It’s a nice moment of happiness for Rhaenyra, but comes with the concerned septons and septas watching from the church… And is only a brief moment of respite as she’s snapped right back into the Red Keep.
There, Corlys confronts Rhaenyra about not legitimizing his sons. Pulling him into a side hall, she explains she can’t do this at the moment, and he becomes enraged, explaining that he’s given everything to her. The reason she can’t do it? The “rumors that have dogged my sons from the first,” which of course are not rumors: they are her bastards. Corlys is pissed, and lashes out: “Your son Joffrey… Is a bastard.”
He lays out her other sons are bastards — including Jace — as the whole court halts work in the background, and Corlys demands to know why her children can be legitimized and not his own, who have served her faithfully.
…But then it’s on to the next problem, as Rhaenyra tells Alicent that Daeron is in the castle. Alicent looks horrified and terrified, trying to compose herself. She thinks she knows what’s coming, but Rhaenyra lays out that she should take his head, but he had no part in the treachery of his brothers… “He did only what was expected of him by his elders,” she says, and of course Rhaenyra, who has spent all episode trying to live up to Viserys, has an understanding of this. So instead, she’s going to send Daeron to the Wall to take the black.
Alicent runs through the gamut, wondering if she needs to thank Rhaenyra, that she’s only seen her son once in five years, and then asks to see her son.
Cutting to Rhaenyra and “Daeron,” she explains the situation to the boy, and explains it as a positive. The boy continues to stay silent, and tells him that Alicent is there to see him. The child looks at Alicent, who instantly knows what’s going on… And Rhaenyra figures it out, too. “You don’t know this boy,” Rhaenyra says. Alicent nods “no,” knowing that things are about. togo badly not just for the boy, but also for the Hightowers who tricked Rhaenyra.
…And the kid confesses that Ormund compelled him, that he needed to play the part of the prince, “even if she burned me with dragons.” The reason? Ormund would hang his mother if he said anything, and as Rhaenyra comes around to this, there’s a settling that occurs… This is so much easier than what she’s had to deal with rebooting the kingdom. Here is a man who betrayed her, who needs to be punished. Black and white, night and day, there are no questions about what she needs to do next, as Alicent gets all wide eyed and worried beside her.
Rhaenyra looks at the boy’s hair, finding the roots from the dye that turned his hair Targaryen silver, and turns to Alicent wanting to know what game Ormund is playing. Not only did this deception upend everything, it wrecked the slowly building trust between Rhaenyra and Alicent.
Rhaenyra leaves, and tells an attendant to burn the Hightower banners, having gone back to the simplicity of dragonfire… And not coincidentally, there’s a dragonkeeper at the gate to the Red Keep: the Hightowers have taken Tumbleton, which is still not a play park, sadly. They’re holding the town hostage, and have Daeron and his dragon inside the gates. If Rhaenyra attacks, she’ll also burn the innocents inside. But what is Ormund after? He can’t win.
Behind Rhaenyra, the Hightower colors are set on fire, and she watches them burn, staring into the flames, her eyes rimmed in red. Yeah, that madness has got her… And unfortunately, neither her vision of Viserys or Daemon’s vision of conquest will win. Instead it’s fire and blood, all over again.
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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This is such a Sara Hess fangirl review. Sara and Ryan have absolutely disrespected the source material, keep changing characters, and making up their own rotten fanfic that has ruined the show. Complaining about the men is a disservice to female characters.
I’m not sure what that last part means, but if liking the past two episodes makes me a Sara Hess fangirl then, sure, they were extremely well written.