‘House of the Dragon’ Season 3, Episode 2 Recap: So…Are We Done Here?

Well, there you have it. Rhaenyra has taken the Iron Throne. I guess we can all pack it up now. Kidding, obviously. I am hardly a Game of Thrones historian, but I have an idea that this Dance of the Dragons ends in even more tragedy than has already been suffered thus far. Plus, showrunner Ryan Condal and HBO exec Casey Bloys have both confirmed the series will feature four seasons. So, yes, while episode two ends with Rhaenyra finally taking the throne that has eluded her for years, we know this is hardly the conclusion of an already blood-soaked saga.

But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. There is much to discuss before we get to the episode’s dramatic final scene. Episode two begins with the aftermath of the Battle of the Gullet, as Baela returns to Dragonstone with Jacaerys’s body. Upon seeing her dead son, Rhaenyra makes her way through the stages of grief, or mostly just denial, anger, and then depression. Rhaenyra has now lost two sons as a result of this civil war, so she’s understandably questioning the point of it all. She’s fighting for the crown, but what does the crown matter without her family, and without a successor to eventually take her place? Luckily, Daemon comes around, having finally returned from Harrenhal, to push Rhaenyra into the final stage of grief: acceptance. “Will you let them die in vain?” he asks her of her sons. It is this query, along with Daemon admitting his visions in Harrenhal of the Song of Ice and Fire, that pushes Rhaenyra out of her mourning bed.

Rhaena, meanwhile, finds herself in an even worse situation than last episode. Yes, she now has a dragon, but that dragon just caused the death of her cousin/step-brother/sister’s betrothed, and at this point, no one knows it was she who swept in on Sheepstealer during the Battle (though Rhaenyra puts Daemon on the case of discovering the rider’s identity). So, she attempts to hide out in the Vale, but Lady Jeyne Arryn is hardly an empath and sends her away. At least with Sheepstealer by her side, Rhaena will always have something to eat.

Over on Driftmark, the other Velaryon family members continue their search of the battlefield in an attempt to confirm whether or not Jace was the only major casualty of the conflict. Alyn leads the charge in looking for Corlys, who has not been seen since he fell overboard at the hands of Lohar. The abandoned son is joined by his half-niece, Baela, and his newly ordained dragon-riding brother, Addam. They’re successful in their hunt and discover Corlys mostly unharmed. In return for his bravery, Corlys finally bestows the Velaryon name on Alyn. No word if Addam gets it, too, but he seems to be doing OK with the dragon and all. 

As the Dance of the Dragons continues moving forward, there’s a parallel storyline taking place that seems like it would fit better in the more comically-toned story of Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. I am, of course, talking about Aegon and Larys’s misadventures as they attempt to flee King’s Landing. Last week, they were caught by a group of Rhaenyra loyalists who planned to bring the burnt King to Rhaenyra for a reward. But upon their journey to Dragonstone, the king captors stumble upon more troops from the Triarchy, brought over to Westeros by Team Green. A scuffle ensues, which allows Larys and Aegon to escape. The Clubfoot hopes to take shelter in the forest and make their way to Duskendale, but Aegon makes his decree. They’re going to Rook’s Rest to find Ser Criston Cole, long and perilous road ahead be damned.

Over in King’s Landing, Alicent finally sees Aemond off and prepares for the arrival of Rhaenyra. At this point, it seems that she was genuine when presenting her plan to Rhaenyra at the end of last season. She makes her way into the City Watch’s locker room, where she (and the audience) get an eyeful before she finds her target: Commander Largent. She spills her plan to Largent and informs him of Rhaenyra’s return. Luckily for Alicent, Largent gets on board, but less convinced is her sworn protector, Ser Rickard Thorne.

This episode does allow one to feel a rare bit of sympathy for Alicent. It's not easy to feel for the Queen Dowager—the undisputed villain of this story, who almost single-handedly started the civil war—given the scheming that landed her here. But then, one must not forget her own unfortunate circumstances, forced to marry her best friend’s father at such a young age. And years later, we are often reminded that though she holds some power, she is still a woman in a patriarchal world, made at every turn to prove herself to the men who are meant to aid her. Yes, she is in the middle of a treasonous plot, but she may have also finally come to her senses, which is why the scene between her and Lord Jasper is all the more harrowing. The Master of Laws enters her chamber and at first seems to simply be interested in mocking the Queen Mother. His tone immediately turns threatening, however, as he brings up her affair with Ser Criston and her recent meeting with the City Watch, which he learned of from Thorne. Things get physical, and Jasper overpowers Alicent and prepares for an assault. Luckily, he is interrupted by Grand Maester Orwyle, who sides with Alicent and has Jasper thrown into the dungeon.

And thus, Alicent’s plan continues unthwarted. She finally loops in Helaena, who unsurprisingly does not put up much of a fight. The young Queen does question Alicent’s prior insistence that Viserys named Aegon his heir on his deathbed, and Alicent can do nothing but admit fault. “I made a mistake,” she says of making Aegon king. Alicent won’t let herself get bogged down by the nuances of the past. She fully gains Helaena’s trust with promises of the future, specifically of the happiness that seemed to always elude the Queen. “I think now, not of what you deserve, but what might make you happy,” Alicent tells her daughter. “You, I may yet redeem.” Helaena, for her part, responds that she would like to keep chickens in the future. Never change, Helaena.

The two continue onward, telling the troops not to shoot at the dragons soon to be entering the airspace above King’s Landing. Also filled with dragons are the skies above Harrenhal, as Aemond has finally arrived, bringing destruction before he even touches down. He immediately kills poor, sweet Simon Strong, but one of Strong’s sons gets a hit in on Aemond despite the Prince’s famed sword skills. It is then, as he falls in pain, that he meets the mysterious Alys Rivers, who does nothing to help Aemond. Instead, she seems to make his situation worse without so much as lifting a finger. Maybe she actually is a witch, or maybe that hit was more brutal than it appeared. Either way, could this be the end of the one-eyed Prince?

Unaware that everything is coming up roses for her, Rhaenyra prepares to finally head to King’s Landing. We once again see a bit of the thread connecting Rhaenyra and Alicent: the fate of women in this world, which constantly forces them both to explain themselves to inferior men. Rhaenyra’s council attempts to stop her from going to King’s Landing, but she insists. If it is a trap, as her council believes, so be it. What else does Rhaenyra have to lose at this point?

And thus, they are off. Rhaenyra and Daemon land in King’s Landing with no problem, as the troops around the castle lay down their swords immediately upon her arrival. Alicent is nowhere to be found, however, as she skips the opportunity to greet her old friend in order to attempt to escape the city with Helaena. It is only Ser Rickard who stands in Rhaenyra’s way, but just when Team Black looks to be outnumbered, the Gold Cloaks arrive to take Rhaenyra’s side. While Daemon doesn’t seem to have made many friends over the past two seasons, he was able to maintain some goodwill with Ser Largent.

All that’s left to do is for Rhaenyra to sit down on the throne, but she’s unwilling to do so without Aegon. It seems she doesn’t believe she can be accepted as a queen without the usurper’s head. Unfortunately for Rhaenyra, Aegon is not in King’s Landing, but Daemon does come across an imprisoned Lord Jasper and Otto Hightower. Now, we haven’t seen Otto in quite a while, not since Aegon removed him as Hand of the King and threw him in jail last season. But don’t get too excited about his return; he must also die to prove Rhaenyra’s strength. She’s hesitant to take someone’s life, but eventually obliges, hacking off Otto’s head before Daemon takes out Lord Jasper.