Warning: The following contains spoilers for House of the Dragon Season 3, Episode 2, and mentions of sexual violence
To paraphrase Shakespeare, “The course of royal ascension never did run smooth.” Rhaenyra finally seizes King’s Landing in House of the Dragon Season 3, Episode 2, but not before learning about the devastating blow to her side of the fence during the Battle of the Gullet. Jace’s death is like an arrow to the gut for Rhaenyra. She’s lost so much – her mother, her father, her daughter, and now her two sons. All she wants to do is lie in bed and grieve Jace, but Daemon reminds her of the Song of Ice and Fire prophecy, of seeing Daenerys Targaryen naked in the desert with her three hatched dragons. He asks her what she would do if Aegon the Conqueror’s dream were true.
There’s an undercurrent of intriguing commentary here on multiple fronts. One, the constant need for the men around Rhaenyra to propel her away from her grief, as if her feeling that grief would become contagious and spread like the plague. In the ruthless world of Westeros, women only survive if they’re hardened and devoid of emotions, and we see this push-and-pull between being strong and soft for Rhaenyra and Alicent. Two, there’s the belief that Targaryens are closer to gods than men. Daemon’s mentioning of the prophecy to Rhaenyra feeds into this messiah complex that most Targaryens seem to have. As Ser Barristan Selmy tells Dany in A Storm of Swords:
“King Jaehaerys once told me that madness and greatness are two sides of the same coin. Every time a new Targaryen is born, he said, the gods toss the coin in the air, and the world holds its breath to see how it will land.”
We start to see the cracks forming in Rhaenyra’s armor in Episode 2, and if you’ve read Fire & Blood, you know how Rhaenyra’s psyche fares once she takes the Iron Throne. (Short answer: Not well.) Losing Jace is now giving her permission to act without forethought, to be a “man,” as it were. Emma D’Arcy is a force of nature in this episode. Their portrayal of Rhaenyra’s grief upon seeing Jace’s body is like a dagger to the heart. They make her pain so tangible and visceral. Rhaenyra walks around like an open wound in Episode 2, and D’Arcy conveys this with all the vulnerability and complexity required.
Everyone brings their A-game in House of the Dragon this week. Matt Smith gets to be Daemon at his most acerbic, especially in his interactions with Tom Bennett’s Ulf and Kieran Bew’s Hugh. He’s delightfully Targaryen here. Phia Saban has consistently delivered understated work on this show. While she doesn’t have a ton to work with in Episode 2, her portrayal of Helaena is a stark reminder that not every Targ is all fire and blood – Saban’s character is a beacon of innocence and genuine kindness, even with the realm at war.
Episode 2 also boasts moments of surprising levity that make it feel closer to Game of Thrones. Aegon and Larys’ scenes are a lot of fun, and the lighthearted tone in said scenes is a nice palate cleanser in an outing full of tragedy. Smith, Bennett, and Bew are also entertaining in their aforementioned scenes (Daemon is not putting up with Ulf’s insolence). The family moment between Corlys, Baela, Alyn, and Addam is sweetness personified. At least one aspect of this huge clan is getting along.
As usual, the writers elevate Team Black as the “good” side, while Team Green gets the short end of the stick. There’s an imbalance here that isn’t present in George R.R. Martin’s source material. While Rhaenyra’s stock is going up, Alicent’s is plummeting. Once again, House of the Dragon sexually humiliates Alicent, and it’s utterly frustrating. Jasper’s inexplicable attempt to rape Alicent is so out of left field. The majority of Jasper’s scenes are in the small council, and he seldom interacts with Alicent directly. It feels like a way to get audiences to hate him before Daemon inevitably beheads him (which happens later in the episode).
Alicent has been robbed of her autonomy since the beginning. However, the writers never throw her a bone or give her a foothold so she can regain some semblance of agency. Even the women in Game of Thrones found creative ways to wield power. For Alicent, it’s been humiliation and assault and harassment, one after the other. This scene was unnecessary and clearly inserted for shock value. That put a damper on an otherwise solid episode for me.
At least Episode 2 introduces us to some intriguing new characters and new dynamics. We finally meet Ser Luthor Largent, who betrays Team Green in support of his buddy, Daemon. Alysanne Blackwood, also known as Black Aly, is also introduced as she parties with Daemon, Oscar Tully, and the Winter Wolves in the aftermath of the Fishfeed. Baela and Alyn interact for seemingly the first time, and book readers will certainly understand what this means. Bethany Antonia and Abubakar Salim boast nice, easygoing on-screen chemistry.
There’s also Aemond and Alys Rivers. I loved watching Aemond seize control of Harrenhal with his weapon of mass destruction, Vhagar. Ewan Mitchell shines in Aemond’s fight sequence as he puts House Strong to the sword. It’s proof positive that Aemond is a formidable warrior, even without Vhagar. Although it sure is heartbreaking watching Ser Simon Strong meet his maker, especially after Simon Russell Beale’s fantastic work in Season 2. Aemond and Alys’ story is quite exciting in the book, so I’m curious to see how the show interprets their dynamic.
Rhaenyra’s seizure of King’s Landing feels pretty easy – almost too easy. That said, it’s thrilling to watch her finally do something instead of sitting on her hands. D’Arcy does a lot of heavy lifting here, conveying the weight of everything Rhaenyra has experienced up to this point with nuance and aplomb. Rhaenyra is the one to behead Otto Hightower (RIP), and I loved the realism of her struggling to decapitate him. She’s not trained in sword-wielding, so this feels realistic.
The gravity of the situation isn’t lost on Rhaenyra. The sacrifices it took for her to sit on the Iron Throne are scrawled all over her face. It’s interesting to see who decides to bend the knee to Rhaenyra and who refuses to withdraw their support for Aegon. It’s truly every person for themselves on Team Green.
With Alicent, Helaena, and Jaehaera brought back to the Red Keep after attempting to flee, I’ll be curious to see how Rhaenyra treats them. Will she hold them captive like in the book? By the end of the episode, Rhaenyra sits on the Iron Throne, elevated like a god, as it were, lording above Alicent as she stands in a pool of her father’s blood. It’s now Rhaenyra who has more power than Alicent. This role reversal will be fun to play with … so long as the writers abandon Rhaenyra and Alicent’s childhood friendship in favor of the bitter, brutal rivalry they had in Fire & Blood. Let them be mean! Let them hate each other! This is war, after all. It’s not kind.
House of the Dragon Season 3, Episode 2 is a solid follow-up to last week’s battle-centric premiere. It maintains the momentum established in Episode 1 and plants more intriguing narrative seeds for what’s to come. Rhaena seeking asylum in the Vale with Sheepstealer will undoubtedly sow discord among Team Black in the episodes on the horizon (and I can’t wait). Blemishes aside – and that dreadful Alicent scene – the season is, so far, an improvement from its predecessor (although there are some weird editing choices in this episode).
- Release Date
-
August 21, 2022
- Network
-
HBO
-
-
Fabien Frankel
Ser Criston Cole
