House of the Dragon Inches Ever Closer to All-Out War

House of the Dragon has been teasing a unspeakable civilian warfare successful Westeros since the foundations were laid successful play one—and now, with House Targaryen bitterly divided, battles are conscionable implicit the horizon. This week, successful occurrence three, “The Burning Mill,” we spot 1 past effort astatine reconciliation—as good arsenic the beginnings of a fewer journeys, a mysterious caller character, and immoderate spooky-castle shenanigans.

Ah, the Riverlands. A spot of greenish fields, picturesque windmills, and generations-long feuds betwixt adjacent houses, arsenic we spot erstwhile young knights from House Bracken and House Blackwood get successful each other’s faces astatine the borderline dividing their lands. These days, existent events are bolstering their anger: 1 side’s loyal to Queen Rhaenyra, the different calls her a “babekiller” and “kinslayer” and takes the broadside of Team Green. Insults pb to shoving, shoving leads to swords, past the country cuts and we spot a full-on conflict has taken spot betwixt the houses. The onshore is riddled with bodies, and that quaint windmill is present a burned-out husk.

Speaking of bodies, there’s a treble burial happening connected Dragonstone: the Cargill twins, reunited successful their grave. As a somber Rhaenyra ponders her adjacent move—a furious Jace wants to support the rhythm of revenge going—Rhaenys, who correctly senses that Otto Hightower has been shoved speech and that the assassination effort was the enactment of “hotter blood,” sidles successful with a suggestion, delivering the slayer lines we’ve heard successful House of the Dragon trailers. “There whitethorn beryllium different way: Alicent Hightower … she knows warfare is coming and that it volition beryllium savage beyond each compare,” Rhaenys says. “There is nary warfare truthful hateful to the gods arsenic a warfare betwixt kin. And nary warfare truthful bloody arsenic a warfare betwixt dragons.” Alicent could beryllium their past anticipation to forestall a unspeakable war. Rhaenyra’s skeptical, but Rhaenys’ words marque her deliberation of the raven that came from King’s Landing bearing a connection from her aged person aft Luke was killed… which she has yet to read.

Cole (Fabian Frankel) aft speechmaking your opinions astir him connected societal media.Image: Ollie Upton/HBO

Speaking of King’s Landing, Ser Criston Cole–now Hand of the King, successful summation to being Lord Commander of the Kingsguard–is dawdling earlier a Small Council meeting. When helium gets there, warfare is (unsurprisingly) the main topic, with Aemond updating everyone astir the Bracken-Blackwood battle, and King Aegon bitchily asking what their adjacent determination is. There are galore suggestions, to the constituent wherever everyone is talking implicit each different and Alicent speaks sharply astir the Council’s deficiency of discipline, but Cole opines that the Riverlands are the cardinal to winning the war, and that Harrenhal is the cardinal to the Riverlands. He’ll pb the service determination himself, helium says—this is simply a feline who truly does not privation to be immoderate much of these meetings—with Aemond, but not Vhagar, who is needed connected the location beforehand defending King’s Landing. “I’ll travel too, with Sunfyre,” King Aegon pipes in, an thought cipher supports; you get the consciousness it’s partially due to the fact that they privation to question without drafting excessively overmuch attraction (something a dragon ever brings), but besides because, let’s look it, nobody wants Aegon successful the mix.

Back connected Dragonstone, earlier a gorgeous sunset presumption featuring a lone dragon flapping astir successful the distance, Rhaenyra is having a chat with Mysaria—who, having been fixed her state successful past week’s episode, turned backmost astatine the past infinitesimal erstwhile she realized a definite ill-meaning duplicate had conscionable arrived connected the island. Mysaria, who says she’s inactive amazed that Rhaenyra was consenting to fto her go, would similar a reward: a spot successful Rhaenyra’s court. She has invaluable accusation astir the interior workings of the Red Keep, and nary emotion for the Hightowers; she’s besides present to advocator for the smallfolk, and figures Rhaenyra is the ruler astir apt to amusement them mercy. “One crook for another, then,” Rhaenyra says, and we tin spot a communal respect of sorts forming betwixt these 2 precise otherwise positioned women.

Inside the castle, we yet walk much than a fewer passing seconds with Rhaena: Daemon’s daughter, and the younger sister of Baela. (In George R.R. Martin’s text, they’re twins, but she’s decidedly positioned arsenic the 2nd sibling here.) Rhaenyra has a task for her, involving the younger Targaryens: she’ll instrumentality Joffrey (Rhaenyra’s youngest dark-haired son) and his dragon to the Vale, wherever he’ll go the ward of Lady Arryn; then, Rhaena volition go the de facto parent fig for Rhaenyra’s blonde kids with Daemon (Aegon and Viserys, and yes the repeated names are confusing), taking them to Pentos for safety. As we’ve seen, nary cute small kid is harmless successful this peculiar war. “Make this sacrifice willingly, for each of us,” Rhaenyra urges her. Rhaena isn’t blessed astir it, but if there’s 1 happening women successful Westeros cognize about… it’s making sacrifices.

That’s “Your Grace” to you. Matt Smith arsenic Daemon.Photo: Ollie Upton/HBO

And now, astatine last, we prime backmost up with Daemon arsenic helium flies done howling nighttime winds into Harrenhal, the biggest castle successful Westeros and also, request we punctual you, the spookiest. It’s besides incredibly damp, acknowledgment to each the harm it’s taken implicit the years, and Daemon stomps done puddles and flurries of bats indoors, sidesplitting a defender connected the mode conscionable due to the fact that helium can. If this was a vintage fearfulness movie, he’d brushwood Lon Chaney Jr. lurking successful the dark, but since this is House of the Dragon and not House of Dracula, alternatively helium meets… Ser Simon Strong, played by British signifier fable Sir Simon Russell Beale, having meal successful 1 of the castle’s fewer vaguely cozy rooms.

Ser Simon has nary objection to ceding power of Harrenhal to Team Black—he’s nary instrumentality of his cunningly murderous great-nephew, Ser Larys—though Daemon’s skeptical of his hospitality, and snaps astatine him for mistakenly calling him “my Prince” alternatively of “Your Grace.” For his part, Ser Simon thinks Daemon’s program to rise an service successful the Riverlands is simply a dubious one; the region’s liege lord, Lord Grover Tully, is simply a frail aged antheral improbable to comprehend what’s astatine stake. What’s the endgame here, Ser Simon wonders? This precise droll speech follows.

Daemon: “We march connected King’s Landing and instrumentality the throne.”

Ser Simon: “The throne?”

Daemon: “It’s a large chair… made of swords.”

In King’s Landing, Cole’s service prepares to march with a caller look successful tow: Ser Gwayne Hightower, Alicent’s brother. He meets Cole with a polite but frosty cognition (Gwayne’s not thrilled Cole took Otto’s spot arsenic the Hand), and things get a small weird erstwhile Cole says goodbye to Alicent, asking for her favour (which takes the signifier of a handkerchief she pulls retired of her cleavage) arsenic helium departs, and Gwayne looks connected quizzically. The camera pulls up arsenic the big rides out, and successful the foreground we spot 1 of the rat catcher corpses from past week, looking a spot much decayed, and with a crow making abbreviated enactment of its eyes.

Rhaenys (Eve Best) and Corlys (Steve Toussaint)Photo: Ollie Upton/HBO

On Dragonstone, the hostility is rising on with the anticipation of this army—which Team Black has yet to spot, but knows must beryllium forming; the information that Daemon hasn’t sent immoderate updates since helium flounced distant isn’t helping. Rhaenyra’s Small Council wants her to act, beryllium that by sending dragons to pain each who reason her, oregon hiding herself distant and letting the assembly (another mode of putting that is “the menfolk”) regularisation successful her stead. After Rhaenyra departs successful disgust, Rhaenys has different notable quotable to share, reminding everyone that “their Queen wears the crown of my grandsire, Jaeharys the Conciliator, a prudent ruler, the wisest of Targaryen kings, whose reign outlasted each other, adjacent Aegon the Conquerer’s.”

But Rhaenys knows there’s occupation afoot, and she doesn’t close Corlys successful the adjacent scene, successful a rainy Driftmark rendezvous, erstwhile helium refers to the Small Council arsenic “the ditherers of Dragonstone.” The enactment betwixt hubby and wife, similar truthful galore of their meetings, is changeable done with affection arsenic good arsenic subtle disagreements, including that aged question of who should inherit Driftmark (currently, it’s small Joffrey, who’s astir to beryllium spending the remainder of his puerility acold from the sea). There’s a caller urgency to their speech of heirs, a tumultuous subject—as we saw past season, erstwhile Corlys suffered a large wounded and it seemed Lucerys Velaryon (RIP) would beryllium inheriting Driftmark sooner than expected. “We are astatine war,” Rhaenys reminds the Sea Snake, and worries that thing mightiness hap to him.

On adjacent Dragonstone, Rhaena bids farewell, preparing for her travel with tiny children and tiny dragons successful tow. She’s resentful; Baela, who’s not lone older, but has her ain dragon to ride, gets to enactment down and instrumentality an progressive portion successful the warfare effort. But there’s a softening erstwhile Rhaenyra shows Rhaena that she’ll besides beryllium caring for a clutch of precious dragon eggs; if the worst happens successful Westeros, she’ll beryllium an important root of anticipation for the Targaryen future.

Rhaena (Phoebe Campbell) and Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy)Photo: Theo Whiteman/HBO

After Rhaenyra says good-bye to her sons (except Jace, helium gets to stay), we chopped to King’s Landing, wherever Alicent and Heleana person a poignant speech astir motherhood, grief, and loss. And the elephant successful the country comes out: “I forgive you,” Heleana tells her teary-eyed mother, and we each cognize she means her mother’s forbidden matter with Cole. In a adjacent chamber, King Aegon (“the magnanimous”) is being fitted with… Aegon the Conquerer’s ain snazzy armor. He’s readying to alert into battle, contempt everyone other agreeing it’s a unspeakable idea. Ser Larys appears, arsenic ever equipped with a spot of accusation that’s secretly manipulation successful disguise, and says there’s speech that Aegon has been tricked into going into conflict due to the fact that that’s what his Small Council, including Alicent, wants, truthful that she and Aemond tin regularisation successful his absence. As Aegon is taking this in, helium makes different impulsive appointment, naming Larys his Master of Whisperers.

And it works! Aegon decides that alternatively than going to battle, he’ll… walk different drunken nighttime retired connected the municipality instead. In a country that immerses america successful King’s Landing aft hours, we conscionable a caller character. It’s a little moment, but it’s important, since this is the bastard lad of Baelon Targaryen—which makes him Daemon and Viserys’ half-brother, and Rhaenyra’s uncle. Why he’s sharing this accusation with random strangers (look closely; 1 is Samson Kayo from Our Flag Means Death) successful a tavern isn’t clear, and we larn nary much for present due to the fact that conscionable past King Aegon, who’s unaware of the man’s identity, shows up acceptable to enactment his look off.

King Aegon II (Tom Glynn-Carney) is the comic alleviation truthful acold this season, successful a genuinely atrocious mode though.Photo: Ollie Upton/HBO

Awkward household reunion averted–until Aegon walks successful connected Aemond snuggled up with his favourite woman of the night, to Aegon’s hooting, taunting delight. Aemond’s absorption is to basal connected the table—classic Game of Thrones-style full-frontal nudity alert, though there’s tasteful shadowing—and stalk retired of the country (wearing not a stitch, not adjacent his oculus patch), pretending he’s wholly unbothered.

On Dragonstone, a contemplative Rhaenyra decides that now, astatine last, is the infinitesimal to unfastened her connection from Alicent. We can’t work the message, but the connection “mother” decidedly appears.

En way to the Riverlands, Cole and Ser Gwayne Hightower proceed to not similar each other. Gwayne has decided to instrumentality his lieutenants to a adjacent tavern truthful they tin bask immoderate carnal comforts, portion Cole’s men are each camped connected the hard ground. “We volition rendezvous with your service astatine archetypal light,” Gwayne says breezily, arsenic the camera tilts up to amusement america the existent presumption of the sun, and—hey now, what’s that successful the sky? Dragonnnnnn! Cole, Gwayne, and Gwayne’s men gallop for the information of adjacent histrion screen arsenic Baela, riding Moondancer, swoops successful overhead. She’s determination simply to observe, not engage, but you tin spot successful her look she’s got a spot of that season-one Rhaenys “I privation to acceptable you each connected fire” impulse successful her, and she gives the men a bully scare. Ser Gwayne, for one, looks similar helium mightiness person peed his pants a little, and yet admits Cole mightiness cognize what he’s doing aft all. Stealth is present the mode guardant for this army—“and nary fucking inns,” Cole hisses.

When Baela reports backmost to Rhaenyra and her Small Council, again they impulse it’s clip to instrumentality action. Past time, really. She takes it successful and says she’ll see their arguments, arsenic we chopped to Rhaenys—and tin archer she’s realizing Rhanyra is yet going to instrumentality her advice.

But first, you whitethorn beryllium wondering, arsenic the Small Council connected Dragonstone surely has been: what the hellhole has Daemon been up to? Wandering astir the ruins of Harrenhal, it turns out—a spot afloat of dripping water, barricaded doorways, and whispers from the past. He encounters an intolerable tableau: young Rhaenyra, played by a returning Milly Alcock. “Always coming and going, aren’t you,” she sighs astatine Daemon. “And I person to cleanable up afterwards.” As the camera comes astir we spot she’s stitching small Jaehaerys Targaryen’s caput onto his neck. In an instant, the imaginativeness is gone, and a unusual woman—someone we saw earlier alongside Ser Simon—appears and says “You volition dice successful this place.”

With that uneasiness lingering, we instrumentality to Dragonstone; there’s nary sneaking into King’s Landing without the proposal of Mysaria, truthful Rhaenyra gets each the intel she needs to technologist a face-to-face brushwood with Alicent. This includes what disguise she’ll request (a septa; it’s not the archetypal clip this episode, nor this season, that idiosyncratic points retired astir smallfolk won’t admit a royal retired of context) and wherever she’ll beryllium capable to find the Dowager Queen unsocial (in the Great Sept of Baelor, saying her prayers). And then, it happens: a country betwixt Rhaenyra and Alicent, thing we were not expecting to spot astatine all this season.

Alicent (Olivia Cooke), a bully church-going lady.Photo: Theo Whiteman/HBO

And it’s rather a almighty moment. Alicent’s daze erstwhile she realizes who’s travel to telephone is 1 thing; it levels up erstwhile she realizes Rhaenyra isn’t determination to termination her. Rhaenyra opens with a representation we each share: the tourney that kicked disconnected successful play one. “Men trained for conflict are anxious to fight,” she reminds her aged friend. “I cognize you bash not person that tendency wrong you.” But Alicent knows the Dance of the Dragons is past the constituent of nary return. There are nary presumption they tin travel to. Too overmuch has happened now.

As they whisper-argue implicit Luke and Jaeharys, the existent nutrient of the speech comes to the fore: what did the dying King Viserys accidental to Alicent that made her deliberation he’d changed his caput astir Rhaenyra being his heir? Rhaenyra can’t judge her ears erstwhile Alicent, who steadfastly believes she was honoring her husband’s wishes, says helium muttered astir “Aegon” and “the prince that was promised to unite the realm.” Rhaenyra knows, arsenic we did erstwhile we saw it past season, that Viserys was referring to the Song of Ice and Fire, a imagination that Aegon the Conquerer had. Wrong Aegon, Alicent! Wrong Aegon. But for Alicent, it’s excessively late, nary substance however overmuch Rhaenyra protests that there’s been a mistake. “There’s been nary mistake,” Alicent insists. Otto’s been kicked retired of court, Cole is connected the march, “you cognize what Aemond is,” and it’s excessively late. As Alicent stalks away, Rhaenyra sets her jaw. Time to spell to war. At last?

New episodes of House of the Dragon get Sundays connected HBO and Max.

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