The season three premiere of House of the Dragon brought a monumental loss—but Rhaenyra barely has time to grieve before the Dance of the Dragons beckons her back into the fight.
Meanwhile, Alicent is still frantically trying to get everything in order to deliver on the big promise she made to Rhaenyra at the end of season two.
Also: more shocking deaths? Of course! This is Westeros, after all; one can’t go too long without severing a head or two.
We pick up immediately where the season premiere ended. The camera peers up from underwater, and we see the silhouette of Jace’s floating body and a burst of fire followed by dragon wings.
Above the water we see multiple dragons flying—it seems the Dragonseeds have arrived—but we only go close on one of the riders: Baela, who’s weeping at all that’s just happened. She’s cradling Jace’s body, bringing it back to Dragonstone, where she tells Ser Lorent Marbrand that the battle “‘tis won.” Rhaenyra, finally freed from her room, runs in and realizes her son is dead.
Jace defied her, and he infuriated her, but he was still her beloved child, not to mention her heir. Her grief is ferocious, and so is her rage. But she doesn’t immediately lop off Ser Laurent’s head after the guilty knight all but begs her to do it.
“What good would that do? Will it wake my son? Will it change the truth of his folly and yours? And yours?” she glares at everyone in the room. They’ve all contributed to this betrayal and helped bring about this tragedy.
As Rhaenyra sobs and clutches her son’s lifeless body—an operatically emotional performance by Emma D’Arcy—we cut back to the Gullet, where there are still people fighting on the beach. Amid the piles of corpses and soldiers scampering around with swords, we see Alyn in a small boat searching for Lord Corlys.
In the Vale, Lady Jeyne Arryn disdainfully witnesses Rhaena’s return. She’s in no mood to offer help, even when the girl tells her “I’ve done a terrible thing.” After all, Rhaena is supposed to be en route to Pentos with Rhaenyra’s two youngest sons. The disaster in the Gullet is way beyond anything Lady Jeyne wants to be bothered with.
However, she does still want a dragon to defend the Vale. And Rhaena has (very minimal control over) Sheepstealer. So without making any sort of official arrangement with this frantic girl—whom Rhaenyra will most certainly be trying to track down, even if nobody who’s still alive knows Rhaena is Sheepstealer’s mystery rider—Lady Jeyne acquiesces.
“The Vale is vast. I cannot stop a dragon from abiding where it pleases,” she says. However, just to make things clear, she adds, “I do not wish to see you again.”
Then we cut to maybe the only people experiencing any joy whatsoever in Westeros: Daemon and his comrades, jolly about their battlefield triumphs. Heads (Lannister and lion) are on spikes, songs are being sung, there’s lots of guffawing and even some dancing, and Ser Simon Strong rolls up with wine to keep the party going.
But he also has a message for Daemon, sent from Rhaenyra. It contains the bad news about Jace and summons Daemon; he’s needed to help take King’s Landing. He tells the army to march there too, taking care of any foes they meet along the way: “We will be the Queen’s fist.” Everyone raises a toast and cheers him on.
Before he departs, Daemon says goodbye to Alys Rivers. She says his coming to Harrenhal has been “an omen of the end” of many things and “the beginning of others.” She reminds him that she did the queen a service (as fans will recall, last season she hastened the death of one very old Lord Tully so that another—much younger and more supportive of Rhaenyra’s cause—could take his place). Then she says she wants Harrenhal for her own.
Everyone wants a castle around here, and Alys’ request is sincere. Daemon is amused. “You have neither name nor title nor noble husband. The crown is not in the habit of giving out castles to midwives,” he says, very condescendingly. But he says he’ll try and find her some other reward.
At this, Alys is almost as annoyed as Lady Jeyne Arryn was at Rhaena, telling him, “Go home and do not come back here.”
In the Gullet, Alyn is still searching among the piles of dead for Corlys. Moondancer circles overhead and lands nearby, and Baela comes over. She’s also looking for Corlys. “Many before have left my grandsire for dead, and they were all mistaken,” she tells Alyn.
He asks her what Corlys was like when she was growing up, and she has only kind things to say. She also says he loved his wife, Rhaenys, so much that he “tried to forget about you.” When Alyn looks startled, Baela confesses Addam told her the truth about the brothers.
“We were not mere memories to be forgotten,” he says, but he’s not angry with Baela. They share a chuckle over Corlys’ proudness, but they’re both bummed.
“I’m tired of losing people, Alyn,” Baela says. They both look up and see Addam is circling on Seasmoke, also searching for Corlys. And… ahoy, there’s the Sea Snake, still alive and floating in the shallows!
In the raven cart, the hostage phase of the Larys-Aegon road trip comes to an end much faster than anticipated. They’re passing the time by bickering when the cart once again stops, this time thanks to the Battle of the Gullet’s inland sprawl; Larys is surprised to see Triarchy soldiers battling Rhaenyra’s men.
Seizing the moment and also working out some pent-up frustration, Aegon jumps on the Team Black soldier that was guarding them and stabs him about 5,000 times. Larys says they should keep to the plan (head to Duskendale, then board a ship to Braavos), but Aegon insists he’s heading to Rook’s Rest instead, where Team Green soldiers he thinks will be loyal to him are stationed.
“But the road there is long and perilous,” Larys protests… as Aegon hobbles off with determination.
Meanwhile, Corlys is back in the land of the living, gazing glumly at the ruins of High Tide in the distance. He captures the mood when he says, “If this be victory, I hope I never see another.”
“Alyn, I have nothing to give you now but my name,” Corlys adds.
“And yet, I count that of more worth than a mountain of gold,” is Alyn’s reply. With that, Corlys, Alyn, Addam, and Baela stand together on the beach. Unity? A family that supports each other? In Westeros? How can this be?
At King’s Landing, Alicent audibly sighs with relief as she watches Aemond and Vhagar fly away from the city. Her next move is to seek out Ser Luthor Largent, Lord Commander of the City Watch, which requires her to stride through the Westeros equivalent of a locker room that’s full of naked knights. This is a Game of Thrones show, after all!
It’s an amusing moment, but Alicent’s business with the City Watch is deadly serious. She tells Largent that Rhaenyra is returning, and Queen Helaena plans to allow it “in the interest of peace.” Largent thinks that some might call that treason, but we don’t hear his answer when Alicent asks if he in particular thinks that it is.
At Dragonstone, the newly returned Daemon is displeased to see Ulf and Hugh; they’re supposed to be posted up at Harrenhal, waiting to intercept Aemond and Vhagar. He’s even more displeased when they explain they waited a couple of days but left when the dragon was a no-show, disobeying the Queen’s specific orders and leaving Team Black’s forces undefended.
Ulf gets a smack when he also points out that Harrenhal is a creepy-ass place. Hugh explains a woman—“a maester, I thought, or maybe a witch”—told them they should return to Dragonstone for the battle. (Safe to say Daemon knows exactly who he means.)
Daemon heads upstairs for his long-delayed reunion with Rhaenyra, but he spots a familiar face on the way: Mysaria. Given their history, he’s suspicious of her new position as the queen’s closest advisor. “I left you here a prisoner … you’ve wriggled your way toward the crown like an eel. I confess I underestimated your slipperiness.”
He’s also curious. “What game are you playing? Do you coil yourself here in order to strike at me?”
Mysaria with some truth: “Not everything is about you, Daemon.”
The cattiness shifts, and they both sit down. The conversation gets more serious. Knowing Mysaria had eyes on the situation, he wonders aloud about the King’s Landing plan and asks if she thinks Rhaenyra’s judgment is sound.
“I would not serve her otherwise,” Mysaria says. Alicent and Rhaenyra were girls together, she points out. Maybe that bond is still holding on.
They’re both agreeing how much they loathe the Hightowers when Maester Gerardys comes running up and says Vhagar has been spotted flying out of King’s Landing in the direction of the Riverlands.
Speaking of King’s Landing, we see Alicent is still rushing around, trying to get all the right pieces on the board ahead of Rhaenyra’s expected arrival. The vibes are tense, and her movements are testing the nerves of her Kingsguard pal, Ser Rickard Thorne.
At Dragonstone, Daemon is finally with Rhaenyra; she’s in bed, paralyzed with grief. But she’s still able to tell Daemon that the wild dragon Sheepstealer caused Jace’s death—and “he had a rider.” They assume Team Green is behind it.
But they have to put a pin in avenging Jace for now because there are more pressing matters to attend to. With Vhagar out of King’s Landing, it’s Iron Throne time! But Rhaenyra has lost all motivation. It takes Daemon talking to her (in High Valyrian) about the Song of Ice and Fire, which he got a glimpse of in his vision at Harrenhal, for some of that spark to return.
In King’s Landing, Alicent is busy shoving trinkets into a bag—to take with her when she flees, of course—when Lord Jasper Wylde sleazes in. It seems this is the moment he’s chosen to confront her about her affair with Ser Criston Cole. He’s also suspicious of her meeting with the City Watch.
The encounter turns violent, and he’s attempting to rape her when Maester Orwyle bursts through the door, followed by Ser Soren of the household guard. Lord Jasper calls Alicent out as a traitor—which, you know, he’s not wrong about—but the Maester points out he’s literally just interrupted a sexual assault in progress, and Lord Jasper is swiftly arrested and hauled away.
Once they’re alone, she thanks the Maester for having her back, but he knows there’s more to this: “I do not know what you have done, Your Grace. I fear it is something desperate.”
On Dragonstone, Daemon’s reminder of her greater purpose has snapped Rhaenyra back into badass mode. She announces to her ever-dwindling small council—just the worrywarts Lord Bartimos and Maester Gerardys now, with Lord Corlys occupied elsewhere—that she’s heading to King’s Landing. Daemon and the Dragonseeds are going with her. And it is very cool to see Daemon backing up his wife 100%. There’s no doubt now that these two are a team, working together with the same shared goals. Finally!
On the way out, she calls, “Let Ser Laurent choose how he will die.” Well, he expected as much.
Before they depart, Mysaria hands Rhaenyra her crown. Daemon is standing just a few feet away, so he hears when Mysaria says, “I hope you will send for me. Remember which one of us has been faithful.”
The Queen doesn’t respond, and Daemon remarks to Rhaenyra that “Much has changed since I was away. You have taken a new advisor.” Her reply: “She has done much for us. For me … I have no need of your approval.”
This is clearly going to come up again. But for now, in the dragonpit, Daemon turns his attention to Ulf and Hugh, filling them in on the plan. It’s simple, and “it will not be necessary at any point for you to engage in thinking, or making decisions, or having ideas,” he says.
Then, his tone turns almost threatening. “From this moment, all must proceed according to plan,” he tells them. “Don’t let me down.”
As the quartet flies out, we find Alicent tracking down Helaena in one of the gardens; she’s studying a caterpillar, not a care in the world. Alicent lets her know that Rhaenyra is coming and that she needs her help. Helaena, being married to King Aegon II, has the most power in the Red Keep right now, and she needs to tell all the guards to stand down.
Helaena points out that it’s because of Alicent that Aegon got to rule instead of Rhaenyra. Didn’t Viserys have a deathbed change of heart, shared directly with his wife? “I made a mistake,” Alicent says crisply.
She also says that she was deeply affected by Helaena saying she was happier before she was queen. “I think now, not of what you may deserve, but what might make you happy. You, I may yet redeem.”
Helaena takes a pause. It seems like she might say something emotional and profound. Instead, she comes back with, “I think I might like to keep chickens.”
The pair find the commander overseeing the troops stationed on the city wall; they’re confused when Alicent tells them to stand down. Forget the rule about striking down any dragon that isn’t Vhagar. The choices are to let Rhaenyra in peacefully or defy these new orders and get burned alive, along with everyone in your general vicinity.
And speaking of Vhagar, there she is now—miles from King’s Landing, flying in the sky over Ser Criston Cole and his army. “To Harrenhall!” they cheer.
We follow as the enormous dragon swoops toward the castle; dozens of Team Black soldiers are barbecued along the way, and the body count rises when Aemond, brandishing his sword, dismounts within its walls and cuts a path to the main hall.
“I seek Daemon Targeryen,” he announces. His audience is Ser Simon Strong and his two sons, who happen to be in the middle of dinner. The aging Ser Simon is bemused by the idea of fighting this angry young intruder. He’s probably about to invite him to sit down and eat—much in the way he greeted Daemon when he burst in during season two—when Aemond runs him through with his sword.
Noooo! It’s a cruel death for a cool character. Ser Simon’s sons, neither of whom is the warrior type, make moves to engage, but they’re soon cut down too. However, one of them does manage to shove a blade into Aemond’s back. As this is happening, Alys Rivers appears in the doorway.
Aemond staggers and falls at her feet, dripping blood and gasping “Help me” before passing out.
Dragons soar into view over King’s Landing. The soldiers behind the scorpions do indeed stand down. We see Alicent, Helaena, and Helaena’s surviving child hurrying to depart the castle. In the city, the people cower at the display of power overhead—including, hey, there’s Hugh’s wife!
Syrax and Caraxes land, and Rhaenyra and Daemon head into the Red Keep. A lot of soldiers immediately bend the knee, but not everyone does—and Daemon and his sword are ready to cut down anyone who gets in their way. “Do not be afraid; I have come to make things right,” Rhaenyra announces.
They carve a bloody path to the throne room. She strides in after him, and they briefly grab hands. The Iron Throne beckons, but there are still more opponents to deal with first. Ser Rickard and a bunch of green-clad soldiers run in, swords drawn, and block the Iron Thone.
Daemon already has his weapon out. When Rhaenyra draws her sword, all the Hightower loyalists laugh. “Now here’s a thing I haven’t seen before,” Ser Richard snarks.
Just then, the City Watch bursts in. They’ve arrived to support their former commander, Daemon, but more importantly, Queen Rhaenyra, “the true heir to the Iron Throne,” as Ser Luthor puts it.
The Hightower soldiers toss down their blades, and they—and a furious Ser Rickard—are dragged away. The way to the Iron Throne is clear. But there’s one small matter to attend to: where is that pesky usurper, Aegon?
Of course, he’s not in his bed upstairs, as Alicent said he would be. Maester Orwyle tells them Aegon has fled with Larys and quickly pledges his loyalty to Rhaenyra. When Daemon comes back with a variation on “Thanks, but heads are going to roll as part of this takeover,” Orwyle says he knows of a perfectly satisfying and readily available head for the job.
Outside the Red Keep, Alicent and Helaena are having trouble with their escape plan. It’s chaos, and some of the smallfolk recognize them.
Back in the castle, Daemon and company head down to the dungeons. He orders the release of Team Black loyalists being held there. And we see Orwyle’s choice for ceremonial decapitation is… Ser Jasper. He’ll do, sure, but then a jailer appears and says there’s someone even better in a hidden cell, tucked away on Lord Larys’ orders in case Daemon ever came back.
Who else could it be but the architect of this entire succession nightmare: Lord Otto Hightower!
“The rats in the black cells have grown uncommon big,” Daemon announces as he brings Otto into the throne room, where the soldiers and some of the recently freed Team Black prisoners have gathered with Rhaenyra. Ser Jasper and Lord Otto (who sighs, “I assume everyone else is dead”) are made to kneel before the Queen.
It’s Rhaenyra’s big moment: behead Otto and show how strong and ruthless she is, prepared to rule Westeros as her father intended. Everyone’s watching, Daemon tells her, and to hesitate is to show weakness.
“I don’t know if I can,” she whispers.
“Let Daemon do it,” Otto butts in. “Spare me at least from being hacked at.” He also says, “If your father could see what it’s come to, he would never have imagined it.”
Otto: manipulative to the end. As Daemon tells her, “In this moment, you will become queen,” Rhaenyra makes her move. And the first chop is indeed awkward; Otto’s head remains stuck to his body. The second blow, though, knocks it right off.
Daemon then makes short work of Ser Jasper. And at last, it’s time. Rhaenyra has to step through a puddle of blood, leaving red footprints as she goes, but she makes it to the Iron Throne. The look on her face is one of shock, horror, and “Was this all really worth it?” but also some relief, especially when Daemon gives her a solemn nod—as she awkwardly takes a seat.
But then, there’s a commotion at the back of the room. Alicent and Helaena are brought in. Alicent sees Rhaenyra on the throne—which, ok, she was expecting—but also the sight of her long-missing and freshly decapitated father.
Decode the wrenching look on Alicent’s face if you can, as well as whatever’s going on behind Rhaenyra’s eyes as she gazes back; we’ll surely dig into this reunion next Sunday, when a new House of the Dragon arrives on HBO.
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