We’re almost to the House of the Dragon season three finale, but there’s still an hour of betrayals, forgiveness, forgiveness denied, severed heads and appendages, freaky dreams, and a frankly delightful amount of dragons doing dragon things to get through first.
The episode begins in Helaena’s dream. We know it’s not real because she is outside the Red Keep, wind in her hair, happily petting a horse. The gates open, and while we can’t see what’s out there, Helaena is bathed in golden light. The moment is interrupted when we hear someone calling her name: Rhaenyra, who’s promised to watch over her while Alicent is running her little “sneak an assassin into Harrenhal to get rid of Aemond” errand.
It’s not a friendly awakening. Rhaenyra asks Helaena if Aemond had encouraged her to ride Dreamfyre into battle. She says he did. But she’s not much for dragonriding these days. Being around Dreamfyre is “too much.”
She’s like their father, Viserys, in that way, Rhaenyra says. He wasn’t into dragonriding either. “He did not wish to be changed,” Helaena says, and Rhaenyra is bemused by the idea that dragons can alter people. To that, Helaena points out that Rhaenyra now has many dragons: “Are you yourself not… altered?”
The real reason for Rhaenyra’s visit becomes clear when she starts poking her half-sister about being a “dreamer.” It soon turns into an interrogation: has she had any visions of Daemon, or the Winter Wolves, or Ormund Hightower? As we know, Helaena’s powers don’t work like that, but Rhaenyra assumes she’s just refusing to tell.
We can see Rhaenyra’s anger is enmeshed with fear. She’s hoping Helaena will offer some psychic insight into whether or not Rhaenyra will prevail. The gods have made it her destiny, right? Right? She gets no answer.
And now, for a sequence engineered to inspire maximum House of the Dragon heebie-jeebies. Aemond sees Alicent walk into his room at Harrenhal. Their reunion turns from tender to creepily intimate when Alicent kisses her son on the lips, and then they suddenly start having very frantic intercourse. But wait! That’s not Alicent moaning about giving Aemond a son. It’s Alys! He shoves her away as she asks, “Aemond, what have you seen?”
We initially assumed Alys was using her powers to pretend to be Alicent. But did Aemond hallucinate that Alys was Alicent thanks to some Harrenhal-Targaryen mojo?
Things get more brain-warping when Aemond dashes out into the yard and sees the real Alicent standing there, wearing the exact same outfit from his vision.
Meanwhile, Rhaenyra’s robust army continues its march; the camera lingers on Roddy the Ruin carrying Ser Criston Cole’s head aloft on a battle axe—you know, in case anyone thought we’d be denied the pleasure of seeing that.
At Tumbleton, Gwayne updates Ormund on their army’s progress, or lack thereof. “So your dim but ambitious Dornish friend died in the mud for nothing,” Ormund smirks. He’s not bothered because “I have a piece on the board now that will bring the bitch to her knees.” Naturally, he doesn’t say what it is.
In the Vale, Daemon storms into the Eyrie to meet with Lady Jeyne Arryn. (Moon door!) Lady Arryn has let him know that Rhaena has not been keeping out of sight, as everyone very much needs her to, considering all the ruses and deceptions now tangled up in her existence.
There’s a little wink at book readers when Lady Jeyne bemoans the local rumors of a dragonrider, a “wild girl living with the nettles and sheep.” Daemon asks her for one more day to sort out the mess before she tells Rhaenyra the truth, and you know he’s desperate because he tacks a “please” onto the request.
She agrees, and she even gives him a clue as to where to look for Rhae-nettles, since Sheepstealer has been seen chasing after the Vhagar sightings.
Chasing Vhagar is also what Baela and Addam are up to, and they have a moment on the ground where Addam all but comes out and says he’s got a giant crush on her. She doesn’t catch his meaning and instead thinks he’s heard about her and Alyn’s mutual attraction. The mood gets awkward, but just then they spot a dragon flying by—and it’s not Vhagar.
At Harrenhal, Alicent recites her fake story about her “escape” from the Red Keep and rattles on about the trusted knight who helped her make the journey. Aemond thanks the man, then shoves a knife into his throat. He apologizes to his mother, explaining, “There are secrets here, and I can trust no stranger.”
At that moment Alys appears and invites Alicent in for supper. We cut to a plate of food, but it’s Tumbleton, and Ormund is holding court with Gwayne, Daeron, and a very special guest: Lord Corlys Velaryon, who was taken hostage at the end of last week’s “Faceless Men.”
Corlys assumes this is probably his last meal. “On the contrary, we hope to enjoy the pleasure of your company for quite some time,” Ormund says brightly. He doesn’t think Rhaenyra will care too much that her Hand has been taken hostage. He does, however, think the Velaryon soldiers will hesitate to defend King’s Landing now that the Hightowers have captured their leader.
Daeron the Daring dares to speak up—asking how that will help “when the Winter Wolves are clawing at our gates”—and immediately regrets it. Ormund doesn’t react; instead, he asks Corlys why he’s bothered to ally himself with the “brutish and incurious” Targaryens. The conversation ends quickly, and Corlys demands to be returned to his cell. Fine, Ormund says, but he pulls out a giant knife. He’ll be needing a little something from Corlys before he goes.
After dinner, Daeron and Gwayne talk shit about Ormund. “Is this his piece on the board?” Gwayne asks, wondering why creating disorder in King’s Landing even matters, especially with Rhaenyra’s huge army heading straight for them. Daeron thinks Ormund is a “madman” who’s offering everyone up for certain slaughter.
Their options are limited, though. They can’t surrender. Daeron can’t just fly away on his dragon—he doesn’t have anywhere to go, and he would never abandon his men. (He would make a good king.) And he doesn’t mind being ultimately insignificant: “Rhaenyra may keep her crown for all I care.”
Frankly, she might not mind swapping places at the moment. As we see, she’s sitting in a hostile Small Council meeting, listening to Ser Manderly complain about being made the scapegoat for all the crown’s money problems. It’s really not his fault there’s no gold to spend. And nobody supported his suggestion to start taxing people to help raise some much-needed funds.
The queen tries to change the subject. There are no updates on Harrenhal, Lord Corlys, or whatever Daemon is up to; only Alyn has any good news, which is that the Rivermen are making steady progress toward Tumbleton, and the Velaryons should be at King’s Landing soon. Lady Frey pipes in to remind everyone that Harrenhal is technically hers, and Rhaenyra tells her to just go take it. She’s delighted, not realizing, of course, what kind of spooky mess awaits her there.
The mood turns when Baela and Alyn enter. While searching for Vhagar, they’ve seen Sheepstealer… with a rider. As they leave the meeting, Mysaria starts in on Rhaenyra. That head Daemon brought her was clearly another of his lies. And who’s to say he’s not up to something even more insidious behind Rhaenyra’s back?
When Rhaenyra hesitates, Mysaria grabs her arm (briefly; she realizes she’s overstepped and quickly pulls her hand away) and asks, “Is there anything Daemon could do that you would truly not believe?”
We go next to Larys, Tyland Lannister, and Aegon, en route to Maidenpool and passage to Braavos, much as Lannister hates the idea. But they’re forced to pivot when they realize the road is blocked by people coming from the opposite direction—all fleeing Team Black’s rapidly approaching army.
At Harrenhal, it’s another tense dinner scene. Alys makes fake-polite conversation while Alicent quietly freaks out at how her plan—Rhaenyra’s plan, really—has gone completely sideways. She’s also wondering about this odd woman who’s taken up with her son and has somehow convinced him that he should stay at Harrenhal and “make this place my seat.”
Alicent reminds him that Aemond’s no longer in a position to claim seats in Westeros. He’s completely unbothered by this. Rhaenyra may be in power now, but he’s certain that she’ll fail. “A new dawn is coming,” he says, and he and Alys hold hands and exchange a conspiratorial smile.
Then he reaches over and takes Alicent’s hand. He declares he expects her to stay at Harrenhal and help welcome this “new line of unsullied kings.”
Alys doesn’t like the sound of that. “I’m sure your mother will wish to move on,” she quickly interjects, and Alicent surely agrees. But everyone must, as Alys puts it once she’s alone with Aemond, “tread carefully.” She can sense that Aemond’s mother has come to do him harm, though he refuses to believe it.
Alys is right, of course. At that moment, Alicent is trying to figure out a plan B. She snatches a knife off the body of the would-be assassin. Then she spots a berry bush growing in the yard.
On the road, Larys flags down Tangletongue, one of their acquaintances from Rook’s Rest. He has an exposition dump at the ready: it seems the soldiers are all out looking for Tyland Lannister. Now that Rhaenyra knows he’s alive, she’d very much like to question him about where all the crown’s gold disappeared to.
Larys tells Tyland to give himself up. That way, he and Aegon can continue their escape. Tyland says he’d really rather not be flayed alive. But Aegon breaks in and tells them they just should do whatever they want. He’s done running. He’ll make his last stand here. “I’ll be buried as a king, with my dragon,” he says. Unlike Daeron, he does care about leaving his mark: “I will not have the histories say I was slain in ignominy by my own brother.”
It’s maybe the most noble thing Aegon has ever said. Tyland says he’ll stick with him, but Larys, whose first priority has always been saving his own skin, is like, “Fine, I’m out,” and rides off.
Then: DRAGONS! A pair fly along, nipping and screeching at the other, and we soon see it’s Caraxes (and Daemon) forcing Sheepstealer (and Rhaena) into an ungraceful landing. The riders dismount and immediately start arguing. Rhaena’s got it in her head that if she can bring down Vhagar, she’ll restore her standing in Rhaenyra’s eyes and maybe get her old life back.
Daemon responds with uncharacteristic kindness and offers to help her battle Vhagar. And then he apologizes for being such a crappy father. He’s suddenly so evolved!
But the moment is wrecked when we see Syrax (with Rhaenyra) and Seasmoke (with Addam) flying straight for them. Rhaena takes off running, but Addam easily overtakes her. This gives Daemon and Rhaenyra time to yell at each other, but some of her fury and confusion melts away when she sees exactly who Addam is dragging back to them.
As if the situation weren’t nerve-wracking enough, the ensuing conversation happens as four anxious dragons are lurching around the perimeter, snarling at each other. Rhaenyra is angry and hurt that Daemon didn’t tell her Rhaena was Sheepstealer’s rider, not to mention his whole charade with the random severed head. “This is finished,” she declares.
What that means is… Sheepstealer is finished. Syrax starts fighting him, then Caraxes and Seasmoke join in. After all that, Rhaena screams, “Noooo!” as she sees Sheepstealer falter; Rhaenyra pulls her onto Syrax with her, and they take off. Addam and Seasmoke follow them into the air, and Daemon and Caraxes land what looks like the killing blow on the wild dragon.
Daemon tumbles a few feet off Caraxes’ back amid the battle. Once Sheepstealer is down, Caraxes sticks his big old fire-breathing snoot in to make sure Daemon is ok. Aww!
Back in the Red Keep, Mysaria is giving the house tour to Sylvi, and they’ve arrived at the Iron Throne. They’re old friends, and both women are concerned about the chaos on the streets of King’s Landing. But Sylvi has some suspicions about Mysaria’s slippery rise to power and how her priorities have changed. Is Mysaria still a voice for the people, or has she merely “styled herself a champion in order to access these halls”?
Sylvi’s certain that she has. Mysaria doesn’t have any real power, after all, but she’s puffed herself up now that she has Rhaenyra’s ear. Sylvi leaves her with a bit of advice: “These people are not your own. You would do well to remember that. Within the walls of the highborn, a whore will always and ever remain a whore.”
Elsewhere in the Red Keep, Rhaenyra and Rhaena have returned. Rhaenyra will let her stay, but she also wants the girl to remain out of her sight.
At Harrenhal, Alicent makes another attempt to reason with her son. This time, she’s carrying a cup of (poisoned) spiced wine for him. She calls Alys “your friend,” and Aemond snaps that “she’s not my friend.” Ok, but whatever Alys is to Aemond, everyone can tell she doesn’t want Alicent to stay.
So Alicent tries another tactic, offering to leave so she doesn’t disturb Aemond’s situationship. This leads into a little back-and-forth about who Aemond should trust, and he confesses that he tried to kill Aegon. Alicent says she already knew that and calls him “my dear foolish boy.”
In Rhaenyra’s room, she contemplates the skull of the poor random guy who Daemon tried to pass off as Sheepstealer’s rider. Daemon walks in and Rhaenyra makes her maid stay in the room, ensuring an uncomfortable witness for Daemon’s attempts to smooth things over. He wasn’t scheming against her, he insists. He was trying to do one kind thing for his long-neglected daughter. Rhaenyra doesn’t offer forgiveness—she shoos him out with an “it’s late”—but you can tell how upset this whole situation has made her.
Elsewhere in the castle, there’s a far more compassionate reunion between Baela and Rhaena. Rhaena is still achingly guilty over what happened to Jace, but her sister doesn’t want to hear it. Instead, demonstrating a capacity for forgiveness very few House of the Dragon characters can claim, she embraces her and says, “You will begin anew.”
Outside, Alyn and the other Velaryon soldiers are returning with a fresh bunch of Hightower loyalists as prisoners when Alyn’s handed a package. It contains… Corlys’ finger, complete with sigil ring. A special gift from Ormund!
At Harrenhal, Aemond staggers up to Alys in a way that evokes their first meeting. Clearly, he guzzled the poisoned wine. “Idiot,” Alys sighs. We see Alicent hurrying away, but you have to wonder: where’s she going to go, and how is she going to get there all by herself?
Helaena has another dream. First, she’s giving birth, and a man in armor takes away the baby. Then, she’s looking like a total badass on the back of Dreamfyre, ordering her dragon to “Dracarys” a bunch of soldiers running toward her.
Then, maybe the most wholesome scene ever to appear on a Game of Thrones show: a fantasy of Helaena with her two kids, sitting in a field feeding those chickens she was hoping for. But the mood changes when an eclipse covers the sun, and snow begins to fall. Winter is coming.
Not dreaming, but rather seething, is Rhaenyra, who gets out of bed, smashes the skull in the fireplace, and goes to find Mysaria to fill her in on the Daemon situation. She also lets her know she is well aware Mysaria has been trying to drive a wedge between her and Daemon. But she’s still vulnerable to Mysaria’s soothing, seductive charms, and they fall into bed together.
Sitting at a campfire near Rook’s Rest, Aegon and Tyland Lannister await the inevitable confrontation that will seal their fate. We see the army emerge from the forest and ride right up to them.
At first, it seems like Aegon might take off running after all. But then he digs deep and delivers the most stirring speech of his life, announcing exactly who he is and declaring that he is the true ruler of the Seven Kingdoms.
As he’s yelling all this, the soldiers, who were laughing in his face moments earlier, turn very serious and start backing away. But it’s not because Aegon has earned their respect with his words. It’s because SUNFYRE IS ALIVE AND SUDDENLY EMERGES FROM THE WOODS.
Aegon commands “dracarys,” and the soldiers are barbecued into oblivion. Aegon is not really a character we’re meant to root for, but it is a thrilling and triumphant moment all the same. Also, it’s a nice touch that Sunfyre and Aegon now have matching battle scars.
And if you thought the episode was going to end there, well, there’s one more wild card to add to the deck. We cut to another campfire, and it’s Ulf the White and Ormund Hightower, sharing a drink. From their conversation we learn it’s not the first time they’ve had a clandestine chat. And we soon learn what that “piece on the board” Ormund was hinting at really is.
Ormund’s laying on the flattery, telling Ulf he heard about Daemon beating him up and also how dare Rhaenyra tell him not to go to his beloved tavern. Those Targaryens only see him as a tool, nothing else. It’s exactly what Ulf wants to hear.
“I understand who you really are,” Ormund assures him. Ulf brings up something they discussed at their last meeting: getting Ulf that lordship and castle he’s been wanting. Previously, Ormund had mentioned Honeyholt, seat of the Beesburys, our pals from A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. But now he has a juicier prize to dangle: Driftmark.
“Lord of the Tides,” Ormund enunciates. “What do you think of that? They will laugh at you no more when they see you as you are.”
Ulf agrees, and adds, “They will burn.” Then he gets a big, goofy grin on his face, and the episode ends.
House of the Dragon has just one episode left in season three. The finale arrives Sunday on HBO.
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