‘House of the Dragon’ Season 2, Episode 3

Editor’s Note: The following contains spoilers for Season 2, Episode 3 of House of the Dragon.

House of the Dragon Season 2 has prepared for a battle. Both factions of the Targaryen royal family have already suffered losses, but as each plans their next move, the fighting has been contained. But tensions have spread across the Seven Kingdoms, and war has broken out. Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy) and Aegon (Tom Glynn-Carney) to put their plans into action. While the Lords of Westeros take sides, The civil war known as the Dance of Dragons spreads beyond the borders of the Targaryen familyand it’s getting bloodier and bloodier.

House of the Dragon

The reign of House Targaryen begins with this prequel to the popular HBO series Game of Thrones. Based on George RR Martin’s Fire & Blood, House of the Dragon takes place almost 200 years ago game of Thronestells the story of the Targaryen civil war with King Viserys.

Release date

21 August 2022

Creator

Ryan J. Condal, George RR Martin

Main genre

theatre

Seasons

4

Distributor

HBO

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The Greens win the battle for the burning mill (narrowly)

Season 2, Episode 3 begins with a dispute between the Brackens and the Blackwoods. The two families have been enemies long before the dance, but when the Blackwoods speak out for Rhaenyra and the Brackens for Aegon, the neighbors have another reason to fight. Although their confrontation in the episode began over the boundaries of their lands, a common disagreement between them, it soon turned to Rhaenyra and Aegon before becoming a pitched battle with corpses littering the ground by the river. This conflict marks the first official battle of the Dance of DragonsDuring the fighting, Lord Samwell Blackwood was killed, but Lord Tyland Lannister (Jefferson Hall) tells Aegon at their council meeting that the The losses on both sides were so great that one can hardly speak of a victory.But when it comes to ranking the battle for the burning mill, the Brackens and the Greens come out on top.

Blacks send family away and confirm the loyalty of House Arryn

After the recent events in the Red Keep and Dragonstone, neither of the two castles is really safe anymore. No wonder Rhaenyra wants to send her youngest children away. Her third son, Joffrey (Oscar Eskinazi), is on his way to the Vale, where Jeyne has promised Arryn an army in exchange for the protection of a dragon. Joffrey takes his admittedly young dragon Tyraxes with him and becomes Arryn’s ward, thereby gaining Rhaenyra’s support. But Joffrey is not the only one she sends away. She sends her stepdaughter, Rhena (Phoebe Campbell), and their youngest children, Aegon (the younger) and Viserys. She instructs Rhaena to write to Prince Reggio of Pentos, whom she knew as a child, in the hope that Rhaena, Aegon, and Viserys can find shelter there until Westeros is safe. Although Rhaena is disappointed in her task, she is entrusted with not only the safety of the princes, but also the future of the dragons, as Rhaenyra sends four eggs with her. This is a strategic move for Rhaenyra, as it will gain Arryn’s support, protect her children, and keep the dragon eggs safe from their enemies.

The Greens raise two armies and secure King’s Landing

The Green Council continues to make plans. As they discuss their next steps, Tyland suggests his brother’s army, currently based at Gold Tooth in the Westerlands, but Tyland assures Aegon that they can be in the Riverlands in a few weeks and aim to take Harrenhal. The Lannister army is not the only army Aegon has at his disposal, however. Ormund Hightower has left Oldtown and is bringing soldiers for Aegon’s cause. Jasper Wylde (Paul Kennedy) mentions that Aegon could use his brother Daeron, whose dragon Tessarion is almost capable of fighting. They were in the Old Town and are probably moving with Ormund’s army. Aegon’s forces are reinforced with two armies to be mobilized and another dragon ready for battle.

Criston Cole (Fabien Frankel) rides with some familiar men from King’s Landingincluding Gwayne Hightower (Freddie Fox), Alicents (Olivia Cooke) brother. Along the way, they hope to drive out the opposing houses of the Crownland, starting with House Rosby. As they gain allies, their numbers will grow. It is remarkably similar to Cole and Aemond’s (Ewan Mitchell) plan from the premiere, but with the big exception that Vhagar stays behind. In fact Cole’s army has no dragon power, because Aegon was convinced not to ride Sunfire either. This means that King’s Landing is well defended, but Cole’s army is exposed to dragon attacks.

Baela uncovers the Greens’ plans on Dragonback

I’m still looking for Rhaenyra on her dragon Moondancer, Baela (Bethany Antonia) sees Cole and his army despite their attempts to stay under cover. Baela has strict orders not to intervene, as Rhaenyra is still trying to avoid a war with dragons, but she hunts them down and scares them enough. Most importantly, Rhaenyra and the Blacks know Cole’s movements. Based on their path, they can guess Cole’s destination and react in time, giving them an advantage in the upcoming battle.

Daemon conquers Harrenhal for Rhaenyra

Aegon is not the only one who starts the fight, because Rhaenyra has sent Daemon (Matt Smith) to Harrenhal. Both sides have been focusing on the Riverlands and Harrenhal in particular. After the argument between Rhaenyra and Daemon in the previous episode, Daemon brought Caraxes to the castle to take it by dragonfire, but this proved unnecessary. The castle appears to be empty when Daemon arrives, though he eventually finds the castellan. Simon Strong (Simon Russell Beale), who immediately kneels down and recognizes Rhaenyra as Queen of the Seven Kingdoms. Although the head of the family, Larys (Matthew Needham), has allied himself with Aegon, the castle’s residents dislike their lord and blame him for his father’s death, so they decide to defy him. Daemon accepts their allegiance and plans to summon Grover Tully, the Supreme Lord of the Riverlands, to begin raising an army at Harrenhal. However, the castle itself must be fortified before Daemon can do too much. With this event, Daemon may not have secured support from the Riverlands, but he has taken the first step.

Aegon and Rhaenyra both receive Spymasters

Both the Greens and the Blacks win something in Season 2, Episode 3. After Myaria (Sonoya Mizuno) returns with a warning about Arryks (Luke Tittensor) assassination plan, she asks for a place at Rhaenyra’s court and claims that she wants to help because Rhaenyra is a better ruler than her brother and actually cares about her people. With a huge network of information Mysaria is a powerful ally and Rhaenyra grants her requestand adds a new member to Team Black.

But at the same time, Aegon gets a spy of his own. Larys has long served the Green cause with his mysterious secrets, but Aegon gives him an official place on the Small Council and makes him Master of the Whisperers. Larys’ ruthless methods will help Aegon, but he also has a sharp mind and is the one who stops Aegon from going to war on Dragonback. The small council has lost its order since Otto (Rhys Ifans) left, and Larys’ strategic presence can help.

Rhaenyra’s last plea for peace fails

Rhaenyra has shown restraint since the war began, carefully considering her moves and prioritizing peace. However, her advisors want something to happen. They want Rhaenyra to find a safe place to hide while they make decisions. They only suggest this idea because sexism is rampant in Westeros, but Rhaenyra will not consider it. They also want to use the advantage of dragons for the Blacks, using the beasts to win the Greens’ greatest strongholds to their cause. However, they still hope for peace. Rhaenyra avoids using dragons because she realizes the devastation a dragon war would cause and try to avoid it at all costs.

But Rhaenyra’s search for a peaceful solution fails. On the advice of Rhaenys (Eva Best), Rhaenyra asks Alicent for help in ending the conflict. She travels to King’s Landing and disguises herself as a Septa to blend in when she finds Alicent. Rhaenyra reaches the Dowager Queen as she worships her. With one final plea, the two former friends realize that the divide is irreconcilable. Although Rhaenyra corrects Viserys’ final words, Alicent refuses to accept the truth. Both Rhaenyra and Alicent realize that peace is impossible.

Who will win this week?

The race is close, both get a talented spy and score a few victories. The Blacks win Harrenhal and learn of the Greens’ plans, but the Greens have several armies ready to march. The Battle of the Burning Mill was a defeat for both sides, but with the death of the Blackwood Lord, it was a greater defeat for the Blacks. This and their three different armies make the Greens the winners this weekalthough the blacks will have the advantage if Cole’s army strikes.

House of the Dragon is available to stream on Max in the US, with new episodes airing Sundays.

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