House of the Dragon Season 3 Episode 2 Review: The Battle Was Only the Beginning

Critic’s Rating: 4 / 5.0

4

Now, that’s the exact level of intensity House of the Dragon should have embedded in every single episode.

House of the Dragon Season 3 Episode 2 charted the aftermath of the Battle of the Gullet and showcased Rhaenyra going from a grieving mother to the Queen of King’s Landing.

It was an hour bursting at the seams with movement across every storyline, which makes sense considering it was originally intended to serve as the House of the Dragon Season 2 finale.

We’ll start with Rhaenyra learning of Jacaerys’ fate, which once again gave Emma D’Arcy the chance to deliver another incredible acting showcase.

Rhaenyra’s initial denial was heartbreaking. While she was imprisoned, she was probably angry that Jacaerys had ignored her wishes, but his death robbed her of any chance to understand why he made that decision.

As a leader, she also had to worry about how the situation would look. If her own son could overpower her guards and lock her away, what message did that send to everyone else at Dragonstone?

Watching her sink deeper into grief was difficult because she’s now lost another child, and I honestly don’t think there’s a way to put that kind of pain into words.

Daemon rushing to her side and giving her the resolve to move forward with taking King’s Landing was exactly what she needed.

Bringing up the Song of Ice and Fire was a nice nod to Game of Thrones and a reminder that, in Rhaenyra’s mind, the decisions she was making would shape generations of Targaryens to come.

House of the Dragon Teases The Song of Ice and Fire

I give House of the Dragon a lot of flak for its betrayals of the source material, but I’m a sucker for whenever the series pays homage to the show that started the franchise.

Seeing Rhaenyra, Daemon, and their dragons descend on King’s Landing was a long time coming.

King’s Landing was stolen from Rhaenyra because too many people refused to accept Viserys’ chosen heir.

Viserys made his wishes crystal clear back on House of the Dragon Season 1, yet Alicent’s misunderstanding of his final words convinced her that Aegon belonged on the Iron Throne, sending the realm hurtling toward war.

But Alicent is slowly beginning to realize she may have been wrong all along. That’s why she’s worked behind the scenes to return King’s Landing to Rhaenyra and finally bring an end to the bloodshed.

The problem is that she never really thought about what came next for herself or Helaena.

Alicent had a terrifying day after everything Jasper put her through. Even though her escape failed, it worked from a storytelling perspective because it immediately tests Rhaenyra as the new Queen of King’s Landing.

The intent in ending this war, from Alicent’s perspective, was to stop the bloodshed, but she looked genuinely shocked when she was hauled into the Throne Room and found Otto’s corpse waiting for her.

If Alicent felt betrayed in that moment, she also had to remember how much damage Otto had caused by spending years undermining Rhaenyra’s claim.

I knew Rhaenyra would struggle with executing Otto, but moments like this are exactly what will define her reign.

It was a shocker that Larys had Otto locked away this entire time, but it served as a great way to kick off Rhaenyra’s reign with a bloody statement.

Otto’s disdain for Rhaenyra was obvious when he asked her to let Daemon kill him instead.

You’d think Otto would have tried to plead his case, but he seemed resigned to his fate the moment he was dragged into the room.

Watching Rhaenyra slowly approach the Iron Throne after Otto’s execution was fascinating. It’s everything she’s wanted since she was a little girl, but now every decision she makes will be scrutinized by the realm.

With Daemon by her side, who seems far more aware of the optics of the situation, I think they’ll make for a one-two punch that will keep the residents of King’s Landing on their toes.

I’m not so sure what will become of Alicent and Helaena now that they’ve been captured. I suspect Daemon will push Rhaenyra to kill them, and that could spark some unrest between the lovers.

Can Daemon and Rhaenyra Remain as One?

I truly hate when Daemon conspires against Rhaenyra, so hopefully they’re able to work through whatever comes next.

Away from King’s Landing, there was plenty of bloodshed at Harrenhal.

Before we got to that, we watched Alys try to convince Daemon to hand Harrenhal over to her, and honestly, I can’t knock her for trying.

As Alys pointed out, she’d done a lot for Rhaenyra, so I understand why she wanted something in return.

I do believe Rhaenyra would have been open to discussing rewarding her because, at the end of the day, Alys did play an important role.

But plenty of people have pledged themselves to Rhaenyra without asking for payment, so making their alliance transactional could easily have backfired.

I’m very interested to see how Alys manipulates Aemond. If she’s nursing him back to health, I’m sure he’ll be far more willing to reward her for it.

Alys has already helped Daemon and Rhaenyra and has nothing to show for it, so why wouldn’t she try her luck with Aemond?

Then there’s the Corlys of it all.

It was obvious he wasn’t dead after House of the Dragon Season 3 Episode 1 because this show simply doesn’t kill major characters off-screen.

I thoroughly enjoyed the subplot in which Baela, Allyn, and Addam banded together to find him.

Baela never believed Corlys was dead, and her conversation with Allyn showed she understood the situation far better than most.

When Corlys was finally found, the image of him standing alongside his granddaughter and his two sons, looking over the ruins of High Tide, was striking.

Corlys has lost most of his fleet, many of his men, and his home. Maybe that’s why he finally seems ready to embrace the sons he’s kept at arm’s length for so long.

Then there’s Rhaena, who’s spiraling in the aftermath of the part she played in the Battle of the Gullet.

She clearly believed she could make a difference, but she underestimated just how impossible it would be to control a wild dragon like Sheepstealer.

What Is Going On With Rhaena?

It was almost funny that she thought returning to the Vale and asking Jeyne for asylum would solve anything. If she’d led with the fact that Sheepstealer could help protect the Vale, she might have had a stronger case.

Rhaena has Targaryen blood running through her veins and would be wise to learn how to scheme because when Rhaenyra inevitably learns the truth, she’s going to unleash a whole world of fury.

House of the Dragon Season 3 Episode 2 finally felt like the series was firing on all cylinders.

Rhaenyra has claimed the throne she’s been fighting for since House of the Dragon Season 1, but keeping it will be an even bigger challenge.

If the show can maintain this pace while continuing to put its characters in impossible situations, House of the Dragon Season 3 could end up being the strongest chapter of the series yet.

Over to you, House of the Dragon Fanatics!

What are your thoughts on the aftermath of the battle? Do you believe Rhaena needs to wise up?

What do you think of Rhaenyra’s return to King’s Landing and her almost fumbling Otto’s execution?

Let’s keep the conversation going — it’s the only way the good stuff survives.
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