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Warning: Spoilers for the series follow.
Whew. That was quite an episode of House of the Dragon, wasn’t it? After a sluggish second season and a third season premiere that tended to wander a bit, we’re now in the thick of it, with some terrific acting from both Emma D’Arcy and Olivia Cooke give terrific performances, reminding us why they’ve always been the heart and soul of this series. This episode hit all of the right emotional notes, reminding us that when this show is great, it’s great. I just hope they’re able to maintain this kind of momentum for the rest of the season.
Let’s start with the obvious. This episode features what might be some of the finest acting D’Arcy has yet delivered in this series which, given just how extraordinary they’ve been from the beginning, is really saying something. Watching Rhaenyra grapple with her grief over Jace’s death is terrifying and truly gut-wrenching to behold, as she pleads with his body to answer her, to tell her why he would put himself at such a risk, why he would throw his life away, leaving her behind to pick up the pieces. It’s the rare actor who can really inhabit and convey the visceral and embodied experience of grief, but D’Arcy does it with such power and such raw talent that if they don’t win the Emmy for this performance, there is surely no justice in the world.
What’s more, you can see something break in Rhaenyra as she holds herself back from striking her dead son. Everything she’s worked so hard for is now starting to crumble to ashes in her hands, for while she has no shortage of heirs, Jace was the one she was grooming to be her successor. Now, though, he’s nothing but a body, his beauty and his potential snuffed out like a candle. One can hardly blame Rhaenyra for being in such anguish, and one gets the sense that this will be a key moment in her development as both a woman and a queen.
Alicent, meanwhile, is increasingly desperate to make sure King’s Landing opens its gates to Rhaenyra, which leads her to recruit her daughter Helaena to persuade the guards to do as she commands. For the most part, I enjoyed seeing Alicent finally put her plan into motion–though I do think it’s very far-fetched–but I think that the choice to have Jasper try to rape her is just dumb and very unnecessary. One would think that, given how much flack Game of Thrones got for subjecting its female characters to rape or sexual assault (or the threat of both) again and again, this show would try to avoid that, apparently not.
The tragedy for Alicent is that, no matter how hard she tries to save herself and her children (except for Aegon) from the doom waiting for all of them, her actions are always thwarted. Of course, it is rather a questionable strategy to hope you can make it out of the city of King’s Landing without being recognized when you’re one of the people in charge of the kingdom, but you have to give her credit for trying. As she discovers, moreover, Rhaneyra might want to keep the bloodshed to the minimum, but none of them can escape the fact that the path to the Iron Throne is glazed with blood.
I cannot express how satisfying it was to see Otto Hightower finally get his just desserts. This is a man, after all, who ruthlessly schemed to put his own ill-equipped grandson on the throne, even though he knew quite well that doing so would plunge the realm into civil war and even though he knew this wasn’t what his friend King Viserys desired for the realm. As satisfying as it was, however, Otto’s death is sure to raise all sorts of complications for Rhaenyra, and not just because she promised Alicent she wouldn’t kill anyone other than Aegon. To be sure, Alicent has little reason to love her father, who has always seen her in a very mercenary way, but there’s a big difference between not liking your father and being okay with his execution at the hands of your former best friend. Still, I don’t think I’ll ever get over the sight of Rhaenyra ascending the throne; it’s almost a sacred and spiritual moment, and nothing will ever be the same for either these characters or the realm. You can’t get away from the unease, though, as no reign begun in blood is ever entirely secure.
Equally troubling is Daemon’s treatment of both Hugh and Ulf. Those of us who’ve read Fire & Blood know that these two men will play a significant role in the unfolding of the Dance of the Dragons and, even if they don’t necessarily turn their coats during the First Battle of Tumbleton, there are already signs of what’s to come. Though the men might vary significantly in terms of their temperament, it’s clear from both of their faces that Daemon’s contempt for them is definitely not going over well. I will give Daemon this, though. He at least is willing to support Rhaenyra at every stage of her journey, and though we might squirm a bit at the ease with which he can kill, the Queen can at least count on her uncle/husband to always be at her side.
A few other things of note. I was sad to see Simon Strong get executed by Aemond, I can’t say I was entirely surprised. I quite enjoyed the reunion between Corlys, Alyn, Addam, and Baela, all of whom are bound by convoluted family loyalties. I’m still not quite sure what to make of Aegon and Larys wandering about, and the same goes for Rhaena and the Vale. I do hope these stories have at least some payoff by the end of the season.
I do have one quibble with this episode, though, and it all goes back to the fact that it was clearly intended to be the finale for the second season. As satisfying as this hour and some change of television was, it’s almost certainly going to cause some pacing problems down the line, especially since this season, like the second, has been kneecapped at eight (rather than the usual ten). For the life of me, I have no idea why HBO insists on shortchanging this show, when it’s clear from other fantasy TV examples–including The Rings of Power and The Wheel of Time–that eight episodes, even when they’re longer than an hour, simply aren’t going to cut it.
Nevertheless, I remain optimistic that the rest of the season is going to be a terrific ride. I can’t wait to see what comes next!