Trigger warning: this article contains discussion of suicide.
The recent House of the Dragon season 3 finale, "The Treasons at Tumbleton," features the deaths of several key characters. During the climactic Battle of Tumbleton, series regulars Ormund Hightower (James Norton), Roderick Dustin (Tommy Flannagan), and Kat (Ellora Torchia) all meet their ends amid the carnage.
However, the episode's saddest death takes place parallel to the battle. During the season's final scene, Rhaenrya (Emma D'Arcy) enters her half-sister/prisoner Helaena's (Phia Saban) chambers, only to find that she has jumped from the Red Keep's window, killing herself.
Longtime viewers of the franchise might have noticed that Helane's death bears a striking resemblance to that of an important Game of Thrones character. With this in mind, this resemblance illustrates how the character dynamics of House of the Dragon match up with its predecessor.
The death of King Tommen
As the realm prepares for the trial of Cersei Lannister (Lena Headey) at the Sept of Baelor, the Queen develops other plans. In the season 6 finale, "The Winds of Winter," Margaery Tyrell (Natalie Dormer) notes Cersei's absence, growing concerned that Cersei does not intend to suffer the consequences of missing her trial. The High Sparrow (Jonathan Pryce) dismisses Margaery, confident that the Gods' justice will remain inescapable.
Meanwhile, underneath the city, Cersei has reactivated the Mad King's caches of wildfire. Her cousin Lancel Lannister (Eugene Simon) tries to stop the ensuing explosion, but to no avail. The wildfire detonates, destroying Sept, and with it, several of Cersei's enemies, including the High Sparrow as well as key members of House Tyrell: Loras (Finn Jones), Mace (Roger Ashton-Griffiths), and, of course, Margaery.
As the Sept goes up in flames, Cersei's son, King Tommen Baratheon (Dean-Charles Chapman), watches from the Red Keep. Knowing his beloved wife Margaery was in the Sept, a distraught Tommen, kept locked in his chambers by Ser Gregor "The Mountain" Clegane (Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson), wordlessly removes his crown and jumps out the window, killing himself, due to not wanting to live without his queen.
The similarities between Helaena's death and Tommen's
The most obvious similarity between these two deaths is the fact that both commit suicide the same way, by jumping out of a window in the Red Keep. However, there are far more connections between these two than just their manners of death.
Much like Tommen, Helaena was driven to suicide by a family member. Tommen felt like his mother destroyed his purpose as an individual, eliminating both his beloved wife and newfound faith in one fell swoop. Meanwhile, Rhaenyra, Helaena's sister, treated her as a prisoner. When Helanena refused to eat, Rhaenyra force fed her. With her mother Alicent's (Olivia Cooke) absence, and no hope of an end to her imprisonment on the horizon, Helaena's mental state began to deteriorate, causing her to kill herself in the exact same manor as the future king.
Rhaenrya's similarities to Cersei
Throughout House of the Dragon season 3, Rhaenyra has acted similarly to Cersei. Examples include beefing with the Faith and the High Septon (Simon Chandler), threatening members of powerful houses without fear of consequence, and using her Small Council members as fall men, such as Cersei's story with Osney Kettleblack from the books.
Much like Cersei, Rhaenyra's conflict with the High Septon comes to its head in a season finale. Here, when the High Septon still refuses to anoint her as queen, Rhaenyra commands Alyn of Hull (Abubakar Salim) to strike him down. Again, like Cersei, Rhaenyra is responsible for the death of a high septon, effectively declaring war on the Faith.
In killing off the High Septon in the same episode where she drives a family member to commit suicide by jumping out the Red Keep's window, Rhaenyra officially cements her similarities to Cersei. The specificity of these two events happening within such close proximity to each other feels more than just coincidental, so Rhaenyra's storyline in "The Treasons of Tumbleton" could be meant to intentionally evoke Cersei's in "The Winds of Winter."
If House of the Dragon's ending will, in fact, match that of its source material, George R. R. Martin's Fire & Blood, then painting similarities between Rhaenyra and Cersei acts as foreshadowing. Consider this a SPOILER ALERT for what may be ahead in House of the Dragon season 4.
In the book, Rhaenyra's reign devolves into chaos. The smallfolk grow to hate her, giving her the unfortunate nickname "Maegor with Teats," in reference to an earlier Targaryen king, Maegor the Cruel. Her time on the throne ultimately ends after she flees King's Landing amid riots, only to then be captured by her half-brother, Aegon (Tom Glynn-Carney), and fed to his dragon, Sunfyre. Cersei's unpopular reign also ends in chaos, and her death is ultimately caused by a dragon, as she dies during Daenerys' (Emilia Clarke) assault on King's Landing while riding on Drogon. Paralleling Rhaenyra and Cersei ultimately foreshadows what is to become of the House of the Dragon protagonist, especially when intertwining their stories so closely.
For more from the world of Westeros, make sure to stream House of the Dragon season 3, now fully available on HBO Max.
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