House of the Dragon season 3 episode 2 opens up with the aftermath of Jacaerys Velaryon’s (Harry Collett) death, who is sadly killed during the Battle of the Gullet along with his dragon Vermax. It’s a devastating blow to Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D’Arcy), who’s just lost another son. This makes for a somber note to start the episode, but we later get a satisfying death that concludes it on a high one.
Otto Hightower (Rhys Ifans) is hardly the only fatality this week, however. We break down every death in House of the Dragon season 3 episode 2 below.
- Ser Simon Strong, his grandsons, and Harrenhal guards
- Guards of the Red Keep
- Otto Hightower
- Jasper Wylde
- Gwayne Hightower dies in the book
Ser Simon Strong, his grandsons, and Harrenhal guards
The saddest death this week comes when Aemond Targaryen (Ewan Mitchell) arrives at Harrenhal. Determined to assert his dominance, he doesn’t take the time to negotiate—or even have a full conversation—with House Strong. After killing guards at the castle, he finds Ser Simon Strong (Simon Russell Beale) and his two grandsons sitting at a table. Demanding Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith) and realizing he’s left Harrenhal, he then tells Simon to duel him.
But Simon, an elderly man, does not even have a sword, and tells Aemond he does “not wish to oppose” him. That’s no matter for Aemond, though. It means he can simply kill him without a fight. He sinks his sword into Simon’s stomach, to the horror of Simon’s grandsons, and then kills the grandsons, too. But it’s not without getting stabbed himself. Last we see Aemond in tonight’s episode, he’s on the floor, wounded, begging for Alys Rivers’ (Gayle Rankin) help.
Guards of the Red Keep
After Daemon gets word that Jace has been killed and he’s needed back at Rhaenyra’s side, it doesn’t take long for him to convince his wife they need to move on King’s Landing. Aemond and Vhagar are no longer in the city, so it’s the perfect time to get the Iron Throne back. Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke) prepares for their arrival, but there are still many present who oppose Rhaenyra’s claim. This leads to, of course, plenty of deaths as Daemon paves the way to the throne room for Rhaenyra.
As they enter the Red Keep and make their way through the castle, Daemon kills multiple guards in their way. Fortunately, he does not have to do the same for the City Watch. Led by Luthor Largent (Tom Cullen), they pledge allegiance to their former leader Daemon, and in turn Rhaenyra. This clears the way for Rhaenyra to take her seat, but not just yet…
Otto Hightower
Before Rhaenyra can make her way to the Iron Throne, she’s in for a surprise. As seen earlier in the episode, Daemon finds a present for him in the dungeons of the castle, but it’s not until the end of the episode that we figure out what (or who) it is. It’s revealed that Otto has been held prisoner all this time, and now he’s meant to die. The only issue is that Rhaenyra doesn’t know if she’s capable of doing it.
Daemon presents Otto to Rhaenyra, expecting her to chop his head off. But Rhaenyra has never killed anyone, and she questions whether or not she can. After a few moments (and Otto asking for Daemon to do it so it’s quicker), Rhaenyra takes her sword and delivers the blow—two blows, actually, because she doesn’t manage to kill him the first time. Otto is executed, with his head rolling down on the floor of the throne room.
Jasper Wylde
Otto isn’t the only one put to death in the throne room. After Rhaenyra makes her kill, it’s Daemon’s turn. He swiftly beheads Jasper Wylde (Paul Kennedy), the Master of Laws who attempts to sexually assault Alicent earlier in the episode. As a firm supporter of Aegon—and now a criminal—his death sentence is an easy choice for the Blacks. He surely won’t be missed.
Gwayne Hightower dies in the book
Those are all of the deaths in House of the Dragon season 3 episode 2, but if the show followed the source material more closely, it might’ve included another one: Gwayne Hightower (Freddie Fox). In George R.R. Martin’s Fire & Blood, Alicent’s brother stays in King’s Landing after Criston Cole (Fabien Frankel) and his army leave for the Crownlands, and he’s quick to die when Rhaenyra arrives at the city.
The moment would’ve been a pretty cool one to see depicted onscreen, as it happens when it’s revealed that the City Watch is remaining loyal to Daemon. When Rhaenyra flies in on Syrax, Gwayne attempts to sound the alarms, but Luthor stops him. Gwayne calls him a “turncloak,” to which Luthor delivers the great line, “Daemon gave us these cloaks and they’re gold no matter how you turn them,” before killing Gwayne.
The show has given Gwayne an expanded storyline, and we’re not complaining. Fox is doing a great job bringing this version of the character to life and we’re eager to see what he’ll do next.
The death toll continues to rise across Westeros as the Dance of the Dragons continues. We don’t expect that to slow down anytime soon. Catch new episodes of House of the Dragon season 3 on Sundays on HBO and HBO Max.
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