Just when you thought the Dance of the Dragons might be coming to an end, House of the Dragon throws us for a loop and reminds us nothing’s ever going to be that simple here in Westeros. But really, did anyone think the war would end just like that? Of course, there’s more betrayal and bloodshed to be had, no matter who sits the Iron Throne. Season 3 episode 3 proves the Greens have gotten an upper-hand, despite Aegon Targaryen (Tom Glynn-Carney) being nowhere to be found.
But while Ormund Hightower (James Norton) and his army continue making moves, Rhaenyra is left at a loss for what they’re plotting. In tonight’s episode, she learns that Ormund handed over a fake Daeron Targaryen (Charlie Gordon), providing the perfect opportunity for him to take Tumbleton. As to why, we don’t know.
What to expect from House of the Dragon next
That’s an answer we might find out in episode 3. The trailer for next week’s installment has been released, and you can watch it below:
Rhaenyra has a new enemy number one, and that’s Ormund. She doesn’t understand why he’s decided to seize Tumbleton, and what his plan is moving forward. We’ll be traveling to the town in next week’s episode, seeing Ormund’s army take the streets and cause some chaos. We’ll also see Criston Cole (Fabien Frankel) and Gwayne Hightower (Freddie Fox) finally reach Harrenhal, though they’ll no doubt be surprised not to see Aemond (Ewan Mitchell) there. They speak with Alys (Gayle Rankin), and I’m curious to see what she’ll say about the prince’s whereabouts.
We still need to find out what’s going on with Aemond and Alys. Last we left off in Harrenhal, Aemond is on the floor begging for Alys to help him after being stabbed. The pair is noticeably absent in this week’s episode, but we know they’ll be back eventually. No, we haven’t seen the last of Aemond One-Eye quite yet, despite his fate hanging in the balance in episode 2. Fire & Blood readers know where this new dynamic is headed, though we’re excited to see how exactly the show depicts it.
In King’s Landing, Rhaenyra is still getting her footing, as evidenced by the trailer. They don’t have enough money or resources, and that would make her claim look weak if anyone notices.
Aegon and Larys’ (Matthew Needham) journey is also a major question-mark, which we get a glimpse of from the episode 4 trailer. Their current storyline is not from the book, leaving all viewers in the dark on what’ll happen next. Aegon’s clearly got a lot of pent-up rage inside him, but will that help him or hurt him going forward? We’re interested to see where he ends up by the end of the season.
There’s also the question of Rhaena’s (Phoebe Campbell) future. The House of the Dragon writers gave her parts of a book character named Nettles’ storyline, which should have major implications on her trajectory. Some of these decisions seem like short-term thinking, but we’re trying to stay positive. At the moment, Rhaena is hiding out after riding into the Battle of the Gullet on Sheepstealer, a wild dragon she can’t control, accidentally killing a bunch of people in the process—including, indirectly, Jacaerys Velaryon (Harry Collett).
Next week will mark the halfway point of the season, so we’re excited to see how the new episodes continue to up the ante. It’s been an epic installment so far.
All three released episodes of House of the Dragon season 3 are streaming on HBO Max. Catch new episodes every Sunday night, and check back with us at Winter Is Coming for our continued coverage.
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