We're nearing the end of House of the Dragon season 3, and if ever there was a time for the stakes to rise, it's now. The sixth episode of season 3 certainly meets that challenge with one of the show's biggest deaths yet, assassination attempts, and numerous plot twists. It's unfortunate that some of the show's earlier pitfalls also crop back up after last week's largely airtight episode. From strange decisions to rushed romances, House of the Dragon season 3 episode 6 feels fairly indicative of the season's strengths and flaws as a whole.
One thing there can be no doubt about, however, is that we're fast speeding toward the epic climax of the season...and not everyone will be around to see it. We've got a ton to cover in this week's recap and review, so let's dive right in. As always, there will be FULL SPOILERS for the latest episode of House of the Dragon below.
No songs for Ser Criston Cole
Episode 306 begins in the Riverlands with Ser Criston Cole (Fabien Frankel), which feels pretty fitting considering how much of the previous episode centered around his doomed march through the region. Criston's plan to harry the army of Rivermen and Winter Wolves has fully backfired, with the much larger Black host in prime position to set an ambush for the Kingmaker. That comes to fruition immediately, as Criston and his few remaining men walk onto a seemingly abandoned battlefield, only to realize that some of the "corpses" are actually Tully soldiers playing dead.
The battle that follows is intense and brutal, as Criston cuts men down and even breaks out a morningstar to crush in some faces — a nice callback to the series premiere, where he used that same style of weapon to defeat Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith) at a tourney.
There will be no such victories for Criston here, though. While he does manage to defeat the few dozen soldiers who were lying in wait, it soon becomes clear that this was only a diversion meant to get Criston's company into a vulnerable position where they could be completely surrounded and finally eliminated. Lord Roderick Dustin (Tommy Flanagan) and Lord Oscar Tully (Archie Barnes) get a welcome bit more screentime, taunting Criston from the nearby hillside with their much larger army.
Criston tries to negotiate a duel, trading his own life for a promise of safety for his men. Roddy the Ruin and Oscar Tully are having none of it, which makes sense — why would they negotiate when they clearly have Criston at such a disadvantage that there's basically no threat? Instead, as Criston pulls out Alicent Hightower's favor to remind himself of the queen in his final moments, Black Aly (Annie Shapero) snipes the knight from afar with her bow. Three shots, including one to the face, and there's no doubt we've just witnessed the ignoble end of Ser Criston Cole.
I find myself pretty torn on this sequence. In many ways, Criston's death is meant to be an anticlimax. It's as true here as it is in George R.R. Martin's Fire & Blood. There's an iconic line that the show shockingly chose to cut, where one of the three warriors who coordinated Criston's death tells him there will be no songs written about him, not after all the deaths he's caused. That idea looms, with Criston being shot down before he has a chance to fight, and his men slaughtered immediately after.
In that way, House of the Dragon absolutely did it justice. At the same time, even though it's an anticlimax in the book, it still feels notable and like a powerful scene. Here, Criston dies within the first few minutes of the episode, and then this important death is completely buried by 50 more minutes of television. I can't help but wonder if it would have been even more impactful if it occurred at the end of episode 5, instead of right at the start of episode 6. It feels like the show undercut Criston's death, as well as the most important battlefield moment since the Battle of the Gullet, and I'm not quite sure why.
This sequence also bears some of the early signs that this episode will struggle with convincing storytelling. As the Winter Wolves prepare to attack Criston, he threatens that many of their men will die. And while that's a fine line, it feels laughable in this context because Criston has literally about 15 people with him, versus an army of thousands. Whether or not this is a disconnect between the writing and the final production, it took me out of the episode in a bad way at a crucial moment. There are many other rough spots in this episode, even as it moves things along in interesting ways elsewhere.
For now, it's enough to say goodbye to Criston Cole. He was the most hated character on the show, even as he grew into a much more interesting and nuanced character before his end. But just like the story itself downplays his death, now we too must move on to bigger and better things in the rest of the episode.
So much for Alicent and Helaena's escape attempt
House of the Dragon episode 306 moves very quickly between plotlines, but much of it revolves around the back-and-forth between Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D'Arcy) and her advisors in King's Landing, and Ormund Hightower (James Norton) and his allies in Tumbleton. The two play a game of cat and mouse from a distance in this episode, and it's easy to lose track of all the moving parts.
We start with Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke) and her daughter Helaena (Phia Saban), who we last saw trapped in the tunnels beneath the Red Keep. It turns out they didn't make it very far. When their lantern went out, they decided to just...sit there, and wait for Rhaenyra's guards (who somehow know about the secret tunnels) to find them. While this failed escape attempt is important for some of the plot threads the episode weaves later on, it overall feels like a total waste of episode 5's good cliffhanger. We don't even get a scene or two of Alicent and Helaena trying to find their way in the tunnels and discovering something, anything interesting? Nothing? It feels like a very uninspired way to go about this botched escape.
Alicent's storyline in this episode in general feels like the show massively missed its potential, but before we really dig into the weeds about all it's issues, let's go over a few of the other, less aggravating parts of the episode.
Rhaenyra's patience hits its bounds
From Alicent's escape, we cut to Rhaenyra Targaryen's Small Council, which has finally filled out a bit over the course of the past few episodes. Daemon wants to burn Ormund out of Tumbleton to stop the chaos which led to the murder of 25 Gold Cloaks and put an end to anything else the Hightower lord might be planning. Sabitha Frey (Sarah Woodward) and Torrhen Manderly (Dan Fogler) have nothing but quippy retorts for why burning the loyal smallfolk of Tumbleton will undermine Rhaenyra's reign, which gets us one of the episode's more hilarious moments when Daemon casually chucks a goblet at Manderly's head before proclaiming that he won't hear anything else from "those whose greatest battle has been with their own indigestion." Well played, Daemon.
Despite being the best in the room at making jokes, Daemon loses the argument. Alyn of Hull (Abubakar Salim) supports waiting for the army from the Riverlands to take Tumbleton without burning the city to the ground, and Rhaenyra is looking for an out so she settles on that course. That doesn't mean she's going to sit idly and wait however; she decides to send assassins after Ormund. Daemon is quick to volunteer; Rhaenyra is just as quick to shoot him down in one of her rare good decisions this season, instead charging her husband to stop the conspiracy in King's Landing that's getting all the Gold Cloaks killed.
Daemon is glad to take this on, though I can't help but wonder why Mysaria (Sonoya Mizuno), the queen's Mistress of Whisperers, who should have her ear to the ground about everything going on in the city, isn't helping him in any way. Mysaria has thus far mostly just weighed in on events at the castle, but has done a very poor job of tracking what's happening in the city at large. I'm not sure she would get Varys' seal of approval at this point.
There are two other developments that come out of this Small Council meeting. First, Rhaenyra orders Alyn to gather Velaryon men from his father, Corlys — who's still out fighting the pirate remanants from the Battle of the Gullet in the Crownlands — and help secure the city. Then, she receives a delegation from House Baratheon in another darkly humorous scene. Rather than answer her summons, Lord Borros Baratheon has ridden the opposite direction and taken his army into the mountains on the pretense of fighting a bandit known as the Vulture King. Rhaenyra takes this badly, displaying more of her growing callousness when she threatens to hang the messenger and brand Borros a traitor.
Ultimately, she opts for a different approach by seizing the Baratheon soldiers' outfits. Ormund Hightower also has contact with House Baratheon after all, and as we see later, it provides a perfect pretext to get some assassins into his midst.
The dragonseeds finally get some development
Next we check in with Hugh (Kieran Bew) and Ulf (Tom Bennett), who finally get some much-needed screentime. Considering that the First Battle of Tumbleton fast approaching, we've desperately needed to spend time with these two key players in that conflict. Thankfully, that is one thing this episode does well. We also get a gorgeous scene of Hugh's mighty bronze dragon Vermithor flying over Tumbleton, before he settles down next to Ulf's mount Silverwing and gives her an affectionate nudge. These two dragons once belonged to King Jaehaerys the Conciliator and his wife, Good Queen Alysanne; it's nice to feel the show acknowledge the long history and bond between them.
Ulf and Hugh have a heart-to-heart that also gives us a glimpse at the camaraderie between them as fledgeling dragonriders and knights, as well. Ulf is understandably unhappy at being barred from going to taverns in Flea Bottom by Rhaenyra, though he wouldn't trade his current situation for his old life back. He poses a question to Hugh: have either of their lives really improved that much? Hugh has a hard time answering. It's a compelling scene that has me desperate to see more of these two characters together.
Hugh and Ulf each have their own separate sequence in this episode as well. Since Ulf's ties directly into Daemon's storyline, we'll discuss Hugh first. Near the end of the episode, the former blacksmith waylays a cart outside Tumbleton and sneaks into the city dressed as a merchant. At long last, he manages to find his wife, Kat (Ellora Torchia), who he hasn't seen since he left for the Red Sowing on Dragonstone late in season 2.
Rther than being overjoyed to see him, Kat's happiness withers the second Hugh brings up his dragon and new station in life. Torchia and Bew deliver one of the standout scenes of the episode, with Kat breaking down and refusing to flee the city with Hugh, which provokes him into trying to abduct her by force. The way Kat is visibly shaken, disgusted by Hugh has become, is heartbreaking — as well as foreboding. How Hugh will change even more from this interaction is one of the biggest question I have heading into the season's final two episodes.
Daemon lets his anger get the better of him
Since we're already talking about Daemon and Ulf, let's break out of chronological order and start going plotline by plotline. Following the Small Council meeting, Daemon goes to mull his next move in the Gold Cloaks barracks, where Ser Luthor Largent (Tom Cullen) and the rest of the organization's officers were slain. Daemon gets another dose of bad news when a bunch of Gold Cloaks decide to quit, which is especially understandable considering that they haven't been paid since Rhaenyra claimed the Iron Throne. So not only are they now being expected to put their lives on the line, but their families are starving while they do it. It's no surprise that even a shaming from the rogue prince can't set them to rights.
It's another great scene for Smith, who continues to prove in episode after episode that he and Daemon are one of the strongest elements that House of the Dragon has going for it. In a daring move, he dons one of the Gold Cloak outfits and takes to the street himself, hoping to lure out one of the killers. He succeeds, and corners the would-be assassin at knife-point in an alleyway. This man, in case you missed it, is a former Hightower guard; one of the very same who Alicent ordered to stand down on the walls of King's Landing when Rhaenyra came to take over in episode 302.
The guard-turned-assassin has a great speech, where he insists his allies are without number and will never submit to Rhaenyra. This is annoying for Daemon, but gives him a pass to stab the guy in the head and be done with it. It was already a strong scene, but what happens next cements it as a crucial turning point for the season.
As he heads back toward the Red Keep, Daemon bumps into none other than Ulf, wearing a hooded cloak so he can sneak out to the tavern without Rhaenyra knowing. I cackled out loud at the reveal that Ulf was going out carousing; the guy cannot be held down, and remains charming as hell while he does it. However, Daemon is aware that Ulf has been confined to the Red Keep when he's in the city, and his previous annoyance with Ulf coupled with the very bad day he's been having boils over. As Ulf tries to level with him, Daemon punches the other man to the ground, then puts a boot on his back and threatens him...while dozens of nearby smallfolk watch, including the young girl we saw spying for the Hightowers back in episode 305.
Unlike Rhaenyra's many missteps, this one is painful because it's so understandable. Daemon snapped at the wrong moment, in a very public place, and as a result he brutalized someone in front of the masses while dressed as a Gold Cloak. On top of that, Ulf has a lot of friends in Flea Bottom. The show doesn't make a point of this connection in the moment, but I wouldn't be surprised if the idea of "Ulf the Dragonlord" getting roughed up by the City Watch goes over very badly for those who consider him a borderline folk hero in the rougher parts of the city.
Suffice to say, Daemon finds out basically nothing about the Hightower assassins, and manages to alienate Ulf at a time when the dragonseed's own faith in Rhaenyra is wavering, directly in front of the smallfolk, whose confidence in the queen is also waning. It's a recipe for more trouble to come.
Alyn of Hull makes an awkwardly fast connection
While Daemon deals with the Gold Cloak desertion, Alyn of Hull heads out into the Crownlands to meet up with his father, Corlys Velaryon (Steve Toussaint). It seems like Corlys' mission to eliminate the threat of roving Triarchy pirates is going well; attacks are down, bodies are hanging from trees, and on the whole the Crownlands are safer than they were before. Corlys is still resentful of Rhaenyra for refusing to legitimize Alyn and his brother, Addam, though. Alyn has a great response to this: it took Corlys years to recognize his sons, so why rush Rhaenyra?
This is an extremely good point, and one of the few solid arguments against Corlys' request. Rhaenyra's house is not in order, and she needs time to find her footing. Though alienating her hand was an inarguably bad decision, she still needs him and his soldiers. Corlys agrees to send a detachment back to King's Landing, but first he has a crucial piece of information for the queen: Tyland Lannister survived the Battle of the Gullet and made for Rook's Rest. Remember, Tyland is the only person left alive who knows exactly where the Greens hid the crown's treasury. Rhaenyra desperately needs that money, and I have a feeling she's going to do some horrific things to Tyland to find it if she can get her hands on him.
We never see Alyn deliver this information in this episode, but we do get one more scene with him when he returns to the capital and finds his niece, Baela Targaryen (Bethany Antonia), sleeping in a chair after her latest patrol on her dragon, Moondancer. Alyn and Baela discuss their duties and Corlys, which serves as an awkward entry into a kiss. As much as I do like that House of the Dragon is interested in developing this relationship from the book early, this moment feels so rushed and unearned. Baela and Alyn have shared literally one scene before this, in episode 302.
It's a small complaint compared to some of the other decisions this episode made, but I really wish the show had taken its time more with Alyn and Baela. Jacaerys Velaryon, Baela's betrothed, has barely been dead a month, and it isn't important to the overall story that she and Alyn form a deeper bond until the end of the civil war. House of the Dragon seemingly rushed this plotline to get a bit more romance in the season, but the result is weirdly offputting for how little time and effort the show has put into it. Don't forget, Alyn and Baela are related and barely know each other. Baela may be just trying to blow off steam here, but it still doesn't track with anything that's been established so far for either of these characters.
Aegon, Larys, and Tyland's hijinks at Rook's Rest
Now that Rhaenyra will soon learn Tyland is at Rook's Rest, there's a calm before the storm feel to our sole scene in that location this episode. One of the best parts of episode 305 was when Aegon II (Tom Glynn-Carney) murdered the local warlord running the castle, Janos (Oliver Coopersmith), before he could expose the king's secret identity. That doesn't come without repercussions, which is why Tyland struggles to dig a grave in the nearby forest while Larys Strong (Matthew Needham) complains about it not being deep enough. The interplay between this trio is a lot of fun to watch, especially because Glynn-Carney continues to give a mesmerizing performance as Aegon at the center of it all.
The tension lies in what comes next for the group. Larys wants Aegon to flee to Essos, where he can recover in safety away from the war. Tyland wants Aegon to go to Casterly Rock, where he can form a new Small Council and plan to re-enter the fight. Aegon himself isn't too worried about either option. Instead, he asks Tyland whether he's a terrible person, making it clear that Larys' brutal honesty last episode is still weighing on him.
And, somewhat surprisingly, Tyland proves that he's the one Lannister who cannot lie for the life of him. As he waffles his way through a pitiful response, it basically confirms that Larys' words to Aegon were true. Aegon then decides they'll set sail for Essos rather than Casterly Rock, taking himself off the board.
This is a fascinating development for Aegon as a prospective king. It shows a level of self-awareness that Rhaenyra has been sorely lacking, as Aegon wrestles with whether he's even a good enough person to lead at all. I'm really looking forward to seeing what happens to him, though something tells me none of these three will actually make it to Essos either way.
Lady Jeyne Arryn does not suffer fools in the Vale
Another character who only appears briefly in this episode is Rhaena Targaryen (Phoebe Campbell), who's still holed up at the Vale with her wild dragon, Sheepstealer. In a blink-and-you'll-miss-it scene, Rhaena catches a glimpse of two distant dragons flying around the Vale. Those are Moondancer and Seasmoke, out on a patrol of the region for Rhaenyra.
Next we know it, Rhaena is being dragged before Lady Jeyne Arryn (Amanda Collin) in the throne room of the Eyrie, and Lady Jeyne is none too pleased. Collin remains riveting in this part; I would be happy if the show gave her much more screentime, because she utterly owns every single scene she's in.
It turns out that after Rhaena saw Moondancer, she tried to catch up with the dragon to make contact with her sister, Baela. Rhaena failed in that attempt, but made herself and her dragon visible to the people of a nearby town in the process. Jeyne is very unhappy about that, since it puts them both at risk. Rhaenyra still believes Sheepstealer's rider is responsible for Jace's death at the Gullet, and Rhaena is convinced that she would suffer severe consequences if she were ever reunited with the queen. Whether that's true or not doesn't matter, because Rhaena believes it's true and Jeyne is happy to remind her of it to keep her in line.
As much as I enjoyed getting another scene with Campbell and (especially) Collin, there are aspects of it that jarred me. In episode 302, Jeyne told Rhaena that Sheepstealer could essentially roost wherever in the Vale he wanted, but now it seems like they have a specific hiding place that Jeyne is closely monitoring. The quick cut from Rhaena seeing the other dragons to suddenly being in trouble in the throne room was also jarring, and left me feeling like there was a deleted scene in there that was missing.
Love in a haunted place: Aemond and Alys at Harrenhal
Next we jump to Harrenhal. Following his daring defense of Alys Rivers (Gayle Rankin) from bounty hunters, Aemond Targaryen (Ewan Mitchell) is fully recovered from his wounds and ready to hit the road in search of his dragon, Vhagar. Alys would much rather him stay, and does her best to tempt him into it during an intimate conversation that continues to add layers to both characters as well as their relationship.
Aemond will not be deterred. But as he's preparing a horse for travel, the stablehand of Harrenhal walks in on him. The boy panics, and Alys quickly murders him. She wasn't kidding when she told the Targaryen prince that his presence there was a secret, and she proved in that moment that she would kill to keep it so. This gives Aemond pause, which is only solidified when Alys brings out one of her greatest secrets: a box containing five dragon eggs.
This reveal comes with a dose of deep lore from Fire & Blood. Following the death of her daughter, Aemond's ancestor Rhaena Targaryen flew her dragon, Dreamfyre, to Harrenhal and went into self-imposed isolation to mourn her loss. She remained there until her death, at which time Dreamfyre migrated back to King's Landing, where she eventually bonded with a young Helaena Targaryen. Now, we find out that Dreamfyre laid a clutch of eggs at the haunted castle, which turned cold over the years. However, a bit of blood on one of them warms it in Aemond's hand, hinting at the possibility of these eggs growing active again — as well as the long-game foreshadowing of Daenerys Targaryen's sacrifice of her husband Khal Drogo, which brought about the birth of her three dragons in Game of Thrones.
In Fire & Blood, it's strongly believed that Dreamfyre was the mother of Dany's dragons, Drogon, Viserion, and Rhaegal. Three eggs were stolen during the reign of King Jaehaerys by a woman named Elissa Farman, who brought them to Essos. House of the Dragon has changed this somewhat, with the inclusion of a clutch of eggs from Rhaenyra's dragon Syrax which went across the Narrow Sea with her two young sons, Aegon and Viserys. How this new batch of Dreamfyre eggs might tie into the overall lore of the television universe is fun to ponder.
It doesn't seem to be something especially on Aemond's mind, though. Alys Rivers turns up the seduction while also being completely earnest with Aemond, challenging him to imagine a future where he doesn't have to be alone. They kiss, as Alys tells him that his sons will be Targaryen princes just like him. There's excellent acting here from both Rankin and Michell as they show a more vulnerable side of their characters, and unlike the Baela-Alyn kiss, this one feels much more earned and natural.
The realm's stinkiest assassination attempt at Tumbleton
Down in Tumbleton, we have some of the most interesting developments yet for Ormund Hightower and his ward, Daeron Targaryen (Benjamin Evan Ainsworth). Ormund's cousin, Ser Gwayne Hightower (Freddie Fox) has finally arrived after leaving Criston Cole to his doom in the Riverlands. Gwayne adds a fascinating dynamic to the mix in Tumbleton; he's the closest thing Ormund has to an equal, but the elder Hightower still talks down to him and sniffs his flask of pomander to suffer through Gwayne's smell from the road. There are also a few veiled comments in this initial conversation that seem to allude to Gwayne being gay, which is a change from the book that so far doesn't really matter much one way or another.
The dynamic grows even more intriguing when Daeron escorts Gwayne back to his room, and the two finally get a chance to speak without Ormund's presence overshadowing everything. This is the first time the show lets us see the how Daeron views his precarious situation with Ormund, and it adds so much depth to this plotline. Daeron is fully aware that Ormund is awful, that he plans to use him as a puppet king, and that his chances of actually sitting the throne are basically zero. He begs Gwayne to stay and defend him, but Gwayne wisely points out that if Ormund is committed to fighting Rhaenyra at Tumbleton, then Gwayne, as second in line to lead House Hightower, shouldn't be there, too.
This does seem to confirm that Ormund does not have any children in the television show, unlike the book. While that may seem small, in the world of Westeros, where it is a lord's duty to have a secure line of succession, it's actually a major sticking point. Does Ormund have a wife? Is there some specific reason they can't have children? How stable is House Hightower in the eyes of its vassals if Ormund is ruling as a borderline sociopath without heirs — especially if the next Hightower in line is gay and also doesn't have children, as this episode seems to confirm? These are very important questions for how this great house functions, and I'm kind of shocked the show has basically omitted them at this point.
Gwayne doesn't end up leaving though, which is great for viewers because Freddie Fox is doing a wonderful job in the part and I want more of him. Later in the day, he, Daeron, and Ormund sit down for a meal, which gives Ormund more opportunities to be awful and fascinating. He takes aim at ambitious people who aren't born to leadership, saying they can't be trusted — which is cross-cut with Hugh sneaking into the city for some nice foreshadowing. He even starts to call out Gwayne's father, Otto Hightower, though surprisingly he has a very high opinion of Rhaenyra's Hand of the Queen, Corlys Velaryon, which adds a welcome bit of complexity.
Ormund's cruel musings are cut short by the arrival of a delegation from House Baratheon...which looks quite a bit different from the one that treated with Rhaenyra. These guys are completely covered in filth from the road, to the point where the subjective sound design makes it clear that Ormund can't focus at all. Once he carelessly confirms that King Daeron is in the room with them, all hell breaks loose. Gwayne realizes these men are assassins and, together with Jon Roxton (Joplin Sibtain), cuts them down before they can harm Ormund or Daeron. One of my favorite parts of this whole sequence is how we see Gwayne quietly realize something is off, and then the camera cuts to Jon Roxton realizing that Gwayne is going alert and matching him. It's a great bit of quiet storytelling that's so effective in the moment.
Gwayne reveals he recognized that the man claming to be "Arrion Baratheon" was an imposter, because he's met the actual Arrion Baratheon. Ormund jumps to the immediate, correct conclusion that these assassins were sent by Rhaenyra, but barely makes it through cursing her before he starts throwing up everywhere. It's a fun way to end a fun sequence, even if this entire concept of capitalizing on Ormund's smell sensitivity still feels kind of absurd.
We get one final scene with Gwayne and Ormund this episode, where the two reconcile while they watch Daeron train in the courtyard below. Despite everything, Gwayne does think Daeron would make a very good king. Ormund gains the tiniest bit of humility, thanking Gwayne for saving them. We leave them with a cliffhanger, as Gwayne asks what Ormund's plan is and the scene shifts. But House of the Dragon doesn't leave us waiting long; we see the first part of Ormund's scheme unfold right at the end of this very episode.
The Iron Throne passes its judgment on Rhaenyra Targaryen
We're in the home stretch of the episode now, which means it's time to return to King's Landing. Much of Rhaenyra's storyline in this episode revolves around her interactions with Alicent Hightower, but there is one sequence in particular that stands outside those closed-door conversations. After her initial meeting with Alicent where Rhaenyra finds out that Helaena is pregnant, the queen asks Mysaria whether she had any suspicions about it. Mysaria lies and says she did not, even though she and Alicent discussed it outright last episode. So Mysaria is officially distancing herself from Rhaenyra and keeping secrets from her, just like Daemon did with Rhaena's exile in the Vale. Obviously, this speaks levels of how everyone's confidence in the new queen is waning.
Mysaria then roots out some Hightower loyalists in the Red Keep in a brief scene to remind us she does, in fact, still have a job to do. After that, Rhaenyra holds court for the smallfolk, and it goes even worse than last time. They're understandably shaken by the murder and desertion of the Gold Cloaks, since the streets are already slipping into chaos. One woman tells the queen that a young girl was kidnapped, but rather than display any of the empathy she tried to before, Rhaenyra carelessly says she'll light a candle for the missing girl and tells the peasants to blame the Hightowers for their woes. It goes over about as well as you'd expect. Mysaria watches it all as well, and there's no doubt that it's another chip at her confidence in Rhaenyra.
Then comes the most notable part of this scene. As Rhaenyra clutches the arms of the Iron Throne, she realizes she's cut her hand. She makes a swift exit at that point, but I'd wager at least some of the smallfolk noticed. Getting cut by the Iron Throne is an omen that someone is unfit to rule. This happens to Rhaenyra in the book even earlier, which left me a bit worried the show would cut it. Thankfully, it was kept in, and Rhaenyra Targaryen, who has made such a fuss about the gods favoring her, will now have to contend with an omen that leans very much in the opposite direction. I'm sure it won't hamper her sound judgment at all.
House of the Dragon fumbles Alicent Hightower as hard as it possibly can
We now get into my least favorite part of this episode: Alicent Hightower. It's become increasingly obvious this season that the show has no idea what to do with Alicent, as it's sent her through cycles of being a victim and being blackmailed into betraying one or another of her children over and over. Here we get the latest and most groan-worthy example.
Following the botched escape attempt, Rhaenyra informs Alicent that despite her wishes to be lenient — even when finding out that Helaena is pregnant with Aegon's child — she must punish the other two women for defying her. Hightowers are enemies, and she can't be seen to be favoring them. I've enjoyed Rhaenyra and Alicent's friendship, but the show's reluctance to truly put them at vicious odds with one another is doing their story a huge disservice. We're a long way from the sort of energy we saw in season 1 episode 7, "Driftmark," where Alicent attacked Rhaenyra with the catspaw dagger after the maiming of young Aemond.
Rhaenyra's decision to confine Alicent and Helaena more tightly to their quarters doesn't go particularly well for anyone. Alicent is forced to spoon feed Helaena because the other, more "fragile" queen is so distraught over being cooped up. Helaena feverishly weaves a tapestry which shows Aemond at Harrenhal, and at last, someone actually heeds one of Helaena's visions enough to recognize that it's true and capitalize on it. If only it weren't Alicent, selling out one of her kids yet again.
Alicent goes to beg Rhaenyra to take pity on her daughter, revealing both Aemond's location and Helaena's big secret: that she's a dreamer, like Daenys, the ancient Targaryen who foresaw the Doom of Valyria. That's a nice nod to the deep lore of Fire & Blood, but the scene itself falls completely off a cliff when Rhaenyra presents Alicent with an ultimatum: go to Harrenhal and assassinate her son Aemond, or Helaena stays confined for the long term. Alicent resists, but is reluctantly carted off toward Harrenhal by the end of the episode in the name of the season's most idiotic plot turn.
Look, I am all for House of the Dragon deviating from the source material when it makes sense to, and I think so long as those deviations make for compelling television, a lot can be forgiven on that front — just look at how masterfully the show handled the tragic reign of King Viserys, or Aegon and Larys' escapades in the Crownlands, both of which expand or make changes from the source material yet have been extremely well received by viewers. This plot to have Alicent murder Aemond, however, is destined to fall well short of those highs.
First and most importantly for Rhaenyra, there is absolutely no reason to believe Alicent is capable of this sort of assassination. Even if Aemond were totally unguarded before her and not her son, would Alicent be able to actually do the deed? She has zero training for this sort of thing, and on top of that she's as emotionally compromised about it as it's possible to get. This scheme not only makes Rhaenyra look like a total idiot for even entertaining it, but it makes the show seem dumber as a whole for including it at all. It's fun to watch smart characters make stupid decisions they'll come to rue...so long as it's convincing, and not so blatantly obvious that it's a stupid decision in the moment that it suspends all disbelief for them to go along with it. This latest development falls into the latter camp.
Then there's the issues with it on a writing level, which ultimately comes down to the show seeming to have absolutely no idea what to do with Alicent Hightower this season, unless she's weathering some form of sexual or emotional assault or being forced to betray her children. Again, we're now in the stretch of the story that should be the most interesting for Alicent and Rhaenyra together, where Alicent is her prisoner and they have to navigate those turbulent waters. Instead, the show is rushing to get Alicent out of King's Landing after barely building any tension between the two of them, since they secretly still want to be besties. It's just...frustrating. Doubly so, given how well Emma D'Arcy and Olivia Cooke act opposite one another.
Suffice to say, I was not a fan of basically anything this episode did with Alicent. Yes, we get a few interesting developments, like Helaena realizing that her mother never planned to bring young Jaehaera with them in the escape, but all in all, this storyline just feels like an utter waste that will go nowhere. Spoiler: Alicent, obviously, will not assassinate Aemond, because his death in the book is one of the most iconic scenes of the entire story and the writers would be out of their minds to not include it. So wherever this ill-advised journey leads her, it will no doubt be to yet another failure that runs the risk of feeling like wasted screentime.
The episode ends with Rhaenyra receiving a message from Ormund written in blood "Kick this dog and it will bit your hand." While the queen ponders what it means, we viewers find out immediately. As Corlys Velaryon prepares to send his men back to King's Landing to shore up Rhaenyra's defenses, they're attacked by Bold Jon Roxton and Hightower soldiers. We cut to black as Corlys is being subdued, the camera lingering on Jon. Is he dead? I doubt it. Especially given Ormund's words of admiration for Corlys earlier in the episode, I think it's much more likely that he was captured and will be taken back to Tumbleton, where Ormund may even try to flip him to the Greens. Whether it works or not, I expect Corlys to be involved in the First Battle of Tumbleton in some capacity.
I don't particularly mind this change from the book, where Corlys never goes anywhere near the city. While Rhaenyra refusing to legitimize Corlys' children is a baffling choice, everything Corlys has done since then has been firmly in character. Tumbleton is going to be the climax of the show's penultimate season, so it's understandable that the writers might want to get as many of their major players there as possible. I'll reserve judgment until we see how it plays out.
Verdict
After last week's solid episode, House of the Dragon returns to being a mixed bag in episode 306, with very compelling moments and developments standing alongside some of the weakest turns of the entire season. When season 2 was airing, it was very much an open question of whether its weaknesses were caused by behind-the-scenes problems outside its control that led to the shortened season. Now, however, it's become abundantly clear that these weaknesses are baked into the DNA of the series. For all its spectacle and incredible acting and ambitious production values, House of the Dragon cannot help itself from fumbling major characters and moments in ways that leave a bitter taste in the mouth.
All that said, much can be redeemed by a good ending. With only two episodes left, we won't have to wait long to see if that will be the case for House of the Dragon season 3, or if the problems plaguing it have done too much damage to be overcome.
Episode grade: C
More House of the Dragon season 3 recap reviews:
- Episode 301: "Sea and Salt, Fire and Blood"
- Episode 302: "Queen's Landing"
- Episode 303: "Rhaenyra Triumphant"
- Episode 304: "Tumbleton"
- Episode 305: "Unbowed and Unbent"
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