The throne room in King’s Landing has seen myriad emotional and powerful moments over the years, but House of the Dragon season 3 episode 2, "Queen’s Landing," depicts one of the most powerful moments it’s ever seen. In the final minutes of the episode, Rhaenyra Targaryen manages to finally claim the Iron Throne; however it’s not in a moment of triumph, but driven through heartbreak, grief, and raw emotion.
The episode begins in the immediate aftermath of the Battle of the Gullet, beginning with Rhaenyra (Emma D'Arcy) learning of the death of her son Jace (Harry Collett). As the war momentum shifts and turns against the Greens, Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke) attempts to flee King's Landing, paving the way for Daemon (Matt Smith) and Rhaenyra to claim the city for themselves.
Together, Rhaenyra and Daemon burst into the throne room. Before Rhaenyra ascends to the Iron Throne, Daemon brings out Alicent’s father and former Hand of the King, Otto Hightower (Rhys Ifans), and implores her to execute him. “If you wish to rule, show them you do not waver,” Daemon says. But Rhaenyra shows reluctance. “I don’t know if I can,” she says. She ultimately kills him, but she falters, unable to deliver him a swift, clean death.
“We did want to honour the fact that Rhaenyra had never been trained with a sword before," showrunner Ryan Condal said during the official Inside the Episode featurette. "She misses the first time.”
When Rhaenyra takes her place on the Iron Throne, we see it partially played out through the reflection of Otto’s blood. She steps on the throne as a heartbroken mother; the price of power. “Rhaenyra actually tracks through Otto’s blood on her way to the throne which we just loved, and you get this iconic shot of the throne waiting for Rhaenyra, as she climbs it in Otto’s blood," Condal continued.
As for specifically why Daemon made Rhaenyra kill Otto, writer and producer Sara Hess explains, “I think especially because she’s a woman, he is acknowledging that in order to assume this position, you have to show that you’re willing to do whatever it takes — even this.”
“Possibly more than the loss of Jace, that’s the moment when it comes home to her that this is what it means to sit in that chair,” she added. “The series until now has been driving towards this moment. It’s this glorious prophecy, and it’s the moment everything comes true."
For star Emma D'Arcy, the scene represents a poignant moment in Rhaenyra's story; it's a culmination of the character's journey. "I have to wait — and the audience has to wait — three seasons for this moment of ascension," they said. "I wanted the final steps of that journey to feel incredibly hard to take. It’s like you sort of feel the weight of four years of walking in those last steps."
Now that Rhaenyra has claimed the Iron Throne, we as fans are going to see a very different side to her. “The Rhaenyra character that we knew is now a very different person, from the point that Otto’s head rolls away from his body,” Condal teased.
House of the Dragon season 3 continues Sundays on HBO.
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