House of the Dragon Episode 203, "The Burning Mill": Easter eggs and secrets

The third episode of House of the Dragon's second season aired this past weekend, and it brought the clashing factions of House Targaryen ever closer to civil war. "The Burning Mill" featured the first actual battle of the Dance of the Dragons, a small skirmish between the feuding houses of Bracken and Blackwood in the Riverlands. In response, Queen Rhaenyra (Emma D'Arcy) snuck into King's Landing, hoping to find some way to avoid war by appealing to her childhood friend Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke). Unfortunately, even that last ditch effort wasn't enough to avert the looming conflict.

"The Burning Mill" introduced a bunch of new characters and locations, and is absolutely overflowing with Easter eggs. There's a ton to unpack in this episode, so let's get right into it. FULL SPOILERS ahead.

House of the Dragon Episode 203, "The Burning Mill" easter eggs

Starting right at the top, the opening credits for have changed for this episode! Before, the credits ended with a rendering of Vhagar chomping Lucerys and Arrax to bits in the season 1 finale. That's now been replaced with two new images: The first shows young Prince Jaehaerys on his funeral bier, while a bloody line weaves over his throat. The second and final image in the credits shows the ratcatchers which King Aegon II had hanged as revenge for the child's murder.

From there, we're off to the Battle of the Burning Mill, where a young man named Aeron Bracken is bragging about how he was just made a knight. That name, "Aeron," is a pretty typically Targaryen one — perhaps he was named in honor of the royal family?

The Bracken soldiers are accosted by a group of Blackwoods. Many fans believed that the Blackwood leader in this scene is Benjicot Blackwood, an important figure in the Dance of the Dragons, but he's not; he's just another Blackwood destined to die in the long-running fued between these two houses, who have hated each other for so long they've forgotten why they were fighting in the first place.

When the scene cuts to the post-battle carnage, we see that Aeron Bracken is lying with his own sword through his throat. A Blackwood corpse wearing a similar cloak to the teenager who started the fight is lying next to him. Not even the cows which sparked the argument made it out unscathed. You can see one in the river as the camera zooms out. The Dance of the Dragons is underway!

On Dragonstone, Rhaenyra orders that Ser Erryk and Ser Arryk Cargyll (Elliot and Luke Tittensor, respectively) be buried together. Rhaenyra's cousin and advisor Rhaenys (Eve Best) correctly deduces that the assassination plot means Otto Hightower has been ousted from King's Landing — after all, this plan was not the sort of thing Otto would have approved. Rhaenys reveals to Rhaenyra that Alicent Hightower came to her in the hours following Viserys' death, during "The Green Council," to try to find a peaceful way forward. As we see later in the episode, this plants the seed for Rhaenyra to finally try talking to Alicent.

Criston Cole, Hand of the King

From Dragonstone we leap across the bay to King's Landing to see how Ser Criston Cole (Fabien Frankel) is adjusting to his new position as Hand of the King. There's a lot to catch in these scenes. Time for bullet points:

• Criston Cole isn't wearing a Hand of the King pin, but instead a golden chain made out of hands around his neck. We can assume that the crown already had that chain on hand for occasions when a Hand needs to don armor, since it would have been impossible to have it made just for Criston overnight.
• Green Targaryen banners are unfurled all across the Red Keep. King Aegon's new livery is now being put into widespread use.
• Criston stumbles across a few new members of the Kingsguard and is visibly unhappy about their behavior. We later learn that Aegon appointed them to fill in the holes left by Ser Arryk's death, as well as the former Kingsguards who are now serving Rhaenyra. But Aegon didn't put a lot of thought into his choices; these knights are the same buddies the king was drinking with in the throne room during the Blood and Cheese incident.
• Aemond says that House Bracken "took it upon themselves to attack" the Blackwoods for swearing allegiance to Rhaenyra. This is interesting; in the book, it's the other way around, with the Blackwoods drawing first blood.
• Lord Samwell Blackwood, the leader of House Blackwood, died at the Battle of the Burning Mill.
• The Small Council debates sending a raven to Lord Grover Tully, but Lord Jasper "Ironrod" Wylde (Paul Kennedy), the Master of Laws, notes that Lord Grover is too old to keep his vassals in order. In case you're wondering, yes, Grover Tully is named after a Muppet character. In George R.R. Martin's book Fire & Blood, he has a grandson named Elmo Tully who rules after he passes away, and a great grandson named Kermit. We'll have to see whether House of the Dragon sticks to the Muppet gag or not when we meet more Tullys.
• Ironrod also reminds us that Aegon's uncle, Lord Ormund Hightower, is marching north from Oldtown with a great host, along with Aegon's younger brother Daeron Targaryen. Daeron's dragon, Tessarion, isn't quite at fighting age yet. We're probably going to meet both Daeron and Tessarion in season 3.
• Tyland Lannister (Jeffrey Hall) says that his twin brother Jason Lannister is raising an army at Casterly Rock. That will become relevant at some point, either this season or next.
• Aemond is holding on to the coin that Blood dropped in his apartment, probably as a reminder of the assassination attempt. If we know one thing about Aemond, it's that he loves to hold a grudge.
• Criston's plan is to take Harrenhal. There's a moment where Aegon asks if Aemond and Vhagar will accompany Criston's army, and Cole replies that they'll stay to defend King's Landing. Aemond and Criston share a look after that. We know these two have been plotting together; I wonder if Criston looped Aemond in before making the decision he would be staying behind?

The plans of the Queen Rhaenyra

Back on Dragonstone, Rhaenyra goes to see Mysaria (Sonoya Mizuno):

• Rhaenyra confirms that it was Mysaria who alerted Ser Erryk to his brother's assassination attempt. Rhaenyra owes the White Worm her life.
• Mysaria is wearing white again, reinforcing the accuracy of her alias.
• Seasmoke, the dragon of Rhaenyra's first husband Laenor Velaryon, flies around in the distance throughout this scene, crying. Laenor faked his own death to go live across the Narrow Sea with his lover Ser Qarl Correy in season 1. There's a chance that this scene of Seasmoke being "restless" is meant to indicate that Laenor has died while in exile. In Fire & Blood, Seasmoke eventualy gets another rider. With Laenor still alive, that might have been more complicated, so it would make sense for the show to quietly kill off Laenor to clear the way for what comes next for his dragon.

Next, we get a very dense scene between Rhaenyra and her step daughter, Rhaena Targaryen (Phoebe Campbell). Rhaena is the daughter of Daemon (Matt Smith) and Laena Velaryon (Nanna Blondell), and sister to Baela Targaryen (Bethany Antonia). Unlike her sister, Rhaena does not have a dragon, which leads into Rhaenyra's plans for her. It's easy to miss all the moving parts here, so let's break it down:

• Rhaenyra wants to send Joffrey, her youngest son by Harwin Strong, to ward with her cousin Lady Jeyne Arryn in the Vale. In the book, Lady Jeyne is the older sister of Rhaenyra's mother, Aemma Arryn. It sounds like the show may be slightly changing their relation since Rhaenyra calls her cousin instead of aunt.
• This is an extremely shrewd plan on Rhaenyra's part; in the season premiere, her son Jacaerys (Harry Collet) told Rhaenyra that Lady Jeyne had agreed to fight in support of her claim so long as Rhaenyra sends a dragon to help guard the Eyrie. Rhaenyra can't spare a fighting age dragon, so she's sending her young son, Joffrey, with his hatchling, Tyraxes. Technically, it fulfills the agreement, but I doubt Lady Jeyne will be happy about it.
• Aegon and Viserys, Rhaenyra and Daemon's two toddlers, are being sent to the Vale as well, until "a place of greater safety can be found." Aegon has a young dragon named Stormcloud. Viserys doesn't have one yet.
• Rhaenyra wants Rhaena to go with them, and to shepherd Aegon and Viserys onward to Pentos after they drop Joffrey at the Vale. Rhaena has spent time in Pentos in the past — that's where her mother, Laena, died. Rhaenyra wants Rhaena to write to Prince Reggio, an old friend of Daemon's, and see if he will shelter them.
• We know that Lady Jeyne Arryn is being played by Amanda Colin from Raised By Wolves this season and have even seen an image of her in costume. So we will see how Rhaena navigates this thorny situation in a future episode.

Daemon Targaryen takes Harrenhal

Next, we catch up with Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith), who flies his dragon Caraxes across a lake known as the Gods Eye and lands it right on top of Kingspyre Tower, the highest tower at the castle of Harrenhal. Daemon's arrival at the castle is overflowing with juicy details:

• There are roots which extend throughout the ruined castle. It's hard to tell, but some of them look like they could have the reddish streaks of weirwood sap.
• As Daemon explores the castle, there is a very faint sound like screaming in the distance, just before he looks out on the castle's main courtyard. He also hears echoes of voices as he traverses the halls. Remnants of Harrenhal's haunted past.
• The castellan of Harrenhal, Ser Simon Strong (Simon Russell Beale), is the uncle to Lord Lyonel Strong (Gavin Spokes), who served as Hand to King Viserys. That makes him the great-uncle to Harwin Strong, and the great-great-uncle to Rhaenyra's children Jace, Luke and Joffrey.
• The three younger men at the table are Ser Simon's grandsons. They're never named in Fire & Blood or House of the Dragon (as of yet).
• One of the servants in the dining room when Daemon first enters is Alys Rivers, played by Glow star Gayle Rankin. She's an important figure in the Dance of the Dragons; we'll be seeing a lot more of her in time.
• Ser Simon doesn't think kindly on his great-nephew Larys Strong, and has correctly deduced that Larys was to blame for the fire that killed Harwin and Lyonel in Episode 6 of season 1, "The Princess and the Queen." He uses Larys' derogatory nickname, "Larys Clubfoot."
• Ser Simon says the fire that killed Harwin and Lyonel was the "first fire here since Balerion ended the line of Harren the Black." Just before the Conquest that established the Seven Kingdoms as we know them, Harrenhal was built by a cruel Ironborn king named Harren Hoare, or Harren the Black, who ruled over both the Iron Islands and the Riverlands. He refused to bend the knee to Aegon the Conqueror, so the dragonrider mounted Balerion the Black Dread, descended on Harrenhal from above in the night, and turned it into a fiery inferno that wiped out Harren and his entire bloodline.
• When Ser Simon calls Daemon "My Prince," Daemon corrects him to say "Your Grace." It's not entirely clear why Daemon does this, but it carries weight. Is it because he's the King Consort, rather than an actual King, and Ser Simon made an incorrect guess about which honorific he would use? Was it because Daemon wants to feel as though he's asserting power as a king might? Is he considering making his own claim to the throne? Knowing Daemon, probably some combination of all of those things.
• When Ser Simon says that Lord Grover Tully is old and his grip on his bannermen is weak, Daemon replies, "People should obey their liege lord...whatever his condition." He pauses and looks down as he says, "whatever his condition." Who wants to bet he was thinking of his brother Viserys and how he was taken advantage of when his health failed?

Meet Gwayne Hightower

Back in King's Landing, Ser Criston Cole prepares his army to march. As he walks out of the Red Keep, we can just barely hear Alicent Hightower speaking to her older brother Gwayne (Freddie Fox); he says that "he enjoys battle" in reference to someone else, probably Alicent's youngest son Daeron, who is still being fostered in Oldtown. Gwayne would know Daeron much better than Alicent, since he's been a ward to the extended Hightower family since childhood.

• Gwayne reminds us that Otto served "three kings faithfully" as Hand; your refresher that Otto was the Hand to Aegon II, Viserys, and Viserys' grandfather Jaehaerys the Conciliator.
• Gwayne also reminds us that Criston comes from "modest beginnings." Criston Cole is a lowborn man of Dornish descent hailing from the Stormlands, in case you forgot!
• Criston asks for Alicent's favor. This calls back to the series premiere, where young Alicent and Rhaenyra were gossiping over Cole at the tourney, and Cole asked for Rhaenyra's favor. Now, he's riding to war instead of a list, and asking for a favor from Alicent. How things have changed. Gwayne also witnesses the exchange.
• As Criston and his knights ride out of King's Landing, we see the hanging corpse of Cheese, getting its eye pecked out by a crow.

The Black Council

In the following scene, we spend some time with Rhaenyra and her council on Dragonstone. A quick rundown of the players present: Queen Rhaenyra, her son Jacaerys Velaryon, Rhaenys Targaryen, Ser Alfred Broome (Jamie Kenna), Lord Bartimos Celtigar (Nicholas Jones), Lord Gormon Massey (James Dreyfus), Maester Geraradys (Phil Daniels), and the Kingsguard knights Ser Steffon Darklyn (Anthony Flanagan) and Ser Lorent Marbrand (Max Wrottesley). Also present is Lord Simon Staunton (Michael Elwyn), the ruler of a castle named Rook's Rest.

Fun fact: the Celtigars are the only other house aside from the Targaryens and Velaryons whose lineage goes back to Old Valyria.

After the council tries to usurp power from Rhaenyra, Rhaenys reminds them that the queen wears the crown of Jaehaerys the Conciliator, her great grandfather who ruled over the longest period of peace and prosperity in Westeros' history.

After the council meeting on Dragonstone, we get a quick scene between Rhaenys and her husband Corlys on the island of Driftmark. The biggest takeaway from this scene is that Corlys seems to be having second thoughts about who should be named as his heir to Driftmark following the death of Rhaenyra's son Lucerys. The two main options are her 6-year-old son Joffrey or Rhaena Targaryen. Corlys doesn't seem excited about either prospect, citing their lack of knowledge of the sea, but hopes they'll "see way forward" to another solution. If you've read George R.R. Martin's book Fire & Blood, you likely have an idea of what sort of solution might already be percolating in Corlys' mind.

Rhaena Targaryen carries the hope of the Seven Kingdoms

The next scene we have to talk about is a big one: Rhaena Tagaryen's departure from Dragonstone. As the scene starts, we see several dragon keepers carrying an ornate cage out of the castle; it has the dragons Tyraxes and Stormcloud in it. We don't see them on screen, but you can hear the dragons' cries as well as one of the dragon keepers trying to soothe Tyraxes.

Then, there's the massive, mega Easter egg which stands as one of the most important in the series: Rhaena is being sent away with four dragon eggs, which Rhaenyra calls the "hope for the future." It has been confirmed that three of those eggs will eventually find their way to Daenerys Targaryen nearly two centuries later. This is a fascinating change from the source material, where Dany's eggs were believed to have been stolen and taken to Essos long before the Dance of the Dragons. The fourth egg will likely hatch into Rhaena's own dragon, Morning.

The dysfunctional Greens

Back at the Red Keep, Helaena Targaryen works through her grief over her dead son. Helaena says she forgives Alicent, which to me confirms that she's aware enough to understand that Alicent having sex with Criston meant he wasn't on duty to protect the family from Blood and Cheese. And she says the words "I forgive you" in front of a window. If you know you know.

Across the Red Keep, Aegon II is donning a suit of Valyrian steel armor that once belonged to Aegon the Conqueror. Aegon was born after the Doom of Valyria and never actually went there, so it's likely this armor is an heirloom that was brought to Westeros by his ancestors when they first arrived.

Larys Strong manipulates Aegon into staying in King's Landing even though the king is eager to fly off and fight, and Aegon names Larys his Master of Whisperers. King Viserys was a forthright guy who never wanted to keep a Master of Whisperers. This is the first time we've seen someone bestow an actual title on Larys.

We also get better acquainted with Aegon's new Kingsguard: Ser Martyn Reyne (Barney Fishwick), Leon Estermont (Ralph Davis), and Eddard Waters (Tok Stephen). The final shot of the scene is Aegon staring into a mirror, his face half in shadow. Another bit of foreshadowing for something specific coming down the line for him.

Night out in King's Landing

Next up we get a long sequence set in the seedier parts of King's Landing, such as Flea Bottom and the Street of Silk:

• The scene begins with a little dragon puppet on a stick dropping a bag of gold to someone, who then surreptitiously hands it off to a woman walking by. We never get confirmation of who this woman is, but games of power are always being played in King's Landing.
• The man we follow into the tavern is Ulf the White (Tom Bennett). He claims to be a Dragonseed, aka a bastard descendant of House Targaryen. Ulf tells a story about being the son of Baelon the Brave, the son of King Jaehaerys whose death led to the Great Council of 101 AC. That would make him a bastard brother to King Viserys and Daemon. Do we believe him?
• One of Ulf's nickname is Ulf the Sot, because he drinks a lot. And that's obvious from the fact that everyone in the tavern knows who he is.
• The serving girl who gets her bottom smacked by one of Ulf's companions is Dyana (Maddie Evans), the former Red Keep handmaid who Aegon II raped in Episode 108, "The Lord of the Tides."
• Ulf reminds us that, at this point in history, House Targaryen still hasn't actually conquered Dorne.
• Ulf is the first one to shout "All hail the king!" after Aegon walks in. It's a close call for him, since he was literally just talking up Rhaenyra and Jace as the rightful rulers of the realm.
• The brothel Aegon takes his Kingsguard to is on the Street of Silk, where he's looking for the brothel madam played by Michelle Bonnard. Aegon says he used to go there as a lad, and tries to remember her name, saying it's "Sylvi, or Selyse, or...something like that." She seems to be one of Aegon's favored prostitutes from his youth. It feels like House of the Dragon may be setting up that the madam is the mother of Aegon's bastard, Gaemon Palehair, who we saw in the King's Landing child fighting pit in "The Green Council." In the book, Gaemon's mother is named Essie. We'll have to wait to find out what the brothel madam's actual name is.
• Aegon also says that this outrageous brothel is "tame," which calls to mind the fact that the brothel madam alluded to him having developed more depraved tastes during the Green Council episode when Criston Cole and Aemond were out looking for him.
• Aegon and his cronies walk right past Larys Strong in the brothel. I wonder if he was there for his own purposes, or to keep an eye on Aemond? Perhaps that woman who took the coin pouch at the beginning of the Flea Bottom scene was running to let him know the prince was there?

What does Alicent's letter to Rhaenyra say?

Back on Dragonstone, Rhaenyra is in the process of packing up Viserys II and Aegon III's toys, since they're off to the Vale. Rhaenyra finally breaks the seal on Alicent's letter, which she has refused to open since it arrived. We never see a full shot of what's written on it, but here's what we can make out:

"Rhaenyra, I write...
lest the...
battling all the hours of....
might also wish to speak...
to the Mother for...
along with the hope you..."

This letter was mentioned by Aegon's Small Council during the season premiere, where it's revealed that Alicent wrote to Rhaenyra in the wake of Lucerys' death to try and avert the war. We see her wish to speak to Rhaenyra in the words, as well as some typical Alicent piety. It's enough to push Rhaenyra toward meeting Alicent later on.

Moondancer takes flight

Next up is one of the most exciting sequences of the episode, when Criston Cole and Gwayne Hightower cross paths with Baela Targaryen in the Crownlands.

• Gwayne disobeyed orders and went off to try and find an inn, called the Bull, which is on the road to Rosby, rather than sleeping on the "cold, hard ground" like the rest of the army.
• Criston spots Moondancer flying against the sun. If you squint just right, you can see her too!
• Moondancer notices Criston's party before Baela does, and chirps out a sound to draw her attention to them.
• This is our first time seeing Moondancer in the series! She's a larger dragon than she is in the book, although still one of the smallest we've seen fly.
• Baela only speaks in High Valyrian to her dragon in this scene, like the true Targaryen that she is.
• Some of Daenerys Targaryen's musical motif plays when Baela makes her dive for Criston's party.
• Back at the Painted Table on Dragonstone, Baela reports seeing Criston. We hear that one of Rhaenyra's supporters in the Crownlands, Lord Farring, also reported seeing Criston's larger army on the march to Rosby. Lord Farring is never mentioned in Fire & Blood, so he's an addition for the show.
• Lord Simon Staunton wants to return to Rook's Rest to fortify his lands, since they're right near Rosby. But Lord Massey tells him not to worry about it, since Criston is probably heading for Harrenhal.

Weirwood dreams at Harrenhal

Speaking of Harrenhal, we check in next with Daemon, who's having a very interesting night.

• In the first shot of the castle, you can see its weirwood tree on the bank of the Gods Eye.
• Daemon hears someone at his door, which he's barred with a pair of swords. Not his sword though; he draws Dark Sister a moment later and goes outside.
• He hears humming and follows it to find young Rhaenyra stitching back on Prince Jaehaerys' head. Yes, that's Milly Alcock, who played young Rhaenyra in season 1! She's sitting in front of a hearth flanked by bookshelves, reminiscent of one of the rooms in the Red Keep.
• The song Rhaenyra is humming bears some melodic similarities to the one Daemon sings to Vermithor during the season 1 finale. It's impossible to tell if it's the exact same song, or another similar Valyrian tune.
• Daemon actually has a tear in his eye in the final moment of the dream. It's fascinating that he sees a child he got killed and Rhaenyra as a teenager, which is how old she was when he started grooming her. The skeletons in Daemon's closet are coming to call at Harrenhal.
• Daemon wakes up when he drops Dark Sister. When he snaps awake in the Godswood, he isn't holding his sword.
• Alys Rivers tells Daemon that he will "die in this place." That's a major piece of foreshadowing form Fire & Blood.

Rhaenyra Targaryen gets her Sister Act on

The final sequence of "The Burning Mill" is all about Rhaenyra's clandestine trip to King's Landing:

• When Rhaenyra first walks in on Mysaria and her lady-in-waiting Elinda Massey (Jordon Stevens), Elinda is talking about her brother, Emmon Massey, who was sent to study at the Citadel.
• It's also interesting that Mysaria is befriending people at Dragonstone. Building a network of informants, perhaps?
• The Kingsguard who goes with Rhaenyra to King's Landing is Ser Steffon Darklyn. He brings a knife up his sleeve and a copy of the Seven-Pointed Star to read on the steps of the sept to keep up his cover as a monk.
• This is not the Great Sept of Baelor, which we saw Cersei blow up in Game of Thrones. That one won't be constructed for another 50 or so years, under the reign of King Baelor the Blessed. The sept where Rhaenyra meets Alicent is the Grand Sept (also sometimes called the Great Sept), which preceded Baelor's.
• Rhaenyra finds Alicent at the same spot where they used to pray together as teenagers.
• Rhaenyra recalls watching the tourney with Alicent on the day her little brother was born. That's a call back to the series premiere, where Aegon is born in horrific fashion during the tourney and subsequently dies.
• And that's not the only callback! When Rhaenyra and Alicent are debating whether Viserys changed his mind to name Aegon king, Alicent says "I swear this to you on the memory of my mother." During the fourth episode of season 1, Rhaenyra said those same words to Alicent when Rhaenyra came under scrutiny for going to a brothel with Daemon. Rhaenyra was lying through her teeth when she said those words, swearing that Daemon "never touched her" even though a fair amount of touching most certainly took place. Alicent isn't quite lying here, but her truth is built on a falsehood so the words still ring sour.
• Rhaenyra then finally reveals the truth to Alicent, that she misunderstood which "Aegon" King Viserys was referring to, after Alicent says Aegon is the "Prince Who Was Promised." Alicent thought he meant Aegon II, but of course he was talking about Aegon the Conqueror. Rhaenyra stops short of telling Alicent the details of the full Song of Ice and Fire dream, but still, you can bet Alicent is going to have to wrangle with that guilt and confusion in the coming weeks.

And that brings us to the end of "The Burning Mill," with war a certainty despite any wishes Rhaenyra or Alicent may have to the contrary. In the next episode, we'll see that war begin in earnest. It's going to be epic.

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