David Bridges
Property of the Dragon has been teasing a terrible civil war in Westeros considering the fact that the foundations had been laid in season one—and now, with Property Targaryen bitterly divided, battles are just more than the horizon. This week, in episode 3, “The Burning Mill,” we see one particular final try at reconciliation—as effectively as the beginnings of a couple of journeys, a mysterious new character, and some spooky-castle shenanigans.
Ah, the Riverlands. A spot of green fields, picturesque windmills, and generations-extended feuds involving adjacent homes, as we see when young knights from Property Bracken and Property Blackwood get in every other’s faces at the border dividing their lands. These days, present events are bolstering their anger: one particular side’s loyal to Queen Rhaenyra, the other calls her a “babekiller” and “kinslayer” and requires the side of Group Green. Insults lead to shoving, shoving leads to swords, then the scene cuts and we see a complete-on battle has taken spot involving the homes. The land is riddled with bodies, and that quaint windmill is now a burned-out husk.
Speaking of bodies, there’s a double burial taking place on Dragonstone: the Cargill twins, reunited in their grave. As a somber Rhaenyra ponders her subsequent move—a furious Jace desires to hold the cycle of revenge going—Rhaenys, who properly senses that Otto Hightower has been shoved aside and that the assassination try was the operate of “hotter blood,” sidles in with a suggestion, delivering the killer lines we’ve heard in Property of the Dragon trailers. “There could be one more way: Alicent Hightower … she knows war is coming and that it will be savage beyond all evaluate,” Rhaenys says. “There is no war so hateful to the gods as a war involving kin. And no war so bloody as a war involving dragons.” Alicent could be their final hope to stop a terrible war. Rhaenyra’s skeptical, but Rhaenys’ words make her assume of the raven that came from King’s Landing bearing a message from her old buddy right after Luke was killed… which she has but to study.
Speaking of King’s Landing, Ser Criston Cole–now Hand of the King, in addition to becoming Lord Commander of the Kingsguard–is dawdling ahead of a Compact Council meeting. When he gets there, war is (unsurprisingly) the principal subject, with Aemond updating absolutely everyone about the Bracken-Blackwood battle, and King Aegon bitchily asking what their subsequent move is. There are several ideas, to the point exactly where absolutely everyone is speaking more than every other and Alicent speaks sharply about the Council’s lack of discipline, but Cole opines that the Riverlands are the essential to winning the war, and that Harrenhal is the essential to the Riverlands. He’ll lead the army there himself, he says—this is a guy who actually does not want to attend any much more of these meetings—with Aemond, but not Vhagar, who is required on the property front defending King’s Landing. “I’ll come as well, with Sunfyre,” King Aegon pipes in, an thought no one supports you get the sense it is partially mainly because they want to travel devoid of drawing as well a great deal focus (anything a dragon generally brings), but also mainly because, let’s face it, no one desires Aegon in the mix.
Back on Dragonstone, ahead of a beautiful sunset view featuring a lone dragon flapping about in the distance, Rhaenyra is obtaining a chat with Mysaria—who, obtaining been offered her freedom in final week’s episode, turned back at the final minute when she realized a particular ill-which means twin had just arrived on the island. Mysaria, who says she’s nevertheless shocked that Rhaenyra was prepared to let her go, would like a reward: a spot in Rhaenyra’s court. She has important facts about the inner workings of the Red Hold, and no appreciate for the Hightowers she’s also right here to advocate for the smallfolk, and figures Rhaenyra is the ruler most most likely to show them mercy. “One turn for one more, then,” Rhaenyra says, and we can see a mutual respect of sorts forming involving these two extremely differently positioned girls.
Inside the castle, we lastly devote much more than a couple of passing seconds with Rhaena: Daemon’s daughter, and the younger sister of Baela. (In George R.R. Martin’s text, they’re twins, but she’s undoubtedly positioned as the second sibling right here.) Rhaenyra has a job for her, involving the younger Targaryens: she’ll take Joffrey (Rhaenyra’s youngest dark-haired son) and his dragon to the Vale, exactly where he’ll grow to be the ward of Lady Arryn then, Rhaena will grow to be the de facto mother figure for Rhaenyra’s blonde children with Daemon (Aegon and Viserys, and yes the repeated names are confusing), taking them to Pentos for security. As we’ve observed, no cute small kid is secure in this specific war. “Make this sacrifice willingly, for all of us,” Rhaenyra urges her. Rhaena is not pleased about it, but if there’s one particular issue girls in Westeros know about… it is producing sacrifices.
And now, at final, we choose back up with Daemon as he flies by means of howling evening winds into Harrenhal, the greatest castle in Westeros and also, want we remind you, the spookiest. It is also extremely damp, thanks to all the harm it is taken more than the years, and Daemon stomps by means of puddles and flurries of bats indoors, killing a guard on the way just mainly because he can. If this was a vintage horror film, he’d encounter Lon Chaney Jr. lurking in the dark, but considering the fact that this is Property of the Dragon and not Property of Dracula, as an alternative he meets… Ser Simon Robust, played by British stage legend Sir Simon Russell Beale, obtaining dinner in one particular of the castle’s couple of vaguely cozy rooms.
Ser Simon has no objection to ceding manage of Harrenhal to Group Black—he’s no fan of his cunningly murderous fantastic-nephew, Ser Larys—though Daemon’s skeptical of his hospitality, and snaps at him for mistakenly calling him “my Prince” as an alternative of “Your Grace.” For his aspect, Ser Simon thinks Daemon’s strategy to raise an army in the Riverlands is a dubious one particular the region’s liege lord, Lord Grover Tully, is a frail old man unlikely to comprehend what’s at stake. What’s the endgame right here, Ser Simon wonders? This extremely droll exchange follows.
Daemon: “We march on King’s Landing and take the throne.”
Ser Simon: “The throne?”
Daemon: “It’s a massive chair… produced of swords.”
In King’s Landing, Cole’s army prepares to march with a new face in tow: Ser Gwayne Hightower, Alicent’s brother. He meets Cole with a polite but frosty attitude (Gwayne’s not thrilled Cole took Otto’s spot as the Hand), and points get a small weird when Cole says goodbye to Alicent, asking for her favor (which requires the type of a handkerchief she pulls out of her cleavage) as he departs, and Gwayne appears on quizzically. The camera pulls up as the host rides out, and in the foreground we see one particular of the rat catcher corpses from final week, hunting a bit much more decayed, and with a crow producing quick operate of its eyes.
On Dragonstone, the tension is increasing along with the anticipation of this army—which Group Black has but to spot, but knows will have to be forming the reality that Daemon hasn’t sent any updates considering the fact that he flounced away is not assisting. Rhaenyra’s Compact Council desires her to act, be that by sending dragons to burn all who oppose her, or hiding herself away and letting the council (one more way of placing that is “the menfolk”) rule in her stead. Right after Rhaenyra departs in disgust, Rhaenys has one more notable quotable to share, reminding absolutely everyone that “their Queen wears the crown of my grandsire, Jaeharys the Conciliator, a prudent ruler, the wisest of Targaryen kings, whose reign outlasted just about every other, even Aegon the Conquerer’s.”
But Rhaenys knows there’s problems afoot, and she does not appropriate Corlys in the subsequent scene, in a rainy Driftmark rendezvous, when he refers to the Compact Council as “the ditherers of Dragonstone.” The interaction involving husband and wife, like so several of their meetings, is shot by means of with affection as effectively as subtle disagreements, like that old query of who really should inherit Driftmark (presently, it is small Joffrey, who’s about to be spending the rest of his childhood far from the sea). There’s a new urgency to their speak of heirs, a tumultuous subject—as we saw final season, when Corlys suffered a fantastic injury and it seemed Lucerys Velaryon (RIP) would be inheriting Driftmark sooner than anticipated. “We are at war,” Rhaenys reminds the Sea Snake, and worries that anything could take place to him.
On nearby Dragonstone, Rhaena bids farewell, preparing for her journey with smaller youngsters and smaller dragons in tow. She’s resentful Baela, who’s not only older, but has her personal dragon to ride, gets to keep behind and take an active aspect in the war work. But there’s a softening when Rhaenyra shows Rhaena that she’ll also be caring for a clutch of valuable dragon eggs if the worst occurs in Westeros, she’ll be an critical supply of hope for the Targaryen future.
Right after Rhaenyra says fantastic-bye to her sons (except Jace, he gets to keep), we reduce to King’s Landing, exactly where Alicent and Heleana have a poignant conversation about motherhood, grief, and loss. And the elephant in the area comes out: “I forgive you,” Heleana tells her teary-eyed mother, and we all know she signifies her mother’s forbidden affair with Cole. In a nearby chamber, King Aegon (“the magnanimous”) is becoming fitted with… Aegon the Conquerer’s personal snazzy armor. He’s preparing to fly into battle, regardless of absolutely everyone else agreeing it is a terrible thought. Ser Larys seems, as generally armed with a bit of facts that is secretly manipulation in disguise, and says there’s speak that Aegon has been tricked into going into battle mainly because that is what his Compact Council, like Alicent, desires, so that she and Aemond can rule in his absence. As Aegon is taking this in, he tends to make one more impulsive appointment, naming Larys his Master of Whisperers.
And it performs! Aegon decides that rather than going to battle, he’ll… devote one more drunken evening out on the town as an alternative. In a scene that immerses us in King’s Landing right after hours, we meet a new character. It is a short moment, but it is critical, considering the fact that this is the bastard son of Baelon Targaryen—which tends to make him Daemon and Viserys’ half-brother, and Rhaenyra’s uncle. Why he’s sharing this facts with random strangers (appear closely one particular is Samson Kayo from Our Flag Implies Death) in a tavern is not clear, and we study no much more for now mainly because just then King Aegon, who’s unaware of the man’s identity, shows up prepared to celebration his face off.
Awkward household reunion averted–until Aegon walks in on Aemond snuggled up with his preferred lady of the evening, to Aegon’s hooting, taunting delight. Aemond’s reaction is to stand on the table—classic Game of Thrones-style complete-frontal nudity alert, although there’s tasteful shadowing—and stalk out of the area (wearing not a stitch, not even his eye patch), pretending he’s completely unbothered.
On Dragonstone, a contemplative Rhaenyra decides that now, at final, is the moment to open her message from Alicent. We can not study the message, but the word “mother” undoubtedly seems.
En route to the Riverlands, Cole and Ser Gwayne Hightower continue to not like every other. Gwayne has decided to take his lieutenants to a nearby tavern so they can appreciate some creature comforts, whilst Cole’s males are all camped on the challenging ground. “We will rendezvous with your army at very first light,” Gwayne says breezily, as the camera tilts up to show us the present position of the sun, and—hey now, what’s that in the sky? Dragonnnnnn! Cole, Gwayne, and Gwayne’s males gallop for the security of nearby tree cover as Baela, riding Moondancer, swoops in overhead. She’s there merely to observe, not engage, but you can see in her face she’s got a bit of that season-one particular Rhaenys “I want to set you all on fire” urge in her, and she provides the males a fantastic scare. Ser Gwayne, for one particular, appears like he could have peed his pants a small, and lastly admits Cole could know what he’s carrying out right after all. Stealth is now the way forward for this army—“and no fucking inns,” Cole hisses.
When Baela reports back to Rhaenyra and her Compact Council, once more they urge it is time to take action. Previous time, actually. She requires it in and says she’ll think about their arguments, as we reduce to Rhaenys—and can inform she’s realizing Rhanyra is lastly going to take her assistance.
But very first, you could be questioning, as the Compact Council on Dragonstone undoubtedly has been: what the hell has Daemon been up to? Wandering about the ruins of Harrenhal, it turns out—a spot complete of dripping water, barricaded doorways, and whispers from the previous. He encounters an not possible tableau: young Rhaenyra, played by a returning Milly Alcock. “Always coming and going, are not you,” she sighs at Daemon. “And I have to clean up afterwards.” As the camera comes about we see she’s stitching small Jaehaerys Targaryen’s head onto his neck. In an immediate, the vision is gone, and a strange woman—someone we saw earlier alongside Ser Simon—appears and says “You will die in this spot.”
With that uneasiness lingering, we return to Dragonstone there’s no sneaking into King’s Landing devoid of the assistance of Mysaria, so Rhaenyra gets all the intel she requires to engineer a face-to-face encounter with Alicent. This involves what disguise she’ll want (a septa it is not the very first time this episode, nor this season, that somebody points out most smallfolk will not recognize a royal out of context) and exactly where she’ll be capable to come across the Dowager Queen alone (in the Wonderful Sept of Baelor, saying her prayers). And then, it occurs: a scene involving Rhaenyra and Alicent, anything we had been not expecting to see at all this season.
And it is rather a potent moment. Alicent’s shock when she realizes who’s come to get in touch with is one particular issue it levels up when she realizes Rhaenyra is not there to kill her. Rhaenyra opens with a memory we all share: the tournament that kicked off in season one particular. “Men educated for battle are eager to fight,” she reminds her old buddy. “I know you do not have that want inside you.” But Alicent knows the Dance of the Dragons is previous the point of no return. There are no terms they can come to. Also a great deal has occurred now.
As they whisper-argue more than Luke and Jaeharys, the true meat of the conversation comes to the fore: what did the dying King Viserys say to Alicent that produced her assume he’d changed his thoughts about Rhaenyra becoming his heir? Rhaenyra can not think her ears when Alicent, who steadfastly believes she was honoring her husband’s wishes, says he muttered about “Aegon” and “the prince that was promised to unite the realm.” Rhaenyra knows, as we did when we saw it final season, that Viserys was referring to the Song of Ice and Fire, a dream that Aegon the Conquerer had. Incorrect Aegon, Alicent! Incorrect Aegon. But for Alicent, it is as well late, no matter how a great deal Rhaenyra protests that there’s been a error. “There’s been no error,” Alicent insists. Otto’s been kicked out of court, Cole is on the march, “you know what Aemond is,” and it is as well late. As Alicent stalks away, Rhaenyra sets her jaw. Time to go to war. At final?
New episodes of Property of the Dragon arrive Sundays on HBO and Max.
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Daniel Mercer
Brandon Fletcher
