Episode 3 of Season 1 of House of the Dragon will get spoilers soon.
In the third episode, House of the Dragon made its first major time jump, extending the story by three years. Alicent gave King Visery one son and became pregnant with their next child, but Milly Alcock and Emily Carey have been replaced by the two actors who will take over the roles in the next episodes. There are a lot of things to look forward to, so let's get started!
Caraxes Felt Daemons Pain
Daemon jumped on his dragon Caraxes to start pelting the exiled princes' flesh in the first moment of the episode, revealing a fundamental flaw in the creatures if the dragons are used as weapons of war in the future.
The Rhaenyra-Aliencents Connection Isnt Completely Gone Yet
Rhaenyra has apparently given her father the cold shoulder for three years as a result of his decision to marry Alicent, but there are hints in Episode 3 that the friendship between the former best friends isn't 100% broken. Alicent knew to seek Rhaenyra out in the godswood, and Rhaenyra was so concerned about Alicent's discomfort to ask if she should go abroad while pregnant. The queen even defended Rhaenyra when some ladies were discussing
The trailer clearly states that Emma DArcy and Olivia Cooke's bond will be practically ruined beyond repair by the time they take over their roles, but we haven't reached that time jump yet, and the teaser for the next episode shows that the time jump isn't happening.
Rhaenyra Is Of Age Now
Rhaenyra is officially of age in the Seven Kingdoms thanks to the recent time jump, which meant Viserys was unsuccessful in convincing her to marry or at least discuss a marriage. So, in the future, HOTD may go out of the way to demonstrate to viewers that she is a legal adult in Westerosi culture.
Viserys hasn't changed his mind about Rhaenyra, but Otto has plans.
By the end of the episode, Viserys and Rhaenyra had a long overdue conversation, when she finally admitted that her father planned to re-establish her as heir to the Iron Throne. Although he did dispute his decision while drunk, he is totally committed to Rhaenyra as his heir and even declared that he wants her to marry so that she may establish her claim by resurrecting her own heirs.
Viserys does not appear to think his Hands will succeed Otto Hightower, although he rejected Ottos suggestion that he betroth Rhaenyra to her two-year-old half brother. Still, Otto still has Alicent following him, and Viserys does not appear to suspect any kind of deception or ulterior motives from his wife.
Rhaenyra can choose her own husband after her adventures in the woods.
After Rhaenyra was MIA for most of the hunt, Viserys decided that trying to entice her to the most eligible bachelors in the Seven Kingdoms who asked him for her hand was unwise. She refused to even entertain the possibility, and raised the valid point that her father had married for affection rather than devotion to the realm.
So, the King is allowing the princess to choose her own husband because he wants her to be happy and considerate. However, it appears to have worked in influencing her to take the prospect of marriage seriously.
The Stepstones War Is Seemingly Over
Daemon, Corlys, Corlys' son and brother, and men-at-arms have all been involved in the Stepstones for over three years. (That conflict was pretty epic!) Rather, the war seemed designed to reveal Daemon's personality: he's willing to risk his life for a long time if his cause is in jeopardy; he refuses to trust his brothers enough to save his cause.
Only because Daemon sliced the Crabfeeder in two, it is unlikely that the battle will be completely resolved in the Stepstones, but that enemy has been quite definitively defeated. He was a rather disturbing character, for all that he only appeared in a few episodes of Season 1, and the battle also revealed Laenor as a dragonrider, which is very likely to be important later on.
As Daemon, Matt Smith clogged the final battle sequence.
If you tell Daemons enemies in the Seven Kingdoms that he cannot do something, he may go on a suicide mission to try and devastate you. He's honestly quite fortunate that he didnt die in the mission, especially after taking three arrows to his body. This episode and Daemons' crazy double-cross on the beach convinced me that Smith is the right guy for the role.
As Daemon became tired and wounded, the whole battle became more complicated and tense, and I'm already ready to rewatch the episode. After their time together in the Stepstones, I'd not complain if Daemon, Corlys, and Laenor got more involved.
The next new episode of House in the Dragon will air on HBO on Sunday, September 11 at 9 p.m. ET in the 2022 TV premiere schedule.