ike it or not, the third episode of House of the Dragon starts with a time jump. It appears that more than two years have elapsed after the second episode’s events. King Viserys’ male heir, Aegon, has been eventually handed to him by the new queen, Alicent Hightower. Everyone is excited to celebrate the young prince’s second birthday as we are currently doing. You know someone else who has a reason to rejoice? HBO. If a raven hasn’t told you already, last Sunday saw a tremendous increase in House of the Dragon’s viewership from about 10 million to over 25 million.
ike it or not, House of the Dragon’s third episode begins with a time jump. It appears that the events of the second episode took place more than two years ago. Aegon, the male heir to King Viserys, was eventually given to him by Alicent Hightower, the new queen. We are currently celebrating the young prince’s second birthday, and everyone is happy about it. You you aware of another person who can rejoice? HBO. If a raven hasn’t already informed you, House of the Dragon’s viewership last Sunday skyrocketed from roughly 10 million to over 25 million.
The realm is now a rather safe place, with the exception of Craghas the Crabfeeder—the guy who makes crabs eat people alive on the Stepstones’ beaches!? The Targaryen family is spending the day on a hunting excursion in honour of the newborn prince’s birthday while Daemon and Corlys deal with the crab guy. We meet Lord Jason and Tyland Lannister, two twin brothers, at the hunting grounds (both played by actor Jefferson Hall). Tyland works as a political operative in the king’s court, while Jason is the ruler of the Casterly Rock fortress in the west. Game of Thrones fans should naturally be wary of House Lannister, thus it is not surprising when Jason says that he would adore Rhaenyra.
This man has had it.HBO
Ser Criston Cole of the king’s guard immediately follo
ws the young princess as she bolts out on horseback. Was I chosen to be the heir to the Iron Throne merely to elevate my status as a lord of Casterly Rock? Rhaenyra, who is in tears, asks the knight. Ser Criston quips that if she so chose, he could assassinate Lord Jason. They laugh a little bit together. Cute. I deliver it.
Otto Hightower, the Hand of the King, is actively attempting to identify his new infant grandson Aegon as Rhaenyra’s successor. Viserys, though, is not aware of anything. The constant flirting and praising of him is becoming tiresome. The king is having a drunken fit about having no more phoney buddies. Snakes and leeches are all that are there around him. Drake once sung, “That’s why they smile on my face / whole time they want to take my place,” in the song “Fake Love.”
Viserys rambles on about his concern that he could have failed Rhaenyra as a father in his… intoxicated state. It’s probably not a smart idea to get married to your daughter’s best friend following her mother’s passing, man. Lord Strong attempts to comfort the king by pointing out that the previous King Jaehaerys was also driven to the brink of insanity by his daughters. Not assisting, my man! Even worse, the King’s Master of Laws, who advises Rhaenyra to wed Laenor Velaryon, Corlys’s son, cannot read the room.If you recall from the previous episode, King Viserys had previously been promised Laena, the Sea Snake’s 12-year-old daughter, but he rejected her in favour of Alicent. And certainly, Corlys gave Laenor and Laena as their names. (Insane.) However, as Lord Strong points out, the brave Laenor is engaged in combat with Craghas Crabfeeder and could lose his life if the danger is not eliminated. This brief anecdote reveals his genuine intentions for the match. Viserys finds the entire political scene repugnant.
Back to the hunt, about which everyone is obviously excited. King Viserys doesn’t want to slaughter a stag since he is a big softie. (Avoid panic, Viserys; it’s just CGI!) Viserys gives in to peer pressure and kills the animal with two stabs from his fancy new Lannister lance after the group has successfully captured one. It’s a tad deflating to hear the stag scream bloody murder the entire time. The king typically spends his days building a tiny model city of ancient Valyria. A geeky miniatures enthusiast, he. If House of the Dragon had been set in a time after the Industrial Revolution, the king would very certainly be building railroad tracks and sporting a conductor’s hat rather than a crown.
Princess Rhaenyra and Ser Criston Cole return to camp after savagely stabbing a wild boar that ambushes them at night. Rhaenyra is advised by King Viserys to select a spouse who will appease her, just as he did. She spent the entire day with a charming knight in this particular episode, so it can’t be a coincidence. In any case, it seems that she must procreate in order to maintain the Targaryen dynasty and bolster her claim to the Iron Throne.
Uncle Daemon, who represents the biggest challenge to that assertion, is still engaged in combat with Craghas the Crabfeeder and the Myrish pirates. The family is arguing at the war table, and House Velaryon’s army appears to be broken and worn out. Two new characters are introduced: Ser Vaemond, Corlys’s younger brother, and Laenor, Corlys’s aforementioned son. I’m still betting that Rhaenyra will get cosy with Ser Criston Cole, but Laenor isn’t exactly sliced bread, as it turns out.
The largest navy in all of Westeros is at the disposal of House Velaryon, but the Crabfeeder and his archers are camped out in caves. Although Laenor plans to use Daemon as bait to entice the Crabfeeder’s men out, Ser Vaemond does not have faith in Daemon and his dragon to complete the task. Even though King Viserys promises them in a letter 10 ships carrying 200 troops in total—which seems like a lot—Daemon dismisses his older brother’s plan as mere child’s play. Faking a surrender, the prince advances to the centre of the conflict and, acting alone, kills over 20 of the Crabfeeder’s troops before being struck by arrows. Why was House Velaryon experiencing such hardship if it was so simple?
