In episode three of HBO’s House of the Dragon, entitled “The Burning Mill,” our warring factions witness the first bloodshed on a battlefield. Elsewhere, Daemon is haunted on his quest to Harrenhal, and a desperate Rhaenyra meets with an old friend to dampen the flames of war.
The episode opens in the Riverlands where two warring houses – the Blackwoods and the Brackens – clash over their allegiances. The Blackwoods have pledged loyalty to the usurped queen while the Brackens support Aegon II. A drawn sword amidst a skirmish quickly devolves into a mass casualty event, alluding to the impending violence to come. It was another way, outside of the immediate players, we see how war is ravaging the realm.
At Dragonstone, Rhaenyra buries the Cargyll brothers as Rhaenys warns her of the pending escalation before them. Soon, both parties won’t remember the purpose of the rift in the first place. They’ll be blindly led by their lust for carnage. Rhaenys suggests Rhaenyra reach out to Alicent, personally, knowing her former friend does not wish a war amongst dragons.
At King’s Landing, the Green Council is preparing Ser Criston Cole for his first day as Aegon’s Hand. With Otto absent and Aemond added to the equation, Alicent’s opinions are null and void among the men and their hungry swords. Aegon views the battle in the Burning Mill as a first step toward war, and a right to escalate their strategy. Cole recommends they venture to Harrenhal to secure Grover Tully who rules the Riverlands. Aegon wants to join Cole and the kingsgaurd on this quest, despite the risk.
On the day they are set to leave, Lord Larys pulls Aegon aside with alleged whispers. He tells Aegon his constituents revere his courage for heading into battle but also relays that his venture masks an alleged coup by Aemond and Alicent who seek to rule during his absence. Easily swayed, Aegon decides to bypass this particular quest and requests Larys’ duties regularly. As he stays behind, Cole and his men are joined by Alicent’s brother, Ser Gwayne Hightower; a way for her to ensure some control.
As Aegon is coerced into recruiting Larys, Rhaenyra ponders her relationship with Mysaria. In addition to saving her life, Rhaenyra sees value in having Mysaria’s watchful eye and allows her brother’s former concubine to remain at Dragonstone. As Mysaria moves in, Rhaenyra prepares her youngest family members out of harm’s way. Albeit a difficult decision, Rhaenyra entrusts her niece/step-daughter, Rhaena, with the responsibility of seeking refuge at Pentos with her youngest children, their dragons, and four dragon eggs. Rhaena objects to this decision, jealous that her older sister, Baela, remains because she has a dragon. Rhaenyra reassures Rhaena she’s committing larger service. Given that Dragonstone should fall, she will be responsible for raising the family’s future. She has also been tasked to persuade Lady Jeyne Arryn of the Vale for support.
Miles away, Daemon arrives at the darkened halls of Harrenhal. Expecting opposing forces, he’s surprised to find the realm’s largest castle dilapidated and desolate but for Ser Simon Strong and a few other family members. They immediately bend the knee to his queen, with Simon reassuring the former prince he has no love for his nephew, Larys Strong. He holds Larys responsible for the murders of his brother, Lionel, and Lionel’s son. He informs Daemon to secure the Riverlands, he must convince Grover Tully, who is ailing in health. As the night paces on, Daemon experiences a haunting of sorts, a reputation of the aging castle. After an anonymous banging against his bedroom door, he wanders into a fireplace-lit room and meets a familiar face. A young Rhaenyra (Milly Alcock) chastises Daemon while stitching the fallen prince Jaehaerys’ head. Suddenly, the king awakens, outside on the castle grounds, where Alys Rivers says that Daemon will die in this place.
We receive another scene highlighting the common folk, this time focusing on a man named Ulf White. We previously met him as the potato thief in episode two. He joins a group of men at a local bar/brothel and tells them he is a lost-long Targaryen. As the alleged son of Baelon the Brave, he claims to be the half-brother of Daemon and Viserys. He’s then given the chance to prove his heritage as King Aegon and his kingsguard enter the establishment, seeking a recruit’s first lay. Here, a drunken Aegon happens upon Aemond with his woman friend. Embarrassed, Aemond leaves the young knight to have his way with the only woman he’s ever been intimate with.
We’re reunited with Criston and Gwayne as it becomes clear they have differing perspectives on their mission. The Hightower suggests they find a local inn to parlay and rest. Suddenly, Cole sees a shadow in the sky: a dragon! Realizing they have been exposed, they race to find refuge. The dragon is Moondancer ridden by Baela, who chases the knights into a forest. This encounter leads the council to pressure Rhaenyra to dispatch her dragons to force allegiances. Instead, Rhaenyra opts for an olive branch.
With Mysaria’s guidance, Rhaenyra infiltrates the Great Sept and interrupts Alicent’s solitude with an offer of peace. Earnest in her request, she begs for Alicent to reconsider the inevitable bloodshed, given their history and what they’ve already lost. Unwavering, Alicent insists she has been truthful in Viserys’s last wishes for Aegon to take the throne. Saddened, Rhaenyra asks about her father’s final moments. Alicent tells of his weariness in those final days and that he spoke of “the Prince that was Promised.” The familiar phrase shakes Rhaenyra to realize her father was speaking of Aegon the Conqueror, the subject of his “Song of Fire and Ice” narrative, not Aegon II. With the truth laid bare, Rhaenyra pleads for Alicent to bring the feud to an end. Alicent, in shock, warns Rhaenyra it’s too late.
This episode was pure, original recipe, Game of Thrones, with subtle callbacks to the original series with its mix of political undertakings, gossipy men, haunting premonitions, and dragons. The ascensions of Larys and Mysaria were reminiscent of Little Finger and Lord Varys. Even the reveal of a possible bastard dragon child alluded to the stories of Jon Snow and Gendry Baratheon. Daemon’s sequence stood out in this episode for two reasons. It’s the first time the series has explored supernatural elements, and it was the first time since his wife’s death that Daemon showed any vulnerability.
Rating: 9/10