Previously on the HBO series House of the Dragon, Rhaenyra tries to keep herself busy after losing her son, Jacaerys. As Aemond soars to Harrenhal, he is stabbed during a fight. Daemon and Rhaenyra return to King’s Landing and take the Iron Throne. The episode ends with Alicent discovering Rhaenyra killed Ser Otto Hightower to become the new Queen.
Episode three explores the burden of leadership, difficult decisions, and sacrifices put on Rhaenyra now as Queen. Rhaenyra quickly learns that being a leader comes at a cost. As soon as Rhaenyra begins her time as the new head of the table, she learns how heavy the responsibilities are. Throughout the episode, we watch as she is challenged with this in many ways, which affects her mentally and somewhat physically. She has to question herself on whether she’s truly ready to be a ruler.
One theme that stands out in this episode is submission. We see multiple people submitting themselves to Rhaenyra and Daemon. The alliances that Viserys and Alicent have built now shift as Rhaenyra becomes the new queen. Two characters to keep in mind with this episode regarding submission are Alicent’s cousin, Ormund, and Alicent herself.
We also see a softer side of Rhaenyra as she reminisces about her childhood and relationship with her father. She talks about what her father would want and believes she should move the way he would. For Rhaenyra, nostalgia becomes both comforting and painful as she navigates her role as Queen. While Daemon feels as though she should do things differently from Viserys, she herself believes that she should do things his way. There’s a scene where Daemon and Rhaenyra have an intimate conversation about Viserys. It’s clear she wants to make him proud.
While most House of the Dragon episodes focus on the action, this episode seems to have a spotlight on the politics. Diplomacy is shown through Rhaenyra, and negotiations are being made between her and others, including Alicent, Ormund, and Daemon. Rhaenyra also has to face a strain that is formed within her relationship with Lord Corlys as they disagree on a big decision.
Overall, this was a great and entertaining episode. While the majority of this episode focuses on Rhaenyra navigating her first couple of days as the new Queen, we also see a more emotional adult side of her. Emma D’Arcy does a phenomenal job as Rhaenyra. This episode focuses on the reality of being a ruler and a woman at that, trying to navigate her duties while trying to tend to the struggles in her personal life. Rhaenyra is going through character development in this season, especially with everything she’s both lost and gained. It will be interesting to see what’s next to come.
Rating: 10/10