The end ofHouse of the Dragonseason twois here , and while most storyline were leave undecided — season threeis coming!—the installment , “ The Queen Who Ever Was , ” did an admirable job focus on its characters , withsurprising development , long - repressed emotional outbursts and confrontations , and deep soulfulness - searching all come to the stem . There was n’t a gross ton of action , but the instalment still felt both venturesome and satisfying in equal measuring stick .
The first matter we see is a monkey saunter along , so we roll in the hay we ’re not in Westeros any longer . Indeed , we have traveled with Lord Tyland Lannister on his reluctant quest to strike a buy with the Triarchy , which only Aemond thought was a skilful idea . But eventually , after some uttermost clumsiness negotiating with the Free Cities ’ top knob ( “ it seemsyouneed us more thanweneed you , ” they aright ascertain ) , and a mandatory mud - wrestle match with the mischievous yet intimidate fleet commander Admiral Lohar , he find out succeeder . The price : earmark the Triarchy control of the Stepstones , which will surely arrive back to ghost someone in the future ; enduring some public abasement ( including having his name misspeak , repeatedly ) ; and maybe impregnating some of Lohar ’s wives .
After make that Rhaenyra has out - dragonned him , Aemond , as fractious as he is unsafe , has ridden Vhagar to the unfortunate town of Sharp Point and burn it to the soil . He looks pleased with his handiwork , which has occur at the disbursal of hundreds of innocent living . We cut to Aegon , press down in bed , in no mood for another sojourn from Lord Larys , but what option does he have ? This time , Lord Larys has an urgent directive : they must leave King ’s landing place at once . When Aegon protests that he ’s the king — if Aemond ’s induce problems , he can just hobble to the Iron Throne and order him to be taken prisoner — Larys prompt him that Rhaenyra has enhance her dragon fleet , and he ’ll be doomed without Vhagar to protect him .
© HBO
Larys recount him he has muckle of amber stashed in the Iron Bank in Braavos , and though Aegon snorts at the idea of living “ with the goat - fucker ” ( and let Larys , and by extension all of us , fuck that “ my cock is destroy … it erupt in the flames like a sausage balloon on a spit ” ) , Larys state the serious architectural plan is to will , have Aemond and Rhaenyra ruin each other , and then recall in victory . And it does n’t take much more convincing : “ Aegon , the kingdom ’s delight , ” the king murmurs , daydream of this idyllic futurity .
In the Vale , Rhaena — having ditched her duties as a momma surrogate for Rhaenyra ’s unseasoned Son — is utterly alone , flail around the rocky wilderness , clearly driven to exchange her fate and cover down that wild flying lizard .
At Dragonstone , a pouty Jace hail upon Ulf and Hugh lounging around the Small Council board . Well , Hugh is standing stiffly ; Ulf is in full lounge modality , and tells the prince “ I ’d rather not ” when he snaps at him to take his invertebrate foot off the mesa . Ulf does n’t realize who Jace is , but even when he ’s institute up to speed you get a very clear sense that move deferential to royal is highly low on his to - do list . It ’s safe to say that the slick , crude Ulf is the embodiment of Jace ’s bad fears about common man , even before ( but especially after ) he induce a crack about Jace ’s un - Targaryen - like dark fuzz .
© Ollie Upton/HBO
At that minute , Rhaenyra and Corlys are having a related conversation . “ We know little of who they are , and what is the force of their character , ” she worry , and she asks Corlys about the one new dragonrider he ’s most intimate with : Addam , of course . Corlys says he ’s known to be a man of wholeness , but “ I have had footling to do with him … to my regret . ” ( Today is not the day Corlys owns up to being the kid ’s father , apparently . ) Then they talk strategy ; Corlys advise striking cursorily . Aemond now knows Team Black has more dragons , but that has n’t been the hindrance Rhaenyra had hoped . Corlys also points out that Aemond could call upon his teen brother , Daeron ( who we ’ve yet to run across ) , and his sis , Heleana , to join his death - from - above brigade ; they both have dragons , after all . “ Heleana is no warrior , ” Rhaenyra take a firm stand , but as Corlys reminds her , “ Aemond will not be denied . ”
Then , a affecting minute when Corlys tells Rhaenyra he ’s rename his ship fromThe Sea SnaketoThe Queen Who Never Was . “ What I do now , I do for her , ” he says , remembering his belated wife , before direct the confab back to the need for Rhaenyra to act as before long as possible . And as he reminds us , “ there is , of course , another player that has yet to be revealed . ”
That ’s a computer address to Daemon , of course ! At Harrenhal , mend for engagement are finally in full vacillation , but first , Ser Alfred Broome has come from Dragonstone with urgent business . Ostensibly he ’s been sent there by Rhaenyra to check up on her married man ’s army - building progress , but he ’s fuck off his own docket to push : while he ’s loyal forever to King Viserys , and his banners are pledged to Rhaenyra , he ’d sure rather serve akingin this fraught time . In the present moment , we ca n’t quite distinguish if this is music to Daemon ’s ears or not ; his response is to kind of chuckle as he walks off . Lurking in a room access , Ser Simon Strong overhear every word . But the honest part of this view is when Ser Alfred swears he discover a black whisper hiss through the trees , and Daemon bid this affirmation : “ This place will have you barking at the lunar month . ”
© Ollie Upton/HBO
In the Red Keep , Alicent ( back from last week ’s encampment trip ) and Heleana are having a moment . “ What would you think about leaving this place ? ” mother need girl , but before they can really talk about the idea Aemond barges in . As Corlys predicted , the Prince Regent is full of bluster , insisting that his soft sister saddle up her Draco and join him in his campaign of flaming destruction . She refuses , of course , and Alicent step in to state her furious boy to back off . The next scene is Alicent going to the Grand Maester and demand for “ passage … and your discretion . ”
In the forest , Ser Gwayne is finally present Cole about his oath - breaking illicit affair with Alicent . But what at first seems like it ’s going to escalate into a vicious brawl — a trademark reaction for Cole in the past — instead turns into a deeply brooding back - and - forth . Alicent saved his life twice , he tells Gwayne , and he thinks of her as his “ beacon . ” It also seems Cole has win something resemble a scruples thanks to the horrors he witnessed at Rook ’s Rest . “ The dragon dance and men are like dust under their foot , ” he says . “ And all our ok thoughts , all our endeavors are as nothing . We march now toward our annihilation . To die will be a kind of fill-in … do n’t you cerebrate ? ” To this startling talking to , Gwayne has no response ; he just takes it in , then silently model down beside Cole .
That leads us into a supremely awkward dinner party , where an obnoxious Ulf once again shows off his lack of societal skills . Rhaenyra , don her crown for once , pledge the three new riders and tells them if they function her well , she ’ll make them knight . And the time for dish out is imminent : “ You will fly in two day ’ time , ” she say , telling them they ’ll be striking at Team Green ’s stronghold in Oldtown and elsewhere . “ You wish well for us to killinnocents ? ” Baela ( voice of reason ) ask in disbelief . “ We must break the will of our enemy , or more will break in a struggle that stretch on without conclusion . ”
© Ollie Upton/HBO
Just then , a message from Harrenhal — Ser Simon , specifically , letting Rhaenyra know that Daemon might be about to stab her in the back . She picks Addam as her travel buddy ( Jace , again , looks a teensy-weensy routine pouty at that ) and off they fly . And speak of the the Tempter , we cut to Daemon snoozing at Harrenhal , at least until he ’s awakened by Alys Rivers . She lead him to the Godswood , where the great tree at its centre has a message for him . First , though , she commends him for add up around to the melodic theme that as much as he wish he could , he ca n’t bend the world to his will . And she secern him he ’s finally ready to glimpse some accuracy , Old Gods - elan . When he touch the body , he has a visual modality : a three - eyed vaporing , a grim - eyed White Walker , a fallen Draco , a battlefield covered in trunk , dragon egg engulfed in fire , the Mother of Dragons ( glimpsed from behind , so in all likelihood not an actual Emilia Clarke cameo ) , and Rhaenyra sitting on the Iron Throne . “ You know your part , ” an apparition of Heleana say . “ You know what you must do . ”
We find the real Heleana in King ’s landing place , halfway between the spirit kingdom and the real world . Aemond has another crack at trying to get her to join the fight , guide a softer approaching this sentence . But his faux - soft whispers turn to raging hectoring when she tells him sheknowshe ’s the ground Aegon was dreadfully injured at Rook ’s Rest . “ I image it , ” she says simply . When Aemond threatens her , she ’s unruffled : “ Aegon will be king again … and you , you ’ll be drained . You were swallowed up in the God ’s Eye and you were never seen again . ”
He again threatens his sister after her prophetical lyric , but she tells him that kill her “ would n’t change anything . ”
© Ollie Upton/HBO
Rhaenyra arrives at Harrenhal , but the greeting she invite is not at all what she ’d fear . Though he has for sure coquet with the estimate throughout season two , Daemon has not betrayed her . He ’s caught a glimpse of the Song of Ice and Fire , live “ wintertime is come , ” and his loyalty is wholly re - affirmed . It starts off tense , but it ’s a tender reunification , improbably . And if you did n’t get goose skin when Daemon deform the knee , pledge his loyalty , and then head the assembled crew in cheer for his queer , you must not have been watchingHouse of the Dragonfor the past eight weeks .
Meanwhile , we go to another long - overdue opposition : Corlys and Alyn . Corlys ca n’t understand why Alyn seems so unhappy with what most would view a coveted furtherance to the Sea Snake ’s first mate . There ’s incredible work by Abubaker Salim as Alyn in this scene , as he garb down his estranged ( andstillnot publicly acknowledged ) father , state him how agonizing it was to see Corlys out and about with his legitimate children , living a luxurious living while Alyn and Addam grew up barely scrape by . Corlys has no successor left , Alyn aver , and “ nowyou remember I subsist ? Now you wish to suddenly break up the rotter of your favor ? I am an estimable man and I will service you because I must . But if it is all the same , I will decline any offers of help , ” he hisses . “ If I come through this war , I will persist in as I began : alone . ”
Back in the Vale , Rhaena spots the hazardous flying lizard ! At Dragonstone , Rhaenyra and Mysaria have another one of their talking while stare at Team Black ’s tame ( relatively speaking ) dragons encircle overhead . “ The gods favour you . They put the means to victory in your hands , ” Mysaria says . But Rhaenyra is feel ill about accept to massacre innocent mass to rectify her throne . Her Fatherhood surely would n’t have wanted it that way of life . “ Be hard , ” Mystaria tells her . “ You know you are just . You must not permit the realm fall to those who manage for power more than peace . ” ( alas , there ’s no scene in this episode showing us what Daemon — still back at Harrenhal — thinks of the close family relationship that ’s recrudesce between these two . )
But … mouth of Rhaenyra ’s faithful relationship : here ’s something nobody expect . Remember when Alicent asked her Grand Maester for another favour ? It was n’t for the aim of smuggling Heleana out of King ’s Landing . It was to sneak to Dragonstone and meet Rhaenyra , a reversal of Rhaenyra ’s private journey to talk to Alicent at the beginning of season two . It ’s a fantastical and very necessary scene , with Olivia Cooke and Emma D’Arcy showing just how conflicted their theatrical role are on so many levels .
A remorseful Alicent is assay — absolution ? pardon ? Rhaenyra is n’t here to give either and she ’s fed up with Alicent ’s desire to take Heleana and her surviving grandchild and go live somewhere in blissful anonymity . As Alicent bites her nails , a fleck of her childhood insecurity bubbling back up , she slowly gets to the period , telling Rhaenyra that in three days , after Aemond flies into battle and allow Heleana in charge , she ’ll arrange it so that Team Black can conquer King ’s Landing without resistance .
Rhaenyra points out that there ’ll be no claiming the Iron Throne with Aegon still awake . He will have to die as part of this . “ If I am to take the throne , I must put an end to the opposition . I must take Aegon ’s pass and I have to do it for all to see . Youknowthis , ” she tell her former friend . It comes back to this : “ A boy for a son , ” she insist . Alicent will have to make the ultimate forfeiture . Shedoesknow this . And she agrees . She just desire to be done with all this and “ be free”—and she even impulsively call for Rhaenyra to follow with her .
But there ’s no being free for Rhaenyra . She has her duties place out for her , and the Song of Ice and Fire must be sung .
As the episode , and with it season two , occur to an ending , we get a montage . The dragonriders suiting up . Rhaena face - to - snout with the furious dragon ( which does n’t incinerate her on sight , which seems foretell , though we do n’t see what bump next ) . Various armies on the march . Dragons screeching through the aura . ship on the sea ; there ’s Alyn and Corlys , appear very drab — and on the other side , Ser Tyland and his new pal Admiral Lohar . We get a glimpse of the long - MIA Ser Otto Hightower lag … somewhere . Alicent solemnly head home .
And — uh - oh — there ’s King Aegon and Lord Larys in a carriage that ’s presently stimulate its style out of King ’s Landing , a place that ’s poised to make a mess of Alicent ’s grim steal with Rhaenyra .
The last shots are of Alicent and Rhaenyra , deep in sentiment , gaze off into the distance — toward season three , no doubt .
Want more io9 news ? Check out when to expect the latestMarvel , Star Wars , andStar Trekreleases , what ’s next for theDC Universe on flick and TV , and everything you want to acknowledge about the next ofDoctor Who .
Game of ThronesHBOHouse of the tartar
Daily Newsletter
Get the best technical school , skill , and finish word in your inbox daily .
tidings from the future , cede to your present .
You May Also Like
