House of the Dragon Season 2 Episode 3 recap: A tense reunion

Here’s everything that goes down in House of the Dragon Season 2 Episode 3, the latest episode of the HBO show.

In House of the Dragon Season 2 Episode 2, we had the fallout of Blood and Cheese, a haunting funeral possession, and the banishment of Daemon from Dragonstone. There’s still so much to cover in the latest episode of the Game of Thrones spinoff, and Episode 3 doesn’t skip out on the tension.

Now, Rhaenyra has to reclaim the trust of her council, and Team Green are gunning to get this war started.

Here’s everything that goes down in House of the Dragon Season 2 Episode 3. This is your last chance to avoid spoilers, but if you’ve come this far, you’re probably looking for them.

Blackwood vs Brackens

While many fans had assumed (and hoped for) a Benjicot Blackwood cameo in this episode, it’s actually his father, Samwell, who makes an appearance. Not for long though, since Episode 3 opens with the Blackwood and Brackens clashing in classic fashion.

Divided over their alliances for Rhaenyra and Aegon (Blackwood for the former, Bracken for the latter), the young men quickly grow violent. Soon, we see the gruesome aftermath of the Battle of the Burning Mill – the first big-scale bloodshed of the Targaryen Civil War.

Back at Dragonstone, Rhaenyra buries Erryk and Arryk together after their duel in Episode 2. During the burial, Rhaenys wonders aloud which one of the many bloody events that’s taken place is to blame for the war, and it’s confirmed Rhaenyra did in fact get Alicent’s mysterious letter, but hasn’t opened it yet.

Criston’s first day

Whether House of the Dragon viewers like it or not, Criston Cole begins his first day as Hand of the King. His first duty? Get roasted! The rest of the Small Council make quick work of criticizing his Parent Trap-style twin switch, before discussing the bloody battle between the Blackwood and Brackens.

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The council devises a plan: the Riverlands are the key to the war, so they must win Harrenhal. Cole and Aemond decide they’ll head out, and Aegon (despite their protests) insists upon coming with Sunfyre. 

At Dragonstone, Mysaria is still around. After alerting the guards to Arryk’s attack, she’s earned the trust of Rhaenyra. Together, they create an agreement;  Mysaria will help Rhaenyra by using her knowledge of the Red Keep, if Rhaenyra promises to defeat the Hightowers, who Mysaria hates. 

Later, Rhaenyra makes a big request to Rhaena. She wants her remaining children to be safe, so she asks Rhaena to take them to stay with Lady Aaron. Rhaena refuses at first, despising the idea of being a babysitter, but Rhaenyra offers her a small dragon and manages to get her on side.

Daemon takes Harrenhal

Harrenhal is the talk of the episode, but Daemon’s the first one to get there. Upon arrival, he finds Simon Strong, who willingly gives it up and pledges loyalty to Rhaenyra. 

Before heading out to battle, Cole (with a new terrible haircut, mind you) meets Alicent Hightower’s cocky and self-assured brother, Gwayne Hightower. He’ll ride out with them, to Cole’s annoyance.  

The vibes aren’t good in Dragonstone. The council wants to act now and send out the dragons, while Rhaenyra wants to wait for Daemon to return from Harrenhal (aka: his temporary banishment after a marital spat). When the council gets a little too vocal, she throws the t-word into the room (treason), which shuts them up rather quickly.

Rhaenys has returned to the Gullet to visit her husband Corlys, who worries about the future of Driftmark. When the subject of Daemon comes up, Rhaenys seems certain the hot-headed prince won’t try to overthrow Rhaenyra.

Speaking of Rhaena, she’s off to escort the children away from Dragonstone with Stormcloud and Tyraxis. Loaded with some unhatched dragon eggs and a reminder of Lady Aaron’s promise of an army, she leaves after Rhaenyra shares an emotional goodbye with her little ones. 

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Following the traumatic funeral procession, Helaena seems more preoccupied with handling her grief and response to the smallfolk than Alicent’s scandal with Criston (though she does say she forgives her.) Meanwhile, Aegon’s suiting up to ride into battle. Thankfully, Larys Strong comes in and cunningly talks him out of it – a move which gets him the position of Master of Whisperers.

Time to welcome: Ulf White! At a dingy King’s Landing bar, Ulf is running his mouth, bragging to a man from Dorne that he’s the grandchild of Jaehaerys I Targaryen. This makes him a dragonseed, and a potential heir to the Iron Throne. But while he’s talking – and mentioning that he thinks Jacaerys Velaryon is the rightful heir – Aegon comes in.

Thankfully, the king doesn’t hear him, too preoccupied with taking his young squire to a pleasure house. While there, we get an awkward family encounter of horrific proportions as he finds Aemond, naked and curled up with the madame.

In Dragonstone, Rhaenyra is distraught over having to say goodbye to her children. Finally, she reads Alicent’s note.

Milly Alcock returns

We finally get some dragon action when Cole and Gwayne, leading the army, are arguing about whether to march through the night or stay at a tavern. Baela arrives on Moondancer, chasing after them until they run into the treeline and out of her sight.

Baela returns to tell Rhaenyra and her Small Council about the missed opportunity, and they once again beg for her to make a move while they still can.

At Harrenhal, Daemon is wallowing around, looking very sorry for himself after being kicked out by the Mrs. While in bed, he hears someone trying to get into the room. Quickly going after them, he wanders into a room and finds…Milly Alcock!

A young Rhaenyra is sitting by the fire and sewing the decapitated head of Jaehaerys to his body. He almost seems tearful, before his dream (or vision, perhaps) takes him to the edge of Harrenhal where woman tells him, “you will die in this place.”

Rhaenyra confronts Alicent

After plotting with the White Worm, Rhaenyra makes a decision. If there’s potential peace and avoidance of war, it’s her duty to try. As such, she decides she must speak to Alicent face-to-face.

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Sneaking into King’s Landing on a boat (much like Daemon prior to Blood and Cheese), she’s escorted by one of the White Worm’s allies into the city, finding Alicent going into the Sept. Disguised as a nun, she sneaks into the Sept and takes a seat next to Alicent, whipping out a knife.

Alicent almost screams, and Rhaenyra assures her that she’d kill her before the guards could come. The Black Queen then lays out her terms. She has no desire for blood and glory, and she wants to find a path to peace. Alicent, however, says there are no terms after recent events. After everything, she still believes Viserys spoke Aegon’s name.

After finding out that Viserys called Aegon, “the prince that was promised”, she has a realization. Viserys wasn’t crowning Aegon King – he was revealing to her the Song of Ice and Fire, talking about Aegon the Conqueror. She tries to insist there’s been a mistake, but Alicent won’t hear of it.

Alicent eventually stands up and leaves, while Rhaenyra sits in the understanding that she was right: the Iron Throne was always hers.

That’s House of the Dragon Season 2 Episode 3! For more, check out our House of the Dragon Season 2 Episode 1 recap to catch up. Or, take a look at our House of the Dragon Season 2 review. We’ve also got explainers on Otto Hightower and Hugh Hammer, so you don’t miss a thing.