‘House of the Dragon’ Season 2, episode 3 recap: It’s a Queen’s world… or is it?

By Alli Rosenbloom, CNN

(CNN) — This one goes out to the Queens.

As we ascend into Episode 3, we are graced with a revelatory reunion of our two star queens, some wisdom from the Queen Who Never Was and a bonus cameo from Milly Alcock – who briefly returns to reprise her Season 1 role as young Rhaenyra in one of Daemon’s (Matt Smith) creepy visions.

In the aftermath of the Cargyll assassination plot, Rhaenys (Eve Best) offers counsel to Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy). She’s suspicious that hotter heads prevail on Team Green because Otto Hightower (Rhys Ifans) wouldn’t have allowed the assassination attempt to be carried out.

Rhaenys also tells Rhaenyra she thinks that Alicent (Olivia Cooke) would probably rather not go to war either and encourages her to meet with Alicent in person, as a last-ditch effort to avert a war before any blood is shed.

Rhaenyra takes her advice and consults with Mysaria (Sonoya Mizuno) – who now has a place on her court as a reward for saving her life – on Alicent’s movements.

“If war can be averted, it is my duty to avert it,” Rhaenyra tells her.

In disguise, Rhaenyra sneaks into King’s Landing on a fishing boat and finds Alicent alone in the Sept.

Rhaenyra tells a stunned Alicent that she’s not surrendering, she’s there because she just wants to “uncover some path towards peace.” They exchange words (and maybe some veiled remorse) about their houses killing each other’s kin before Rhaenyra reminds Alicent that she’s still usurping her rightful inheritance.

Rhaenyra is steadfast that her father King Viserys reaffirmed she was to be his heir the night he died, but Alicent is still convinced that he “changed his mind” in favor of King Aegon (Tom Glynn-Carney) in his final breath.

Alicent tells Rhaenyra the details of that conversation with King Viserys, which is what sparked this whole conflict in the first place, saying that Viserys was “weary and hard to understand” but spoke of her son as “the prince that was promised to unite the realm.”

This is a ding-ding-ding moment for Rhaenyra. Immediately she realizes that, in his near-death delirium, her late father spoke of the super-secretive Song of Ice and Fire. Rhaenyra tries to explain that he was referencing Aegon the Conqueror, not Alicent’s now-King Aegon.

“There’s been a mistake,” Rhaenyra urgently tells Alicent, pleading with her to help prevent the “terrible war” that’s coming. But it’s no use.

“It’s too late, Rhaenyra,” Alicent says.

Elsewhere in Westeros

• Daemon claims Harrenhal after Simon Strong (Simon Russell Beale) pledges loyalty to Rhaenyra, who still has no idea that any of this is happening yet.
• While at Harrenhal, Daemon sees young Rhaenyra (Milly Alcock) stitching up the neck of a deceased Jaehaerys (Michael Carter) in a trippy vision.
• Daemon meets Alys Rivers (Gayle Rankin) at Harrenhal, who ominously tells him, “you will die in this place.”
• Rhaenyra sends her three young sons away to safety with Rhaena (Phoebe Campbell), who is less than thrilled about it, along with four dragon eggs that she says are their future if all else fails.
• Larys (Matthew Needham) talks King Aegon out of dragon-riding into battle, telling him that if he leaves, Alicent and Aemond (Ewan Mitchell) will call the shots while he’s away. He stays grounded and goes out drinking with his friends instead.
• King Aegon’s night out leads him to a brothel, where he runs into Aemond and proceeds to tease him pretty bad. Feels like a bad idea to tease Aemond, though. Right?

Rhaenys was the real winner of this episode, imbuing her wisdom upon Rhaenyra in a very mother-knows-best way, and we’re here for it.

“House of the Dragon” airs Sunday nights on Max, which like CNN is owned by Warner Bros. Discovery.

The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2024 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.