HBO’s House of the Dragon brought its third season to a dramatic end Sunday night as the war between the rival Targaryen factions intensified, with the return of Aegon II and his dragon Sunfyre threatening Rhaenyra Targaryen’s increasingly fragile hold on the Iron Throne.
The Season 3 finale aired August 9 and centered on the Battle of Tumbleton while also delivering major developments in King’s Landing and Harrenhal. HBO had previously announced that the eight-episode season would conclude on August 9.
The episode begins with news spreading across Westeros that Aegon II is alive and has reunited with Sunfyre. Aegon is Rhaenyra’s younger half-brother and rival claimant to the throne, not her son. His apparent return from the dead quickly becomes a political problem for Rhaenyra as supporters begin treating his survival as a sign that the gods favor him, according to a recap by NPR. Some residents of King’s Landing turn to the Faith of the Seven for guidance over who should rightfully rule.
With Aegon’s survival threatening her authority, Rhaenyra agrees to let Daemon move against the Hightower forces occupying Tumbleton. She warns him not to simply unleash Caraxes on the town and burn civilians indiscriminately, arguing that the public is watching how she conducts the war.
Rhaenyra also faces growing criticism from within her own family. Baela Velaryon is angry that rescuing her grandfather Corlys Velaryon, who is being held by the Hightowers, is not Rhaenyra’s first priority. Baela accuses the queen of valuing people only while they remain useful to her. Alyn Velaryon, meanwhile, has emerged as a firm supporter of Rhaenyra after being named Corlys’ successor to Driftmark, while his brother Addam begins questioning Alyn’s unquestioning loyalty to the queen.
In King’s Landing, Rhaenyra examines the crown previously worn by her father, King Viserys I. It is not Aegon the Conqueror’s crown. When Aegon II was crowned earlier in the series, he wore the separate circlet associated with Aegon the Conqueror.
Rhaenyra also dismisses Mysaria from her position and arranges for her to travel to Pentos with enough money to establish a comfortable life there. Mysaria never actually reaches Pentos, however. While being escorted out of King’s Landing, she slips away from her guards during unrest in the streets and disappears into the crowd.
Helaena Targaryen, meanwhile, is deteriorating emotionally and refusing to eat. During one of her brief periods outside, she sees a gray horse resembling an image from one of her earlier visions. Mysaria tells Helaena before leaving the Red Keep that Aegon is alive, making Helaena’s pregnancy even more politically significant.
Another major revelation occurs at Harrenhal, where Alys Rivers tells Aemond Targaryen about her mysterious past. According to NPR’s recap, Alys claims that she was once the wife of Harren the Black, the ruler who built Harrenhal before it was destroyed during Aegon the Conqueror’s invasion. She says one of her sons initially survived the attack but was badly injured. Alys turned to ancient magic in an attempt to save him, but he died, and she was cursed to remain within Harrenhal for what appears to be an unnaturally long life.
Aegon II then arrives at Harrenhal on Sunfyre and confronts Aemond over Aemond’s earlier attempt to kill him. Instead of finding the defiant brother he expected, Aegon encounters a remorseful Aemond seeking forgiveness. Aegon proposes that the brothers reunite, find Vhagar, bring Daeron into their plans and eventually march on King’s Landing to reclaim the throne.
At Tumbleton, Lord Ormund Hightower formally knights Daeron as the forces prepare for Rhaenyra’s approaching army. Daeron is not Ormund’s son. He is the son of Alicent Hightower and the late King Viserys I, making Ormund a member of his extended Hightower family.
Before the battle begins, Gwayne Hightower attempts to prevent further bloodshed. He brings the captive Corlys to Daemon and offers a negotiated settlement under which Daeron would abandon his claim to the Iron Throne in return for being allowed to rule the Reach from Oldtown. Daemon rejects the proposal.
The Battle of Tumbleton then erupts. Roderick Dustin and the Winter Wolves storm the city’s defenses while Daemon initially avoids using Caraxes directly against the population. He eventually uses the dragon to destroy the city gates and allow Rhaenyra’s forces to enter.
The balance changes when Ulf the White appears on Silverwing. Ulf, who had previously abandoned Rhaenyra’s side for the Greens, begins burning Black troops from the air. But his loyalty to the Hightowers proves unreliable as well, and his attack ultimately contributes to the destruction of Tumbleton itself.
Ormund Hightower is mortally wounded during his fight with Roderick Dustin before Ulf and Silverwing engulf the area in dragonfire. Both men die. Much of Tumbleton is devastated, and numerous civilians are killed. Hugh Hammer later discovers that his wife, Kat, is among the dead. Daeron’s fate is left uncertain after the fighting, while Gwayne survives and searches for him in the ruins.
Back in King’s Landing, Rhaenyra attempts to force the High Septon to publicly recognize her as the rightful ruler. When he refuses, she orders Alyn Velaryon to kill him. Rhaenyra then addresses the crowd herself, revealing elements of the Song of Ice and Fire prophecy and presenting her rule as essential to the future survival of the realm. The crowd’s reaction is far from enthusiastic.
The episode’s darkest moment comes with Helaena. After another painful encounter with Rhaenyra, Helaena returns to her embroidery and ultimately throws herself from a window of the Red Keep, killing herself. She leaves behind a tapestry depicting a woman falling from the tower, appearing to foreshadow her own death.
When Rhaenyra later examines Helaena’s work, she finds another image showing herself seated on the Iron Throne. The surrounding scene, however, is filled with fire, dragons and chaos. Rather than focusing on the destruction surrounding the throne, Rhaenyra appears drawn to the image of herself finally occupying it.
The finale leaves Westeros in an increasingly dangerous position. Aegon II is alive and reunited with Sunfyre, Aemond may once again join his brother, Tumbleton has been devastated, Helaena and Ormund are dead, Daeron’s fate is uncertain, and Rhaenyra has alienated both political allies and the Faith as her determination to hold the Iron Throne grows stronger.
The events set up an even larger struggle for the final phase of the Targaryen civil war as House of the Dragon moves toward its next season.
IMAGE: Milly Alcock (right) and Emily Carey in ‘Rhaenyra Targaryen & Alicent Hightower Discuss Suitors | House of the Dragon | Max’. Uploaded to Youtube by HBO under CC-BY-3.0 Unported license on March 8, 2024.. Photo: HBO / Wikimedia, taken 2024-03-08, CC BY 3.0
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