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Lead Critic for the site, as well as serving as an editor when needed.
This season of HBO’s House of the Dragon continues to push the realm further into war, and the usurpers have seemed to finally accept the inevitable. Much of Game of Thrones, and television in general, is driven by dialogue. Thrones conversations always have eerie repercussions. While this week’s episode of House of the Dragon was heavily driven by such dialogue, generational conflict continues to play a huge part in the events of the series. George R.R. Martin’s universe is arguably a huge saga of generational war.
“The Burning Mill” is written by David Hancock and directed by Geeta Vasant Patel. The final conversations of peace are had this week, and things are in motion that can no longer be stopped. The Blackwoods and the Brackens fight in the Battle of the Burning Mill in the Riverlands, which has no realistic victor. The battle was just a reason to reignite a feud that has been looming for centuries, but both sides do so in the name of Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D’Arcy) and Aegon II (Tom Glynn-Carney), respectively.
Sins of the Father
Along with the Blackwoods and the Brackens, Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke) and Rhaenyra now have to reckon with all of the events that led to this moment. Several of these decisions were set forth because of King Viserys I and his hand, Ser Otto Hightower (Rhys Ifans). Viserys, for all his good, was a bit of an airhead. Otto constantly made moves behind Viserys’s back. He continually pushed for Aegon to be king over Rhaenyra, who Viserys had already named heir. Otto is ultimately responsible for finding Aegon in Season One’s penultimate episode. Alicent seems to have finally accepted her and Otto’s actions last season, hypocritical or not.
Everyone was seemingly contemplating their legacy this week. Lord Corlys Velaryon (Steve Toussaint) and Rhaenys Targaryen (Eve Best) continued to discuss the heir to Driftmark, which seems constantly up for debate anyway. However, both become key players in the war, and it will be interesting to see how they handle the war’s events and deal with the fallout as Driftmark is concerned.
Meet the Targaryens
In a continued fashion, Rhaenyra makes the proactive decision to send her younger children, Joffrey, Aegon & Viserys, with Daemon Targaryen’s (Matt Smith) daughter Rhaena (Phoebe Campbell) to the Vale. They are accompanied by four dragon eggs and two young dragons. This is arguably the first big, safe move on Rhaenyra’s part. The safety of these children in Rhaena’s care arguably guarantees her victory, as Rhaenyra’s heir inevitably ends up on the Iron Throne at the end of the war. It will also be interesting to see their growth in the Vale throughout the course of the HBO series.
King Aegon II’s confidence is also dwindling week by week. Somehow, his insecurities seem to make him even more confident. While Aegon isn’t the best king on the surface, it seems deep down he wants to be a good king, but all of these factors keep him from making rational decisions. His council is also constantly working against him, but he does seem to have finally figured that out.
Dragons & Exposition
It would not be House of the Dragon without someone riding a dragon to war. Daemon rides Caraxes into Harrenhal and claims it for the Blacks. Although, Ser Simon Strong (Simon Russell Beale) convinces Daemon they are technically already aligned with the Blacks, due to Lord Larys Strong’s (Matthew Needham) murder of Lionel and Harwin Strong. Now, Daemon’s main goal remains to muster an army big enough to fight for Rhaenyra.
Criston Cole (Fabien Frankel)—now Hand of the King, along with being Lord Commander of the Kingsguard—musters his own forces. He begins a march towards the Riverlands in King Aegon II’s name, with Alicent’s brother at his side, Ser Gwayne Hightower (Freddie Fox). Daemon’s older daughter Baela (Bethany Antonia) encounters Cole and Gwayne while scouting on her dragon, Moondancer.
Moondancer is easily one of the finest dragons ever seen in this franchise and seems to have a great relationship with her rider. She, like Caraxes, seems very agile compared to how many of the dragons are portrayed, and it will be epic to see her actually fight later on. It’s amazing to see the characters run away at even the slightest sight of a dragon. This scene further proves that the wheels are now in motion and that this war can’t be stopped now. Baela inevitably reports this back to the Black Council.
A Final Tryst
In a rather chaotic move, Rhaenyra sneaks back into King’s Landing to make one final plea to Alicent. However, she is having no part in this, ironically enough. Alicent almost begged every week for the senseless killing to cease. Yet, now there really is no going back, especially considering the army marching towards the Riverlands that encounters Moondancer. Alicent, in a way, almost tells Rhaenyra to go screw herself, but she just listens to her former best friend. They eventually work their way back to the night this began, with King Viserys’s death.
Ultimately, they find that somehow Viserys told Alicent, unknowingly, about Aegon the Conqueror’s Song of Ice and Fire. Alicent believes it’s all fugazi, but Rhaenyra pleads with her even further. Alicent finally confesses that she has no more power and that once again, the wheels are finally in motion and nothing can be stopped. Cooke’s character will only decline from here and finally begin to truly reckon with all she has done.
Technical Details
While most of this week was driven purely by dialogue, the writing and the direction are pure Game of Thrones and keep the season going nicely. Catherine Goldschmidt’s cinematography is key in this episode, as we get some great shots of the characters on their dragons. There are also a couple of POV shots while on the dragon, and they aren’t distracting from the action playing out on screen. Adam Bosman’s editing is sharp and holds everything together as well, and watching Daemon move throughout Harrenhal is enchanting enough. He cannot fight anyone here, but watching the magical elements come back into the series is great.
Final Thoughts on HBO’s House of the Dragon Season 2 Episode 3
The best parts of House of the Dragon will easily be the dragon fights. Many of the main characters are dragonriders, and all of the major deaths continue to occur on dragonback. While “The Burning Mill” is heavy on dialogue, these slower moments make way for the epic fights that will occur. It was great to see the introduction of Moondancer, and Daemon’s moves continue to be existential in some nature. It was nice to see Alicent and Rhaenyra finally accept what is coming, and everyone made key moves that would lead to the beginning of the war.
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Lead Critic for the site, as well as serving as an editor when needed.
This article was edited by John Tangalin.