House of the Dragon’s third season kicked off with intensity, driven by the events of the Battle of the Gorge, and the pace won’t let up in the second episode. HBO has just released a series of new high-quality photographs, which range from dramatic, beautiful and highly thought-provoking scenes, revealing crucial details about what’s to come in the plot.
From the gathering of the last survivors of House Velaryon, to Alicent’s political maneuverings in King’s Landing, and the intensification of activities in the Riverlands, there is a vast field for analysis. The images offer important clues about the paths the narrative will take.
Scenario of sadness and uncertainty in Pedra do Dragão
The Dragonstone scenes reveal Rhaenyra Targaryen (played by Emma D’Arcy) with a visible expression of anguish. This feeling of disquiet will be a constant for several characters this week, but it is particularly understandable for Rhaenyra, who is dealing with the recent tragic death of her son Jace (Harry Collett). It is not yet known whether she is already aware of his final fate.
In this context of mourning, her advisor Mysaria (Sonoya Mizuno) is shown alongside Rhaenyra, displaying a deep concern in the beautiful landscapes of Pedra do Dragão, reinforcing the atmosphere of tension.
Even more intriguingly, dragonborn Ulf (Tom Bennett) and Hugh (Kieran Bew) are seen meeting Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith) on Dragonstone. Both characters were in other locations in the first episode of the season, making this reunion a significant plot point.
The presence of Daemon, interacting for the first time with the dragon tamers in the same scene, raises questions about how he will receive them, especially in comparison to the way Rhaenyra or Jace would treat them.
There are also close-up shots of Hugh and Ulf, apparently originating from the same sequence.
From the expression shown by Ulf, it is possible to infer a slight tension in his relationship with Daemon. Furthermore, other photographs of Daemon appear, both depicting him with armor in dark environments.
Daemon’s images are curious. While they may be of Dragonstone, his full armor would look unusual if he hadn’t just landed with his dragon, especially since he doesn’t wear it in the previous photo with Ulf and Hugh.
A stronger hypothesis associates these images with the Fall of King’s Landing, an event with a huge impact on the history of Westeros that many fans hope to see in this second episode of the season. However, Daemon’s exact whereabouts and the reason for the darkness of the environments remain a mystery to be solved.
Political intrigues and movements in King’s Landing
In King’s Landing, the cameras show Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke) with a melancholy expression, observing the landscape from a parapet in the Red Keep.
Another moment highlights Alicent alongside her daughter Helaena (Phia Saban), positioned among the guards who are loyal to the Green faction.
Following the queen mother’s daily routine, a new image portrays them in the Sacred Grove.
There is also an additional photograph of Helaena in the Red Keep, confirming her presence in the developments in the capital.
The number of photos of Alicent and Helaena suggests that the episode will dedicate a considerable portion of time to the capital. Even if the Fall of King’s Landing does not occur immediately, preparation for the event will be intense, and Alicent must play a decisive role in this process.
In addition to the already known characters, a new and intriguing figure will be introduced this week.
This is actor Tom Cullen, playing Ser Luthor Largent in the third season. Luthor is the commander of the Gold Cloaks, placing him at the epicenter of King’s Landing’s future plots. His role is extremely important in the next episodes, and his appearance signals significant twists, as pointed out in the books.
Leaving King’s Landing, the scenes move to the wild regions of the Crownlands and the Riverlands.
Aegon and Larys’ unexpected escape
This week, only one photo of Aegon II Targaryen (Tom Glynn-Carney) and Larys Strong (Matthew Needham) was revealed, but it is quite revealing. In the previous episode, Aegon and Larys were captured by soldiers loyal to Rhaenyra, who planned to take them to Duskendale for eventual transport to Dragonstone, aiming for a reward for the prisoners. However, knowledge of Aegon’s history in the books indicates that it is unlikely that he will be captured by Rhaenyra at this stage of the Dance of the Dragons.
The image seems to corroborate this inference, as Aegon and Larys do not appear to be prisoners, peering out of a cart in an almost comical way. It would be a surprise if they weren’t somehow trying to escape.
Developments and mysteries in the Riverlands
In the Riverlands, the situation seems favorable to the Black Team. New images show Oscar Tully (Archie Barnes) and Roddy the Ruin (Tommy Flanagan), both in a noticeably calmer state than in the previous episode, when they emerged from the Battle of Red Fork. The victories achieved against the Lannisters seem to have brought them some relief.
The Winter Wolves and the Tullys won’t be the only presences in the Riverlands this week. Criston Cole (Fabien Frankel) and Gwayne Hightower (Freddie Fox) are also seen together, observing something intriguing in the sky.
The only logical explanation for what the characters are watching so intently in the sky is the presence of a dragon. The question that remains is which winged creature this would be.
The two most likely possibilities are Caraxes, Daemon’s dragon, who is known to be departing the Riverlands for Dragonstone this week, or Vhagar. Aemond (Ewan Mitchell) left King’s Landing for Harrenhal in the first episode, which makes Vhagar of particular interest to Cole and Gwayne, who are also heading to Harrenhal and await Prince Aemond’s arrival.
Some images also appear that appear to be from Harrenhal.
One of them shows Ser Simon Strong (Simon Russell Beale), the castellan of Harrenhal, sitting on the castle’s throne, easily identifiable by its ornate and partially damaged backrest. Glimpses of Aemond at Harrenhal have already appeared in trailers, raising the question of whether he is the one Ser Simon is seeing.
Another never-before-seen image reveals Alys Rivers, the castle’s forest witch, played by Gayle Rankin.
Alys, known for her plans, like Ser Simon, has an appointment with Aemond in the books. Although it is not possible to confirm whether this scene will occur in this episode, the series is clearly building this narrative line for the future.
Rhaena Targaryen’s convalescence and burden
After exploring different locations, the focus returns to the survivors of the Battle of the Canyon. Rhaena Targaryen (Phoebe Campbell) has fallen on hard times. Although she enthusiastically claimed the wild dragon Sheep Thief, she quickly realized the difficulty in controlling him, which unintentionally contributed to the death of her half-brother Jace in battle. Rhaena appears visibly weakened, with some burns, suggesting that her pain goes beyond the physical.
Rhaena’s location is uncertain, but the last time the Sheep Thief was seen, he was returning to the Vale. This leads us to believe that Rhaena may be on the same path.
The harrowing search for the whereabouts of Corlys Velaryon
The last sequence of images takes us to a beach near the Gorge, where Alyn de Hull (Abubakar Salim) walks amid the wreckage of destroyed ships. The photography, although bleak, is aesthetically striking, with ruined masts emerging from the sea and contributing to the atmosphere of devastation.
Alyn is not alone; his niece, Baela Targaryen (Bethany Antonia), is also seen in the same location.
Surprisingly, the images reveal the first on-screen meeting between the two. HBO decided to show this moment in a preview of the episode, which generated great anticipation.
In addition to Alyn and Baela’s rich history in the books, their presence in the scene points to a common concern: Corlys Velaryon. The last time Corlys was seen, he was falling into the sea during the Battle of the Gorge, and an upcoming trailer shows him floating among rocks, still wearing his battle armor. The presence of Alyn and Baela suggests that they may be on a search for his whereabouts.
If this is the premise, the dragon seen in the background is possibly Seasmoke, the mount of Addam of Hull (Clinton Liberty), Alyn’s brother and another bastard son of Corlys. Based on the original material and the fact that his death has not been confirmed, the expectation is that Corlys will emerge from this situation unharmed.
All these developments and much more will be shown in the second episode of the third season of House of the Dragon, which premieres this Sunday on HBO and HBO Max.