Score: 7.5/10
After an (I can’t believe I’m saying this) underwhelming child beheading followed by a goofy Parent Trap assassination scheme, House of the Dragon’s third episode is finally meandering its way back to peak storytelling form. Although Episode 3, “The Burning Mill”, is relatively tame compared to its earlier counterparts, it brings back fresh themes of political conflict that are central to what make this franchise so great in the first place.
In this episode, we begin to see more real-time consequences of the rift between the Blacks and the Greens, some hot-headed men making bad decisions, and Rhaenyra and Alicent reunited once again. It’s a slower episode, a little lacking in dramatic action and flame-engulfed dragon fights, but a solid episode nonetheless. Let’s recap (spoilers ahead!).
Local Tiffs
“The Burning Mill” begins with a cold open of sorts; two opposing families, the Brackens and Blackwoods, are feuding, and their childish insults quickly escalate into declarations for their one true king/queen. While the Hatfields and McCoys-style beef between the two parties feels silly at first, especially when you factor in how it’s taking place amongst nameless tweens, it doesn’t take long for the conflict to turn very, very ugly. The episode swiftly cuts from a young boy threatening his equally young opponent with his sword, to the aftermath of a brutal massacre with hundreds, perhaps thousands, lying dead in the very same field where the boys stood, now soaked with blood and overrun with bodies.
Online, opinions are divided regarding HBO’s decision to not show this battle take place on-screen, but it is an example of practical storytelling nonetheless. With a son now dead on each side, the Blacks and Greens have still yet to make any truly catastrophic, large-scale moves, but the effects of the divide between them are beginning to show on a local level. We got a peek at the starving and poor smallfolk in the previous episode, and now we see how the conflict is causing deeper repercussions throughout the kingdom.
Good For Her
Meanwhile on Dragonstone, the Cargyll twins are buried together following the aftermath of their “who’s who” battle as Rhaenyra and Rhaenys look on. Rhaenys, ever the more composed, wiser, and older counterpart to Rhaenyra, gives the queen a stern talk about the best way to go about winning the looming war, should there be one at all.
From Season 1, I have been a consistent Rhaenys stan. Eve Best has an incredibly commanding presence, even when she is delegated to the darker corners of the room or the less important seats on war councils filled with incompetent men. Her tight-lipped frustration with being a calm and capable leader, but one who is consistently overlooked simply for being a woman, has paved smooth the same path that Rhaenyra walks now. Her resentment over being the “Queen Who Never Was” has yet to loosen its grip on her, but in a sea of grabby and brash men fighting for power, she is a pillar of stability and level headedness. Any scene with Rhaenys is a real treat for viewers, and she gets bonus points from me for having perhaps the one and only healthy and loving marriage in all of Westeros (and to someone she is not directly related to, no less… maybe that has something to do with it).
Dilly Dallying Daemon
The Daemon arc of this episode was easily the least interesting to me. As a storm rages, Caraxes lands at the worn down Harrenhal, toting an armor-clad Daemon. The prince finds Ser Simon Strong, uncle of the murdered Lord Lyonel Strong, dining peacefully, and he is quick to pledge loyalty to Rhaenyra, although it’s evident he didn’t really care either way. It was really just a matter of who arrived at Harrenhal first.
We haven’t seen Daemon since he fought with Rhaenyra and took off, pouting like a scolded young child. At least he’s doing something for the cause. It’s times like these when House of the Dragon is at its weakest; a side plot that seems like it’s supposed to be important, but fails to authentically feel that way. Unfortunately, Daemon is often the one caught in the crosshairs of bad writing in this series.
After suffering a nightmare in which he envisions a young Rhaenyra (yay, Milly Alcock is back!!) sewing Jaehaerys’ severed head back onto his neck (ew, for a number of reasons), Daemon comes to, only to encounter a mysterious woman who ominously says “you will die in this place” and glides away. Will this premonition come true this season? Only time will tell. For now, Daemon is still farting around, instead of being the badass warrior the series established in Season 1. Sigh.
Cowardly Criston
In other news, Ser Criston Cole is still an asshole, and there’s no sign the showrunners will be relieving us viewers of his antics yet. Fabien Frankel absolutely excels in this role; in Episode 2, chip-on-his-shoulder Cole was cocky and overconfident, but now, as the newly appointed Hand of the King, his first day jitters are evident as he shows up to the council meeting fashionably late (must have been busy styling his flowing locks).
Aegon is, as usual, a bumbling fool, easily manipulated and blissfully unaware of how effortlessly he is controlled by the likes of Larys Strong and those who serve on his council. You can practically see Alicent bury her face in her hands every time he opens his mouth. Aegon waffles between taking his dragon out to battle and staying at the castle, but ultimately decides to stay (or rather, is manipulated into staying).
After a particular scene reminiscent of Fiona and Shrek, green dress and all, Criston rides off with his team, with Alicent’s annoying, hoity-toity brother Gwayne in tow. Unfortunately for them, it doesn’t take long for them to encounter Baela, patrolling on her dragon Moondancer. As much as we would like to see Cole burnt to a crisp, Baela, much like her cool-headed grandmother, exercises restraint and leaves the group alone rather than burn down an entire forest just to get to them.
It’s a spooky scene, for sure. Seeing the Targaryens comfortably handle their dragons with such grace, it’s easy to forget that these things are absolute killing machines. The terror on Gwayne’s face as his horse dashes toward the tree line serves as a necessary reminder of just how perilous a war with these beasts will be.
Septa Rhaenyra
The episode ends on a masterfully directed scene, although it forebodes much darker, violent things to come. In a last ditch effort to avoid all-out war, Rhaenyra sneaks into King’s Landing (WHO is guarding this place??) disguised as a septa, infiltrating the church where Alicent frequently prays alone. During their unexpected reunion, Rhaenyra pleads with Alicent to see if peace is still an option. I’m sure holding her at knifepoint really helped make a convincing argument.
The Rhaenyra-Alicent scenes have remained a consistent highlight throughout House of the Dragon’s run. From childhood besties to weird step-mother/daughter pair to now sworn enemies from opposing factions, these two women have been through a lot. But the ups and downs of their relationship have always been the most fleshed out, well-written aspect of the series. Emma D’Arcy and Olivia Cooke are absolutely phenomenal in their roles as Rhaenyra and Alicent, respectively, with a strong chemistry and undeniable pull. It’s clear from this scene in the church that they both want the same thing, but the situation has already spiraled too far out of their control.
The episode concludes with an upsetting revelation. As Alicent swears up and down that Viserys wished for Aegon to be king in his final breath, she clarifies his last words: the Prince That Was Promised. A shocked Rhaenyra, with an expression that evokes the viral meteor-meatier TikTok, explains what is clearly a mixup with a different Aegon: the prophesied Conqueror one, not her little bitch boy half-brother. Alicent leaves in a huff, refusing to believe the alleged mistake, but it’s clear from her troubled expression that she is starting to realize her terrible, terrible error. If only the Targaryens could think of more original names.
Final Thoughts
This episode is a dialogue-heavy one, but sometimes exercising restraint in portraying on-screen violence is a good thing. House of the Dragon is certainly not without its flaws, but it is far from being a snoozer. For the time being, I am choosing to trust that all of this setup is leading to some spectacularly big dragon battles and character deaths (and maybe some more of naked Aemond, who knows?).
See you next Sunday.
Photos are property of HBO.
Olivia Snyder is a Japanese-American trilingual interpreter and translator from Ohio. She currently lives in Japan working as a Coordinator of International Relations.
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