‘House of the Dragon’ Season 3, Episode 8 Recap: False Promises
Modern technology be damned—Westeros doesn’t need texting or even telephones. Word travels fast without it. As we begin the eighth episode of season three, we find that news of Aegon and Sunfyre’s resurrection has already spread across the realm and reached King’s Landing, where it has sent Rhaenyra into a tizzy. And thus, the stage is set for the finale.
Rhaenyra has been struggling throughout the season, basically on the verge of a nervous breakdown ever since she ascended the Iron Throne. But Aegon’s resurgence may just be her last straw. The Queen struggles to update Daemon through gasping breaths: Aegon’s supporters are gathering; they see this “resurrection as a sign from God.” Rhaenyra’s (or rather Alicent’s) plan to simply declare Aegon dead has backfired. He now has a comeback tale rivaled only by the gods.
Luckily, Daemon is there to calm Rhaenyra down, or at least, feed her more conspiracy theories. “We are the blood of Old Valyria,” he reminds her, conveniently forgetting that Aegon shares the same blood. Now, Rhaenyra has been ignoring Daemon’s violent suggestions throughout the season, opting to follow a path of relative peace initially paved by her father. Thus far, it hasn’t done her much good, and she has finally realized that. She agrees to attack Tumbleton and take down the Hightowers once and for all, but warns Daemon to practice self-control and avoid killing common folk. “The realm is watching,” she says. “Do not make a monster out of me.”
Some would argue that Rhaenyra already is a monster. Like Baela—who can’t believe that Rhaenyra isn’t prioritizing the rescue of the Seasnake after his capture at the hands of the Hightowers. Really, Baela shouldn’t be surprised. Rhaenyra and her Hand did not end things on the best of terms, and now, with the news of Aegon, Rhaenyra has other issues to worry about. Baela, though, can think only of her grandfather, and she takes the opportunity to speak some truth to Rhaenyra and provide some insight into what even the Queen’s closest allies think of her. “If a person is useful to you, you wield them, but if not, you abandon them,” Baela says, bringing up Rhaena, who ostensibly remains Rhaenyra’s prisoner. In response, Rhaenyra declares Baela and Rhaena insolent, adding “insolence runs in your blood.” Once again, Rhaenyra conveniently forgets that she and the girls share much of the same blood. Really, those who engage in blatant incest should not speak of genetics in such a way.
Baela may be over the Queen, but her lover/uncle is still very much drinking Rhaenyra’s Kool-Aid. He has fully embraced the authority bestowed upon him both by Corlys and Rhaenyra, instructing those who have just arrived from Driftmark to head to King’s Landing instead of saving the Seasnake from the Hightowers. Alyn invokes his new title, declaring himself the named successor of Driftmark and future Lord of the Tides with a confidence that has been waiting to come out for quite a while now. Later, his brother, Addam, questions Alyn’s blind loyalty to Rhaenyra, and when Alyn claims he has no ambition but to discharge his duty, it falls on deaf ears. Addam is unconvinced, and so am I.
Not all of Rhaenyra’s allies are doing so well. Apparently, Rhaenyra is regretting her one-night stand with Mysaria, because she has dismissed her Mistress of Whispers and arranged her transport to Pentos, a move that comes as quite a shock to the White Worm. Perhaps Rhaenyra learned that Mysaria was keeping secrets from her. Or, she is nervous that her feelings for the White Worm will cloud her judgment or affect her relationship with Daemon. Either way, Mysaria officially becomes another former ally turned enemy with whom Rhaenyra will eventually have to contend. Because while Mysaria is sent away, she manages to escape before boarding her ship— meaning she isn’t going anywhere.
Mysaria’s dismissal reeks of desperation, and it quickly proves to be ill-advised. The Queen has demonstrated time and time again that she isn’t fit to rule. Yes, even when she listens to her council, she usually fails, but the decisions she makes on her own are consistent disasters. Perhaps Mysaria would have advised Rhaenyra against marching on the Great Sept and threatening the High Septon to finally anoint her Queen. He refused to do it before, and now that Aegon is proven alive, there’s no way he’s budging. It doesn’t matter how many dragons she wields. Never one for religion, Rhaenyra opts to put an end to the debate and orders Alyn to kill the High Septon. Alyn acts like the good puppet he is, but looks slightly regretful as he watches an unarmed old man perish before him. Perhaps, in this moment, he has realized that his brother was right.
Over in Harrenhal, marital bliss between Alys and Aemond lives on. Not only was Alys able to save Aemond from his mother’s poisoning, but Alicent’s betrayal and escape mean Alys no longer has to contend with her mother-in-law. The incident also allows the duo to grow closer as she finally opens up to Aemond. Alys reveals that she is of Lord Harren’s line, and she and her son were the only survivors of the destruction of Harrenhal during Aegon’s Conquest. Her son was badly burned, and she looked to “older cures” and ancient incantations to save him. He didn’t survive, and she soon learned she’d been cursed, made immortal, stripped of her titles, and forced to remain within the boundaries of the Riverlands.
Now, is Alys telling the truth? She’s not necessarily a reliable source, but it would explain a few things: her knowledge of Harrenhal and its history, her inability to leave, her witchy ways. Really, the truth is irrelevant, because Aemond buys in, more infatuated with Alys than ever. In fact, he later declares her his “betrothed,” officially hard-launching the relationship.
Alys (and his regret over killing Aegon) has changed Aemond. So, when Aegon appears very much alive at Harrenhal, he is shocked to find a much meeker one-eyed Prince. Tom Glynn-Carney continues an impressive run, this time with the incredible line reading of, “I’m alive!” But Aegon is not able to gain the closure he hoped for with his visit to Harrenhal. He was expecting someone a bit more combatant, but Aemond is no longer willing to fight. He only wants forgiveness. So, Aegon reveals his plan. They are to find Vhagar, get Daeron, and head to King’s Landing to take back the throne. At that point, maybe Aegon will forgive Aemond for trying to kill him. No promises, though.
Not on Aegon’s to-do list is to rescue his sister/wife Helaena, who remains a prisoner in King’s Landing. To be fair, he doesn’t know she is pregnant, or that she is suffering greatly. Helaena is not eating. She is now alone because her mom is off trying (and failing) to kill her brother Aemond, and she is only allowed an hour outside a day. It’s during the most recent sojourn that she spots a gray mare, akin to the one she dreamt of in the last episode. While Mysaria is being escorted out of the castle, the now former Mistress of Whispers informs Helaena of Aegon’s return, but this news is not enough to combat the equestrian symbol of death.
Helaena becomes the second person this episode to tell off Rhaenyra. “All the things you care about are ugly,” she says. “You, yourself...ugly.” Rhaenyra isn’t moved and force-feeds Helaena, which appears to be the princess’ last straw. Those who have read the books have been waiting for Helaena to reach her breaking point, and she does before the episode ends, abandoning her prophetic embroidery and leaping out the window to her death.
Over in Tumbleton, Ormund, Daeron, and Gwayne are preparing for an attack. That means officially knighting Daeron the Daring, a name he (barely) lives up to by the end of the episode, and pushing children to the front lines to use as human shields. Still, there is one major chess piece missing from the board: Ulf. Ormund has learned why Rhaenyra banned the dragonseed from the pubs. Because while the Hightowers are steeling themselves for battle, Ulf is filling his belly with ale and talking smack. When it comes time for him to take flight, he is nowhere to be found.
While Ormund searches for Ulf, Gwayne takes matters into his own hands. Unwilling to face Rhaenyra’s troops “bravely and pointlessly,” he attempts to strike a deal. He brings Corlys to Daemon and offers to divide the realm and allow both Rhaenyra and Daeron to rule. Unsurprisingly, Daemon denies this. He doesn’t yet know about Ulf’s betrayal, so his odds are looking especially good. Besides, ruling is Rhaenyra’s birthright. She has the blood of Old Valyria for goodness' sake. Daemon has finally been permitted to fight; he is not about to back down now.
And thus, with more than half the episode over, the stage is set for the Battle of Tumbleton. It’s a slow start, but eventually the arrows start flying, and the blood starts spilling. Lord Roderick Dustin is definitely the star of this show, leading his Winter Wolves over the walls and into Tumbleton. Yeah, he may murder a little boy, but the kid did hit him first.
Daemon heeds Rhaenyra’s orders and holds off on taking flight on Caraxes until absolutely necessary, eventually using the dragon to blow the city’s gates so his soldiers can get in. It is at that point that the battle erupts into chaos. Ormund finds Ulf in the worst of places for the olfactory sensitive: the latrine. He finally boards his dragon, and much to Daemon’s surprise, starts burning Team Black’s troops. But Ulf wasn’t exactly treated well by the Hightowers either and decides, “Fuck you, too,” before burning down Tumbleton. It’s enough proof that Ulf probably should not have been given the responsibility of a dragon, despite his Targaryen lineage.
Meanwhile, Ormund is fighting, much to my surprise, though he can barely suppress his gag reflex amid all the blood. He is eventually taken out by Lord Roderick, who gives him “a proper fucking by the North.” Daeron is also eager to join in on the fun. Gwayne finds the little King unlocking his dragon, attempting to add some credibility behind his new moniker. But Gwayne begs his nephew to stay out of the fight. Clearly, Gwayne is still thinking about Criston Cole. “I have fought beside other brave men who believed death was the only path to glory,” he says, begging Daeron not to die for Ormund’s vanity.
It’s largely too late, however, because Ulf’s double betrayal has ended the fight, and when Daemon finally comes to after a battle against Jon Roxton, he sees the destruction around him. Tumbleton has been destroyed, along with many innocent townspeople, including Hugh the Hammer’s wife. Daemon could not keep his promise to Rhaenyra, but then again, it wasn’t a very smart promise to make. Corlys declares to Daemon that the town is lost, but it’s unclear if anyone actually won this battle. Ormund is dead, Daeron is MIA, and everything is up in flames.
The only one still holding onto hope is Rhaenyra. After having the High Septon killed, she addresses the public, reminding them that her father, Varys, had publicly named her to be his successor (fair). She also brings up the Song of Ice and Fire prophecy, claiming herself to be the Prince That Was Promised (less fair). It’s unclear how the public reacts to these far-out theories. Lord Manderly certainly seems skeptical. When Rhaenyra returns to the castle and learns of Helaena’s suicide, she studies the dreamer’s embroidery. It depicts Helaena’s fall, but also someone sitting on the Iron Throne, surrounded by flames, dragons, and pleading hands. Its meaning is unclear, but Rhaenyra will no doubt twist it to fit her agenda.
And with that, we say goodbye to Ormund, Helaena, and House of the Dragon season three. The season finale was wrought with false promises. Ulf promised to aid the Hightowers, Daemon promised to spare Tumbleton, and we were promised some form of closure to get us through the next few years until the next season. But thus is life in Westeros. No one can be trusted. Hopefully, though, we can trust HBO when they say there will be a season four.
