Welcome to the Ending Explained for House of the Dragon, episode 3 “Second of His Name” the episode comes in light of the news that House of the Dragon is being watched by more than 10 million people every week. The show is an amazing success for HBO. It is almost a sure thing that the rumored Jon Snow show will also be given the green light to start production. People love Game of Thrones and the A Song of Ice and Fire world, and HBO is ready to give it to them.
Episode 3 proves that House of the Dragon is able to deliver not only fantastic political intrigue but can also create fantastic character moments alongside epic action. Were you waiting for dragons to burn things and see a lot of people cut in half? Well, this is the episode for you. The scale of the show is getting bigger and bigger, and we are only in episode 3. There are seven more episodes in this season, so we can only imagine what could be in store.
The following paragraphs contain spoilers for House of the Dragon episode 3. Read at your own risk.
Will Rhaenyra Fight For Her Right To The Throne?
In the previous episode of House of the Dragon, Viserys I, King of Westeros, came to his small council with big news. He announced that he was going to marry again. However, in an unexpected move for most people, Viserys ended up marrying Alicent Hightower, daughter of Otto Hightower, the hand of the king and also the best friend of Rhaenyra, the heir to the throne. Episode 3 opens three years after with the celebration of Vyseris first male son, Aegon II, and with Alicent expecting another child very soon.
These developments, of course, have alienated Princess Rhaenyra. The young princess has not only lost her best friend. She sees Alicent’s relationship with her father as a betrayal, but also the birth of Aegon II puts her claim to the throne in question. The men don’t want a queen on the Iron Throne, and the rumor that young Aegon will replace Rhaenyra as the heir to the throne has already been spreading all over the realm.
Viserys doesn’t really know how to approach the situation. His relationship with Rhaenyra has become quite strained; they barely talk, and yet, Viserys has good intentions. He genuinely wants Rhaenyra to be happy. He sees that Jason Lannister, one of the most highly respected members of that house, is interested in Rhaenyra, so he tries to make them a match. Rhaenyra feels offended by the proposal and lashes out against her father.
In a later conversation, Rhaenyra and Viserys explain their situations to each other. Rhaenyra feels left out, not wanted, and that she will be taken off the throne in favor of Aegon, who is male. Viserys explains to her that he wants her to be happy and that he will not replace her as heir to the throne with Aegon. However, Viserys is wise when telling her that she needs to make her claim stronger. She needs to marry, have children, and win allies. If she wants to be queen, she will need to work for it. This lights up a light inside Rhaenyra.
What Happens In The Battle At The Stepstones?
Meanwhile, the other focus of the episode takes place at the Stepstones. The situation in the area has reached an alarming state. The war has been going on for three years, and the coalition of House Velaryon and Daemon Targaryen’s men has reached a tipping point. They don’t have enough men to continue to battle the Crab Feeder and his pirates. In Westeros, we can see how the war is seen by members of the court and other noble houses as a just simple strategy by Daemon to keep the realm in chaos.
Rhaenyra thinks otherwise, but she doesn’t want to take part in these discussions as his opinion is not considered important. In a previous episode, Rhaenyra proposed sending Dragonriders to help in the war effort, but her opinion was dismissed. Meanwhile, Viserys doesn’t know how to act. The war was initiated by Daemon and Lord Velaryon, so Viserys thinks that helping them would only be a reward for their insubordination.
In a conversation with Viserys, Alicent sees that her husband is overwhelmed by the number of decisions he must make. However, she suggests he should just go with what he thinks is the correct way. In his opinion, what is the best decision that would help the realm? After this conversation, we see that Viserys has sent a letter to Daemon at the Stepstones. He tells Rhaenyra that he has offered to help finish the conflict and go back to better times for the entire region.
At the Stepstones, Daemon receives the letter. However, Daemon sees that he has failed. A victory by himself at the Stepstones would have potentially strengthened his claim to the throne, but he couldn’t achieve that. Now, his brother has come to the rescue, sending two thousand men and Dragonriders just like Rhaenyra wanted in the first place. Daemon goes to battle, and the Crab Feeder is easily defeated. Daemon cuts the man in half with his valyrian steel sword, Dark Sister.
