House of R - ‘House of the Dragon’ Season 3 Episode 2 Reactions | Talk the Thrones

Episode Date: June 29, 2026

Chris Ryan, Mallory Rubin, and Joanna Robinson are primed and ready to give you all of their thoughts on the newest episode of ‘House of the Dragon’! They start off with a very helpful, and beautiful, map of Westeros and touch on where all our characters are currently. Then they dive into the epic throne room scene, Aemond in Harrenhal, and the wonderful adventures of Aegon and Larys.(00:00) Intro(01:27) CR’s Recap(07:00) Westeros Geography Corner(14:00) The Movements of the New Dragon Riders(15:54) Alys the Witch and Harrenhal(24:19) Aemond in Harrenhal(25:00) Rhaenyra and the Throne Room(28:08) A Brief History of Otto Hightower(31:56) Rhaenyra’s Public Test(33:57) Aegon and Larys on the Road(34:38) Alicent is Going Through It(37:13) Corlys and His Remaining Family(38:13) The Reactions to Jace’s death(40:40) The Prophecy and the Targaryen Lineage(44:14) The Mysaria Dynamic(47:12) Where Does Aegon Go From Here?Hosts: Chris Ryan, Mallory Rubin, and Joanna RobinsonProducers: Aleya Zenieris, Carlos Chiriboga, and Scott LeeSocial: Jomi AdeniranSet Production: Jonathan Ratliff and Gitu MehraAdditional Production Support: Arjuna Ramgopowell Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hello and welcome to Talk the Thrones. My name is Chris Ryan. I'm joined as always by Joanna Robinson, as well as a woman who never needs a second chance at a first beheading. It's Mallory Rubin. We are here to talk about the second episode of the third season of House of the Dragon,

and we'll get to it right after this. You can hear more of Mal and Joe on House of Our, a wonderful podcast. Do you listen? Only through the list that stuff. Yeah. Real head. No, I just, I'm saving the,

list that stuff for when I watch vampire list that. Which I think it's going to happen. I hope so. You're missing out, man. I have lots of free time. And you can listen to me and Andy chat about all things pop culture, really. That's right. I think Andy's really going to respond well to Helena saying that she thinks she might like to raise chickens. I think that's going to speak to Andy and he's going to engage.

I'm excited for the watch. I'm always excited for the watch. I think Andy is definitely going to focus on Eagon and Laris as being the redeeming quality of the show at this point. But we're going to recap this episode before we get into the large. your discussion, so we'll do so right after this. All right. We start things off with a bitter sweet symphony. Poor Jace, man.

Yeah. That is life. Yeah. It is life. If you're a Targaryen, this is just how it goes. Because while the blacks may have in Bela's words won the battle, they lost a prince. And Reneira is predictably distraught by the death of her son and pretty salty at those for a party to Jace calling his own number and locking the queen up in her chambers.

Rightly so. In the veil, Raina is on the run from her own family, pretty much, bringing sheepstealer back home and pleading with Jane Aaron. Is that her name? Yep. You spelled Jane wrong, but you got the name right. But is it Jane of Aaron? No, Jane Aaron of the Vale.

J-E-Y-N-E, believe it or not. They spell that. That's how Jane's spelled their name in Philly, actually. After some hesitation, Jane shark tanks the thing, offering Rana a blind eye to her presence in the less traffic parts of her kingdom as long as Raina uses her temperamental and recklessly violent nuclear weapon to fend off any attackers.

What could go wrong? Fair trade. Damon finds out that Jace is dead and takes it in true stepfather fashion in the sense that he goes and hangs out with the witch. Incredibly, he's like, I've got time for this before heading back. He is being said to King's Landing

to help Reneer claim the Iron Throne but leave some men behind to guard Haran Hall. Wonder what happens to those guys. Yeah, no notes on the musical number that we got from post-fifference. Fish feed, you know. You're, I mean, it's like always musical hour with the two of you. No thoughts. Will this be making your Spotify wrapped? Fish feed. Fish feed. Not my favorite throne song ever, but fun. Had a fun, fine time. On the road to Kings Landing, Agon and Laris are talking about Reneer's court of cunts.

Can't believe that wasn't the opening introduction today. I got to be honest. I didn't say it. Those guys did. Which sounds like a romanticie book, Mal would read three times in one week. Oh, Sergei Moss? Tare to dream. My goodness. When they are attacked by the remnants of the remnant's, triarchy, right? Yep. Those guys are still kicking. Laris is like,

Bet, let's get this gold and go to Duskendale. But Agon wants to go back to the scene of his crime, the crime being him being arsoned by a dragon and wants to head back to Rook's arrest

to meet up with Kristen Cole. His garrison. The garrison he left behind. Because he thinks he can turn those guys back to his side, right? You know, green soldiers left behind by Chrissy Cole and also the

dragon husk. Sunfire, Long in the dying. Oh, what does that mean? Great question. That was the quote. Long in the dying. Corliss is alive. Yes. Which we kind of figured because they didn't produce the body.

And on Game of Thrones, he got to produce the body. That's why Stannis is still alive. Yeah. You're a long-time, truther. A long-time Stannis, truther. He's having a quasi-family reunion on the beach with his illegitimate sons, Adam and Alan, and his granddaughter, Bela, and a bunch of dead people. Okay.

scheming as scheming ass Allison and her plan to get Amen out of Kings Landing. She already planned a kiss

on him. Now... How dare you? He planted a kiss on her. Thank you. But she was just like whatever it takes.

And she's going to throw the gates open to Reneiro, but she needs some support internally. So she goes and gets the gold cloaks

captain Sir Largen or is it just Largent? Luther Largent. Sir Luther Largent Enter her plan and treats herself to a viewing party at the sausage factory

in the process. A lot of dicks. A lot of dicks in that scene. Is that the sequel to Court of Cuns? A lot of dicks. A lot of dicks. Yeah.

I like that. We should promote this. Best sellers, I think. We can get out of podcast, too. All we have to do is come up with stuff like that. Dame goes to Dragonstone and slaps the shit out of Ulf and chops it up with Masaria and then joins his wife in her morning, kind of. In Kings Landing, we get our second sexual assault in as many weeks as Lord Jasper,

aka Ironrod, tries to blackmail Allison after discovering her plans, then tries to jump her. Horrible. Grandmaster Orwell. Comes to the rescue, takes her side, allowing Allison to continue to scheme in the shadows. And we basically get a tale of two castles. At Haran Hall, Amen arrives, knifed Sir Simon Strong, which is sad. Kills his son and his squire, right, I think? The family lines.

Family lines. Takes them all out, though not before taking a knife in the side. And who does he see as he is bleeding out, but Alice Rivers, who is really dedicated to this as a piece of property that she would like to own? That's right. This lady loves Harron Hall. at Kings Landing. Nine-tenths of the line. Renura and Damon take the palace

with some help from Allison's gold cloaks and they go about executing a few prisoners, namely Jasper and Otto Hightower. Did you forget about this guy? No, because I'm watching Star City. There you go. So I'm reminded every week. Fresh from the set of Star City,

Ries A-Funds returns only to get beheaded in front of his daughter. Well. And this alliance is now feeling rather flimsy. So that is the recap. I think I got most of it. Renira sits her butt on the Iron Throne. But she seems sad about it.

Classic patriarchy left out. Let me back you detail out. I've been really Jiminy glicking a lot this week. You're so sad about this. Was it her face soaking wet with tears that would you in? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Lots of parse. Lots of parse.

And here's what I wanted to do first. Because as I was watching this episode, for as well-versed as I am in these shows, broadly speaking, because I've watched all of them. but not because I've read anything about them other than... Various Wikipedia pages. Like a wiki of ice and fire or whatever.

Right, yeah. I find myself being a little bit confused about where people were at any given moment and how far they were from one another. So I thought just for our casuals out there, our casual chrisis out in the audience, we could do a little bit of a geography class.

Geography Corner? Fantastic. I'd love to. Let's do it. Guess what? I have a visual age. This is my rather crappy map of Westeros. It is not to scale,

but everything is relatively where it is. supposed to be. And we're just going to talk about some movements that we saw in this episode. Mally, would you say the first and most important thing is that Damon on Keraxies leaves from right near Heron Hall? That's right. So we start, they've, they've had the battle of the lake shore. That's right. Fish, feed, fish, feed. So right on the lake of the gods I hear, which is right by Heron Hall, they killed a bunch of Westerlanders. So they're all celebrating after that. That's where they killed the tiger. Right, right. Oh, the line, right, right, right. So that's the Riverlanders, the Winter Wolves, Damon and his Dragon Carraxies.

And Alice is like, remember, I got you all those. Right, right. They have their conversation here. He leaves some people behind to guard Harren Hall, and then he goes to Dragonstone. Okay. So he and Carraxies leave this area and go to Dragonstone, which is an island out here in the Bay. Yes. Then, thinking he's going to catch Damon and Carraxies, Amon takes Vagar out of King's Landing and goes up here to Harron Hall.

Yes. Chris and Cole sees them fly because I guess they go this way, but he missed the entire. He missed the entire battle. Right. Right? Because he's on this side. He's on this side of the gods, waiting for Vagar to show up. So he's like, I see Vagar and Eamon in the sky, time to move.

So they're going to go up to her in a hall too, right? Okay. So that's that team. Team Dragonstone over here, Renira, Ulf and Hugh and all three of their dragons. Yes. Joined by Damon and Paraxes. Yes. So all four of those people and their four dragons.

are going to go take Kings Landing. Which is kind of across, would you say, a large bay? Just the bay, right across the bay. Denoted by these squiggly blue lines here, that is water. Dragonstone and Kings Landing are quite close. They're very close to each other. Like Camden and Philly. Even closer.

Okay. But yes. Like Baltimore and D.C. Okay. Do I know why two other dragons are just hanging out by the gullet while this is happening? No. But Porlis, Bela, Adam, and Allen, and their two dragons, moon dancer and sea smoke, are just thinking. Thinking about the future.

Gotcha. Here at Blackwater Bay. Looking at the smoking wreckage of High Tide. Of Corliss's inheritance. Yeah. Down here, Ormond Hightower. James Norton. Darren.

And Darren's dragon. Darren who is not officially met, but Darren's dragon who he didn't do. Derry's in the show? Yes. Oh, yeah. Yeah. We met him? Not really.

Maybe. Who can say? Confusing. Not officially. Tissarian. A dragon and a dragon rider are at this camp. Okay. Okay.

And coming in on the side of the greens. Yeah, the green. Team green is in green. Oh, Joe. That's so good. So 15,000 men, a dragon and dragon rider are coming up from the south, up to Kingsland. Southwest of Kingsland. Yeah.

Would you be mad if they did this before the episode? If they were just like FYI, this is where everybody is? Just do a Raiders of the last. Just throwing out there that the opening credits of Game of Thrones was a map for a reason. Now it's a tapestry. Okay. And then Agon and Laris

This is, I ran out of room But they're over here They left Kings Landing And as you say They run into some pirates From the Triarchy Fleeing the Battle of the Gullet So they all sort of collide over here

But they're But Agon wants to go to Rooks Rest Where his dragon Sunfire Is quote Long in the Dying Whatever that means Guys, come on It's been a while, right? Since Rooks Rest

That was the fourth episode of season two Long in the dying Raina and sheepstealer up here in the veil. And I think that's everyone. Does that make sense? Yes. And I think the reason why the geography was a little bit confusing to me, and this has been such an educational experience, because now I

actually do feel like I understand not only where everybody is, but where they're going. Yeah. Damon to Dragon's Dode, King's Landing is the big sort of like movement inside of this episode. I just want to throw this out to you guys. Dragons. Yeah. Amazing for fighting wars. Very cool. But

are they not great for storytelling, especially long-form storytelling, like a television? show because they get characters where they need to be almost instantaneously. So there's no sense of like they've arrived, you know, finally we've gotten there. Now, I can't believe I'm saying this since basically season two was about some guys marching somewhere. That's what I was going to say. I would posit that's exactly what House of the Dragon needs in season three is the ability

to quickly get characters. Think about the fact that we, the laments at the end of season two were so much about the lack of forward momentum in action, the literal marching to your point in place of like real story movement. we opened with Gullet, and now at the end of episode two, Ronira has taken Kings Landing. She is on the Iron Throne. I think we all still agree, though, should have been the ninth and tenth episodes of season

two in an ideal world, but that's a lot of movement, character movement, literally, but story movement in terms of where our key storylines and key figures are at the beginning of the season. So I think that's a good thing. I think the risk of disorientation is, like, ultimately something that they have to be thoughtful about accounting for. They talked all of season two about. the High Towers and Ormond on the march, right?

We have like a little quick exchange when Amon sends Kristen and Gawain and his army midway through season two out to Haran Hall. It's going to be a fortnight for the march. But they've just been sitting because Amon didn't meet them at the antlers like he was supposed to, as we heard last week. They're just sort of hanging out waiting. That I think is where the comparative math becomes hard to track, right? But at the end of the day, we know like there's still going to be versions of that

moving forward. Damon flies with a quickness. he tells Roddy the Rue and he tells Oscar Tully March, right? So we still now have the Rivermen that he spent all that time in season two assembling in one place. They now have to move by foot

because they don't have dragons. I think the lack of ability to sync those character sets, you're right to flag it. I don't think the Dragon Rider's moving quickly is inherently the problem. I think that unlocks a lot. Well, I was going to say,

I think also it helps in this chapter of the story because Runeer is so far ahead when it comes to Dragon Math. So the way in which Damon can move around and she can leave two dragon riders at the gullet and not care because they've got four dragons ascending on Kings Landing where only Dreamfire is there and Helena doesn't want to ride Dreamfire. Incredible moment when Helena's like, no beast will be harmed. And I was like, that's my girl. Yeah.

That's my fucking girl, you legend. We saw her with bugs. She wants to raise chickens. Monsterous chickens. No, no animal. Helena, comedy legend in this episode, I think. She's amazing. She's very funny.

But I think the, the advantage to Dragon Base storytelling is like you can see the arsenal. You have the visual of what their arsenal is at any given time. Amon burns up a bunch of stuff outside of Harren Hall before he burns up a bunch of stuff inside of Harron Hall. The garrison that Damon left behind. So Damon's like, guys, stay here, don't worry. We left some dragons here too. It'll be fine because he thought Alf and Hugh were still at the gods eye. That's why he's so mad.

I mean, like, also they're just not treating their dragon seeds very well in general. It should be noted. They're not managing their staff very well. But I would be nicer to people if they're. They had dragons and were on my team personally. But the fact that they left the gods eye after two days means that Damon who promised the Riverlanders who were hard won to his side that they would be protected, he left them exposed. And then Vagar crissed them up. Very quickly, by the way, on the Ulf, you front, how the gall of Ulf would be like, we were at the gullet.

Now, this is interesting because last week we talked about the adaptive change of not having them. They showed up mop-up duty, garbage time stats. And Ulf is like, the other team brought in a position player to pitch, and I'm going to brag to the rogue prince about how I was at the gullet. I agree with you. Damon should be more thoughtful about how he is treating them. Oh, wait. So those guys are pretending like they were at the... No, they were. We see them at the beginning. In the opening of the end of the beginning.

But they're there for mop-up duty, and they're like, we were there. Come on. And I just want to note that Claire Kilner, who's the director of this episode, who's directed a lot of House of the Dragon episodes that I really like, just has a real visual layer to her. Right the previous episode? No. Oh, no, I don't think so. But she, like the shot from underneath the water and we see the dragon fire above. I thought was very cool.

There's like a bunch of visual moments inside of this episode. I thought this episode moved. It was really cool. I was, I think I got a little confused sometimes about where people were or how long it took him to get there. I do think sometimes to my eye, I miss like the variance of like Dubrovnik and no question. The wall, you know, and you get like. Because it's all like the center of the continent.

Yeah. So it's all very, you know, like, I think the veil is the most geographically distinct. The veil is usually distinct. But we're mostly in the Riverlands and the Crownlands, like, you know, broadly so far. And it makes it very thrilling then when we pop up to the bloody gate or to the mountains of the moon. But that's, that's, those scenes are few and far between. I have a ton of things to ask you. I have a lot of, like, little questions.

But I do want to ask the customary, what's the most important thing to happen in this episode? Because there's a few things that happened that didn't expect. There were a few things that I was actually so kind of beguiled by that I'm curious whether they are the most important thing. What was beguiling? I thought Alice Rivers was quite beguiling. You love a witch. Well, I wasn't really sure what she was doing on this TV show because in some ways she seemed to be something of a function of whatever the realities were of Matt Smith's shooting schedule in season two that required him to be largely treebound. And I was like, well, they give, he's like, she's her, his team partner.

and I don't really know. I know it's easy enough to look these things up. But I think that the scene is that in the aisle of faces? No. No, we got that wrong last week. Guess what?

We got something wrong. They are on the banks of the goddye. Okay, that's where Ulf and Hugh and Atimore, right? And then Damon goes and visits Alice there. Yes. And it seems like I wouldn't call it a throwaway, but I don't know that they make a huge deal about what transpires there, for transpires there.

And I thought it was very significant. Sure. And I asked for food. You offer me rubies? Yeah. Yes. And also her desire for Heron Hall as a place and her making sure he remembers that she delivered 40,000 Riverlanders. Mm-hmm.

Can you talk a little bit about Alice up to this point? Because obviously, at a certain point, it goes into spoilers, about why she, how does she have this much sway over the armies of the Riverlands and also like who who like why does she want Harren Hall so badly. Yeah, I mean I'll start with Harron Hall if that's okay with you. Mallory. I would say heron Hall is so centrally located on the on the continent and is a huge place where you can garrison a ton of troops. It's a massive castle and it's in the way of everywhere you want to go like you have to kind of go through Haran Hall. And so strategically it is incredible place to be. That's why everyone wants it. What is Alice want it?

I mean, she says there, she's lived there all my long life, which according to the actress, Gail Rankin could have been centuries. That's what I was wondering. You know, she is, as far as we know, she's very mysterious in the book. So we actually don't have a ton of spoilers because there's all these conflicting stories about her. Is she a woods witch? Is she a wet nurse? How old is she, exactly?

Does she bathe in the blood of virgins in order to keep herself looking young? Is she a melasarm? Yeah, is she a melasandra? Does she do that in West Hollywood? Exactly. Get the map back out. I think we're meant, especially given like what the actor said in various interviews, I think we're meant to be thinking of her as a bit of a melissandra-esque figure, right? So she can like see things.

She's ambiguously aged. She seems to empower the men that she has partnered with. She is beguiling. And her allegiance is not really, I mean, I don't know how you interpret the way she was looking at Amon when he sort of fell at her feet. Positively. So then Team Green. 18 Black doesn't much maybe matter. I felt like she was like and now I have a different point I need. Damon betrayed me. And now I have a guy who's kind of in a. Once again, Damon, staff management. I have some notes. Yes. Yes. I definitely think there are parallels between Alice asking Damon for this one thing and her response, which was like, don't come back here and remember what I told you would happen if you did. And the all few treatment. And in general, I think the episode and obviously the season and the series, like ask us to think a lot about trust. What trust is sticking.

even though maybe we think it couldn't be, right, couldn't possibly be Allison and Runeira, Damon and the gold cloaks, for example. And then the fracturing trust inside of alliances. Like, the fact that Masaria brought up trust with Damon today, Reneer doesn't trust you. Like, that's a famous scene. Renera shouting that into Damon's face. I can't trust you. My father couldn't trust you, right? Amon burned his own brother, Egon at Rook's Rest, the place that Egan is now seeking out. So, like, we're always being primed to remember. that like loyalty is not a shirt, right? Whether it is inside your alliance and then sometimes if it's outside of your alliance,

a loyalty that you think can never be preserved can be? It should always be in the back of our minds when we're watching these characters behave. I think that Alice and Harenhall, like, it's such a rich text. Joe and I talked about this in season two, the way that like there were just these little nuggets and moments, Alice talking about like, you know, the old magic of the place, things in the world that are older than anyone, her or Damon, anyone, right? Laris had that, when he had that scene with Egon about being born with the twisted foot, he had that line about accusing a member of our household of casting maligned spells,

like that his father thought some witchcraft were afoot, pardon the language choice there in that case. Did Alice try to cast out the strong? Like, how long has she been trying to get Harenhall out of the possession of these families that don't value it for the reason she would. You know, we've heard Laris and Alice and plenty of other characters over the years talk about the curse of Harren Hall, right?

Laris said to Allison, season one, episode six, blood mixed into the mortar. It's said to be a cursed place that it passes judgment on all who passed beneath its gates. When Alice gave a version of that speech to Damon midway through season four,

she said, Haran Hall's been cursed since its first stone was laid. Black Heron felled the grove of wherewood trees that grew on these lands. Heart trees imbued with the spirits of those who lived long before he came and has said their whispers can be heard sometimes. A midwife's tale. The very bed you sleep in is made from such a heart tree.

Have you experienced anything of note? Then we watched him experience things of note for an entire season. This idea, we talked about this in season two, of like, the hinges of the world in Westeros, a popular fan theory for years on end now that Harenhall could potentially be one of those places. Whether it literally is or not, it's old and rich in magic. And Alice is attuned to that magic. And Heron Hall has been for like the political schemers, just a hot potato, right? Like across the families and our shows.

We think of Game of Thrones, House Went, the tourney of Harrenhall, Lianna, Ragar, all of these key inciting events for the story that like spawned our obsession with this world in the first place. Haran Hall is a place where that happens. Janoslin, Taiwan's army being housed there, right? Those great Taiwan areas scenes in the show, different version of the book. Of course, Little Finger gets it briefly. Here we've got Lionel, Laris, Simon. Damon is there. Amid has set out and arrived in this episode.

The phrase, that's what they asked Jace for when he bargains for the crossing. Everyone wants Heron Hall, but no one can keep it. And so Alice is like, get the fuck out of here. You don't belong. I and my magic belong. We have this cherished theory, speaking of people cherishing heron haul. I like this idea that, like, I've been likening her to the Lorax. I'm like, I feel like Alice speaks for the trees.

And she's just like, get war out of here. Sure. There's a ton, there's a magical island in the middle of this lake here. There's a ton of wherewoods here. Wherewood roots are taking over the castle. They're just sort of like, you know, invading every room inside of this castle. And she's just sort of like, this is a precious magical place. Yes.

Get your war out of here. And she doesn't object to Aymand lighting it on fire as soon as he gets there. Well, I mean, I don't think she loves it. But I think that it is deliberate that she called out. What can she do with him? Right. Exactly. Yeah.

And to your how, like the question of just how did she win those river lords? So just a quick reminder for people. Basically, there was the stretch where Damon was trying to get Oscar to pledge the Tully's, and he's like, my grandsire's alive. That's not like our way. And then suddenly we get the update that Grover, Tully, and his leaky asshole, dead. Our own healer, Alice Rivers tried to help. And Damon's like, ah, she went and killed him so that Oscar became the Lord Paramount

and he could swear his troops to me. So it is true that she facilitated that. But it's also true that when Damon first arrived, she was mocking him and prodding him about Reneer as a girl child, you bounced on your knee. It's not like she's team black. I don't think, we don't think that's the case, right? She's team whoever will support me in my own cause. And who is most malleable to my ends, I think is something to think about for Alice.

And like something that Ewan Mitchell, who plays, Amon said in press before the seasons, he likened Harenhall to White Lotus. He's like, it's a place you go to have a very... Illicit experiences. A spiritual experience. Sure. And you leave forever change. Okay.

Did you like the A. Damon Daman mirrors of his arrival at Heron Hall? Yes. I mean, I was a little bit confused as to what

Reneera, so did Reneer always think Amon would be sent to Kristen Cole's aid anyway? That was her plan with Allison, right? Allison said, Amon is leaving on Vagar.

He was supposed to already be gone, but because Agon was missing and also Helena's like, you're going to die at Harenhall. He's like, oh, I got to be here at King's Landing. And then, you know, Allison's like,

kiss me, leave. You know, we see her watch him go and she's like, great, game on. And then she starts her schemes. You asked like sort of what most beguiled us. Yeah, what was your big takeaway or big headline from the episode? I think, I mean, I think we're near, I mean, Emma Darcy in general

in this episode from the beginning to the end, the performance in the scene with Jace's body, I thought was extraordinary. And then the ascendancy, the like botched execution of Otto High Tower, which has to make us think of our guy. Theon Greyjoy, of course. This is a recurring motif inside of Game of Thrones as, like, beheadings and who can swing the sword and who can't and what curses you or not, whether or not you can.

And Reneura botches that job, like, definitely. What sword has you got there? Dark sister. Dark sister. Damans. Which? Demons of Larian Steel sword. She's carrying Jace's sword, though, when they walk in to the castle.

Couldn't carry the whole corpse. That's why she's cradling it. What's that? Couldn't carry the whole corpse. had to let go of that at some point. But Rainira ascendant, Reneira taking the throne, the bloody footprints leading up, like walking through Otto's blood up to the throne. And then the shot, another Claire Kilner, incredible shot, is in the reflection of the pool of Otto's blood. You see her sit on the throne. I just think

if you compare this to episode one, this is just so much more of what I want from House of the Dragon. I thought the showcase for Emma as Reneer and then just this, like, I mean, there's a lot going on, a lot of characters, a lot happens, but this just felt I was, I was just like really down into it. Yeah. Yeah. That's my, my pick as well. I mean, I thought all of that was really, like, riveting to watch. And I love the number of moments from past scenes and sequences in the series to date that that connected to in ways both, like, heartening and harrowing, right? You know, you can think of something like the reflection in the blood. How do we not think of the hurried wedding between Reneira and Lainor

after Kristen beat Joffrey's face to a bloody pulp. Reneira's air currently, Joffrey bears that guy's name, right? The connection to the blood always. But if you spin it, like baptism by blood is a part of the story for these characters. You know, if we think back to like season one, episode three, you know, Reneira bathed in blood. Vaseras is supposed to be there to find the stag. But the soldiers have to like, it's not even the white stag, right? It's the brown one.

They have to tie it. He can't even stab it in the right part. And then that stag appears to Reneira. She returns with the bore that she has slayed, bathed in blood. Meanwhile, on that same episode, our guy the crab feeder. You know, Damon emerges. Grace Gale blood, yes, I still have questions about that. Not relevant for this discussion.

Baptism by blood. Even something like Reneera's crowning the end of season one. It's at a funeral. What's more important? Fire or blood? Fire blood? Salt and C. It's all right there. So I thought that like, you know, even something like the way that Otto, I mean, Damon's cackle, let's just say that Damon's cackle when he gets, when Otto is presented to him. By the way, on the trust front, the reveal that Laris had the contingency plan of stashing Otto away for Damon and Renera specifically is something we should note. Yeah, okay. So last we heard from, that's what I was going to ask about. Last we heard from Otto High Tower. Yeah. He was supposed to go to Old Town. which is where the high towers are, where James Norton is from, right?

I was supposed to go there to get Ormond and the men to come, but he just disappeared. And the last time we saw him was in the season two finale. He was in a cell somewhere we didn't know. He had been taken prisoner, we didn't know where, because this is not happened in the book, so we were like, we genuinely don't know where Otto is. Turns out he was in the castle

the whole time. But I love that idea that Laris, who has allied himself with Agon and Team Green, but left something for Team Black should they take over the castle. It's just so Laris just has contingency plans and time inside of plans.

Or a while, similarly, or a while's like defending Allison, but as soon as you know, Team Black takes over, he's like, listen. Yeah. I'm not enough. You know, like there are just people who are trying to play Alice is just sort of like, see a Team Black.

Right. Welcome to Heron Hall Team Green. You know, it's just sort of like these various figures inside of the kingdom. And there are like major houses right now. Like House Barathean is like, oh, we're going to go fight Dorn. Yeah.

See you later. Or House Greyjoy is like, we're going to go pillage the coastline. You know what I mean? Like there are major houses who are like, we don't want to be in the middle of this. When you guys say that High Tower was left there by Laris for the team black because he was going to offer him up as a sacrifice or because he thought he would be politically useful for them.

When that mysterious figure, you know, lifts a torch in the dark and says to Damon, because Orwell has bought his own life for a beat here by saying, I've got something better, Ironrod. And then Damon looks at Ironrod for two seconds. This torch comes over, draws his attention. He says, this guy says, if you would, my prince, a gift for you,

if you ever returned from Lord Larstrung. I think that is positioned us in this moment, at least, as Laris had a contingency plan, and it was if Renera and Damon take Kings Landing, give them an inkling that he is biding his time, doing what he must, but he is willing to work with him too. It's very like survivor. I was going to say,

what is the actual, I'm happy to work with you. Yeah, yeah, yeah. What is the actual true alliance in final three? But like keeping some sort of iron in the fire with everyone. It's like just an interesting, you know, note to keep in mind. And like, what level of assurance does anybody have really that anyone they think is on their side is on anyone's side but their own, right? And so like I loved on the auto front actually on that front too. There was like a really quick beat where, you know, Damon throws the doors open to the throne room.

And then he turns and he like presents it to Reneer. Sure. And you have a moment, I think is a view. where you're like, even after everything we've been through with those two crazy kids, whew, right? Because you thought Damon was going to take the thing. I didn't think. But, like, you just have that moment where you're like, okay.

Like, we're here, actually. When Otto looks up at Renera, I feel like there's surprise on his face. He's like, oh, Damon didn't take that firm for himself, right? So just all of these little. But for him to say, like, no more than I expected. You know what I mean? He always has to seem like he's, you know, got the measure of the room. The fucking gall of that guy.

And on Joe, you mentioned. the how can it not make us think of, you know, with the botched initial stroke of the sort, how can it not make us think of Theon, you know, the many hacks at Sir Roderick. That was on my mind, too, because, like, Roderick issues that basically curse to Theon, like, you know, now you are truly lost. Otto tries for his version of that here with Renera. It's like, if your father could see what this has come to. Fuck off Otto Hight Tower.

You deserved that chop in the spine before your head was like. Like, if we have Reni. and Simon Strong to thank for the like Sin Begets Sin lesson, right? There's a lot of blame to go around. If you had to cast blame on one person above everyone else, there's a strong case to make for Otto High Tower. So it's very satisfying to see this guy's head chopped off. And I thought the choice to have Damon Hand-Ranera Dark Sister could not have been more perfect. First of all, Valerian's deal. It's like, I'm going to make sure you can do this. Like everyone's watching. It's a public test.

He says, this is the moment that you become queen. Again, there's that kind of baptism by blood idea. And she's, like, sobbing and, like, I'm not sure I can do this. And I'm like, Reneer. After all the, like, I wasn't trained. Like, my father never put a sword in my hand. And now it's like, come to this moment where everyone is looking at her. We're Thrones Watchers and readers were trained on the, like, you know, the man who passes the sentence should swing the sword idea.

Like, she does have to do this. So Damon gives it to her to help her. But also, that is an ancestral sword of House Targaryan. Right. blood dagger. Damon hasn't given Reneer a dark sister. This is like for a moment here, but still, like her holding that in that moment, it's another sign of legitimacy. It's important. Just like Masaria giving her her crown, the crown of Vesaris who chose her as heir, the crown of Jaharis, who set this all in motion, is important. Those symbols matter. The thing I loved about it most, though,

was that, like, Vesania's a warrior, right? Renira, when she was reading all those tomes last season, she was studying Vesena. One of Egonne the Conqueror's sister wives, right? She, she, Her sword. She wielded Dark Sister. And like, that's, when in the very first episode of the series, Runeira picked the name for the baby who she thought was going to be born. She wanted to name it Fisenia. This is like a kind of, oh, the path that wasn't hero of her. So to get to hold that sword to, even for a second, cut down the enemy, just felt perfect. Are you going to miss Racy Fons on the show? I will. Well, I'm really enjoying him on Star City. So I feel like I got the best of both worlds. Do you feel he was just off screen for too long other than the quick flash of the finale? for this to carry the impact that it should have. That also was a little bit like I wasn't available. Like any other rendition of this show is like

shots of him in the cell talking to some guard or something to like remind us that he's there. I think that they're doing a really great job of it with Agon and Laris where it's just like tonally, first of all, that's my favorite plotline of this season so far. It is the tonal shift that this show desperately needed

of having two people who are very charming but also completely deformed, chatting with each other on this road trip. And they are moving in a way that is like normal. Like they're on the road. They're not flying somewhere instantaneously and getting somewhere. You hate those dragons. No, it's not that I don't. I actually, like, when they were like, should we go to Rooks Resker, Dustin Dale,

I was like, this is exciting. I'm curious to know which direction you choose. If you had a dragon, you could go to one place and then the next place in a day. They're both north, but yeah. You know what I mean. But anyway, I wanted to ask about Allison. who witnesses her father's execution, probably a couple major surprises there for her.

A, that her dad is downstairs. B, that this woman that she has welcomed into the palace does not take that into consideration before she double-chops her dad. And her face, Charlie Rose style, she says what? Her face is like, I'm fucking shocked. I am upset. You betrayed me.

Reneira, what do you think her expression is? I mean, I think she has. is a complicated relationship with her father, so I don't know that it's like fully, how dare you my cherished sire, you know, I can't believe you killed him. But I think that she's also complicit, right? Because she opened the gates for Reneira. So if it wound up with her father a bloody mess on the floor, she's partially responsible for that. They didn't negotiate that.

That particular. Nobody knew he was in the black cells. So I think that that's a really interesting moment. And I loved, I mean, I loved watching Allison, once again, like work her manipulations in this episode. thought that was really, really fun, really good. Not the sexual assault part, but the rest. Oh, horrible. And then I think, you know, their relationship

is the show to me, Allison and Renira. The fact that they're now in the same location, no matter what happens, the fact that these two actresses can be in the same scene together is going to be nothing but great for the show. Yeah, it's like the frigging diner scene from Heat last year when they finally got together. So now they're in the same spot for however long they are. And that's just, that's actually.

excellent for the show. But I think her facial expression is important. And I have some notes for her and Helena in terms of their disguises when they left the castle. Good. Thank you. Some vague hood action to try to disguise. In your very distinct colors of the garb you like always wear. Really tough. Not the move, I think. I think we could have done better with the disguises. But her face is important, but Ranira's face. Like the Raniara, who was already tear-soaked and traumatized by what she just had to do. But also like proud and excited that she got to take throne. Then she sits down.

Then Allison comes in and she's like, the fuck, Reneira. And Reneer has this sort of like vulnerable, oh no, and then sort of steals herself into a sort of like, I'm the queen and this is what I have to do. And I just thought that was like the promise of what these two actresses can do together for the rest of however long they're together is very exciting to me. In terms of where should we go next? I mean, I guess there's a bunch of things that we briefly touch on, like Kristen Cole or... Do you want to talk about Corleis and Adam and Allen and Bayla? Sure. Why not?

Tell me why that's... Was there anything significant about that particular grouping of people? You know, the Valerians are here together. I think that Bayla, who's like main connection to Team Black was through her betrothal to Jace, to a certain degree, is sort of of like at loose ends for where she belongs inside of the story. So to see her wrapped inside of this sort of like Corlis and his illegitimate sons and his promise to them, right? Like I, you know, high ties in ashes. My legacy that I, that has been such an important part of my life is in ashes. I can't give you the riches that I wanted to give you, but I can give you my name is

what he says to Alan. So this idea of like, you and Adam will be Valerians. Yeah. And that's what, And then Adam not giving up. And Adam being the one to find Corley's and rescue him is like versus. Yeah, versus Olf and Hugh. I mean like air rescue. Sure. I love an air rescue. But like versus Olfenhue who are like two days, we're done.

Let's get out of here. Adam's like I'm going to keep looking until I find Corley's. Real like Davos washed up after Blackwater. So Bailey brought Chase back and then on Dragonback. On Dragonback. And then went back to the gullet to help look for Corlis. or was she going just for cleanup duty? To say how to Alan?

Checking in. Brought him like a kind of like very modern hydro flask to drink from instead of a skin. Thought that was sort of odd. Yeah, I thought also that that shot of Jace, like them taking Jace off in his dead body. Yeah. And like, you know, and, you know. Great corpse acting. It really was.

And I thought the, I really agreed. The performance from Emma in that stretch was just incredible. And, like, there is something, want to be careful how I say this, because obviously, like, a mother losing a child, a parent losing a child, that grief would shatter you. It would break you, right? In addition to that, it is a queen losing an heir. But I think there was a beat when Reneira was carrying on a conversation with a clearly dead person where you're like, with the Targaryans were always thinking of the Targ madness. Well, certainly all the people watching her do that. It did not, it didn't, like, all of things that Reneer does in front of crowds this episode. Right.

What are they making of it? Do not bolster her reputation as a person who has it altogether. And again, I would not judge a mother who just lost their child. But, like, I'm not these, the fucking Celtigar and these other assholes, you know. She keeps having Howard Dean. Ah, moments where it's like, oh, he's such a good governor. Exactly like that. I'm just a gone three.

I mean, a real callback, pull that out of your bag. Incredible. You're a real wonka always. Trying to remember public mishaps. Sure, a real please clap. Nothing's happened since then that even compares. It's like part of the tragedy for Rainer

that like she's always so on stage and the most, the most severe and sincere grief. And then I think the other thing about that body sequence that's interesting is like, you know, not being able to find Luke's body was such like a big part of her inability to work through that grief, and then you see this, and it's like, this isn't better, right? This is just terrible in a different way, and then you think about the toll of the loss.

And then I thought it was interesting that when Damon went to seek her out, and what I would not describe as the warmest marital comfort we have ever seen, just marking that with interest, the switch to Hyvalarian. He kind of came home and was like you're not even dressed.

Exactly. You're in doing. We're on the clock. We've got to conquer Kings Landing. Often, now they have had plenty of moments where they're speaking High Valerian and no one else can hear them. Like, often there's, like, they're in the throne room or they're in the godswood.

This is a bedchamber. No one else is around. So the switch in that moment to High Valerian felt so purposeful because it wasn't really about we need this bubble, this cocoon, where this is private just for us and we don't risk anyone else understanding. It was like a reminder of their inheritance, right? And then he switches to the prophecy, invoking the prophecy. And Chris, if Monsmith whispered softly in your ear about, are you back in?

About Dineris Targaryen being naked with dragons? At her breast. Like, I can conquer anything. Like, I'm ready to get suited up. I saw that on the Today Show, they gave him an England jersey. That's right. And it is for Damon Targaryen, England Three Lions jersey. And he was so genuinely moved to get it.

I was like, he loves footy. I'll do whatever this guy wants. MassFib loves funny. He does. But yeah, like the question of what the whole of the prophecy has on Renera is always an interesting thing to think about. Because like, on the one hand, I think there's a version of this story where you lose Jace And it's like, this isn't worth it, actually. It isn't, right?

And we as Reneera fans and you're team green, but we're team black, like, we don't want Reneera and I say, too much loss, too much pain, so I'm the one who will give up. They can have it. That wouldn't be a reasonable decision. That's not what we want. But there is the part of you watching that's like, what, at what point is the toll too high? The prophecy reminder kicks in and it's like, the thing that does to Reneera always, like when she told Jase about that in the Rook's Rest episode, she literally said to him, I had

to send dragons to war the horrors I have just loose cannot be for a crown alone. It's always a justification for whatever the toll is, whatever the cost is, however personal or sweeping across the realm. And it also tends to leave Reneera to that God complex phase that we witnessed in the sewing sequence at the end of season two. I have been chosen. I have this burden to protect the realm and thus any decision I make is valid. So when we watch the trail of blood, when we see that look on Allison's face, honestly, my note for Allison there is like, Not to be a dick, but what did you expect? Really, we were just gonna...

Well, not your dad. She probably was just like... But Otto, again, Otto Hightower's as responsible for this as anyone. Well, well, well. This is the consequence of my own actions. Yeah, like you agree to aim and denig on and it ends there. No, like, you are the challenge has been one of the through lines of the entire series. They all have to die and everyone should know that.

Can I put forth to you, Chris, a reason why Damon might not be too fussed by Jay's dying? So Reneer had three sons with someone else. Yes. Jace and Luke are dead. Joffrey's still alive. But if Joffrey... If Joffrey doesn't make it, there's a couple of his babies who are in line to the throne. So do you think he's like, that's one more kid out of the way for my kids to make it on? I think that one of the things I really liked about this episode in the season so far is like people just missing one another or like, you know, the uncertainty of people's alliances. Yes. You know, we say these things like blacks and greens, but we're really just talking about a bunch of nutty, incesty, you know, power-hungry people. Like, you know, this is not, like, they're not pledging towards an ideology, you know, like.

How Raymond Faso, I mean. Indeed. Well, on that front, what did you, what did you guys make of the Masaria element here? Because that's a really interesting manifestation of what you're talking about. That's a perfect example of her being, like, trying to get the queen and be like, don't forget, you know. What does she say to Damon or to Renera? Yeah, don't forget my contributions to this. I'm the one.

Yeah. She could be threatened by Damon and Allison. Exactly. She could be comparing herself to either of them to both of them. It's like the fact that Damon and Masaria have all the sisters. Like when I left you here, you were a prisoner. She's like, yeah, imprisoned by you. I also really love the language.

He, the way that Damon talks about her, to her other name is the white worm. And he's talking about sort of like slithering and all the sort of stuff like that. And Jasper says similar language to Allison, right? Coiling herself this like snake's like imagery. So the way in which these like women who are using whatever road to power they have, the men are just sort of like, you fucking snake, you were. But did you think the Damon and Missoria had like kind of chemistry in that moment where they're just sitting side by side for a second? I mean, yes, but also, I mean, they've always had chemistry.

I loved her line where she's like, not everything's about you, Damon. But also they're jockeying for power. Who has Ronear is here? But they're almost like game recognizes. Yeah. Yeah. Well, again, it's like this was a great episode for just reminding us of the history, not only that we have with the characters, but they have with each. other. You know, something like the gold cloaks, right? When Luther's like, the book line is great.

It's like, you know, it's David gave us these cloaks and they're gold no matter how you turn them, like turn cloak, they're gold, right? It's sick. It's a much dumber line. And it's a fun. It's fun. But Damon gave us these quotes. Yes. The show part of it is fun too because it's like in the book canon is the gold cloaks are damas because they're loyal to Damon from decades ago. The idea that the history books maybe just didn't account for Allison's. role in bringing these events to pass feels very of a piece with the way the show operates in general. But that's that's history, right? Masaria and Damon, that's history. Masaria and Reneer now have history. And I'd say Damon clocks it. Like he's like, oh, there is a vibe here

that is not just advisor-advisi. I think he's picking up on the romantic and sexual tension between them, no question. Don't bring that to the David. Yeah, I don't need your approval. Not from you. Like, it was just an observation. So that's all great. I thought the thing that was most notable was that the one moment that Damon and Masaria seemed to be aligned was in like, she talking Allison, right? So there's always a way to work your way back toward each other. It's by finding the bigger fish, the greater threat. That's all like just very interesting.

I thought on the like great shots in the episode front when they sat back on the bench and we're kind of viewing them from down the hall and they're like framed in the archway. any show that is adapting a fictional history, that gave me real, like, they're framed, like, their figures in a painting who we can, like, we learn about but the question of, like, their unknowable ability. Like, what do we really understand about the truth that transpired between them?

I thought that was just, like, a great shot. I loved it. Yeah. I had one last question. Please. This was about Agon and Laris, before we wrap up. Your best friends.

My best friends. And there was one minute from that, moment from that, those scenes with those guys that I wanted to ask about. Agon and Laris have been basically having this running dialogue where Laris is like, welcome to hell. Yeah. Have fun being in chronic pain and like deformed and having everybody

basically look down on you. And Agon's instinct when they get jumped by the triarchy and he stabs that guy a million times with the arrowhead. Shift them. Even though there's a sword right there. Is to say there are men loyal to me at Rook's rest, right? Like, it's almost like

I want to create a path back to the crown. No question. So he's like, I'm not ready to give up and become like a blacksmith somewhere for the duration of the war. We left the castle because my deranged brother was actively trying to kill me. But that doesn't mean, yeah, that I want to go

take up smithing or whatever the case may be. Right, right. Okay, I just wanted to make sure I read that right, that that was like ambition. Still burning. No question. Can I have, yeah. Can I ask you a strategy question? Me? Yeah, you. All right.

Say you and your wife have dreamed all your life of taking the Iron Throne. You and Phoebe are like, yeah, we're going to do it. And someone has promised like, hey, I'll grease the wheels. I'll keep the doors open. Like, it'll be fine. But you know that there are enemy soldiers inside there. You walking in just the two of you? No, I know.

Amazing. I mean, I guess that's just... No backup at all. We saw in both cases of Heron Hall and Kings Landing just... dragon hubris. It's just like, people who have dragons, they forget when they're not on top of the dragon. They think they can do anything. That's the whole show too. I mean, like, kind of AIM and got jumped by like two little strongs. You know what I mean? A strong boy. A strong boy. A strong boy. Let him out. I love it. I love that because so Joe flagged when we were breaking down the trailers for

the season that Aymond and Chris, you had that beautiful observation in the season two coverage when Egon finds Aymond in the brothel and is like talking shit. And then Aman gets up a job. just like confidently walks nude, right? And he's like, I don't need armor. And it's the same stretch where Egon is getting the conqueror's armor, like, fitted to match, right? So we start there. That same armor that will then burn into his skin.

The cock exploded like a sausage on a spit no matter what. So we have that. Then we have all of these stretches where Eamond rides around and just like his riding leather is no armor. And Joe flagged in the trailers for this season. Amin's an armor. Interesting. And then at the beginning of this season, we had that note from Helena, like he's a

afraid and he's always been afraid. But when does the fear manifest in the mask of courage and dominance? And when does it manifest in? Oh, shit. I am all alone. I can't deny it anymore. Yeah. Because he had to have like his little fuck you moment with the kid where he's like, pick up a sword. Yeah. And so the guy, I just thought that was so delicious that the guy who goes around as like, I ride the biggest dragon in the realm. I am the most fearsome warrior. Got stabbed in the kidney because he like wasn't paying attention. And had to kill an old man And he was like, I don't know how to pick up a sword. That was just like a man.

That's straight out of the book. Fucking Amen, Targaryen. It's piling the heads three feet high of how strong, very tough. But that was like perfect as a note for that character. Like it's believable. You see Vagar. I thought they had never done a better job, actually, of like, showing us Vagar's scale than against Harenhall.

Exactly. You're like, oh my God. So you really feel it there. The Reneer and Damon walking in without other soldiers. Perfect example as well. If the gold cloaks don't. Like Luther calls upon the bond with Damon, but Allison sought that out. If that hadn't happened, they're dead.

What happens? It made me think of course. I mean, we've seen a key choice by gold cloaks in that throne room matter really quite a bit before. Ned and Littlefinger in season one, right? I did tell you not to trust me. Where is the prep for all these characters? Like, where are the conversations about what could go wrong and how to account for it? Can I go back to your guys, Laris and Agon, and tell you an adaptive choice I really like.

Please. So, like, Agon, king is in the clutches of Reneer's men. So, like, Team Black has the king. Yes. Briefly, right? The reason they're let out is because of the triarchy lingers sort of coming ashore. Yeah. So this fault-fighting their way inland, basically.

You asked about the sort of Pyrrhic victory at the Battle of the Golet in last week's episode. And it's just sort of like, who wins? and Mallory and are both chomping at the bit to say this line that Corley says in this episode like, if this be victory, I'd never like to see it again. Well, it's even Bela being like we won kind of like it's like, yeah. Right, but so, but they won.

But the remainders of this battle, the triarchy remainders, are the reason that Team Black loses the king. They had the king and they lost him because of this, and that's an adaptive choice to just make like the triarchy randos responsible for Agon and Laris you know, breaking out of the containment.

And I just really like that connective tissue of just sort of like, you might have won the battle, but like, you know, all the ripples that continue to come out from that. I think that's a great place to end. I thought that this was a really wonderful episode. Thank you so much for talking with me about it. We can hear you guys go in depth on it on Tuesday.

Yes. And I'm sure Andy and I will hit it on Monday. We will be back next Sunday. That's right. Which is July 5th, I believe. If you say so. It is. happy 250th birthday to Alice Rivers.

And we'll be back next Sunday for episode three. Spotify, it's Jay Shetty. Are you one of those media strategy people? scrolling through spreadsheets, searching for an audience that pays twice as much attention to your ads than they do on social? Let me introduce you to fans. And they're here with me on Spotify.

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