Ryan Kirksey
The following recap contains spoilers for House of the Dragon S3E3, “Rhaenyra Triumphant” (written by Sara Hess and directed by Clare Kilner)
“Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown.”
–Henry IV, William Shakespeare
For much of House of the Dragon, Rhaenyra Targaryen has fought for the right to sit upon the Iron Throne. Season 3 Episode 3 of House of the Dragon, “Rhaenyra Triumphant,” finally asks the question that has lingered beneath the entire series, but had not been approached from the perspective of the Blacks yet. What do you do, or rather, what must you do, when you win?
The answer proves far less glorious than dragonfire and battlefield victories. It also proves to be far more complex, it turns out. Now that Rhaenyra’s conquest has ended (for now), Episode 3 becomes an examination of the impossible burden of ruling. By the end of this hour of television, Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy) begins to understand that governing a kingdom may require far more ruthlessness, intelligence, and “endless politicking” (to steal a phrase from King Viserys) than defeating one.
This episode, because of limited source material, becomes one that fills in many of those unspoken gaps that I wrote about in the Episode 2 recap. But apart from some of the phenomenal set pieces we have seen, this episode represents what the best of House of the Dragon can be. This rivals some of the most important “talking in rooms” episodes of Game of Thrones.
The episode opens with what appears to be another military triumph. Lord Ormund Hightower (James Norton) marches with 15,000 men, only to find himself staring down Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith) alongside the dragons of Hugh and Ulf. Faced with overwhelming force and the potential of dragonfire, Ormund kneels and pledges his loyalty to Queen Rhaenyra, all while knowing the surrender is shameful but necessary. Daemon even comes face-to-face with a boy (Charlie Gordon) who he is told is his young nephew, Daeron, for the first time, promising to treat him fairly if he joins them.
It is an easy victory, almost too easy, which a seasoned warrior like Daemon should recognize. Still, Daemon proudly reports Ormund’s surrender back at King’s Landing, and Rhaenyra believes showing mercy to Daeron and to House Hightower for now is the proper decision, hoping it will honor the faith her father placed in her. Yet while Daemon is used to solving problems through dragons, swords, and intimidation, Rhaenyra’s real struggles are only beginning.
King’s Landing and the problems left over from the previous regime quickly remind her that conquering a city is entirely different from governing one. The royal treasury has vanished before her arrival, apparently hidden by Tyland Lannister (Jefferson Hall). This is book-accurate, as Rhaenyra arrives in King’s Landing only to learn more than three-fourths of the city’s treasure has been stashed with those loyal to King Aegon II.
Without gold or coin, there can be no lavish coronation, no grand celebration, and there is (perhaps most importantly) little ability to stabilize the realm. Instead of enjoying victory, Rhaenyra immediately faces shortages of things like food, tallow, and even rat-catchers. She inherits unpaid expenses, a budget deficit (sounds a little familiar in the good ole’ U.S of A.), and a city desperate for leadership.
Her small council offers some practical advice. Mysaria (Sonoya Mizuno) and Lord Corlys (Steve Toussaint) urge her to skip any expensive ceremony and instead devote her attention to feeding the people and restoring trade throughout the kingdom. It is a sharp contrast from the image of a conquering monarch, and one that needs to seal her legitimacy by stamping out the family of the usurper. Before she can think about expanding her rule, Rhaenyra must simply keep the capital functioning.
The problems only continue to pile up. Rats infest the Red Keep and also serve as a foretelling of some of the problems she will face in this episode. Rhaenyra sends ravens demanding tribute from every noble house to reaffirm their loyalty, while simultaneously offering the great castle of Harrenhal to anyone capable of killing Aemond Targaryen (Ewan Mitchell) and his dragon Vhagar. Even as queen, she cannot afford to stop thinking about the war, even when there are many other problems much closer to home.
Her victory also leaves her surrounded by prisoners who are reminders of the conflict. Alicent (Olivia Cooke) and Helaena (Phia Saban) confront Rhaenyra over why they remain confined after helping facilitate her peaceful entry into King’s Landing. Rhaenyra has little room for worrying about their demands, however.
She orders that it be publicly announced that King Aegon II (Tom Glynn-Carney) died within the city walls. Rhaenyra demands that her own son Joffrey be brought safely to court, so he can begin his role as heir to the queen. She also begins replacing every official who remained loyal to the Hightowers, placing Mysaria in charge of questioning them. Even in victory, trust has become just as scarce a commodity as gold, tallow, and rat-catchers.
Perhaps the episode’s most fascinating problem comes from Rhaenyra’s first confrontation with the Faith. Rhaenyra discovers High Septon Eustace (Simon Chandler) refuses to anoint her because he already performed the sacred ceremony for Aegon II months earlier and refuses to accept reports of his death without a body or the Silent Sisters confirming the death. His reasoning strikes at the very heart of Targaryen power: their dragons.
“My gods do not deal in dragons,” he tells her, insisting dragons destroy rather than create.
It is one of the few moments where military strength proves utterly useless. Dragons can force surrender from armies, but they cannot command faith or conviction. In what might be one of the most important lines of the series, Eustace advises Rhaenyra:
With respect, I advise you, do not make an enemy of the Faith. It exhorts and comforts and binds together your people. Underestimate it at your own peril.
The episode also continues exploring questions of legitimacy through House Velaryon. During dinner, Lord Corlys introduces Addam (Clinton Liberty) and Alyn (Abubakar Salim) as his sons, hoping they will finally receive public recognition. Rhaenyra praises their courage and thanks them, but hesitates to grant them the Velaryon name. We don’t see the outcome of this conversation immediately, but it’s clear she is getting on the wrong side of Corlys.
Later, she knights Addam, Hugh, and Ulf for their service, officially giving them the names Ulf the White (not Targaryen, as he requests), Hugh the Hammer, and carefully avoiding giving Addam the Velaryon, instead donning him Addam of Hull.
It is another painful compromise, which are starting to pile up in this episode. Acknowledging these men could undermine her own claim to the throne and raise uncomfortable questions about the legitimacy of her own sons. Hugh immediately asks what land and compensation he will receive for risking his life and for becoming a knight, proving that even loyal dragonriders expect rewards beyond thanks and titles.
In an interesting scene that follows, Rhaenyra prepares to appear before the people. Her lady-in-waiting quietly remarks that for many citizens, merely seeing their queen will be enough, and Rhaenyra is starting to build confidence. Then, just before the appearance, it seems that Rhaenyra unexpectedly begins her menstrual cycle.
It is a remarkable scene that emphasizes something male rulers rarely confront onscreen. As she prepares to hear endless petitions from her subjects while sitting upon the Iron Throne, she must also endure physical discomfort that cannot simply be postponed because she is queen. The scene reinforces one of the episode’s central ideas: ruling is exhausting not simply because of politics but because life itself never pauses for those in power. But this isn’t the first time we have seen Rhaenyra’s path to ruling get bumpier because of physical issues she faces as a woman.
I do wonder how the audience at large will react to this being included. In Season 1 Episode 6, we meet Emma D’Arcy’s Rhaenyra for the first time right after she gave birth to Joffrey. She attends a Small Council meeting and begins to speak, but her breastmilk begins to leak through, and Alicent awkwardly points it out. The creators and writers of this show have not minced words about what this realm thinks of women in power, but it’s almost like they are trying to make a point about why people would look down on them.
Regardless, the Iron Throne and its judgment also await. Like Viserys before her—and even Aegon II earlier in the series—Rhaenyra spends time hearing petition after petition from ordinary citizens. Every case requires judgment. Every ruling creates winners and losers. The throne no longer represents victory, but rather endless responsibility, where sometimes there are no answers.
Even Alicent, perhaps surprisingly, becomes a reasonable voice in this regard. When Rhaenyra asks how anyone can bear the weight of so many petitions, Alicent offers perhaps the episode’s defining observation.
“You may not rule and remain yourself.”
Alicent explains that rulers eventually must look away while people suffer and die because they cannot save everyone. Rhaenyra confidently insists she will never become that person.
“Time will tell,” Alicent replies.
Those few words may define Rhaenyra’s entire arc moving forward. Time will also tell how the Iron Throne judges Rhaenyra. It has long been said that the throne judges all who sit upon it, and we saw it frequently cut Viserys, leading to injuries that took his life. We get close-ups from the throne in this episode, but it does not appear to have rendered judgment. Yet.
Rhaenyra soon makes one of the boldest political moves of her early tenure. She sends her Gold Cloaks into the homes of wealthy nobles, reclaiming food and supplies they hoarded while common citizens starved. At the same time, she hosts a lavish banquet where those same nobles are served rat, an unmistakable statement that corruption and hoarding under the previous regime will no longer be tolerated.
Predictably, the decision creates new enemies among the noble class. However, Lord Torrhen Manderly (Dan Fogler) praises the move, but still makes a point to remind Rhaenyra that her own blockade contributed to the city’s suffering. The people suffered at the hands of Alicent and Aegon, but Rhaenyra is not completely innocent.
Daemon, meanwhile, offers the exact opposite philosophy of leadership. He urges Rhaenyra to think beyond Westeros entirely, imagining dragons conquering Dorne, Essos, and the Free Cities to forge an “unassailable empire.” To Daemon, House Targaryen should embrace its destiny as living gods.
Daemon still believes power exists to dominate. That’s what Aegon the Conqueror did. Rhaenyra is increasingly forced to believe that power exists to serve. Which is what leads to her next decision
Rhaenyra, with Mysaria’s help, personally distributes food among the starving citizens beneath the shadow of the Sept, promising to rule with both justice and mercy. The people cheer her, grateful for relief no matter how temporary it may be. Yet even this triumph carries complications. Feeding the people today, or this week, or next month, does not solve all of the shortages. Even Daemon understood that enough to point it out, but Rhaenyra is also right that “gestures matter.”
Later, Lord Corlys erupts in anger after Rhaenyra refuses to legitimize Addam and Alyn as Velaryons despite knowing her own sons’ questionable parentage. His frustration exposes the hypocrisy at the heart of politics and reminds Rhaenyra that every decision she makes leaves someone feeling betrayed. Corlys’s words, which he uses to describe her three sons, are almost the exact words that caused his younger brother to lose his head in Season 2, but Rhaenyra spares him. However, it’s safe to say that the relationship has started to deteriorate.
The episode concludes with one final lesson in the uncertainty of rule. Rhaenyra decides to spare Daeron’s life by sending him to The Wall to take the black. It is an act of justice rather than vengeance, even if Alicent doesn’t believe it. But when Alicent is brought to see her son, everyone realizes the prisoner is merely a decoy with bleached hair. The real Daeron has somehow escaped with Ormund Hightower, while reports also arrive that the Hightower army has seized Tumbleton (a very important setting later) and still controls the young dragon Tessarion.
This plot twist, while not something from Fire & Blood, was fascinating to me. When we talk about filling the gaps and creating a compelling story, this is something that now provides intrigue, mystery, and a motivation for more of that “billowing rage” Rhaenyra admitted she can’t ignore. Based on the scenes from the next episode, we aren’t going to have to wait long to find out what Ormund Hightower and his massive army are up to.
By the end of Episode 3, Rhaenyra finally understands that wearing the crown is not just about winning wars. It is about balancing justice with responsibility, and dragons can’t do that. Dragons may have won her the throne, but dragons cannot solve famine, unite divided nobles, satisfy the Faith, fill an empty treasury, or answer the endless pleas of ordinary people. Conquering her enemies was surely the easier task. What to do when the crown is on your own head is an uneasy task, and Rhaenyra is far from done.
