Movies & TV House of the Dragon Fishfeed, Severed Heads, and Political Theater: House of the Dragon Season 3, Episode 2 The cooler heads of an older generation meet violent ends, and Rhaenyra puts on a brave face… By Tyler Dean | Published on June 29, 2026 Credit: Ollie Upton/HBO Comment 0 Share New Share Credit: Ollie Upton/HBO After last week’s explosive premiere, this week seemed like it was going to be relatively quiet by comparison. Not so! This week offered up some huge twists and turns (and a few surprises for book readers as well). Spoilers for episode 2 below… The Title The title of episode 2 is the perhaps slightly too-on-the-nose “Queen’s Landing.” I enjoy a pun from time to time and this one is decent, but still—use them sparingly. At any rate, this title clearly refers to Rhaenyra landing at King’s Landing as queen. It’s a nice bit of historical parallelism: after all, King’s Landing is so named because it’s where Aegon I Targaryen first arrived in Westeros during his conquest. So here, Westeros’ first reigning Queen arrives at the same spot.  Were I to put on my college professor pince-nez and maybe stretch the metaphor a bit, I’d say that the name, simply by being such a clear inversion of a well-worn norm, evokes some of the struggle of Rhaenyra becoming queen—we hear “Queen’s Landing” and it sounds wrong. Such is the scale of the patriarchy that Rhaenyra must dismantle. Unraveling the Opening Credits The titles have added two key moments from the Battle of the Gullet. the first shows a duel between Sharako Lohar and the Sea Snake aboard a sinking ship. Blood pours from Lohar, indicating, as it always does with these titles, that the character has died. The second is of Jace, shot through with crossbow bolts, lying in the water, telltale blood soaking through the fabric.  Speedrunning the War Credit: Theo Whiteman/HBO The Dance of the Dragons is described by Archmaester Gyldayn as a major military undertaking, with a fair amount of space in Fire & Blood devoted to the movements of armies and minutiae befitting real-world military history (one of Martin’s pet interests). Obviously, House of the Dragon was never going to have the budget to showcase all of the various battles and skirmishes, and it would have been hard to make them sufficiently interesting or different from one another. It’s also telling that any extended military campaign in Martin’s books, though well thought out and meticulously planned, tends to unfold off-page. Gyldayn discusses the Riverlands campaign from the remove of more than a century. When Robb Stark fights his way through the Riverlands and the Westerlands in A Clash of Kings, we only hear about it as news reaches characters who are hundreds of miles away.  So, for the completionists among you, Ryan Condal et al. appear to have condensed three interconnected battles in the Riverlands into a single, massive one. At the Battle at the Red Fork (named for the “red” fork of the Trident River), the Lannisters fought Riverlander Lords Piper and Vance (the former of whom was one of the gaggle of riverlords that Daemon contended with last season). Lord Jason Lannister is killed by one of Piper’s men and his army flees East. A few days later the riverlord Joseth Smallwood defeats the Lannister bannerman, Lord Tarbeck the Battle of Acorn Hall. This leads to further Lannister retreat. Finally, Lord Roderick Dustin—called Roddy the Ruin (and played by Tommy Flanagan)—arrives from the North with his Winter Wolves and destroys the remainder of the Lannister host at the edge of the Gods Eye, killing Lord Humphrey Lefford (who we saw joining Jason’s host at the end of last season), in what is officially called the Battle by the Lakeshore but which is nicknamed the Fishfeed for how many soldiers died in the waters. It’s the bloodiest battle of the Dance of the Dragons, and the end of a credible threat from the Lannisters in their support of the Greens.  The celebration we see in this episode brings Lord Roderick, Alysanne Blackwood (more on her later), and Oscar Tully (the young Lord Paramount of the Riverlands) together with Daemon and Ser Simon Strong of Harrenhal. It serves as a reminder of who continues to matter in the Riverlands theater of the war and dispenses with some of the less important characters who were given the spotlight in season 2. I mostly feel bad for all those Ser Pate “the Lionslayer” of Longleaf fans out there who never got to see their guy on the big screen, having a moment. The Political Is Personal Credit: Ollie Upton/HBO This episode takes some time to expand on a plot point that Gyldayn glosses over in Fire & Blood: Alys Rivers’ political machinations. Gyldayn describes some later events with Alys that point towards her conversation with Daemon in this episode, but he does not name her desire to possess Harrenhal as a potentially centuries-long ambition which she desires above all else. Of course, Gyldayn also has to contend with multiple conflicting accounts, some of which insist that Alys is simply a middle-aged midwife, while others grant her oracular powers and the ability to curse those her cross her.  The show seems to be very clear on the idea that Alys Rivers is likely between 180 and 210 years old, having always lived in Harrenhal (construction was completed 182 years before the current year in HotD, but began roughly forty years earlier). She implies she’s old enough to have seen it pass from lord to lord (it’s been through five different lordly families already—six, if you count a brief interregnum when a heartbroken Targaryen queen lived there in last years of her life) and has been its only good faith steward. It feels like a strong choice as the show is expanding Alys from spooky deus ex machina to full-fledged character.  The Death of Mercy and Forethought Credit: Ollie Upton/HBO Two veteran actors exited the series this week: Rhys Ifans and the incomparable Simon Russell Beale, playing Ser Otto Hightower and Ser Simon Strong, respectively, gave their final bows. It’s always a bit bittersweet as a book reader when you know a beloved character is doomed and their final moments are fast approaching, but losing both in the same episode was rough! It makes for a great pairing, as Ser Simon and Ser Otto represented the last of an older generation of Westerosi statesmen who either argued for a way out of war or possessed the guile to wage it sensibly.  In the case of Ser Simon, the show has Aemond’s entry into Harrenhal mirror that of his thematic twin, Daemon’s, last season. Where Daemon entered sneaking about, with Caraxes lurking in the shadows, Aemond, by contrast, comes in swinging, with Vhagar incinerating the garrison. There is also a dark reflection of Daemon’s first encounter with Ser Simon and his sons. To the very last the castellan argues for the dignity of non-violence, explaining that he does not intend to oppose Aemond and will not raise a sword to save his own life. But Aemond is not Daemon. When he stabs Ser Simon it is a gut punch to the audience, a brutal reminder that the Prince Regent is still in an ASoIaF show and mercy has never been his virtue. So RIP to Ser Simon, and a bittersweet farewell to Simon Russell Beale, one of the great thespians of our age and a delightful presence on HotD. He will certainly be missed. And then there is the matter of Otto Hightower. While this episode does correspond to the moment in Fire & Blood when he is executed, Ryan Condal and company pulled a bit of a bait-and-switch with book readers, as Otto’s kidnapping (apparently by Larys Strong) and disappearance from court is not a plot point in the original text. As a result, there was a lot of speculation surrounding who had taken Otto into custody. Was he in the grasp of the rebellious House Beesbury? Had he been taken by one of the currently unaligned factions—Dalton Greyjoy, perhaps? But no, he had been returned to the Black Cells of the Red Keep to be used as an offering to Rhaenyra should she ever prevail. With him, we’ve lost the architect of the Green’s perfidy, and the steady hand guiding Aegon to victory. We’ve also lost Rhys Ifans, arguably the biggest name to join HotD thus far. He’ll be missed, and I have just the slightest disappointment that he wasn’t involved in one last double-cross, if only to get Ifans into two or three more episodes.  Now that Simon Strong and Otto Hightower are dead, we’ve lost some of the last members of the older generation who helped craft and maintain the years of peace under King Viserys. Martin loved a plot where the younger generation misunderstands the restraint of their forebearers: calculating Tywin Lannister gives way to his impulsive daughter Cersei; shrewd Jon Arryn gives way to his unfit and unthinking son, Robert (Robyn in the TV show). Now, the Hightowers default to their children—weak-willed Aegon, sociopathic Aemond, and whatever is going on with Ormund. And the last living member of House Strong is Larys, whose motives remain inscrutable, and who is clearly not a friend to Aegon.  DragonWatch Some great closeups here of Caraxes drinking from the lake. I’m always a sucker for the show treating the dragons like animals and seeing those weird little equine mouth movements is a great detail. I know a lot of folks who can’t watch the show because it is, ultimately about the death of the dragons and fair enough—I would never want anyone to have to suffer through fictional animal distress if that is too big a trigger for them—but they are also missing out and truly delightful little moments like these.  We also get our first shot of Syrax this season. I’m convinced that they took part of her design from the cover art of the Eragon novels with that smooth, canine muzzle and those back-curving horns. We also see a few shots of Moondancer, Sheepstealer, Seasmoke, Vermithor, and Silverwing.  But this episode is the Vhagar show. She’s magnificent and terrifying as she brings fire and ruin to Harrenhal. This is the second time one of Aegon the Conqueror’s dragons has visited Harrenhal, and neither time has been good for the city or the family in residence. The show has a delightful ability to emphasize how old and decrepit she looks while also reminding us that Vhagar’s likely the largest living thing on the planet—and certainly one of the most dangerous.  Odds & Ends Credit: Ollie Upton/HBO Jace’s body is brought back to Dragonstone by Baela but he is handled by the dragonkeepers. While this is likely because Baela enters via the dragon dock, it also illustrates the collapsing of the Targaryen body: Jace is a dragon and, thus, must be handled by the order that keeps dragons.  Rhaenyra spent the aftermath of Luke’s death searching for his remains and refusing to believe he was dead. Here, she must confront Jace’s death head-on and go through the denial stage in a matter of moments before crashing straight through to anger. Give Emma D’Arcy their Emmy already!  No Tyland Lannister this episode. Obviously, his being pushed overboard by Lohar during the battle happened too quickly for us to ever take the possibility of his death seriously. And Martin has a habit of having Masters of Ships fall overboard during catastrophic naval battles and survive, if a bit worse for wear (see Davos Seaworth in the original show). I’m quite surprised to see Amanda Collin return this season as Lady Jeyne Arryn. Obviously we are all unsullied (to bring back an old fandom term for the show being well and truly off-book) when it comes to Rhaena’s plot this season, but I will admit I did not anticipate her returning to the Vale let alone having Jeyne brought back into the fold. Fire & Blood says rather little about this Lady Arryn during this year of the conflict so, at the very least, this is a relatively blank part of the canvas to fill in and have dovetail with her later exploits. I have always loved the diegetic music in ASoIaF shows but the “Fishfeed” song is a bit silly, given that they only just finished the battle for which the song is named. But Matt Smith capering about and goofily mugging while next to Jason Lannister’s severed head maybe makes the slight unbelievability of the scene worth it? That scene also gives us the first appearance of Annie Shapero as Alysanne Blackwood. In Fire & Blood, Alysanne is the martially trained aunt of the teenaged lord of the House, Benjicot. The show decided to keep Benjicot off screen and, replace him with his uncle, the duplicitous Ser Willem Blackwood, whom Daemon killed at the end of last season. Whether Alysanne is his sister or his cousin in this version of events remains to be seen. That line of kohl across her eyes is a great design choice.  Great deadpan delivery from Matthew Needham’s Lord Larys when he proclaims “I was mistaken, I am surprised,” and, later, “it seems our journey to Dragonstone will be somewhat delayed.” In the absence of Tyland Lannister and his big Tyrion energy, Larys is keeping the wry wit going. Now knowing that Aegon and Larys are headed to Rook’s Rest (which we saw last season when Rhaenys was killed), I think I have an idea of what the show will do with his time that’s unaccounted for in Fire & Blood. I won’t say it just yet—no need to spoil things on a hunch—but if you’re a book reader, I’ll be curious to know your thoughts.  In Gyldayn’s account, the Gold Cloaks simply allow the Blacks in because of their love of their former commander, Daemon. I’m a fan of Alicent being quite proactive in preparing the way for Rhaenyra. We see this in the introduction of Ser Luthor Largent. He’s being played by Tom Cullen, who you likely know from Downton Abbey or Knightfall. He also played Guy Fawkes in the HBO miniseries Gunpowder alongside fellow ASoIaF alum Kit Harrington.  Daemon tells Rhaenyra his visions of Danaerys and the Song of Ice and Fire. I love how much this show loves Martin’s strange prophecy. I wish the original show hadn’t treated that prophecy as essentially pointless.  Rhaenyra tells Lord Celtigar to let Ser Lorent choose how he will die and we hear no more of the matter. In the book, Jace doesn’t imprison Rhaenyra with Lorent’s help—so all of this is new to the show. Have we seen the last of him? Would they really kill him off without so much as a death scene? We get a brief shot of Cley and Mujja, Ulf’s drinking buddies from last season! I did not think we’d see them again.  The Blacks imprison Ser Rickard Thorne this episode and have a throwaway line about how he was always spying on Alicent rather than being her good faith protector. In the novels, Ser Rickard is involved in a very important upcoming plot point that features a character who was cut from the show. As a result, I doubt we’ll see him again. But if you are missing his actor, Vincent Regan, you can catch him in a very, very different role—his gonzo performance as Admiral Garp on Netflix’s live-action adaptation of One Piece!  In dealing with Otto Hightower, who served her father as Hand for many years before becoming her bitter rival, Rhaenyra participates in the long-standing Song of Ice and Fire tradition of being forced to execute an old friend or former ally via decapitation in order to prove their strength to an assembled crowd: Theon Greyjoy must execute Rodrik Cassel, Robb Stark must execute Rickard Karstark, etc. As in the former case, it is a similarly botched attempt, requiring multiple strikes. Whether or not this is a portent of Rhaenyra’s loss remains to be seen.  We also lose Lord Jasper “Ironrod” Wylde, Aegon’s Master of Laws. Martin has Gyldayn characterize him as a philanderer but not as a rapist—so this last-minute turn was a bit of a surprise (and definitely a slightly unwelcome one). I suppose the plot point helps to further explain why Archmaester Orwyle survives the purge (as he does in the book). In Conclusion Credit: Ollie Upton/HBO An absolutely riveting follow-up to the gorgeous and harrowing season premiere! As loath as I am to lose Simon Russell Beale and Rhys Ifans, the best part of Rhaenyra’s return will be the ability to spend some time with Rhaenyra and Alicent speaking face to face on a regular basis. The two secret meetings last season were great, but we can now expect a period of regular contact between our two protagonists and more of the crackling chemistry between its stars (seriously, go watch every BTS interview Emma D’Arcy and Olivia Cooke—they are perfect together). Restarting their relationship with Rhaenyra having just executed Alicent’s father is also a clever touch (about which Gyldayn says little) and potential fuel for future conflict, especially given Alicent’s extremely complicated feelings about her relationship with Otto. And that last look on Rhaenyra’s face as she tries to turn an abashed and sorrowful mien into an impassive and imperious one is a great shot—her resolve shaking, the need to continue down the path she has set even as she glimpses how bad it might get… Terrific.  But what do you folks think? Are you ready to move ahead into the pointless slaughter of the Dance of the Dragons? Are you going to miss Simon Russell Beale and Rhys Ifans as much as I will? Are you also looking for an Alysanne Blackwood makeup tutorial? Let me know in the comments![end-mark]  The post Fishfeed, Severed Heads, and Political Theater: <i>House of the Dragon</i> Season 3, Episode 2 appeared first on Reactor.