15 Questions House of the Dragon Needs to Answer in Season 3

Aug 05, 2024 02:25

Warning: This post contains spoilers for the Season 2 finale of House of the Dragon.

Season 2 of House of the Dragon ended not with the long-awaited Battle of the Gullet but with a montage that left viewers with more questions than answers. Who took Otto Hightower prisoner? Did Rhaena mount Sheepstealer? Seriously, where is Daeron?!

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And what about that conference between Rhaenyra and Alicent? Will both sides stick to their promise? How will it impact the Dance of Dragons going forward? Plus, after an entire season of watching Daemon have weird dreams in a House of Horrors, did House of the Dragon just retcon Daenerys’ role on Game of Thrones?

Here are all the questions we hope that House of the Dragon answers—and where the show may be headed—in Season 3.

Where is Otto Hightower being held?

Otto (Rhys Ifans) has been out of reach since Episode 3 of Season 2. He was cast out of the castle after Prince Aegon (Tom Glynn-Carney) dismissed his grandfather, preferring to name Criston Cole as (Fabien Frankel) his hand. When Aegon’s scheming brother, Aemond (Ewan Mitchell), took over as ruler of King’s Landing, Aemond realized that Otto is the best tactical mind in King’s Landing—and that Cole is a bit of a idiot. So he summoned his grandfather back.

But the summons—and Alicent’s letters to her father—went unanswered.

In a montage in the season finale, we finally learn why Otto’s been ghosting his nephew. In a blink-and-you-miss-it moment, House of the Dragon revealed that Otto Hightower is being held prisoner by…someone…somewhere. It’s unclear who would capture Otto and why.

If Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy) had nabbed him, she surely would have mentioned it. Whoever has Otto, this is a major departure from the books, in which he was still playing mastermind on the King’s Council around this time.

When will we see the Battle of the Gullet?

Many fans thought the Season 2 finale would feature the Battle of the Gullet, one of the major conflicts in the Dance of Dragons. All of the pieces are in place: During the battle, Team Green, with the help of the Triarchy, tries to break the Sea Snake’s blockade. Dragons arrive. Losses are heavy.

But we’ll have to wait another season to see this epic battle—unless Rhaenyra and Alicent’s handshake deal means the show is completely reshuffling the order of events as laid out in George R.R. Martin’s book Fire & Blood. But more about their secret conference later…

Did Rhaena mount Sheepstealer?

As many predicted, Rhaena (Phoebe Campbell) abandoned her wards to seek out the wild dragon in the Vale who has been leaving crispy sheep bones in his wake. (So much for Rhaena treating Rhaenyra’s children like her own.) In one of the final images of the season, Rhaena stumbles upon the dragon nibbling on some yummy mutton snacks, but she doesn’t actually interact with him. Will she be able to ride the dragon? It’s important to remember that she has failed to bond with other beasts despite her heritage.

The Season 2 Finale Gave Us Something Better Than a Big Battle15 Questions House of the Dragon Needs to Answer in Season 3How That Alicent and Rhaenyra Meeting Changes Our Understanding of the Dance of DragonsWhat Daemon’s Vision of Daenerys Means for House of the Dragon Breaking Down the Complex Targaryen Family Tree A Guide to the Dragons on House of the Dragon Looking for a New Show? Get Recommendations in Our Worth Your Time Newsletter Every Character Who Has Died on House of the Dragon Where is Daeron?

Stop teasing us, House of the Dragon! Alicent’s youngest son Daeron (and, crucially, his dragon) were mysteriously missing from the series for two full seasons. This absence has sent book readers into a bit of a tizzy considering the important role he’ll likely play in seasons to come.

But in the last few episodes of Season 2, just about everyone on Team Green can’t stop talking about Daeron. When counting up their dragons, a member of the King’s Council mentions to Prince Regent Aemond Targaryen that his young brother Daeron’s dragon is growing nicely and will be ready to battle soon.

In another scene, Alicent (Olivia Cooke) asks her brother Gwayne (Freddie Fox) about Daeron. Daeron has, apparently, been growing up away from King’s Landing in Oldtown. Gwayne assures her that Daeron—unlike Alicent’s other two sons—is kind. It’s a poignant moment for Alicent, who is horrified by the behavior of her elder sons, though it can’t be easy to learn that the one son you did not raise is the only one who isn’t a homicidal monster.

Anyway, Daeron sounds like a pretty cool guy who also apparently features in the romantic fantasies of the ladies in Oldtown. Both book and show fans alike are all now really psyched to meet Daeron. We even got a glimpse of Daeron’s dragon Tessarion in the final episode of Season 2—but no look at Daeron himself! The agony!

They better cast someone ridiculously charming in this role. I hear Glen Powell can play young.

Did Tyland Lannister just father a bunch of pirate babies?

In one of the stranger—and most fun—plot lines of the season finale, Tyland Lannister (Jefferson Hall) brokers a deal with the pirates of the Triarchy. In exchange for joining Team Green, the pirates will get to rule the Stepstones (and levy a tax on whatever goods come through there). In order to seal the deal, Tyland has to mud wrestle with the leader of the fleet, Lohar (Abigail Thorn).

Later that night, Lohar makes a proposal: “You are a handsome man and you have proven your worth and virility. I wish to have children by you,” and then goes on to clarify, “I want you to f-ck my wives.”

“How many wives do you have?” Tyland asks. So, yeah, Tyland may have slept with the pirate’s entire harem. And there may be a brood of illegitimate Lannister kids running around Essos now. This is especially hilarious because, as you may recall, Tyland is much shier and more skittish than his boisterous identical twin, Jason.

Will we ever see Dreamfyre?

Helaena’s dragon Dreamfyre got a shout out in the final episode of Season 2. Aemond demands that Helaena (Phia Saban) ride into battle with him. Ultimately, Helaena rebuffs him—and fans’ hopes of finally seeing Dreamfyre onscreen were dashed. All we know is that she’s blue and silver and probably very pretty.

Will Aegon be able to rule again?

Aemond’s scheme to keep his brother drugged with milk of the poppy and unable to make any kingly proclamations worked for a few episodes. But Larys Strong (Matthew Needham) caught on to Aemond’s scheme and has been quietly working to help Aegon—who Larys can manipulate much more easily—recover from his grievous dragon fire wounds.

And Aegon made, frankly, a remarkable recovery in the nick of time. Larys proposes to Aegon in the season finale that he smuggle the king out of King’s Landing before Aemond has a chance to commit fratricide. We see them leaving in secret. Will Aegon make it back to King’s Landing? And does the fact that he’ll be gone when Rhaenyra shows up to take the city scuttle her deal with Alicent—a son for a son?

Has Maelor officially been written off the show?

Has Aegon and Helaena’s younger son Maelor been written off the show? During the book’s version of the Blood and Cheese incident, Aemond’s would-be murderers ask Helaena which son she would prefer for them to murder: his elder son Jaeherys or his younger son Maelor. Helaena picks Maelor only for the killers to cut off Jaeherys’ head instead. Apparently Helaena is so traumatized by Blood and Cheese that she can’t even look at Maelor. (Yes, it was even worse in the books than it was on the show.)

Some fans speculated that Maelor would be born later in the show. But House of the Dragon quickly dispelled that notion in the Season 2 finale when Aegon informed Larys that his “cock is destroyed.” Guess he is not siring any more heirs. Sorry, Maelor.

What was Alys Rivers’ motivation?

Look, I’m not saying isolating Matt Smith, one of the best actors on this show, from all the other main characters in a haunted castle so he can lose his mind was a waste of time this season. I would never suggest that. I sat patiently through Dany in Meereen on Game of Thrones. I can handle a season of Daemon doing Macbeth-core.

But I have some follow-up questions. Alys Rivers (Gayle Rankin) just spent the entire season drugging Daemon and creeping him out. Ultimately, her goal seemed to be to transform Daemon from a potential usurper into a loyal servant to his wife, Rhaenyra. Dreams about his brother Viserys (Paddy Considine) and, ultimately, visions of Daenerys (Emilia Clarke) and the White Walkers convinced him that he needed to support Rhaenyra.

OK, but why? Is Alys loyal to Rhaenyra because she thinks she is the rightful ruler? Was this a women-helping-other-women situation? Did she just think Daemon was a bit of a tool who needed fixing? Did her owl tell her to do it? We may never know.

Was Daenerys the Prince That Was Promised after all?

Not to harp on Game of Thrones years after it ended, but the show never really answered the question of who, exactly, was the Prince That Was Promised. That’s fine—prophecies rarely come true the way you would expect in George R.R. Martin’s books…except that House of the Dragon is completely obsessed with this particular prophecy. It’s literally Rhaenyra’s justification for murder—and now Daemon’s justification too.

During his Weirwood tree vision, Daemon sees the future, including the White Walker threat and—presumably—the only Targaryen who can stop them: Dany with her three baby dragons.

I’m sure George R.R. Martin will have something to say about this on his blog shortly.

Is Rhaenyra turning into a cult leader?

Speaking of dragon ladies who drink their own Kool-aid, Rhaenyra started using cult leader language way too quickly in the penultimate episode of Season 2 when she discovered that Addam of Hull (Clinton Liberty) could ride a dragon. She justified risking the lives of dozens of silver-haired common folk in hopes of finding a couple of dragonriders by proclaiming it was the will of the gods.

This can be dangerous logic: Remember, her father, King Viserys I, ultimately jumpstarted this battle for the Iron Throne in part because he was obsessed with the Prince That Was Promised prophecy and the notion that the gods had entrusted him and his heirs with protecting Westeros from some great threat.

(Of course, we as viewers know the Prince That Was Promised prophecy doesn’t fully come true. A Lannister, not a Targaryen, rules the Seven Kingdoms when Jon Snow’s army confronts the White Walker threat. And it’s a Stark, not a Targaryen, who ultimately ends the war by killing the Night King.)

What will be the fallout of the Rhaenyra-Mysaria kiss?

One of the bigger surprises of the season was Rhaenyra sharing a kiss with her advisor (and husband Daemon’s ex-lover) Mysaria. Sonoya Mizuno, who plays Mysaria, has said in interviews that D’Arcy improved the kiss. So it’s not that surprising that we haven’t seen an immediate fallout from the kiss in the final episodes of Season 2. But will the writers address it in Season 3? Are we in for a throuple with the return of Daemon from Dragonstone?

What’s up with the Starks?

The North—or at least 10,000 of their most, umm, mature soldiers—marched to help Queen Rhaenyra. It took them all of Season 2 to march south from the Wall. Will we see Cregan Stark (Tom Taylor) next season? Will he and Jacerys bro out again?

Who will Corlys name as his heir?

Corlys’ two legitimate sons have come up in the world. Alyn (Abubakar Salim) saved Corlys’ life in Season 1 and has since become the commander of his fleet. Addam, meanwhile, is now a dragonrider.

But Corlys (Steve Toussaint) has been hesitant to acknowledge one son, let alone two. And so far Addam is playing along. When Rhaenyra confronts Addam about his parentage, he does not reveal that he’s the bastard son of her own Hand.

Alyn, meanwhile, spurns his father’s overtures. In the finale, Alyn recalls watching Corlys with his legitimate son Laenor (John Macmillan), bundled in furs, while Alyn and Addam struggled to survive the winter. He resents the fact that Corlys is showing an interest in him only now that his two legitimate children have died.

Still, Corlys has been in need of an heir ever since Laenor (to Corlys’ knowledge) died. Alyn, his elder bastard son, has declared himself “of salt and sea,” and seems the obvious choice, if Corlys can win him over.

Will Alicent hold up her end of the deal with Rhaenyra?

This is the big question. The conversation between Alicent and Rhaenyra in which Alicent agrees to open the gates of King’s Landing for her old friend without a struggle is a show invention. Alicent also, stunningly, consents to Rhaenyra beheading Aegon, to cement her claim to the Iron Throne: “A son for a son.”

Will Alicent keep her promise? What happens when Rhaenyra arrives and Aegon is already gone from King’s Landing? Will she demand another head instead? And will Rhaenyra, in turn, indeed let Alicent, Helaena, and Jaehaera wander off into the woods to live in peace? That all seems too simple considering we have many episodes of dragon fighting left in this show.

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15 Questions House of the Dragon Needs to Answer in Season 3