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Warning: This article contains SPOILERS. House of the Dragon Season 3, Episode 2, “Queen’s Landing,” is perhaps the biggest yet for Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D’Arcy). It brings one of her lowest moments, as she learns of Jacaerys Velaryon’s death at the Battle of the Gullet, in a scene of raw grief played in heartwrenching fashion by D’Arcy. That then leads to the character finally heading to King’s Landing, where she finally achieves her goal of sitting on the Iron Throne.
That itself, though, isn’t without its complications. Though taking the city and Red Keep is relatively straightforward, Rhaenyra learns that Aegon II Targaryen has fled the city. However, one person who is still there is Otto Hightower, who was locked in a prison cell by Larys Strong as a gift for Rhaenyra and Daemon should they return. That leads to Rhaenyra beheading the man who served as her father’s Hand, and while she was prepared to execute Aegon, she was less so for Otto. D’Arcy explained that moment, as well as finally getting to sit on the Iron Throne, telling ELLE:
“Rhaenyra is expecting to execute Aegon and preparing herself – I think it’s fair to say – to take a life by her own hand for the first time… What she gets instead is her dad’s best friend, someone who watched her grow up, who knew her as a girl, and I think it’s the worst-case scenario. It completes the regression to childhood that happens when we return to the family home. The gaze of someone who probably still perceives her as a child does a lot to rob her of her power. So, I wanted to see her fear, I wanted to see her defiance, but most of all, I wanted to trouble the journey to the throne as much as possible so that by the time she gets there, she’s robbed of her triumph and is regressed to childhood.”
What Rhaenyra Killing Otto Means for House Of The Dragon
The execution of Otto, followed by that of Jasper Wylde, aka Ironrod, is an interesting way for Rhaenyra to begin what’s effectively her “real” reign as queen, now that she’s taken the Iron Throne. In one sense, it’s a showing of strength: she’s eliminated two people with influence who were both opposed to her rule and conspired to put Aegon on the throne, and with him having escaped, she needed a display of power and ruthlessness like this.
At the same time, it will make her relationship with Alicent Hightower even more complicated, given she’s just cut off her father’s head. Alicent arrives in the throne room shortly after the execution, seeing her dad’s head on the floor with no room for doubt that it was Rhaenyra who did it, and presumably unaware of Larys’ role in things, meaning it looks like she had been the one to capture Otto. In the ELLE interview, D’Arcy noted the importance of Alicent’s view, saying:
“I have this thought that…Alicent is Rhaenyra’s judge and jury. No matter how polarized their relationship becomes, still it’s Alicent’s sign-off that Rhaenyra craves more than anyone’s, and that dynamic is established in that final exchange.”
Quite how that dynamic plays out will be a major part of House of the Dragon Season 3’s remaining episodes, which, in a way, return the show to its roots. At its core, the TV series was built around their friendship and subsequent fallout, something that was mostly absent in Season 2 due to their different locations. Now, there’s a much bigger disparity in power, because Alicent will effectively be a prisoner of Rhaenyra, since she cannot be seen to simply let her and Helaena walk free after beheading Otto, and while Aegon and Aemond are still alive. That should mean far more interactions between them, exploring Alicent’s response to her father’s death and what comes next.
As well as putting Rhaenyra on the Iron Throne, Episode 2 also fulfilled another dream for D’Arcy: wielding a sword. This is something they have long campaigned for, and it finally comes to fruition. However, the actor notes that this also wasn’t without complication, saying:
“Obviously, a part of me is delighted that it’s happened for me and I finally got some hardware. The complication is that what Rhaenyra receives is Jace’s sword, and that’s very different to receiving a weapon of her own. It becomes a very moving totem during the episode because, I think, when we lose people, objects do become incredibly important… We wanted that sword to remain a foreign object, so that when she does draw it in the face of danger, it’s very unclear if she actually has the ability to use it effectively at all, which feels honest. It speaks to the very different access point she has been afforded as a woman growing up in the royal household.”
That makes it an even more emotionally charged moment when Rhaenyra is beheading Otto, and helps to explain why the execution was botched on the first effort. D’Arcy notes that they were keen not to have their character instantly be skilled, which leads to that gruesome hacking. To me, this also called to mind Theon Greyjoy’s execution of Rodrik Cassel in Game of Thrones Season 2, and so while D’Arcy and Rhaenyra have got their wishes, it might be a bad omen moving forward.
New episodes of House of the Dragon Season 3 release on Sundays at 9 pm ET on HBO and HBO Max.
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Read more of ’s essential House of the Dragon Season 3, Episode 2 coverage:
- House of the Dragon Season 3: Rhaenyra Killing THAT Character Explained & What It Really Means
- 2 Years Later, HBO Finally Releases House of the Dragon’s Real Season 2 Finale
- What Happened to Aemond Targaryen in House of the Dragon Season 3, Episode 2 Explained
