What would you do if you were to face the Prince of Crabs? What strategy would you enact when the enemy is strongest in his own land? In the second episode of House of The Dragon, we found ourselves pondering this exact question. However, the third episode reveals to us who the crab feeder really is – and it’s none other than Prince Drahar! We don’t know who Prince Drahar is, but we do know he has a vice grip around the necks of Prince Daemon and the sea snake himself, Corlys Velaryon.
We saw in the last episode both Corlys and Daemon pledged allegiance to one another and came up with the bright idea of taking on Prince Drahar at the Stepstones. The episode opens up to the battlefield on a dark night riddled with sand, sea, and bodies nailed to wooden beams for the crabs to feed. Fire is all around with the accompanying screams of the fallen in war – and yet Prince Daemon tries his best to fulfill the old “white knight” stereotype by riding in on Caraxes (the dragon he stole in the premiere episode) with fire reigning down from beneath him.
As Daemon gleefully rides the back of his newfound pet dragon, he’s met with some resistance from his enemy, forcing him to turn tail and head back. As you may already know, Daemon is the type of person that likes to count his chickens before they hatch, as you can remember from the premiere episode, his haste in celebrating victory quickly turned into a sour defeat, and here we see history repeat itself. Meanwhile, in other parts of the realm Rhaenyra is still going through her troubles with her father King Viserys, but this time things have gotten worse. Two years have passed and Viserys is now married to Alicent Hightower just like he said, but now they have a child – a young Aegon Targaryan at the ripe and cute age of two years old with Alicent expecting another. Who would’ve thought we’d get a time-skip this episode?
This father-daughter conflict appears to worsen during the celebration of Aegon’s second birthday, and of course, in traditional Game of Thrones fashion, some foreshadowing is always afoot. Not only is Rhaenyra attacked by an unexpected enemy, but she is also greeted by a legendary stag – a symbol of good fortune that these people somehow want to kill…because they think it’ll bring them good fortune. Obviously, these people are insane. Arriving back at camp holds another key symbol here, because not only does Rhaenyra come back, but she’s soaked in blood and carries with her a dead boar from the night before. The warriors in the camp all see Rhaenyra strut her stuff back to her tent, and instantly becomes accepted in their eyes.
When I say we are in for a treat with this episode, we are in for a treat! We’re introduced to the infamous House Lannister, and in Lannister tradition, the key characters are snooty and arrogant. It would seem no one really cares for them that much just as no one cared for them in Game of Thrones, you simply can’t trust these people! Not only is Rhaenyra fighting off an unwanted “partnership”, but now the crown is begrudgingly at war with Prince Drahar, and yes we’re circling back to him now. Corlys and Daemon are fighting a losing battle, which Viserys is now dragged into for political reasons. However, Prince Daemon manages to turn the tide against the crab feeder and brings back the mutilated half carcass of the unfortunate Prince of Crabs to claim his victory in the battle at Stepstones with the help of what remains of Corlys’ army and Daemon’s trusty dragon Caraxes.
This victory can only mean one thing – more treachery. Daemon was able to pull this off without the help of his brother, which means his ego and arrogance are at an all-time high. Unbeknownst to him, Vaemond reached out to King Viserys requesting aid to help fight a losing war, and when he does finally commit to helping them to win, Daemon pulls a hail mary that turns the tide for him and Corlys to pull off that big win they needed so desperately. This is mere speculation, but given the behavioral pattern we’ve witnessed for two episodes now, it feels like a sure thing. Shockingly enough, Viserys hasn’t even called for Daemon’s head or for Corlys’ despite the very act of treason that could have potentially put Viserys’ rule over the realm at risk. With a newborn son and potential heir to the throne, it would only make sense to get rid of those that still pose a threat – and maybe, just maybe, we’ll get to see what’s coming to Daemon before this spectacle is over.
See you next week for more coverage of House of The Dragon every Sunday night at 9pm ET on HBO.
Hey! I’m Lais a.k.a. Chipz-N-Stix and I love video games and nerd culture overall. I typically do reviews and impressions on video games as well as offer some helpful tips and tricks to enhance your gaming experience. From time to time I tend to touch on certain topics that get you thinking – things that would matter to the individual. I’m also a self-proclaimed Pokemon Master but that doesn’t mean you can outright challenge me. I have to “motivate” my team for that!
