In an episode where so much happens — and so much moves further away from the book — it became clear, perhaps to George R.R. Martin’s complete outrage, that storylines from the source material are being transferred from one character to another. Even if the destinations remain predetermined and familiar, House of the Dragon is not merely giving context to characters who could otherwise have remained shallow. It is also expanding the importance of people who barely pass through the pages, contributing little beyond death and resistance.

And although the series is still nowhere near Game of Thrones or A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, it is unquestionably stronger. Only two episodes remain, and, considering everything that still needs to happen, it seems likely that the pace will accelerate significantly in Season 4 — provided that what lies ahead is not simply removed and that the fourth season really is the final chapter.

But let’s recap, because there is a great deal to discuss.

Good Riddance to Ser Criston Cole

If there is one character whose story the showrunners apparently did not want to rewrite completely, it is Ser Criston Cole. He knew that he had been sent on a suicide mission in the Riverlands — yes, unlike in the book — and although parts of the scene remain faithful to the source material, his death felt almost like a “good riddance,” arriving so quickly and with so little ceremony.

Criston’s plan was to wear down the riverlords’ army and the Winter Wolves, buying enough time for Aemond and Ormund to attack Rhaenyra’s allies. Instead, Cole fails completely. The Blacks’ much larger force reverses the situation and prepares an ambush for the Kingmaker. The Green commander enters what appears to be an abandoned battlefield only to discover, once again, that Oscar Tully may be the cleverest man in the room. The “corpses” scattered across the ground are actually Tully soldiers pretending to be dead. The fighting begins, Cole kills many of them, but there is no possible way for him to win.

Surrounded, he hears the taunts of Lord Roderick Dustin and Lord Oscar Tully, both protected by a much larger army and thoroughly tired of him, representing a significant portion of the audience. Just as he does in the book, Criston attempts to negotiate a duel, offering his own life in exchange for the safety of his men. They do not even need to consider the proposal.

Recovering the scene many of us wanted to see last season, it is Alysanne Blackwood’s arrows that end the conversation. I mention this because Cole’s death follows the general shape Martin described, although several details have changed. There is no line about songs never being written about him, nor is he pierced by countless arrows fired by unnamed archers. Only readers of the book will immediately understand who kills him and why the gesture matters: another example of House of the Dragon transferring one character’s storyline to another.

It was interesting that, in his final moments, Criston thought of Alicent Hightower. He became this unbearable person largely because of his resentment toward Rhaenyra, but he died genuinely loving the dowager queen of the Greens. And so, without ceremony, tears, or much explanation, he is gone.

Cole’s farewell flows directly into the ridiculous conclusion of Alicent and Helaena’s escape attempt, which ended in darkness, in front of a stone wall. The two remained trapped in the corridor until Rhaenyra’s soldiers found them. But we should pay attention to the details, because their actions will once again have tragic consequences.

Governing and Leading Are Different — and Both Are Difficult

Rhaenyra Targaryen has nothing but problems with the Crown. Her advisers cannot agree with one another, and she still has to deal with the headache called Ormund Hightower and the forces gathering around him in Tumbleton. It is a game of cat and mouse in which no one appears entirely convinced by the leader they are following.

Along with finding money, increasing security in the city, and eliminating her enemies, Rhaenyra must publicly deal with her furious uncle-husband when she attempts to imitate Viserys. Daemon watched his brother allow Otto to dominate him and help create the chaos they are now facing, so his reaction when Rhaenyra invokes their father is, at least, understandable.

Daemon wants simple and effective plans: burn Tumbleton to remove Ormund, stop the turmoil that led to the murder of 25 Gold Cloaks, and destroy whatever else Lord Hightower may be preparing. While Mysaria watches, clearly amused by seeing her former lover so agitated, it is the new members of the small council, Lady Sabitha Frey and Torrhen Manderly, who remind him that burning Tumbleton’s loyal smallfolk would damage Rhaenyra’s reign.

Daemon’s tongue is as quick and sharp as his sword, but his references to the Manderlys and Freys will mean considerably more to readers who understand what he is implying. And his eternal need for a dramatic mic drop produces the same image once again: there is hardly a scene in which he does not rise from his chair, turn his back on his wife, and storm out of the room. At least this time, Rhaenyra gives him a clear mission perfectly suited to his temperament: investigate the conspiracy in King’s Landing responsible for the deaths of the Gold Cloaks.

Meanwhile, in the absence of the man who may have been the worst Hand ever appointed by any ruler in Westeros, Corlys is personally clearing the continent of pirates. Alyn of Hull has therefore begun to represent House Velaryon beside the queen — if not officially, then certainly through his advice and presence.

He argues that they should wait for the Riverlands army, which could take Tumbleton without destroying the city, and is ordered to find Corlys and negotiate the deployment of troops to protect the capital.

And so that no one can claim Rhaenyra is becoming exactly like her father, she reacts when the Baratheons once again make light of her Crown, sending soldiers but refusing to have Lord Borros represent them personally. Her answer is to devise a plan in which assassins will enter Tumbleton wearing Baratheon uniforms and kill Ormund.

Naturally, before approving the plan, she reminds everyone how deeply she still resents Lucerys’s death by threatening to hang the messenger and declare Borros a traitor. For now, however, confiscating the soldiers’ uniforms is enough.

The Dragonseeds Are Sowing Trouble

You know that character who will eventually tell Rhaenyra that allowing the dragons to choose the bastards, rather than properly evaluating them herself, was a terrible plan? He is still gathering evidence.

We find Hugh and Ulf standing watch in Tumbleton. Ulf is furious because he has been forbidden from drinking with his friends in Flea Bottom, while Hugh, breaking his promise to the queen, can think only about entering the city and rescuing his wife. The reasons behind their eventual change of allegiance during the approaching First Battle of Tumbleton are becoming increasingly clear.

I say “increasingly” because Ryan Condal has made one — actually, two — radical changes to the story, leaving us with several possible outcomes.

But first, a detail for book geeks: the scene in which Vermithor lands beside Silverwing and affectionately touches her is a historical reference. The two dragons belonged to King Jaehaerys the Conciliator and his wife, Good Queen Alysanne. That is why they remain so fond of one another.

We then see that Ulf is deeply resentful over the restrictions placed upon him, particularly because he can no longer drink with his friends in the taverns of Flea Bottom. He does not see much practical advantage in his new position, although he would not willingly return to his former life either — something Hugh understands.

And if there is one true thing we know about Ulf, it is that no one puts him in a corner. Unfortunately for him, that resentment leads directly to an encounter with Daemon, which we will return to shortly.

Hugh, meanwhile, intercepts a cart outside Tumbleton and enters the city hidden among the merchants. He manages to find Kat, the wife he abandoned when he left to try his luck with the dragons. She is completely justified in wanting nothing more to do with him.

Kat was starving, had lost their daughter, and was left behind. She had to escape King’s Landing alone and make her way to Tumbleton, facing violence and danger along the road. She was nearly assaulted inside her own home, and her brother died protecting her. Hearing that she should now return to the capital because she will have a house and some money comes far too late. Hugh tries to force her to leave, but she escapes him. For now.

Daemon’s Temper Accelerates One of the Major Twists

The slap Daemon gave Ulf must still be hurting, but things are about to become considerably worse. Following Rhaenyra’s orders, Daemon visits the Gold Cloaks’ headquarters to discuss retaliation and action. The men may like him, but they like remaining alive even more, so they decide to abandon their positions.

After all, they are unpaid, hungry, and being hunted. No queen, however inspiring, can make that level of danger worthwhile.

If he has to act alone, so be it. Daemon puts on a Gold Cloak uniform and walks through the streets, hoping to attract one of the assassins. His plan works immediately. The former Hightower guard — the same man Alicent ordered to lower the weapons on the walls when Rhaenyra took King’s Landing — follows and attacks the prince.

Daemon is faster, but before killing him, he hears an uncomfortable truth: the Greens have countless supporters, and they will never submit to Rhaenyra.

Perhaps furious that this information does little to solve the Green infiltration of the capital, Daemon needs somewhere to direct his rage. Unfortunately for Ulf, the two cross paths, and the prince finds his scapegoat.

Ulf has disguised himself so that he can visit a tavern without Rhaenyra discovering what he is doing. It is the second direct order from the queen that he has ignored, and Daemon loses control. He knocks Ulf down with a punch, puts his boot on his back, and threatens him in front of dozens of smallfolk — and, yes, another Hightower spy.

Two vital things happen simultaneously. Ulf loses any remaining motivation to support the Blacks, while the people witness yet another act of violence by the royal forces against an ordinary citizen. Worse still, the violence comes from the queen’s own husband.

A double mistake by Daemon — or a triple one, considering that he has made no progress in his investigation.

Baela and Alyn of Hull: Incest and Parental Problems

Always disciplined and true to his word, Alyn of Hull travels to the Crownlands in search of his father, Corlys Velaryon. When he finds him, Alyn sees that Corlys has been successful in eliminating the Triarchy’s remaining pirates, but that he is still nowhere near being the politician and Hand whose place should be beside the throne.

Corlys is angry with Rhaenyra for failing to legitimize his sons, leading to the best line of the episode, as his hypocrisy is placed directly in front of him. Corlys himself took years to acknowledge his children and therefore has little right to demand immediate action from a queen who is genuinely suffocating beneath far greater problems.

He even criticizes Alyn for doing such a good job for Rhaenyra, conveniently forgetting that it was his idea and should have been his own responsibility.

It is not exactly a redemption, but Corlys at least sends important information to King’s Landing: Tyland Lannister survived the Battle of the Gullet and has travelled to Rook’s Rest. Tyland is the only person with access to the Crown’s hidden money, and Rhaenyra desperately needs both him and Corlys.

Back in the capital, Alyn finds his niece, Baela Targaryen, and the two once again discuss their difficult parents. I suspect Baela, who was eager to marry Jacaerys in the book, is now desperate to become involved with almost anyone who gives her an opportunity.

There is an obvious attraction, and she kisses her uncle, sealing the future of a couple whose story I have already told here on MiscelAna. It all happens a little too quickly, however, and it will do nothing to repair Baela’s relationship with Rhaenyra.

Jace died only a few weeks ago, and his betrothed is already kissing another man? Westeros will be Westeros.

Aegon Begins to Trust Larys

The season’s most interesting trio is dealing with the body Aegon has left behind, but the important point is that Larys wants to go to Essos, while Tyland argues that they should remain in Lannisport.

Still affected by Larys’s brutal assessment in the previous episode, when he was forced to hear a list of his weaknesses and failures, Aegon must now make a choice. Before deciding, he asks Tyland whether he is a terrible person.

The Lannister hesitates, avoids answering honestly, and attempts to change the subject without ever managing to say no. Aegon consequently begins to value Larys’s promise that he will always be brutally honest, but equally loyal.

I would not place too much faith in the loyalty of Larys Strong, but that is precisely why he is so brilliant. Aegon accepts that he is, indeed, a terrible person and chooses to follow Larys’s plan.

And worse: if the story continues in this direction, we may eventually conclude that Aegon’s arc is tragic because he will effectively become the best available option for the Iron Throne. A bold idea.

Lady Jeyne Arryn: What Exactly Is Your Problem?

Perhaps simply to bring Rhaena Targaryen back into the story — since she remains hidden in the Vale with the wild dragon Sheepstealer — we travel to the region and see the princess watching Moondancer and Seasmoke patrol on Rhaenyra’s behalf.

We then discover that their appearance encouraged Rhaena to leave her hiding place. She is dragged into the throne room of the Eyrie, where an irritated Lady Jeyne Arryn threatens her once again. Their agreement is that Rhaena will remain hidden and avoid creating problems for either of them.

Rhaenyra still believes that Sheepstealer’s rider was responsible for Jace’s death during the Battle of the Gullet and wants the rider’s head.

At some point, this confrontation will bear fruit. Whether that fruit will be sweet remains to be seen.

Love and Shadows

At Harrenhal, the series makes a significant change from the book, where Aemond assaults Alys and later falls in love with her. Here, Alys appears either determined to secure herself a noble husband or genuinely attracted to the one-eyed prince after he courageously defended her.

Aemond has recovered and is determined to find Vhagar, but Alys insists that he remain at Harrenhal and does everything she can to seduce him. She kills another man who might expose him, suggests that Vhagar left to protect his hiding place, and argues that the safest location is somewhere no one expects him to be.

She reveals a box containing five dragon eggs, creating an immediate connection for Daenerys fans who believe they may include the eggs that eventually become Rhaegal, Drogon, and Viserion.

It is another Westerosi history lesson — Shireen would have loved it — as Alys recalls how, after the death of her daughter, Rhaena Targaryen, one of Aemond’s ancestors, flew to Harrenhal with her dragon Dreamfyre and entered a period of voluntary isolation to grieve. She remained there until her death.

Dreamfyre later returned to King’s Landing, where she eventually bonded with the young Helaena Targaryen.

Fans have long believed that Dreamfyre laid a clutch of eggs before leaving Harrenhal and that, during Jaehaerys’s reign, three of them were stolen by a woman named Elissa Farman and taken to Essos. That is the theory connecting Dreamfyre to Daenerys’s dragons.

House of the Dragon, however, introduced the alternative possibility that Dany’s eggs came from a clutch laid by Syrax, Rhaenyra’s dragon, and crossed the Narrow Sea with her youngest sons, Aegon and Viserys.

It is a tremendous amount of information, and Aemond does not appear especially concerned about any of it. After all, he already has Vhagar.

Alys then takes the initiative and kisses him, suggesting a future in which he would no longer have to live alone. Our prince has apparently solved all his problems at once: his Oedipal issues, his rejection, his hiding place, and his future.

Except, of course, he has not.

When a Medical Condition Becomes a Weapon

Alicent’s seemingly random revelation that her cousin Ormund has osmophobia — a pathological aversion to smells — finally becomes useful.

Before that, we see that his reunion with Gwayne Hightower is anything but affectionate. Ser Gwayne arrives filthy, exhausted, and finally free from Ser Criston’s company, only for Ormund to mock him as a coward for refusing to continue the campaign with them.

There are more implications in this conversation than may initially be obvious, because the two men are quietly competing over Oldtown as much as they are over King’s Landing.

They provoke one another about everything, with Ormund making it clear that Gwayne is gay. That would be largely irrelevant if the series had established that Ormund, as in the books, has children. It has not, making this yet another adaptation change that may affect the future of the story.

Another important revelation is that, when removed from Ormund’s influence, Daeron really is a good young man. After accompanying his uncle Gwayne to his rooms, the two finally speak privately. Daeron understands perfectly well that Ormund is terrible and that his plans are even worse, but he is afraid of him.

He therefore begs Gwayne to stay and protect him. Gwayne, however, says that he must consider the Hightower succession and leave.

After spending months with Ser Criston, Gwayne understandably needs some rest and does not depart immediately. Lucky for Ormund.

They are having lunch and discussing the men involved in the war when Ormund criticizes ambitious people who were not born to lead, arguing that they cannot be trusted. He praises Corlys but laughs when Daeron attempts to mention their grandfather, Otto.

The arrival of the Baratheon delegation confirms to Ormund that his plan is working: the great houses will come to him. Unfortunately, the men are completely covered in the dirt of the road, and Ormund cannot concentrate because of the smell.

It is Gwayne who realizes that the men are assassins. Alongside Jon Roxton, he kills them before they can harm Ormund or Daeron.

Ormund is grateful, but his personal hatred of Rhaenyra has been renewed. Gwayne will be staying in Tumbleton after all.

Rejected by the Iron Throne

Let us talk about Alicent Hightower and the chaos she continually creates. Not only did she actively accelerate the entire succession crisis, but she now uses Helaena as an excuse whenever she wants to appeal to Rhaenyra.

After being the worst mother on a very long list of terrible Westerosi mothers, she suddenly appears to “care about her daughter.” Whether that concern is genuine remains to be seen.

One consequence of the failed escape is that Rhaenyra discovers Helaena’s pregnancy and now has no option other than confining both women to their rooms. Alicent “accepts” the punishment, as though she has any choice, and still attempts to negotiate.

Rhaenyra, however, is running out of patience and alternatives.

It is worth remembering that even Mysaria has begun to notice that Rhaenyra is not well. She lies about not knowing that Helaena was pregnant, and the queen appears to believe her. I have discussed this before. It is not a good sign.

And Mysaria is not the only person withholding information, because Daemon has also failed to tell Rhaenyra that Rhaena is hiding in the Vale.

Rhaenyra’s deterioration becomes even more apparent when she receives the smallfolk and listens to an endless list of complaints. Her answer to everything is essentially, “I did not do it,” but she offers no practical alternative to anyone.

With the murders and the desertion of the Gold Cloaks, the streets are already descending into chaos.

In the middle of all this, Rhaenyra grips the arms of the Iron Throne and realizes that it has cut her hand. The wound reminds her of her father and, for those who believe in prophecy, it is difficult to ignore the suggestion that the throne rejects those who are unfit to sit upon it.

And now? Rhaenyra runs out in the middle of the audience.

Alicent and Her Morally Grey Missions

Alicent remains one of the series’ central problems because, no matter what she does, she always contributes to the tragedy.

She may have developed a connection with Mysaria, but Helaena confronts her for marrying her children according to Targaryen tradition and condemning her daughter to a life of political misery. Alicent claims that she was obeying Otto, but Helaena — apparently attending the Alyn of Hull school of exposing parental hypocrisy — refuses to accept the excuse.

There is also a fascinating detail: House of the Dragon confirms that the opening sequence is indeed based on the tapestries Helaena creates. She then tells Alicent, once again, that Aemond is at Harrenhal.

Realizing that her daughter will deteriorate further while confined, Alicent once more asks Rhaenyra for help, offering two pieces of information: Helaena is a dreamer — learn your own history — and Aemond is in Harrenhal.

Can they please leave now? No.

Since betraying her children has become her signature move, Alicent is ordered by Rhaenyra to travel to Aemond and kill him.

If she refuses, Helaena will remain imprisoned indefinitely. Alicent’s resistance — I must say — is minimal. In a single move, she leaves Helaena in Rhaenyra’s care and departs to arrange Aemond’s death.

It is also an opportunity for Alicent herself to escape. But, as Rhaenys told her in the first season, Alicent only knows how to do what men expect of her. It is never truly about what she wants.

Corlys Could Change the Game

Furious over the nearly successful attempt on his life, Ormund sends Rhaenyra a warning: strike at me, and I will bite the hand.

That warning means the Greens have kidnapped Corlys Velaryon.

This does not happen in the book, although Corlys eventually changes sides and betrays Rhaenyra. Apparently, the betrayal may now arrive much earlier than expected.

And that is where we end. House of the Dragon has merged numerous storylines and entered territory very different from the book, even while continuing toward many of the same conclusions.

We said goodbye to Ser Criston Cole, but I would not particularly mind doing the same with Corlys. Alyn and Addam are both more interesting and considerably better than he is.

I trust that the series may still handle these changes effectively, but several problems created by its earliest decisions remain impossible to resolve completely.

Alicent is now their greatest victim.