With House of the Dragon<\/a> season 2 episode 3 comes a chilling new development in Daemon Targaryen\u2019s<\/a> (Matt Smith) story \u2013 and with that comes one of the best new additions to the series we\u2019ve seen as of yet.<\/p>\n Throughout the past two episodes, Daemon has single-handedly wreaked havoc in his quest for revenge against Aemond Targaryen<\/a> (Ewan Mitchell), causing the murder of Aegon Targaryen\u2019s<\/a> (Tom Glynn-Carney) young son and proving he\u2019s more of a liability to the Blacks than Rhaenyra (Emma D\u2019Arcy) could have imagined.<\/p>\n But now, in a surprising change from George RR Martin\u2019s novel Fire and Blood<\/a>, we see inside the depths of Daemon\u2019s tormented mind with a shocking and powerful return to the show for Milly Alcock<\/strong><\/a> as young <\/strong>Rhaenyra<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n In one of the series\u2019s most jaw-dropping moments yet, Daemon imagines a young Rhaenyra stitching up Jaehaerys after he was decapitated by Blood and Cheese<\/a> in episode 1<\/a>, giving us an insight into just how troubled Daemon has become.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s everything you need to know about what happened in House of the Dragon season 2 episode 3.<\/p>\n So, let\u2019s break it all down\u2026<\/p>\n [squirrel-affiliate-playlist squirrel_playlist_id=\u201d610\u2033 \/]<\/p>\n After his bust-up with Rhaneyra in episode 2, Daemon needs to pull his weight, flying to a dilapidated Harrenhal. He crashes in, dramatically claiming the place, before being told he\u2019s actually welcome there and Ser Simon Strong (Simon Russell Beale) pledges fealty to Rhaenyra. All in all, he\u2019s doing a bit too much. But we soon find out why.<\/p>\n Over supper, Daemon is paranoid, convinced he\u2019ll be poisoned. During the night, he hears noises and and investigates, only to find a woman humming to herself over needlework.<\/p>\n However, when she turns around, we see it\u2019s Alcock as young Rhaenyra, and the needlework is actually a gruesome sight \u2013 her stitching up young Jaehaerys, quite literally attempting to clear up the mess Daemon has made.<\/p>\n \u201cAlways coming and going, aren\u2019t you?\u201d she says. \u201cAnd I have to clean up afterwards.\u201d<\/p>\n He\u2019s then told, \u201cYou will die in this place,\u201d as he returns to his reality.<\/p>\n It\u2019s an incredibly powerful moment for Daemon, as the character, previously an ice-cold killer, is now wracked with guilt about the mess he\u2019s made. From a confident warrior to a paranoid and insecure member of the Blacks, it seems we\u2019re about to see more into Daemon\u2019s mind than we ever have before.<\/p>\n Speaking to RadioTimes.com<\/a> about that disturbing storyline, showrunner Ryan Condal said: \u201cI warned [Matt] early on<\/a>, \u2018You did such a great job in season 1, now we\u2019re gonna throw a lot at you and really challenge your range as an actor, and also what makes Daemon as a character.\u2019<\/p>\n \u201cI think Daemon is the character a lot of people hook into with this series, because it\u2019s the sort of stereotypical heroic male lead. And we wanted to kind of turn that on its ear, beginning with episode 1 of season 1 and carrying all the way through the rest of his arc through the series.\u201d<\/p>\n The impact of the Dance of Dragons is being felt across Westeros, leaving more and more violence in its wake. In a fierce moment talking to his mother, Jace (Harry Collett) warns Rhaenyra about those who sent Ser Arryk to kill her.<\/p>\n But, being the voice of reason, Rhaenys (Eve Best) counsels Rhaenyra, warning her that soon war will be waged and no one will even remember the reason why \u2013 whether it was Aemond killing Luke, Luke taking Aemond\u2019s eye, the murder of Jaehaerys, or something completely different.<\/p>\n In a crucial moment, and giving some major tough love, she urges Rhaenyra to reason with Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke). It\u2019s a hugely important moment, setting us up for a reunion that will dictate the future of the Targaryen dynasty. Can war actually be avoided? Rhaenyra dismisses her words of advice \u2013 but not for long.<\/p>\n The Greens are also wary of war (other than Aegon, who seemingly wants to slash down every man in his path). As we see at the beginning of the episode, House Bracken (Team Green) attacked the Blackwoods (Team Black), with both sides taking major losses \u2013 a clear sign of what is to come if war continues.<\/p>\n Ser Criston declares that they should take Harrenhal, with Alicent warning him that that he too few men. But Aegon wants war, and seemingly war is what he\u2019ll get as he unconvincingly declares: \u201cI\u2019m as fearsome as any of them.\u201d<\/p>\n Mysaria<\/a> makes it clear that what allegiance she has is with Rhaenyra because she\u2019s been merciful. Meanwhile, Rhaenyra sends a reluctant Rhaena (Phoebe Campbell) to accompany her youngest children on his journey to stay with Lady Jeyne Arryn.<\/p>\n Alicent\u2019s brother, Ser Gwayne Hightower, arrives \u2013 and he\u2019s less than impressed to find Criston Cole has replaced his father Otto Hightower (Rhys Ifans) as Hand of the King. He joins Cole on his march.<\/p>\n During her small council, Rhaenyra has to discourage the use of dragons in the battle, and stop the lords from shipping her off as a \u201cprecaution\u201d. Speaking of being shipped off, the family see Rhaena and the children off with dragons Tyraxes and Stormcloud, and various dragon eggs.<\/p>\n Larys Strong<\/a> (Matthew Needham) discourages Aegon from marching to war by telling him that there are rumours that his councillors urged him to go to war so that Alicent and Aemond could rule in his absence. Aegon makes it clear that he wants to keep Larys close as his Master of Whispers.<\/p>\n Speaking to RadioTimes.com<\/strong> about that moment, Larys actor Needham said: \u201cLarys is such a chameleon that I think he sees what people need in the moment and becomes that thing to get close to them, and I think in Aegon, he sees that Aegon needs to feel worthwhile, and he doesn\u2019t feel respected and he doesn\u2019t feel like he\u2019s actually being listened to or treated with respect.<\/span><\/p> \u201cAnd that\u2019s something that Larys recognises in himself and can actually genuinely sympathise and empathise with. So he\u2019s able to get close to him and be the support that he knows that he needs.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Aegon heads to a tavern where we meet an important new character, Ulf White (Tom Bennett), who claims he\u2019s the bastard son of Baelon the Brave and half-brother to Daemon Targaryen. It\u2019s a brief scene, cut short when Aegon arrives, but Ulf is about to become a lot more important if the book is anything to go by.<\/p>\n Aegon walks in on his brother with brothel madam Sylvi (Michelle Bonnard), taunting him about her.<\/p>\n Criston Cole, while riding with his men, suddenly realises they\u2019re exposed as the cloud cover parts \u2013 and sure enough, Baela flies overhead watching them. She swoops down, nearly catching them, and reports back to Rhaenyra.<\/p>\n Rhaenyra approaches Mysaria, telling her she needs to talk to Alicent. While Mysaria initially attempts to discourage her, she tells her where she can find Alicent alone, and that she won\u2019t be discovered if she doesn\u2019t dress as a queen.<\/p>\n Rhaenyra ambushes her once-best-friend in the church \u2013 the very place she prayed for her son. While she\u2019s terrified at first, she speaks to her. She reminds Alicent of the tourney they watched together when they were young, reminding her of the bloodlust they saw on show and saying she doesn\u2019t believe Alicent has it in her.<\/p>\n She assures Alicent that Jaehaerys\u2019s murder was not her doing, but that Alicent\u2019s son has taken her rightful inheritance. Alicent promises that Viserys (Paddy Considine) changed his mind last minute about his heir.<\/p>\n Alicent repeats Viserys\u2019s final words to Rhaenyra \u2013 and it\u2019s here that she realises the misunderstanding, as she recalls her father\u2019s words about Aegon the Conquerer and the prince that was promised. She explains this to Alicent, who clearly realises the mistake as well in a heart-wrenching moment.<\/p>\n But Alicent rapidly makes her decision, telling Rhaenyra that there\u2019s been no mistake and that she must leave. In a tragic moment of realisation, Alicent decides there\u2019s no going back now. And so war rages on.<\/p>\n House of the Dragon airs on Sky Atlantic and is available on\u00a0NOW<\/a>. <\/strong><\/p>\n Check out more of our\u00a0Fantasy<\/a>\u00a0coverage or visit our\u00a0TV Guide<\/a> to see what\u2019s on tonight.\u00a0<\/strong>For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to the Radio Times podcast<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div> <\/body><\/html>\n Look who’s back! <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":54139,"template":"","categories":[1,5],"acf":[],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2024\/07\/house-of-the-dragon-season-2-episode-3-provides-the-perfect-shock-character-return.jpg",1289,882,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2024\/07\/house-of-the-dragon-season-2-episode-3-provides-the-perfect-shock-character-return-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2024\/07\/house-of-the-dragon-season-2-episode-3-provides-the-perfect-shock-character-return-300x205.jpg",300,205,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2024\/07\/house-of-the-dragon-season-2-episode-3-provides-the-perfect-shock-character-return-768x526.jpg",768,526,true],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2024\/07\/house-of-the-dragon-season-2-episode-3-provides-the-perfect-shock-character-return-1024x701.jpg",800,548,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2024\/07\/house-of-the-dragon-season-2-episode-3-provides-the-perfect-shock-character-return.jpg",1289,882,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2024\/07\/house-of-the-dragon-season-2-episode-3-provides-the-perfect-shock-character-return.jpg",1289,882,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Look who's back!","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed\/54138"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/rss_feed"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/54139"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=54138"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=54138"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}House of the Dragon season 2 episode 3 recap<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Key moments<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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Daemon Targaryen\u2019s torment<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\"Matt](\"https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2024\/06\/matt-smith1-2-7be19d6.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413\" "\\"matt-smith_1")
\n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<\/div>![\"Milly](\"https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2022\/09\/0562HOTDS01-480a4d1.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C930\" "\\"House")
\n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<\/div>The brink of war<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\"Emma](\"https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2024\/06\/emma-d-arcy2-2-c12e015.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413\" "\\"emma-d-arcy_2")
\n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<\/div>![\"Emma](\"https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2024\/06\/emma-d-arcy-bethany-antonia-cb9a72a.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413\" "\\"emma-d-arcy-bethany-antonia\\"\/")
\n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<\/div>Rhaenyra Targaryen and Alicent Hightower\u2019s reunion seals their fate<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\"Olivia](\"https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2024\/06\/olivia-cooke0-1-44cddf7.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C420\" "\\"olivia-cooke_0")
\n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<\/div>
","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"