WARNING! This article contains SPOILERS for House of the Dragon season 1, episode 3!devastating Dance of the Dragons.
House of the Dragon episode 2 began with a six-month time jump after Princess Rhaenyra was named heir to the Iron Throne. All the actors were kept the same between episodes, and were primarily the same for episode 3, but this won’t be the case when House of the Dragon has its massive time jump about halfway through season 1. When the 10-year time jump occurs, Rhaenyra Targaryen and Alicent Hightower will notably be recast with new actors. At this point, Emma D’Arcy will take over from Milly Alcock as adult Rhaenyra while Olivia Cooke replaces Emily Carey as adult Alicent.
The House of the Dragon episode 3 time jump isn’t quite so long, as it picks up only three years after episode 2. However, much has changed over this time period for House of the Dragon’s Targaryens, including brewing feuds within the family, an important marriage with new heirs, and an extensive war fought by Daemon Targaryen and Corlys Velaryon. While the events that happened between House of the Dragon episodes 2 and 3 aren’t shown on-screen, they cause massive changes in the characters’ relationships and motivations.
Alicent & Viserys Were Married
As was expected after House of the Dragon season 1, episode 2’s ending, King Viserys Targaryen married Alicent Hightower quickly in the time jump. Their marriage made Alicent the queen consort of Westeros, and certainly elevated Lord Otto Hightower’s – real or perceived – power over the realm. However, their marriage also clearly drove Rhaenyra away, with the princess hardly being able to look at Alicent, much less be in a room with her. The betrayal she felt from the announcement of their marriage at the end of House of the Dragon episode 2 has only worsened in the three years before episode 3.
Alicent Gave Birth To Aegon (& Got Pregnant Again)
House of the Dragon season 1, episode 3 is set around Prince Aegon Targaryen’s second nameday, suggesting Alicent became pregnant with him almost immediately after marrying King Viserys. Giving Viserys the “boy he always wanted,” Rhaenyra has been slightly embittered by her half-brother’s birth, particularly because the lords of the realm – the Hightowers especially – continue to press forth his claim to the Iron Throne. Since Aegon was born, Rhaenyra has felt that Viserys has no need for her anymore, and has interpreted his insistence that she marry as a way for him to replace her with Aegon. However, Viserys hasn’t wavered in the two years since Prince Aegon’s birth, and House of the Dragon episode 3’s ending confirms that Viserys will maintain Rhaenyra as the next queen despite now having a male child.
The 3-year time jump also reveals that Alicent Hightower has become pregnant for a second time. During House of the Dragon episode 3, Alicent is quite far along in her pregnancy, teasing she’ll have at least one more child (perhaps three) by episode 4 depending on the length of the next time jump. If House of the Dragon’s Targaryen heirs follow the birth order laid out in George R.R. Martin’s Fire & Blood book, then Alicent Hightower is currently pregnant with her daughter Helaena Targaryen.
Daemon & Corlys' War For The Stepstones Went Badly
Daemon and Corlys Velaryon ed an exciting alliance at the end of House of the Dragon episode 2, but it hasn’t been nearly as fruitful as they had hoped. In the three years between episodes 2 and 3, Daemon and Corlys have been continuously losing the War for the Stepstones against the Crab Feeder and the Triarchy. The war had clearly become frustrating for those under Daemon and Corlys’ command, with Corlys’ brother Vaemond nearly inciting a mutiny. Before Daemon walked directly into the Crab Feeder’s camp and emerged victorious, their army only had two weeks until they would need to surrender. The time jump means it also took three years for Daemon to hear from his brother and receive aid from King’s Landing, so Daemon’s anger has only been growing during this gap. As such, an even bigger confrontation between the two can be expected in House of the Dragon episode 4.
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New episodes of House of the Dragon release Sundays on HBO/HBO Max.