House of the Dragon – The Burning Mill

By: Kelly Kearney

After last week’s epic episode, the follow-up feels somewhat lackluster and even at times, cheesy. The drama in the third episode of House of the Dragon occasionally feels contrived but is ultimately redeemed by its quick progression toward the Dance of the Dragons. With a civil war looming, Rhaenys suggests the path to peace lies with Alicent—the queen dowager and mother of King Aegon II. Despite their strained relationship since Aegon’s coronation, Alicent has always harbored a soft spot for Rhaenyra and may prioritize diplomacy over bloodshed if an olive branch is extended by her old friend. With grief driving emotions on both sides, a pivotal conversation between the two women could save Westeros from war, but it also could potentially deepen their rift, especially now that Ser Criston Cole has mobilized soldiers to gain support in the Riverlands. Too bad Aegon’s new Hand can’t outrun a dragon because Daemon outmaneuvers Cole by securing House Strong first. It’s big truths, scheming men, and family feuds in “The Burning Mill.”

A Feud As Old As the Dirt It Fights on

The episode opens with a deep dive into Game of Thrones history, focusing on the longstanding feud between House Bracken and House Blackwood. Within minutes, tensions flare as Davos Blackwood (Kieran Burton) Ser Aeron Bracken (Ryan Kopel) reaffirms their allegiance to King Aegon while neighboring House Blackwood stands firm behind Rhaenyra. A disagreement over boundary stones dividing their land quickly escalates into a brutal confrontation between the young representatives of both houses, leaving the disputed ground drenched in blood. The battle itself occurs off-screen, but the aftermath paints a vivid picture; this battle, known as Burning Mill, marks the first violent act in the brewing conflict between the royal factions of Houses Black and Green.

When news of Burning Mill reaches King’s Landing, King Aegon (Tom Glynn-Carney) sees the death toll as a victory for his side. In a tense small council meeting, he demands a plan to escalate the war, viewing the battle as the first of many victories. Disagreements erupt among his advisors over House Green’s next strategic move. Amidst the chaos, Queen Dowager Alicent (Olivia Cooke) cuts through the clamor–barking orders at them to focus and pull themselves together. Ser Criston Cole (Fabien Frankel) interrupts her with his opinion that the Riverlands are the key to winning this war. That means taking Harrenhal is crucial for Aegon’s victory. He volunteers to lead an expedition to forcefully seize the stronghold, believing it will compel the Riverlands to bend their knee to their King.

Alicent, apprehensive about the plan, voices her concerns, emphasizing the need to protect King’s Landings from their enemies who could arrive on the back of their dragons anytime soon. Cole, now appointed Hand of the King, ignores Alicent and hastily organizes his troops to depart. Before leaving, Alicent introduces Criston to her brother, Gwayne (Freddie Fox), who will accompany him to Harrenhal. Tensions simmer between Alicent and Cole, as their recent intimacy has been overshadowed by the events that saw her grandson assassinated and her father sacked. Gwayne, with a mix of charm and a hint of vengeance over his father’s replacement, insists on joining the expedition against Cole’s attempts to dissuade him. Alicent, asserting her queenly authority, disregards Cole’s concerns about limited supplies and we immediately see the lines drawn between the lovers. Alicent does not trust the knight she welcomed into her bed, and now her brother will act as her ears and eyes on the trip. Criston doesn’t seem to care for Alicent outmaneuvering him but he too covers his anger with a charming smile and asks for her blessing which she gives halfheartedly. It is a very chilly exchange as she hands him her handkerchief from her bodice–a private gesture of good luck. With that awkward farewell, he and his troops ride out as the scene shifts to a crow pecking at the empty eye socket of the decaying corpse of Cheese (Mark Stobbart). He won’t be kicking dogs again anytime soon. It’s an image used as a grim reminder of the swift and unforgiving nature of a King who leads with a fist–a far cry from his father, the benevolent King Viserys.

Larys Strongs His Way To The King’s Good Graces

What is a Targaryen King without his dragon destroying his enemies? It’s a question that keeps popping up whenever Aegon insists he ride Sunfire to Harrenhal to help his hand overthrow House Strong. Everyone, from his mother to his small council, thinks this is a terrible idea, but only Larys (Matthew Needham) is manipulative enough to convince him to stay at the Red Keep. As Aegon dresses for battle, Larys pulls him aside to inform him of rumors he has heard in the streets. He’s been outwitted by Alicent and Aemond (Ewan Mitchell), who want him to fly into war while they run the kingdom in his absence. These rumors question his ability to lead, and they couldn’t come at a worse time. Duped by Larys’ concern for his reputation, Aegon decides he needs a Master of Whispers—something his father had no use for, but his son now sees its usefulness. He orders Larys to find the source of these rumors and take care of them, and of course, the club-footed weasel nods with a “You honor me, your grace.” After that conversation, Aegon announces he’s not going into battle, and instead, he hooks up with his pals for a bender in the local brothels and taverns. In one particular tavern, the king misses a long-haired man named Ulf (Tom Bennett) telling a group at a table that he is a Targaryen bastard and needs to be careful with who knows his true identity. If the news that he was Daemon Targaryen’s brother got into the wrong hands, he’d be killed, which is an odd thing to say to a group of drunken strangers sitting in a packed pub. If he is telling the truth, then it’s a good thing the king and his friends are equally too drunk to hear him. Aegon is three sheets to the wind and bouncing through the brothel, looking for a certain woman to bed one of his younger squires when the drunken king practically falls into one of the woman’s  beds. He is floored when he finds a nude Aemond cuddling with the older woman who took his virginity. Aegon cannot control his laughter as he jokes about his brother’s choice of lovers. Rather than do something rash—Aemond’s go-to move—this mommy boy’s thumb-sucking lullaby hour is officially over! He stands completely nude with his head held high leaving his king of a brother to his mockeries.

Dragons in the Skies

On their trip to Harrenhal, Ser Criston Cole gets into an argument with Gwayne over where they plan to sleep for the night. While soldiers sleep on the ground, Gwayne, who was raised in luxury, refuses to sleep in the dirt when he and his pals can get a room in a nearby tavern. They argue over this until Cole discovers they are in clear view of Baela (Bethany Antonia) and her dragon soaring overhead. After spotting them from the air, she commands her dragon to launch a sky-diving attack, getting close enough to identify Ser Criston Cole. The troops scatter for the woods as they stealthily hide beneath the tree’s canopy. Baela knows where they’re heading and rather than torch the forest, she flies back to Dragonstone to tell the queen what she saw. Once the coast is clear, Gwayne has no choice but to thank Cole for saving his life. If The Hand hadn’t spotted the clouds parting, they would’ve all surely been fried to a crisp.

Speaking of dragons soaring through the air, after Daemon’s (Matt Smith) fight with Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy) he hopped on Caraxes and left Dragonstone to parts unknown. We catch up with him just as he is descending onto the ruins of a crumbling castle. Raising his blade, he stealthily navigates the shadowy passageways from one dark and charred corner to the next, eliminating one guard protecting a chamber illuminated by candles. There, a few men are seated around a table, getting ready for dinner and they are stunned to see the Targaryen Prince declaring his claim to Harrenhal. Lucky for him, Caraxes got him there before Cole did. Announcing his support for Queen Rhaenyra, Ser Simon (Simon Russell Beale) has no trouble bending the knee to Daemon. After that formal business is out of the way, the man invites Daemon to sit and eat but the royal refuses; poison is an easy way to end a war before it starts. Mostly Daemon is suspicious of their loyalty to his Queen knowing that Larys Strong has sided with Aegon and Harrenhal is run by the Strongs. Ser Simon–Larys’ great-uncle, calls the Master of Whispers, “a scourge upon the castle and this family.” Rumor has It he had his brother and father burned to death and since then, he is not welcome at Harrenhal. His story rings true for Daemon who seems a little more comfortable with House Strong now that their Lord betrayed the family. With their support of the queen comes an obvious request to help them rebuild Harrenhal. It’s a crumbling mess and even Daemon can see it needs work. The roof leaks directly into his bed and most of the castle walls still standing are charred beyond repair from the fire. If Daemon wants to turn Harrenhal into a base for the army he plans to raise, the place is going to need more than new walls.  Getting the Blackwoods and Brackens to forget Burning Mill and agree to join forces behind the Queen could put a snag in his Riverland plans. He will have to figure out a way to unify the warring families, but luckily for him, a dragon can be convincing.

As the evening turns into night, Daemon fights sleep and winds up wandering the castle chasing a noise he thought he heard outside his chamber door. It leads him to a dimly lit room where a young Rhaenyra (Milly Alcock) is sewing Jaehaerys’ head back onto his neck! Daemon must be riddled with guilt over the child’s death but it doesn’t lessen the shock at what he is seeing. He drops his sword just as he awakens outside next to the mysterious Alys Rivers (Gayle Rankin) who predicts he will die in Harrenhal. This random encounter unsettles the Targaryen who still can’t get the men of the castle to stop referring to him as Prince. His ego keeps taking hits and we can assume it will start affecting his decisions moving forward in the series.

The Path to Peace

After the burial of the Cargyll twins (Elliot and Luke Tittensor) at Dragonstone, Rhaenys (Eve Best) and Rhaenyra discuss the escalating tensions driven by men like Daemon and Ser Criston Cole, contrasting their aggressive stance with the women’s more restrained approach. Rhaenys suggests reaching out to Alicent as a potential path to peace, but Rhaenyra dismisses the idea. To Rhaenyra, Alicent sitting beside her usurper son in King’s Landing, who took her rightful throne, signals an unwillingness to negotiate. However, Rhaenys argues that just as Daemon acted independently of the Queen, Alicent might also be constrained by her son and his Hand. Rhaenyra hears her suggestion, but the love between the old friends died with Luke and Jaehaerys. Instead, Rhaenyra turns her attention to Mysaria (Sonoya Mizuno), offering her a position at court in gratitude for exposing the traitorous twin swap that almost ended her life. While Rhaenyra acknowledges Mysaria’s past actions, she makes it clear that the appointment hinges on the woman sharing her knowledge of the Red Keep’s inner workings. Mysaria, drawing from her experiences, believes Rhaenyra leads with forgiveness, unlike her adversaries who put her through Hell.

With matters settled with Mysaria, Rhaenyra meets with her children and instructs them to leave for their safety. This includes her stepdaughters, two baby dragons, and two dragon eggs. Baela remains behind, much to the dismay of her dragonless sister Rhaena (Phoebe Campbell), who protests leaving their home without the young dragon rider by her side.

After doing a bit of house cleaning, Queen Rhaenyra convenes her Black Council where she learns of the Battle of the Burning Mill and the troubling news of Ser Criston Cole’s movements towards Harrenhal. Despite her efforts, the whereabouts of her husband remains unknown, and Daemon’s securing of Harrenhal’s support is a mystery to both her and the Black Council. Feeling the urgency of their situation, the council members suggest that Rhaenyra retreats with her children to safety while they handle the war effort from Dragonstone. Their suggestion is insulting but not surprising. Rhaenyra recognizes that she continues to battle against entrenched gender norms that view women as incapable of leading. Refusing to entertain the idea, she denounces it as treasonous. Despite the councilman’s eagerness for war, Rhaenyra is Vicery’s heir, and she is not yet willing to unleash the full force of her dragons upon Westeros. She will find another way.

Which leads us to the big reunion. Reflecting on her earlier chat with Rhaenys, Rhaenyra plots a clandestine meeting with Alicent, hoping their past might persuade the woman to find a path to peace. Mysaria comes in handy with her knowledge of Alicent’s routines. She reveals that the Queen dowager is often alone in the temple during her weekly prayers; it’s the perfect opportunity to approach her discreetly. However, sneaking into the temple unnoticed by Alicent’s guards will be difficult without a proper disguise–and one that hides the hair of a Targaryen. It’s a good thing the commoners do not recognize queens out of their royal garb.

A Reunion of Queens

The meeting between Queen Rhaenyra and Alicent in King’s Landing unfolds in a dramatic and unexpected but arguably cheesy manner. Disguised as a nun with her blonde hair concealed, Rhaenyra enters the temple where Alicent is praying. Initially wary and ready to defend herself, Alicent assumes Rhaenyra has come to surrender. However, to her astonishment, Rhaenyra declares that she seeks peace to prevent further bloodshed in the divided family. Alicent is caught off guard, and it forces her to admit she hated how Aemond killed Lucerys. In return for that truth, Rhaenyra clarifies that she never ordered Jaehaerys’ death. Love and family connect them and it seems like they both knew the truth all along. As they speak in hushed tones amidst the flickering candles, accusations and apologies flow, revealing how both women have suffered but the feelings they had for one another are still lurking beneath the surface of their pain. Their history is undeniable and based on trust. This is how the conversation shifts to the rightful heir of Viserys (Paddy Considine) and what happened in that room the night the King died. Alicent insists Viserys named Aegon as his heir before he passed, and she swears it on her mother’s memory. Her former friend knows how serious of a promise that is so the revelation shakes Rhaenyra deeply. She had always believed crowning Aegon was a power play by Alicent. If Viserys truly chose Aegon, then the foundation of Rhaenyra’s claim has been cracked to its core. Desperate for clarity about her father’s final moments, Rhaenyra asks if Viserys spoke her name. Alicent shakes her head no, and reveals that Viserys spoke of “Aegon, the Prince that was promised to unite the realms.” Rhaenyra’s despair turns to a mix of excitement and disbelief—realizing that her father may have been referring to Aegon the Conqueror, not Aegon his son. This revelation could redefine everything and from the look on her former best friend’s face, she knows it. Alicent realizes the implications of her son’s tin-plated crown and urges Rhaenyra to leave before they are discovered. She has no interest in continuing the conversation because the fall-out is too terrifying to consider. Rhaenyra protests that there has been a mistake, but Alicent coldly replies “Ihat it’s too late.” The Queen dowager storms out in a panic hinting at the nightmare to come.

If peace was ever possible before,this momentous revelation seems to guarantee that House Green and House Black are headed for civil war. The misunderstandings, deceptions, and personal griefs laid bare between Rhaenyra and Alicent set the stage for a conflict that could shatter their once-united family irreparably while burning Westeros to the ground. The Dragons are restless, the men are power-hungry, and next week it looks like they might dance!