By: Kelly Kearney
Barbecued children, a dead princess, and a Winter Wolf finally getting the kill everyone has been waiting for. It’s time for the Battle of Tumbleton and a Season 3 finale that sets the stage for the final season of this Game of Thrones spinoff.
After eight episodes of watching Queen Rhaenyra slowly unravel under the pressure of her yet-to-be-anointed reign, we’re reminded of the prophecy Helaena told her, which now appears to be coming true. Whoever sits on the Iron Throne with a dragon by their side inevitably turns into a monster. While she is focusing on securing her position as queen and worrying about the optics of her power grab, her younger brother is alive,and murdering her soldiers. The news of his resurrection is making its way across Westeros, once again, challenging Rhaenyra’s legitimacy as a ruler.
Speaking of Aegon and Sunfyre, they char-grilled the Mooton soldiers and reminded us all just how terrifyingly petty Targaryen power can be. Now with all of Viserys’ children destroying his reign of peace, the finale answers the question posed throughout the series: Who pays the price for their family’s civil war? Spoiler: It’s always the lowborn people who pay so the privileged can remain in power. With a divided House Targaryen, shifting loyalties, angry allies, and the optics of a monster willing to do anything to fulfill their fate “The Treasons at Tumbleton.” will define Rhaenyra long beyond her death.
“He Has Risen!”
At the Red Keep, Queen Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy) is awakened by Grand Maester Orwyle (Kurt Egyiawan) with shocking news: her younger brother Aegon (Tom Glynn-Carney) and his presumed-dead dragon, Sunfyre, have risen from the dead. Thanks to ravens sent by his supporters, the news is already making its way around Westeros. Rhaenyra tells Daemon (Matt Smith) in a panic. Not only are her loyal subjects ready to jump ship AKA dragon, but the Small Folk have gathered outside the Great Sept, seeking guidance from those who speak for the gods. Who do they want sitting on the Iron Throne?
Daemon reminds her that the gods have no power over them. They are Old Valyrian, and they predate the gods, so whatever the Great Sept or High Septon Balman (Simon Chandler) wants doesn’t matter. She is the queen, and she has the power to keep the throne if she chooses to use it.
After weeks of Daemon trying to convince Rhaenyra to unleash her inner dragon and take control of the civil war, he finally gets his chance. She orders him to fly to Tumbleton and rip the Hightowers out by the roots, killing every last one of them. She also reminds him that everyone is watching, and how he carries out the attack matters. She doesn’t want him turning her into a monster by allowing Caraxes to go on a cooking spree. Instead, he should go house to house and pull the Hightowers out individually. She tells him to take whatever forces he needs, and once Ormund and Daeron are dead, she will find Aegon and rip his heart out herself. Hugh, will stay behind with Vermithor to protect the city.
After speaking with Daemon, Baela (Bethany Antonia) tracks down the queen to tell her about her grandfather’s severed finger, which was sent to Alyn courtesy of Ormund. She begs the queen to gather a rescue party to free Lord Corlys from Hightower imprisonment, but Queen Rhaenyra is more interested in the fact that Sunfyre is still alive, even though Baela promised he was dead. She has no issue allowing the Sea Snake to take care of himself and has faith that her father, Daemon, will help Corlys escape once he gets to Tumbleton.
Baela points out that her grandfather will probably be dead by then, and from her tone, we can tell she is outraged that the queen would turn her back on her oldest ally and her Hand. She points out that the queen only cares about people who are useful to her, and once they aren’t, her loyalty to them disappears. Rhaenyra turns on Baela, reminding her that she would have been justified in abandoning her after what happened to Jace at the Gullet, but she and her sister were welcomed into the castle.”Welcomed” is an interesting take, considering Rhaena is now locked up in the Keep, struggling mentally, and unsure of her future. When Baela points this hypocrisy out, Rhaenyra harshly grabs her face and calls her an “insolent child.” Then remembers that she comes from Valeryon blood, just like her sister, so their insolence is inherited.
Something has changed in Rhaenyra. Something her sister Helaena (Phia Saban) warned would happen to whomever rode a dragon and sat on the throne. It is one of the reasons why she never rode Dreamfyre. A part of their humanity turns to ice as the fire from their dragons burns hotter, usually against their own people. Rhaenyra is starting to show signs of that prophecy coming true. Madness is lurking behind her panicked eyes. She was worried about how the people would view her in this fight with Tumbleton, while missing the fact that lashing out at her own supporters like Baela isn’t exactly going to secure her reign as Queen either.
Meanwhile, on the shores of King’s Landing, Lord Admiral Corlys’ men arrive to rescue their leader from the Hightowers. They are met by Alyn (Abubakar Salim) on the shore, who reminds them that the Hand’s first concern should be protecting the kingdom, which is why the queen called for their assistance. When they question who he is to speak for their admiral, Alyn announces himself as the Sea Snake’s firstborn and successor, the present and future Lord of the Tides.
Ser Daeron the Daring
While Daemon leaves King’s Landing heading towards Tumbleton, we notice Hugh (Kieran Bew) abandoning his post watching the city’s gates. What could he be up to?
Meanwhile, Ormund Hightower (James Norton) gets fitted for his war armor, awaiting the fight he knows is coming. As the people of Tumbleton and their soldiers gather to prepare for battle, Daeron (Benjamin Evan Ainsworth) watches in awe, and Ormund reminds him that all of this is in his honor. With victory presumably in his delusional sights, Ormund knights Daeron, who can’t become king until he has been properly knighted. Ser Daeron the Daring is his name and the oath he takes is one of honor: to put the people– both women and children, ahead of himself to protect the realm. This is an oath that will come into play later, but for now, Daeron of course agrees. He kneels to take his oath, while outside, the Hightower army seals up Tumbleton, closing the gates and preparing for war.
Somewhere in the taverns of the town, Ulf (Tom Bennett) is doing what he does best: drinking and spinning tales. Laughing at his own jokes, he mentions the queen and her husband-uncle; who are surely sending an army of men to their doom. His audience of Tumbletonians is captivated as he jokes about the incestuous relationship between the man who publicly spanked him and the woman who banned him from the local watering holes. Since he has received zero gratitude for his role as a Dragonseed, he has turned his loyalty to Ormund, and nobody at the Red Keep knows it.
Speaking of the Red Keep, Rhaenyra is inspecting her father’s crown, the same father she blames for putting her in this impossible situation, when the servant Elinda (Jordan Stevens) interrupts her with news about Helaena’s hunger strike. The princess still isn’t eating, protesting her imprisonment within the Keep’s walls. Rhaenyra has no time to worry about her sister’s hunger strike, she is too busy worrying about how far she will have to go to keep the throne. She has become obsessed with the High Septon’s refusal to anoint her and has convinced herself that the ceremony will finally put an end to questions about her legitimacy. Time is of the essence now that Aegon and Sunfyre are alive and contesting her reign. If, again, asking nicely doesn’t work, her plan is to force the High Septon’s hand to anoint her. She has a prophecy to fulfill, and has to convince the Small Folk to back her over Aegon or Daeron.
First things first, a queen can’t think with a cluttered house of possible traitors. Rhaenyra cleans house and elicits Elinda to break up with the White Worm and send Mysaria (Sonoya Mizuno) packing. For her service to the queen, she will be allowed to take the things she acquired while working in the Red Keep. She’ll also get a crew to escort her to Pentos, along with enough gold to buy a home and servants of her own. Mysaria contains her outrage, but the voice of her friend reminding her last week that, to the highborn, she will always be a whore must be deafening.
Later that day, while on yard time from her imprisonment, Helaena spots the pale horse she dreamed about in the Keep’s courtyard. She also runs into an existing Mysaria, who quickly fills her in on what’s going on. Aegon is alive, and that means her child is in more danger from the queen than ever before.
The Story of Harren the Black
While Aegon is out there flaming armies and Rhaenyra is quickly losing her grip on her decency, Aemond (Ewan Mitchell) is brooding in Harrenhal, still in his feelings over Mommy trying to kill him. He survived the nightshade wine Alicent fed him thanks to Alys (Gayle Rankin) and her medical and magical knowledge. He might be in his feelings about the family dynamics, but Alys is also feeling a sort of way about Aemond. Her care for him is no longer tied to Harrenha; she actually cares about the man. It’s just an old fashioned romance in the time of dragons and their oedipal homicidal riders. I emphasize old because we find out Alys was once the wife of Harren the Black, the builder of Harrenhal. She goes on to tell Aemond her history with the castle, and it all started when Aegon the Conqueror attacked it and almost killed her son. As he was dying, and she turned to black magic to save him, but in the end, he died anyway. For her efforts, she was cursed to live out an eternity inside the castle without a name or her royal title. The entire time she was Ser Simon Strong’s servant, she was really the displaced owner forced into indentured servitude in her own home. But as we know, love is what makes a house a home, and now that the pale, one-eyed prince with a bad attitude and mommy issues has captured her heart, Harrenhal is finally starting to feel like home again.
Back in Rhaenyra’s home, the queen is proving Helaena right when she barges into the princess’ chambers demanding she eat. Helaena ignores her, instead launching into more confusing talk about a colorful beetle that emerges in summer, looks like a turtle, and eats other creatures’ waste. Rhaenyra doesn’t follow and looks around confused, but Helaena is starting to understand why her sister suddenly cares about that baby she is carrying. She wants it born so she can control it and its dreamer of a mother. Both would come in handy if she wanted to stay on the throne and predict her enemies to control the outcome. Helaena is her cheat code to win the whole game. She orders her men to hold her fasting sister down and force-feed her. She leaves Heleana’s chambers with her head held high, en route to her next stop: the High Sept.
Speaking of her entourage gathering to escort her, Alyn is now a trusted advisor and her enforcer, who is accosted by his brother Addam (Clinton Liberty) when he learns of his new appointment: Lord of the Tides. Not only does that seem a bit presumptuous while Lord Corlys is still alive, but it also clears the path for the queen to enter the High Sept, something Alyn will never be able to take back. It seems Addam’s loyalty to the queen is waning, whereas his brother Alyn’s is growing stronger the more she relies on him.
As for Rhaenyra, she has a new battle outfit of chainmail, eyeliner, and her father’s crown. She leaves the Keep with her son, little Joffrey (Oscar Eskinazi) in tow, and the two climb into a carriage heading for the High Sept.
Over in Tumbleton, the Black Army just arrived, and they massively outnumber the Greens and possibly the population of the town entirely. Daemon, with Caraxes in the background just waiting to strike, needs a plan to breach the town’s walls while still keeping Rhaenyra’s orders in mind: do not turn her into a monster. Her fight is with the Hightowers, not the townspeople. It’s decided that the Winter Wolves will advance toward the gates, with one order: avoid death until the gates are opened.
Meanwhile, inside those gates, Ormund is freaking out. His ace in the hole, Ulf, is nowhere to be found. He is the surprise attack meant to turn the tables in this fight and overwhelm Daemon and Caraxes, but where is he? Ormund takes it upon himself to search for the drunk. He viciously scours the town while also ordering all the children to head to the front lines. He is convinced Rhaenyra, a soft and feckless woman, would never sink to killing children to win a fight. They will be the shield that deflects the dragon fire, and if Ormund is wrong, it doesn’t seem like he cares. It’s a whole lot of “better them than me” energy from the pompous Hightower.
Elsewhere, Daeron and Gwayne (Freddie Fox) take one look at the massive army they’re facing and the kids meant to stop them and decide there must be another way. At first, Gwayne tries to convince Daeron to flee, but the whole dragon thing is really going to give away any hiding spots. If Daeron is meant to be king, he needs to stay and find another way to defeat Ormund from within the walls before what’s outside of them kills them all. The two hatch a plan that cuts Ormund out of the deal entirely.
In King’s Landing, the Small Folk are gathering en masse at the High Sept, clogging the streets that both Rhaenyra and Mysaria’s carriages are attempting to navigate. Mysaria bails out of her entourage, dressed in the finest silks, and somehow manages to hide within the crowds of the, let’s just say, less-than-fashionable Small Folk.
The Plan
With things on the verge of chaos, Gwayne and Daeron track Lord Corlys (Steve Toussaint) down in his cell and free him for a meeting with Daemon outside the walls. With Ormund busy searching for Ulf, they manage to sneak out and offer Daemon a peace deal. If he allows Daeron to rule Oldtown, they will abandon the fight at Tumbleton and their attempts at taking Rhaenyra’s crown. The return of Lord Corlys from Ormund’s captivity is proof the deal with the young Hightower can be trusted.
Even Lord Corlys agrees with them, this is the path toward peace. He reminds Daemon of the parts of the Seven Kingdoms that will not take orders from a woman. The idea of Rhaenyra remaining queen of all seven while also offering power to certain regions that don’t support her could, in turn, gain their loyalty and support. Peace and prosperity would be hers, and everyone would be happy.
There is just one problem: Daemon isn’t interested in peace with the Hightowers–not even sweet non-threatening Daeron. He never has been. He sneers at their offer and questions Corlys’ loyalty, then makes an insulting observation about the Hand of the Queen missing a finger. The answer is no deal and then he chokes Gwayne to the ground and sends the gasping man back to Tumbleton to die alongside Operation Teen Shield. Daemon takes Corlys as his prisoner, and then he and the Winter Wolves along with the young Oscar Tully (Archie Barnes) gather to plan their attack. Now that they know the walls are being protected by Tumbleton’s own middle school homecoming court, Daemon has to play this smart. No Caraxes or he’ll ruin his queen’s image.
He sends Roddy the Ruin (Tommy Flanagan) and his Winter Wolves in first, instructing them to make their way over the wall and open the gates. How hard could it be to dodge the tween riot and secure this win? Ormund isn’t a fighter, and Daeron is just a kid. This seems like an easy victory.
Sibling Rivalry
At Harrenhal, Aemond hears a dragon, and we’re led to believe it’s the missing Vhagar, who has finally come home. It’s not, it’s Sunfyre, carrying a crazed Aegon, who has tracked his Kingslayer brother down for a little surprise revenge. Only there are two ways revenge is served: cold and begging for mercy. Harrenhal must be hot because Aemond has been sans shirt all season long. As for the begging, he sort of thinks he deserves whatever Aegon wants to serve him.
Aemond kneels before Aegon and admits he tried to kill him to steal his throne, and for the first time since he accidentally killed his cousin in Season 1, he is ashamed of his actions. This knocks Aegon a bit off-kilter, as he expected some sort of fight, but other than his betrothed, Alys, who is shocked to hear that news, he doesn’t have much to live for. That wine Mommy tried to off him with last week really scarred him. Aegon, who started the reunion furious and with madness in his eyes, decides Aemond is more useful alive than dead. The two of them, with Sunfyre, will track down Vhagar, fly to Tumbleton, kill the Hightowers, and head to King’s Landing to take back the throne. And then, maybe, Aegon could forgive him for what he’s done. The two might skip that fly-by at Tumbleton, though, because things kick off in the little market town much wilder than expected. If there is anything left of it after this fight, the brothers united will have to sift through its ashes to find it.
As the battle is minutes from kicking off, Rhaenyra barges into the High Sept demanding they anoint her in front of the Small Folk gathering outside its steps. The problem is, the High Sept is Team Hightower. They are Oldtown OGs, the original boys’ club and exactly the kind of patriarchal power structure Lord Corlys warned Daemon about earlier. They have no respect for the Targaryens, and especially not for a dragon-riding woman wearing a crown. They answer to the old gods, who unsurprisingly are the same patriarchal dragon-haters they are. Both heaven and earthly mouthpieces refuse to recognize her reign.
At their refusal, Rhaenyra motions to Alyn, who drives his sword into the belly of the High Septon. So much for those optics she told Daemon to worry about. This also tarnishes the honor Alyn started the series with. Before the High Septon dies, he warns Rhaenyra of the fallout from attacking the kingdom’s Faith. This is a decision she cannot come back from.
After killing the High Septon, Rhaenyra walks onto the balcony to deliver a meandering, long-winded speech about the prophecy of the Song of Ice and Fire, and everything Jon Snow and Daenerys Targaryen faced in Game of Thrones. After all the warnings about what’s to come, she wraps up her speech by telling the crowd that the only way to stop this from happening in the future is for her to remain on the throne in the present. She is the “Prince That Was Promised,” the prophecy lives as long as the crown stays on her head.
The message, as grand and magical as it was, falls on deaf and restless ears. Nobody seems to care about a story from the future when they are facing very real threats in the present. Hungry people have a hard time dreaming, and it’s even harder when those dreams come at the orders of a royal with a banquet of food waiting for her back at the castle. The fact that the crowd isn’t behind her worries Manderly 9dan Fogler) and Orwyle, who trade concerned glances behind her back.
Meanwhile, in Tumbleton, Ormund is still searching for Ulf. His anger is kicked up a notch when he hears from one of his men that Gwayne and Daeron went behind his back to end the battle before it ever started. Now his madness is boiling over, and he takes it out on Ulf, whom he finds passed out behind the tavern. In an abusive way that is similar to how Daemon treats him, Ormund is spitting mad, literally. He drags Ulf into the street, physically assaults him, and orders his soldiers to drag him to his dragon and get to flaming the Blacks. Ulf, with his own fire burning in his eyes over how he has been treated, has officially had enough.
The Battle
With orders from Daemon to avoid dying until they open the gate, Roddy and the Winter Wolves charge toward the walls of Tumbleton. They lose some men along the way as Ormund’s fighters shoot arrows over the Tween shield’s heads. It isn’t enough to stop Roddy and the boys from scaling the wall and hacking their way through the homecoming court. So much for optics. The kids are getting it just as brutally as Ormund’s cowardly men.
As the battle wages on and the death toll climbs, the gate is finally opened by Daemon, who unleashes Caraxes to burn his way through the town’s entrance. And what an entrance the dragon makes. The people of the town scatter, some screaming from fear, others screaming from the onslaught of the Black soldiers. That’s when Hugh and Vermithor arrive. He was ordered to stay in King’s Landing and protect the city, but now he and his dragon are up in the skies. When the dragon lands, Hugh makes a beeline for Tumbleton on foot. He knew this war would put Kat at risk, and no matter how done with him she was, he won’t let her die.
Meanwhile, Gwayne tracks Daeron down with his dragon, Tessarion, who is ready to fly in to protect the children and women. He just took that oath, it’s the right thing to do, a knight or a king should fight to save his people. Gwayne tries everything short of physically imprisoning the boy to change his mind, but he doesn’t have to go that far because their argument is interrupted when they see Ulf flying above them on Silverwing.
The Black Army cheers at first, assuming Ulf is on their side. That is until Silverwing unleashes on them, burning through their ranks one giant swath at a time. Of course, Daemon wasn’t the only privileged punk who treated Ulf poorly. Ormund’s behavior ranks somewhere between abusive and hateful too. So, having pushed the Dragonseed to his limits, Ulf turns Silverwing on Tumbleton and the Green Army as well.
It’s a firestorm, and everyone is invited to the cook-off. Ulf flies over Tumbleton and the battlefield, flame-grilling everyone in his dragon’s path. He is drunk on revenge, and laughing as the streets of Tumbleton go up in flames.
Also in those streets is Daemon, without Caraxes but fully embroiled in hand-to-hand combat while Silverwing flies overhead. He takes on Bold Jon Roxton (Joplin Sibtain), and book readers will remember that the two once fought with Valyrian steel swords, making this an epic clash. The power volleys back and forth until Roxton nearly plucks Daemon’s eye out. Luckily for Daemon, the firestorm above them collapses a building onto Roxton, separating the two and saving Daemon from losing another eye.
Up in the Hightower stronghold, Roddy the Ruin hacks his way toward Ormund and charges after him, ax swinging. Ormund gets a couple of good hits in, including slicing off Roddy’s arm, which sends blood spurting all over the squeamish Hightower. The gore has Ormund retching, and the armless Ruin laughing at how weak he is. While Ormund is busy tossing up his stomach’s contents, his attention is off Roddy, who uses the moment to drive a blade into his back. Almost stuck together like two mating dogs, Roddy howls with satisfaction after taking Ormund out.
Just then, Ulf locks them in his sights, and Silverwing lights them up.
With Ormund dead, Daemon is assumed to be the last man standing as he pulls himself out of the town’s rubble. He fights his way through what’s left of Tumbleton when Corlys finds him. Minus that missing finger, the Sea Snake looks to be in much better shape than the prince. He fills Daemon in on Ulf’s betrayal, and the two agree they need to get out of town immediately.
The final shot has Daemon on Caraxes chasing down a fleeing Daeron and Tessarion. We also see what appears to be Hugh and Vermithor flying onto the scene.
A Victory Predicted in Blood
Next, we cut to King’s Landing, where we find Helaena working on that tapestry again. She has embroidered a new scene that seems to take place at the Red Keep. When she is satisfied that she is finished, she gets up and walks to the open window in her room.
In what is left of Tumbleton, Daemon is gone and as the fires of Ulf’s flambe’ turn to embers, we find Gwayne alive and calling out to his nephew, Daeron. There is no response, but at least Ormund is dead, and Jon Roxton finds his charbroiled remains to prove it
On the topic of remains, Vermithor must have made a pit stop in the burnt-out streets of Tumbleton because Hugh tracks down Kat (Ellora Torchia). She’s dead in the street, and as he falls to his knees and clutching his love to his chest, he unleashes a guttural scream. But, Kat isn’t the only innocent victim in the episode. After spending the season trying to protect her unborn baby from her mother and the queen, Helaena’s dreams bring her to the edge, literally. Rhaenyra goes to see how her sister is doing after the forced-feeding incident, only to find that the princess has thrown herself out of the window to her death. Her suicide note is sewn into the tapestry, depicting a blonde woman falling from the Red Keep.
As Rhaenyra looks down horrified, her old friend Alicent (Olivia Cooke)–on the road to her escape from Harrenhal looks up to see a swarm of butterflies flitting and flapping their wings around her. Earlier in the season, Alicent failed to capture her daughter’s attention when Helaena was focused on the same species flying around the Keep’s courtyard. It’s a goodbye to mother and a sign that Helaena’s magic, and her spirit, are one with nature now.
Back at the Red Keep, Rhaenyra looks over Helaena’s tapestry, hoping to pull any clues from the dreamer’s mind. She finds an image sewn of herself on the Iron Throne, and behind her are images of fire, dragons, and signs of death. Somehow, she misses all of the negative insinuations about her reign, and sees what she wants to ss: herself sitting victoriously on the Iron Throne. Her delusions of her success should quickly take a hit next season when the people find out she killed an entire village of children while also murdering the Kingdom’s faith. The Gods and their followers will not be merciful.