House of the Dragon season 3 episode 2 review: Emma D'Arcy, take a bow

“If this be victory,” he says, “I pray I never win another.” Corlys, who is alive, says. And this sums up what is the episode 2 is all about.

Starting right after the Battle of the Gullet and the death of Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D’Arcy)'s son, Jacaerys Velaryon, the crown prince. She's devastated, and revenge is surely on her mind, along with more Daemon (Matt Smith), which I asked for in my review of episode 1. Things have grown more brutal, but this episode, titled 'Queen's Landing,' and the name itself sums up what happens. With more intense drama, grief, and the deaths we expect when Daemon is back, this episode is surely more gripping than what we were welcomed with.

After losing the crown prince, what has Rhaenyra left but tears? But that's not the case. Episode 2 gives us things that were expected much later this season. But as events have happened much before their time, it will be interesting to see where the story moves ahead. A lot has happened in a way that will surely not have good returns.

What happens in Episode 2?

Starting with the dragons, who have set every boat on the water ablaze, there is devastation and bodies floating across the waters. And among them is one body the Queen was not expecting at all. With all the grief, it’s eye-for-an-eye time. While the Blacks seek revenge, the Greens, led by Aegon Targaryen in the past, now by Alicent, know this will only lead to a bloodbath, and she’s not going to risk her life. So she goes on the run with Princess Helaena Targaryen, and this with the relief that his son, Aemond is save at Harrenhal, where actually things have not gone in his favour. I won't share more here, as for me, especially, this was the most satifying scene of the show.

More tears, fewer dragons

What really impressed me in this episode is how the story takes the forefront, more than the war. Words and dialogue are front and centre at the table, rather than swords and beheadings, although those are still there, including some we didn't expect. But the other thing that throws you off is how incoherent this episode is. What makes it worthwhile, though, is Emma’s performance. She truly delivers one of her best, as a mother who is grieving, as a Queen who has to fight for her own throne, and the price is her own children.

In one of the most impactful scenes, Rhaenyra stands before the Iron Throne with Otto Hightower on his knees in front of her. She hesitates to behead him, and her first attempt fails. In the second time, she kills him and walks away bloodied, with unsteady steps we haven’t seen from her before. That’s where the raw emotion hits; she’s angry, but it’s her grief and vulnerability that break through. And those first five minutes of the episode stick with you. Emma D’Arcy says everything with just her eyes. Those opening moments alone are enough to impress.

Rhaenyra has returned to her throne, and the Greens are on the back foot. One is winning, other, seems like it is losing. Yet both houses seem bound to the same fate - death, unprecedented fear, and grief.

What doesn’t work in episode 2 is the inconsistency, and this has been the case with many Game of Thrones episodes as well. With so many characters, in trying to cover them all, so much happens that you miss parts of it. In this case, the two scenario, one was of the Sea Snake with his kids, and the second of the Daemon with Alys Rivers (played by Gayle Rankin).

But despite all this, the arc of the show remains gripping, and Emma D’Arcy’s performance makes you forget everything else.No matter how much I hate Aemond Targaryen, Ewan Mitchell’s performance brings that character to life. Except for that weird kiss, his character isn’t fully realized yet either. Still, fingers crossed, I’m waiting for more.

Alicent faces her own struggles as a mother, doing everything she can to save her children. But will she keep them all alive? Only time will tell.

This episode was more about ambition and human emotions playing with no wins, but with all this, things are tearing apart, and it's quite evident with Rhaenyra's tears.