House of the Dragon: Episode 3’s Special Cameo Explained

“Our greatest achievement was to keep this cameo secret until the end…”

After being ousted by his Queen Rhaenyra in episode 2 of season 2 of House of the DragonDaemon Targaryen decides to go solo to take Harrenhal Castle to claim House Strong and establish a fortress in the Riverlands. But not everything will go as planned… The house is visibly haunted and causes intense visions to the warrior… Spoiler alert!

Among these visions, Daemon sees again the young Rhaenyra, the one from the first part of season 1. And to everyone’s surprise, Milly Alcock makes a comeback in the series, on the occasion of this season 2. “The reason for this scene is that Daemon is facing himself. He’s seeing himself in a mirror in a sense. The whole season is therapy for Daemon, after he got Aegon II’s little boy killed. He’s been running so fast that he’s never really stopped to feel things and the consequences of his actions. And when young Rhaenyra turns around and looks at him, even without a word, she’s making him face his actions,” deciphers in Variety the director Geeta Patel.

She applauds the work of Matt SmithWho “allowed herself to feel that moment. I remember crying during the shoot, because the way Matt described Daemon’s pain as she looked at him, I felt remorse and regret. Something we very rarely see from Daemon.”

In EW, showrunner Ryan Condal talks about bringing in Milly Alcock was not easy. “We were excited about bringing her back. Milly was eager to come back and everyone was delighted to have her back. But she’s very busy now…”

Alcock has indeed landed the high-profile role of Supergirl in the next DC superhero saga and will already be in Supermancurrently filming.It was a bit of a workaround for the Superman shooting schedule, but we had her for a few days right at the beginning of production. I think one of our biggest accomplishments was keeping her cameo a secret until the end, since it happened right at the beginning of filming!”

Daemon is thus confronted with what terrifies him the most: “Instead of wars, dragons or images of horror, he is instead haunted by those people he has wronged in the past, particularly young Rhaenyra,” explains Condal. “It was the daughter who took his throne. Not the older Rhaenyra, played by Emma D’Arcy. It was this version of Rhaenyra who deposed him as heir to the throne, and then was named heir in his place…”

Season 2 of House of the Dragon will continue on Max next Monday.