House of the Dragon, season 2: the end of episode 3 explained

The director deciphers this famous sequence at the Great Sept of Baelor, which does not exist in the book “Fire & Blood” by George RR Martin.

The final attempt at conciliation. In the final moments of episode 3 of season 2 of House of the DragonRhaenyra tried the summit meeting to avoid war. A sequence that does not exist in the books. Spoiler alert!

This secret meeting between Rhaenyra and Alicent took place discreetly in King’s Landing, while the daughter of Viserys snuck into the Great Sept of Baelor, disguised as a nun. Hoping to convince her former best friend, face to face, of the need to stop the conflict, the Queen of Dragonstone hit a wall.

“It was very useful to show this sequence where the two protagonists really confront each other” justifies the director Geeta Vasant Patelin Variety. Because the scene does not exist in the book Fire & Blood by George RR Martin. “Rhaenyra and Alicent are the backbone of the season as they were the backbone of the first season. It’s all about the relationship of these two women. And this conclusion, the end of this episode 3, is the culmination of episodes 1 and 2, from a story point of view.“

The director specifies that “When Rhaenyra goes to Alicent and says, ‘Hey, we have to stop this war,’ she’s actually doing it selfishly for her own emotional reasons. The real question that’s eating away at her is, ‘Did my father love me? Because I thought he did when he named me heir and then he changed his mind after talking to you!’ But I’m not sure Rhaenyra is aware of what’s motivating her, and you have to see in that scene all the drama of the previous episodes in her distress.”

Geeta Vasant Patel explains that he talked a lot about episode 8 of season 1 (the one about Viserys’ death) with his actresses, when they were filming the sequence.When you see someone you haven’t seen for years, everything comes back to you. It’s the same here. All the feelings, the memories, their childhood come back. So that when they talk to each other, it’s not actually about today but about yesterday..”

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