This Sunday night’s (September 25) episode of House of the Dragon had quite a time jump from last week’s wedding episode. Set ten years forward, Rhaenyra was welcoming her and husband Laenor Valeryon’s child in another intense birthing episode. But this time, we see that the children are clearly not Laenor’s, as he is gay. After giving birth, Alicent requests/demands to see the new babe to which Rhanyra insists on bringing her son herself to the Queen (the former Rhaenyra is now played by Emma D’Arcy instead of Milly Alcock and Olivia Cooke portrays Alicent instead of Emily Carey).
Alicent’s kids are now bratty teenagers while Rhaenyra is now the mom of three sons. Since Rhaenyra and Laenor have upheld their agreement to an open relationship, all of Rhaenyra’s children seem to belong to Harwin Strong. Strong (played by Ryan Corr) is a knight who has the very metal nickname of “Breakbones.” Not only is he the leader of the City Watch, but his dad is Lyonel Strong, the replacement Hand of the King after Viserys fired Otto Hightower in Episode 4.
Harwin has been in the background of the show, until he danced with Rhaenrya before Daemon cut in at her red wedding. Later, when Criston Cole bashed Laenor’s lover’s head in, Harwin protected Rhaenyra from getting trampled in the crowd in the chaos. By the end of the episode, Harwin and his dad have both been killed in a fire, set by assassins sent by Harwin’s scheming brother, Larys Strong.
Elsewhere in the episode, Daemon’s wife, Laena Valeryon is pregnant with the couple’s third child. Laena has grown into quite the bada–, with the couple each riding their dragons in front of a crowd. When Daemon is faced with the same choice as his brother Viserys did in the pilot episode, Laena takes matters in her own hands. Unable to give birth to the child, Laena chooses to walk up to her dragon and commands the creature to kill her before Daemon could make the choice. At first, Vhagar doesn’t listen to her “Dracarys,” but the dragon appears to understand the pain that Laena is going through and gives her the dragonrider’s death she wanted.
Fans went wild on Twitter with the time jump, Daemon supremacy and the death and drama surrounding Harwin and his kids. See what they had to say below:
