‘House of the Dragon’: 5 Questions as We Look Ahead to Season 3
The New York Times
Where is that wagon going? And who were those unfamiliar dragons? The Season 2 finale left viewers with many cliffhangers and much to ponder.
The Season 2 finale of “House of the Dragon,” which aired Sunday on HBO, provided a surprising amount of new information. But it stirred up a lot of new questions, too. Characters with magical abilities showed their hands. One missing major character reappeared, while others began to make their exits. And a few new dragons were spotted along the way.
One thing that wasn’t seen? Anything resembling a resolution. As the many cliffhangers hang and the various armies get into position, here are a few questions we’re still contemplating as we await Season 3.
Aside from the dragons themselves, this has been a low-magic season — except at the cursed castle of Harrenhal. There, Daemon (Matt Smith) was plagued by waking dreams, apparently influenced by the mysterious Alys Rivers (Gayle Rankin). In the finale, Alys granted him a larger vision — one that mostly got him up to speed on events to come in “Game of Thrones.”
One small detail — a pale face bearing a wine-colored birthmark — stood out as particularly unfamiliar, though. It appeared finally to confirm the identity of the man previously known as the Three-Eyed Raven, revealing him to be none other than Brynden Rivers, a.k.a. Bloodraven. This is a future descendant of Daemon’s, which may be why Daemon can access the weirwood network.
The appearance of Helaena (Phia Saban) in Daemon’s vision indicates that she could be more aware than previously thought. Certainly, this odd and tragic soul was positioned to be her generation’s dreamer. But now there are larger questions about her clairvoyance, and about what Alys and Bloodraven might have to do with that. Are they helping or manipulating her? Is she their Bran Stark?
What larger part will she soon play? Or will she play any part at all? Her one-eyed brother, Aemond (Ewan Mitchell), threatened her life after she refused to ride her dragon into battle. He’s a dangerous guy. How willing is he to make good on that threat?
