'House of the Dragon' 2x03: the curse of Harrenhal Castle, that surprising cameo and its meaning

House of The Dragon is surpassing itself every week. Among scenes anticipated by fans of the books, the always accurate changes in the adaptation that keep the element of surprise for those who already know the story, a captivating lighting design, and the spectacular performances of its actors, the anticipation for the new episodes is truly an event.

This third episode has not been an exception, in my case, I will say it is my favorite of the series so far. It has left shocking, exciting, and above all very memorable scenes. My favorite is the conversation at the end between Rhaenyra and Alicent, a moment that does not exist in Fire and Blood and that alone justifies all the ellipses of the first season.

What these two women say to each other and what they don't (because it's not necessary), the subtle expressions on their faces when they both understand what Viserys was talking about and what it means for each of them and the future of their claims to the throne is a sublime experience. I'm not exaggerating. I've seen the scene three times and I'm still as fascinated with the work of Emma D'Arcy and Olivia Cooke.

Many things happened in this wonderful hour of television and each scene has brought with it a great dramatic, emotional, and informational load that has advanced the plot. It has been confirmed that Daeron has a little dragon;  a face, name (and definition) has been given to the first official Dragon Seed of the series and the Castle of Harrenhal has been successfully claimed (with zero opposition units), but among all that happened, one of the moments that will generate more discussion is those seconds when we see Milly Alcock again as Rhaenyra.

An appearance -in every sense of the word- that has been one of the best-kept secrets of the season, since the press had access to the first four episodes a week before the series premiere. 

Matt Smith in 'The Dragon's House' 2x03

Daemon's Vision

"Always coming and going, right?
And I have to clean up after it all."

At night, in the Castle of Harrenhal, after a possession claim to which he received no denial and was even invited to dinner, Daemon experienced movements, noises, and presences that culminated with a vision of a young Rhaenyra addressing him in a demanding, resigned, and condescending tone, while she sewed little Jahaerys' head to his body.

The vision is therefore, or at least it seems, a representation of his guilt or at least the recognition of an error that somehow haunts him, forcing him to "see" the lifeless and innocent body of Aegon and Helaena's son.

The scene concludes with Daemon in front of the weirwood tree of Harrenhall, not knowing how he got there, and with the ominous words directed at him by a mysterious young lady (named Alys Ríos) who tells him: "You will die in this place."

Milly Alcock

How the Scene Was Filmed

Although Ryan Condal assures that the team did not lie when they claimed they had no intention of bringing back the younger actors this season, when they started mapping Daemon's storylines in this installment, they saw the opportunity to enhance his arc with an appearance by Milly Alcock.

"We wanted an internal struggle for him," said Condal. "This seemed the right way to introduce it, a kind of psychological game for Daemon... which finds himself lodged in the Overlook Hotel, so to speak."

The scene with Milly Alcock they were able to film in a week that she had free between filming Supergirl and another project. 

"Milly had a great impact on the success of the series, and she is very beloved by the audience. The greatest challenge has been keeping it a secret," said the creator in an interview with The Wrap.

Ryan Condal behind the scenes

"We wanted to do it in a way that felt rooted and impactful, not just dramatically for Daemon ... because for him, it is literally coming face to face with a ghost from his past and his sins. We also had to do it in a way that felt realistic in this world," said Condal.

So they knew that the perfect place was Harrenhal "a cursed place that is rich in history and the power of the Old Gods." Condal noted that the team used the same "magic in the world" that Game of Thrones used when Bran Stark realized he could see through the weirwood tree network.

The Curse of Harrenhal

As they say a couple of times in the episode and the reason why Daemon traveled there, this castle, the largest in all of Westeros, is in a strategic location (even more so in times of war) and despite being practically in ruins, it will remain an important stronghold, as we saw in Game of Thrones, where it appeared several times. 

As the story goes (and as Larys Strong recalled in season 1) it was built by Harren the Black before Aegon's Conquest with gigantic walls and towers made of stone that made it an impenetrable fortress. When Aegon I Targaryen came to unite his kingdom, the then king of the Hoare House decided to lock himself in his castle, ensuring that dragon fire could not melt stone.

Harrenhal

Aegon the Conqueror gave him one last chance to surrender and, upon his refusal, flew on Balerion and burned Harrenhal. The stone, indeed, did not completely melt, but everything inside did, including Harren the Black and all his descendants. 

Since then, all the lords or ladies who governed it ended up dying or their bloodlines extinguishing in one or two generations. 

Although in the book Fire and Blood there is no official version of what happened to House Strong, the last known lords, the series directly attributed the responsibility to Larys Strong. And although he tried to attribute the tragic death of his father and brother to this curse, as Simon Strong tells Daemon, there is no doubt that he was to blame. 

*This article has been automatically translated using artificial intelligence