As a dragonling rests with the fishes, the mother mourns the loss and the cost. Emma D'Arcy's moving portrayal of the loss Rhaenyra Targaryan has incurred, makes up for the biggest moments in the episode. While the second episode of House of the Dragon Season three, primarily focuses on the way forward for this season, it is a microcosm of the things that made Game of Thrones, good and bad.

The various individual feelings that comes with grief, is portrayed by D'Arcy with towering conviction. From disbelief to inacceptance to rage and then submission D'Arcy holds the attention through seamlessly transitioning through each of these emotions. With this episode House of the Dragon also brings back the Shakespearean soliloquy-esqe monologues from Game of Thrones, which enables it to fully delve into the political drama genre that formed the base of the series.

As Jacaerys Velaryon's death looms over King's Landing, Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke) is forced to make haste with some last minute moves to save herself and Helaena Targaryan (Phia Saban). But after submitting the fate of King's Landing and the lives of Helaena and herself to Rhaenyra, she has to come to terms with another one of the show's biggest deaths, her father Otto's (Rhys Ifans) at the hands of Rhaenyra. While Otto's only appearance this season has been to die, the show allows for the final moments of the episode to remain with Alicent and Rhaenyra, as the both reflect upon the sins of their actions and their costs, building some much needed intrigue.

While the writing for this season so far has shedded a lot of baggage to focus on one single storyline per episode, this has led House of the Dragon to forget a lot of its main characters, including Criston Cole, Ormund Hightower, and now Aemond Targaryan. While Cole and Aemond have diminished screentime, Ormund have been forgotten. This leads to questioning the direction of this season. But the uphill intrigue urging viewers to remain invested.