Weâre almost to the House of the Dragon season three finale, but thereâs still an hour of betrayals, forgiveness, forgiveness denied, severed heads and appendages, freaky dreams, and a frankly delightful amount of dragons doing dragon things to get through first.

The episode begins in Helaenaâs dream. We know itâs not real because she is outside the Red Keep, wind in her hair, happily petting a horse. The gates open, and while we canât see whatâs out there, Helaena is bathed in golden light. The moment is interrupted when we hear someone calling her name: Rhaenyra, whoâs promised to watch over her while Alicent is running her little âsneak an assassin into Harrenhal to get rid of Aemondâ errand.

Itâs not a friendly awakening. Rhaenyra asks Helaena if Aemond had encouraged her to ride Dreamfyre into battle. She says he did. But sheâs not much for dragonriding these days. Being around Dreamfyre is âtoo much.â

Sheâs like their father, Viserys, in that way, Rhaenyra says. He wasnât into dragonriding either. âHe did not wish to be changed,â Helaena says, and Rhaenyra is bemused by the idea that dragons can alter people. To that, Helaena points out that Rhaenyra now has many dragons: âAre you yourself not⦠altered?â

The real reason for Rhaenyraâs visit becomes clear when she starts poking her half-sister about being a âdreamer.â It soon turns into an interrogation: has she had any visions of Daemon, or the Winter Wolves, or Ormund Hightower? As we know, Helaenaâs powers donât work like that, but Rhaenyra assumes sheâs just refusing to tell.

We can see Rhaenyraâs anger is enmeshed with fear. Sheâs hoping Helaena will offer some psychic insight into whether or not Rhaenyra will prevail. The gods have made it her destiny, right? Right? She gets no answer.

And now, for a sequence engineered to inspire maximum House of the Dragon heebie-jeebies. Aemond sees Alicent walk into his room at Harrenhal. Their reunion turns from tender to creepily intimate when Alicent kisses her son on the lips, and then they suddenly start having very frantic intercourse. But wait! Thatâs not Alicent moaning about giving Aemond a son. Itâs Alys! He shoves her away as she asks, âAemond, what have you seen?â

We initially assumed Alys was using her powers to pretend to be Alicent. But did Aemond hallucinate that Alys was Alicent thanks to some Harrenhal-Targaryen mojo?

Things get more brain-warping when Aemond dashes out into the yard and sees the real Alicent standing there, wearing the exact same outfit from his vision.

Meanwhile, Rhaenyraâs robust army continues its march; the camera lingers on Roddy the Ruin carrying Ser Criston Coleâs head aloft on a battle axeâyou know, in case anyone thought weâd be denied the pleasure of seeing that.

At Tumbleton, Gwayne updates Ormund on their armyâs progress, or lack thereof. âSo your dim but ambitious Dornish friend died in the mud for nothing,â Ormund smirks. Heâs not bothered because âI have a piece on the board now that will bring the bitch to her knees.â Naturally, he doesnât say what it is.

In the Vale, Daemon storms into the Eyrie to meet with Lady Jeyne Arryn. (Moon door!) Lady Arryn has let him know that Rhaena has not been keeping out of sight, as everyone very much needs her to, considering all the ruses and deceptions now tangled up in her existence.

Thereâs a little wink at book readers when Lady Jeyne bemoans the local rumors of a dragonrider, a âwild girl living with the nettles and sheep.â Daemon asks her for one more day to sort out the mess before she tells Rhaenyra the truth, and you know heâs desperate because he tacks a âpleaseâ onto the request.

She agrees, and she even gives him a clue as to where to look for Rhae-nettles, since Sheepstealer has been seen chasing after the Vhagar sightings.

Chasing Vhagar is also what Baela and Addam are up to, and they have a moment on the ground where Addam all but comes out and says heâs got a giant crush on her. She doesnât catch his meaning and instead thinks heâs heard about her and Alynâs mutual attraction. The mood gets awkward, but just then they spot a dragon flying byâand itâs not Vhagar.

At Harrenhal, Alicent recites her fake story about her âescapeâ from the Red Keep and rattles on about the trusted knight who helped her make the journey. Aemond thanks the man, then shoves a knife into his throat. He apologizes to his mother, explaining, “There are secrets here, and I can trust no stranger.â

At that moment Alys appears and invites Alicent in for supper. We cut to a plate of food, but itâs Tumbleton, and Ormund is holding court with Gwayne, Daeron, and a very special guest: Lord Corlys Velaryon, who was taken hostage at the end of last weekâs âFaceless Men.â

Corlys assumes this is probably his last meal. âOn the contrary, we hope to enjoy the pleasure of your company for quite some time,â Ormund says brightly. He doesnât think Rhaenyra will care too much that her Hand has been taken hostage. He does, however, think the Velaryon soldiers will hesitate to defend Kingâs Landing now that the Hightowers have captured their leader.

Daeron the Daring dares to speak upâasking how that will help âwhen the Winter Wolves are clawing at our gatesââand immediately regrets it. Ormund doesnât react; instead, he asks Corlys why heâs bothered to ally himself with the âbrutish and incuriousâ Targaryens. The conversation ends quickly, and Corlys demands to be returned to his cell. Fine, Ormund says, but he pulls out a giant knife. Heâll be needing a little something from Corlys before he goes.

After dinner, Daeron and Gwayne talk shit about Ormund. âIs this his piece on the board?â Gwayne asks, wondering why creating disorder in Kingâs Landing even matters, especially with Rhaenyraâs huge army heading straight for them. Daeron thinks Ormund is a âmadmanâ whoâs offering everyone up for certain slaughter.

Their options are limited, though. They canât surrender. Daeron canât just fly away on his dragonâhe doesnât have anywhere to go, and he would never abandon his men. (He would make a good king.) And he doesnât mind being ultimately insignificant: âRhaenyra may keep her crown for all I care.â

Frankly, she might not mind swapping places at the moment. As we see, sheâs sitting in a hostile Small Council meeting, listening to Ser Manderly complain about being made the scapegoat for all the crownâs money problems. Itâs really not his fault thereâs no gold to spend. And nobody supported his suggestion to start taxing people to help raise some much-needed funds.

The queen tries to change the subject. There are no updates on Harrenhal, Lord Corlys, or whatever Daemon is up to; only Alyn has any good news, which is that the Rivermen are making steady progress toward Tumbleton, and the Velaryons should be at Kingâs Landing soon. Lady Frey pipes in to remind everyone that Harrenhal is technically hers, and Rhaenyra tells her to just go take it. Sheâs delighted, not realizing, of course, what kind of spooky mess awaits her there.

The mood turns when Baela and Alyn enter. While searching for Vhagar, theyâve seen Sheepstealer⦠with a rider. As they leave the meeting, Mysaria starts in on Rhaenyra. That head Daemon brought her was clearly another of his lies. And whoâs to say heâs not up to something even more insidious behind Rhaenyraâs back?

When Rhaenyra hesitates, Mysaria grabs her arm (briefly; she realizes sheâs overstepped and quickly pulls her hand away) and asks, âIs there anything Daemon could do that you would truly not believe?â

We go next to Larys, Tyland Lannister, and Aegon, en route to Maidenpool and passage to Braavos, much as Lannister hates the idea. But theyâre forced to pivot when they realize the road is blocked by people coming from the opposite directionâall fleeing Team Blackâs rapidly approaching army.

At Harrenhal, itâs another tense dinner scene. Alys makes fake-polite conversation while Alicent quietly freaks out at how her planâRhaenyraâs plan, reallyâhas gone completely sideways. Sheâs also wondering about this odd woman whoâs taken up with her son and has somehow convinced him that he should stay at Harrenhal and âmake this place my seat.â

Alicent reminds him that Aemondâs no longer in a position to claim seats in Westeros. Heâs completely unbothered by this. Rhaenyra may be in power now, but heâs certain that sheâll fail. âA new dawn is coming,â he says, and he and Alys hold hands and exchange a conspiratorial smile.

Then he reaches over and takes Alicentâs hand. He declares he expects her to stay at Harrenhal and help welcome this ânew line of unsullied kings.â

Alys doesnât like the sound of that. âIâm sure your mother will wish to move on,â she quickly interjects, and Alicent surely agrees. But everyone must, as Alys puts it once sheâs alone with Aemond, âtread carefully.â She can sense that Aemondâs mother has come to do him harm, though he refuses to believe it.

Alys is right, of course. At that moment, Alicent is trying to figure out a plan B. She snatches a knife off the body of the would-be assassin. Then she spots a berry bush growing in the yard.

On the road, Larys flags down Tangletongue, one of their acquaintances from Rookâs Rest. He has an exposition dump at the ready: it seems the soldiers are all out looking for Tyland Lannister. Now that Rhaenyra knows heâs alive, sheâd very much like to question him about where all the crownâs gold disappeared to.

Larys tells Tyland to give himself up. That way, he and Aegon can continue their escape. Tyland says heâd really rather not be flayed alive. But Aegon breaks in and tells them they just should do whatever they want. Heâs done running. Heâll make his last stand here. âIâll be buried as a king, with my dragon,â he says. Unlike Daeron, he does care about leaving his mark: âI will not have the histories say I was slain in ignominy by my own brother.â

Itâs maybe the most noble thing Aegon has ever said. Tyland says heâll stick with him, but Larys, whose first priority has always been saving his own skin, is like, âFine, Iâm out,â and rides off.

Then: DRAGONS! A pair fly along, nipping and screeching at the other, and we soon see itâs Caraxes (and Daemon) forcing Sheepstealer (and Rhaena) into an ungraceful landing. The riders dismount and immediately start arguing. Rhaenaâs got it in her head that if she can bring down Vhagar, sheâll restore her standing in Rhaenyraâs eyes and maybe get her old life back.

Daemon responds with uncharacteristic kindness and offers to help her battle Vhagar. And then he apologizes for being such a crappy father. Heâs suddenly so evolved!

But the moment is wrecked when we see Syrax (with Rhaenyra) and Seasmoke (with Addam) flying straight for them. Rhaena takes off running, but Addam easily overtakes her. This gives Daemon and Rhaenyra time to yell at each other, but some of her fury and confusion melts away when she sees exactly who Addam is dragging back to them.

As if the situation weren’t nerve-wracking enough, the ensuing conversation happens as four anxious dragons are lurching around the perimeter, snarling at each other. Rhaenyra is angry and hurt that Daemon didnât tell her Rhaena was Sheepstealerâs rider, not to mention his whole charade with the random severed head. âThis is finished,â she declares.

What that means is⦠Sheepstealer is finished. Syrax starts fighting him, then Caraxes and Seasmoke join in. After all that, Rhaena screams, âNoooo!â as she sees Sheepstealer falter; Rhaenyra pulls her onto Syrax with her, and they take off. Addam and Seasmoke follow them into the air, and Daemon and Caraxes land what looks like the killing blow on the wild dragon.

Daemon tumbles a few feet off Caraxesâ back amid the battle. Once Sheepstealer is down, Caraxes sticks his big old fire-breathing snoot in to make sure Daemon is ok. Aww!

Back in the Red Keep, Mysaria is giving the house tour to Sylvi, and theyâve arrived at the Iron Throne. Theyâre old friends, and both women are concerned about the chaos on the streets of Kingâs Landing. But Sylvi has some suspicions about Mysariaâs slippery rise to power and how her priorities have changed. Is Mysaria still a voice for the people, or has she merely âstyled herself a champion in order to access these hallsâ?

Sylviâs certain that she has. Mysaria doesnât have any real power, after all, but sheâs puffed herself up now that she has Rhaenyraâs ear. Sylvi leaves her with a bit of advice: âThese people are not your own. You would do well to remember that. Within the walls of the highborn, a whore will always and ever remain a whore.â

Elsewhere in the Red Keep, Rhaenyra and Rhaena have returned. Rhaenyra will let her stay, but she also wants the girl to remain out of her sight.

At Harrenhal, Alicent makes another attempt to reason with her son. This time, sheâs carrying a cup of (poisoned) spiced wine for him. She calls Alys âyour friend,â and Aemond snaps that âsheâs not my friend.â Ok, but whatever Alys is to Aemond, everyone can tell she doesnât want Alicent to stay.

So Alicent tries another tactic, offering to leave so she doesnât disturb Aemondâs situationship. This leads into a little back-and-forth about who Aemond should trust, and he confesses that he tried to kill Aegon. Alicent says she already knew that and calls him âmy dear foolish boy.â

In Rhaenyraâs room, she contemplates the skull of the poor random guy who Daemon tried to pass off as Sheepstealerâs rider. Daemon walks in and Rhaenyra makes her maid stay in the room, ensuring an uncomfortable witness for Daemonâs attempts to smooth things over. He wasnât scheming against her, he insists. He was trying to do one kind thing for his long-neglected daughter. Rhaenyra doesnât offer forgivenessâshe shoos him out with an âitâs lateââbut you can tell how upset this whole situation has made her.

Elsewhere in the castle, thereâs a far more compassionate reunion between Baela and Rhaena. Rhaena is still achingly guilty over what happened to Jace, but her sister doesnât want to hear it. Instead, demonstrating a capacity for forgiveness very few House of the Dragon characters can claim, she embraces her and says, âYou will begin anew.â

Outside, Alyn and the other Velaryon soldiers are returning with a fresh bunch of Hightower loyalists as prisoners when Alynâs handed a package. It contains⦠Corlysâ finger, complete with sigil ring. A special gift from Ormund!

At Harrenhal, Aemond staggers up to Alys in a way that evokes their first meeting. Clearly, he guzzled the poisoned wine. âIdiot,â Alys sighs. We see Alicent hurrying away, but you have to wonder: whereâs she going to go, and how is she going to get there all by herself?

Helaena has another dream. First, sheâs giving birth, and a man in armor takes away the baby. Then, sheâs looking like a total badass on the back of Dreamfyre, ordering her dragon to âDracarysâ a bunch of soldiers running toward her.

Then, maybe the most wholesome scene ever to appear on a Game of Thrones show: a fantasy of Helaena with her two kids, sitting in a field feeding those chickens she was hoping for. But the mood changes when an eclipse covers the sun, and snow begins to fall. Winter is coming.

Not dreaming, but rather seething, is Rhaenyra, who gets out of bed, smashes the skull in the fireplace, and goes to find Mysaria to fill her in on the Daemon situation. She also lets her know she is well aware Mysaria has been trying to drive a wedge between her and Daemon. But sheâs still vulnerable to Mysariaâs soothing, seductive charms, and they fall into bed together.

Sitting at a campfire near Rookâs Rest, Aegon and Tyland Lannister await the inevitable confrontation that will seal their fate. We see the army emerge from the forest and ride right up to them.

At first, it seems like Aegon might take off running after all. But then he digs deep and delivers the most stirring speech of his life, announcing exactly who he is and declaring that he is the true ruler of the Seven Kingdoms.

As heâs yelling all this, the soldiers, who were laughing in his face moments earlier, turn very serious and start backing away. But itâs not because Aegon has earned their respect with his words. Itâs because SUNFYRE IS ALIVE AND SUDDENLY EMERGES FROM THE WOODS.

Aegon commands “dracarys,” and the soldiers are barbecued into oblivion. Aegon is not really a character weâre meant to root for, but it is a thrilling and triumphant moment all the same. Also, itâs a nice touch that Sunfyre and Aegon now have matching battle scars.

And if you thought the episode was going to end there, well, thereâs one more wild card to add to the deck. We cut to another campfire, and itâs Ulf the White and Ormund Hightower, sharing a drink. From their conversation we learn itâs not the first time theyâve had a clandestine chat. And we soon learn what that âpiece on the boardâ Ormund was hinting at really is.

Ormundâs laying on the flattery, telling Ulf he heard about Daemon beating him up and also how dare Rhaenyra tell him not to go to his beloved tavern. Those Targaryens only see him as a tool, nothing else. Itâs exactly what Ulf wants to hear.

âI understand who you really are,â Ormund assures him. Ulf brings up something they discussed at their last meeting: getting Ulf that lordship and castle heâs been wanting. Previously, Ormund had mentioned Honeyholt, seat of the Beesburys, our pals from A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. But now he has a juicier prize to dangle: Driftmark.

âLord of the Tides,â Ormund enunciates. âWhat do you think of that? They will laugh at you no more when they see you as you are.â

Ulf agrees, and adds, âThey will burn.â Then he gets a big, goofy grin on his face, and the episode ends.

House of the Dragon has just one episode left in season three. The finale arrives Sunday on HBO.

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