Grand Maester Orwyle (Kurt Egyiawan) rushes to the queen’s bedchamber and informs Queen Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy) that Aegon and Sunfyre have risen from the dead as HBO’s House of the Dragon season three’s finale begins. Rhaenyra hurries to Daemon’s chamber, angry that Aegon’s alive and the people will believe it’s a sign from their gods that he is the rightful king. They will turn against her and support Aegon.
Daemon (Matt Smith) believes this is her test and the moment she must rise. She needs to use their dragons to win the war.
(The following is a recap of season three, episode eight – the finale – and there are spoilers.)
Rhaenyra orders a watch set for Aegon’s dragon and wants Hugh to fly to Tumbleton. She orders Daemon to go to Tumbleton and root out every Hightower and Hightower supporter but begs him not to make a monster out of her. Once Ormund and Daeron are dead, she will kill Aegon herself.
Baela (Bethany Antonia) asks to be sent to Tumbleton to search for Lord Corlys, but Rhaenyra refuses. She believes it was his fault he was taken. Baela believes that Rhaenyra always treats her people like pawns, abandoning them when something doesn’t go her way. Rhaenyra calls her insolent and says it runs in her blood.
Alyn (Abubakar Salim) speaks to the Velaryon men and orders them to go to King’s Landing and serve Rhaenyra, but they insist they need to help Lord Corlys. Alyn reveals he’s the named successor and they will do as he says.
Lord Ormund Hightower’s army musters in Tumbleton as they prepare for a battle. Before the fight begins, Ormund (James Norton) knights Daeron (Benjamin Evan Ainsworth), dubbing him Ser Daeron the Daring. Outside, the people of Tumbleton hide as the army sets up its defenses inside the city’s walls.
Ulf (Tom Bennett) drinks with his friends and slanders Daemon Targaryen. Ulf insists Rhaenyra won’t let Daemon use his dragon in Tumbleton and that he’ll quake before the mighty and terrible Lord Ulf the White.
Rhaenyra’s told that Helaena isn’t eating and the maesters are worried. She orders her maid, Elinda, to summon Ser Alyn to accompany her to the Grand Sept to be blessed by the High Septon. She wants to make sure everyone knows she’s the queen.
Rhaenyra also has Mysaria (Sonoya Mizuno) packed up and sent to Pentos before dusk. Mysaria’s told she’ll receive enough gold so that she’ll be financially set, and Elinda admits she doesn’t understand why Rhaenyra’s doing this either.
Helaena (Phia Saban) is instructed to head back inside her quarters after her short time outside, and she sees the horse from her vision. Mysaria passes Helaena and tells her everything that’s going on and that Rhaenyra will never release her. Aegon’s returned and Helaena’s unborn baby will be kept hostage.
Alys (Gayle Rankin) saves Aemond (Ewan Mitchell) after Alicent poisoned him, but Aemond insists that he’s damned because he slayed his brother and she should leave him. Alys delivers a bombshell, revealing she was a noblewoman married to King Harren the Black. When Aegon the Conqueror and his dragon Balerion burned down Harrenhal, one of Harren’s sons was badly burned but survived. Alys was desperate to help her son and turned to ancient blood magic to try and save him. It didn’t work and the pact she made resulted in her being cursed to live as an immortal woods witch trapped in Harrenhal forever.
Rhaenyra asks Helaena to eat and assures her she won’t harm her. Helaena reminds her Viserys would not have wanted the dragons to fight. “All the things you care about are ugly,” says Helaena. Rhaenyra admits that if Helaena doesn’t eat, it will force her hand. Helaena continues to refuse and food is forced down her throat.
Alyn informs his brother, Addam (Clinton Liberty), that he’s staying in King’s Landing to guard the queen. Addam thinks that’s because the queen is raising him up in Lord Corlys’ place. Alyn doesn’t care that Rhaenyra has grounded Baela.
Daemon’s assembled a massive army outside of Tumbleton, and Ormund orders the town’s children to line the walls as human shields. Daeron tells Ser Gwayne (Freddie Fox) that Ormund has a secret plot, but neither knows what it is. Daeron wants to use his dragon to fight so the young boys don’t die.
Caraxes soars overhead and above Ormund as people scurry for cover inside the town.
Daeron and Gwayne approach Corlys with an offer to switch sides. He refuses.
Mysaria escapes her guards and flees into Flea Bottom, where the smallfolk seem confused.
Rhaenyra rides with Joffrey and tells him the story Viserys passed on to her.
Daemon leaves Caraxes and rides with his men, finding joy in learning of Criston Cole’s death. Ser Gwayne asks to treat with Daemon and admits Ormund is crazy. He offers them Corlys and pleads with Daemon at the behest of Daeron Targaryen to make a deal. Daemon doesn’t want to listen, as Gwayne offers to divide the kingdom and have Daeron serve from Oldtown. Ser Roderick Dustin (Tommy Flanagan) is practically foaming at the mouth with his desire to kill Gwayne during the negotiations, but Corlys points out this division isn’t unheard of.
If Daeron gets Oldtown, he’ll never be king but can be warden of the south. Everyone’s surprised when Daemon reveals Aegon and Sunfyre are alive, and Daemon accuses Corlys of being a traitor. Corlys is firm in his belief that dividing the kingdom is the only reasonable solution. Daemon grabs Gwayne by the throat and says the deal will never be struck. He takes Corlys as his prisoner.
Aemond wakes as Sunfyre and Aegon (Tom Glynn-Carney) fly into Harrenhal. He drops to his knees before his brother, stunned that Aegon’s alive. Aegon slaps him and calls him an imbecile. Aemond begs for forgiveness, and Aegon laughs in his face. He taunts Aemond with the possibility of Sunfyre slowly burning him alive. But Aegon’s surprised when Aemond doesn’t argue; it takes the enjoyment out of this moment.
Aemond confesses he is everything Aegon thinks he is and killing him would be justified. Aegon wants Aemond to come with him to Tumbleton, and Aemond admits he doesn’t have a clue what’s happening outside Harrenhal. Aegon says they’ll find Vhagar, go to Tumbleton, and then ultimately fly to King’s Landing under his banner. Once he’s back on the throne, he might forgive Aemond.
Lord Oscar Tully (Archie Barnes) gives Daemon and his men a rundown of entry points into Tumbleton. Daemon says he’ll clear the way with Caraxes, and Ulf will watch from above as they go through the town killing Hightowers and their supporters. “Rhaenyra’s banners will fly above the holdfast by nightfall,” says Daemon. He asks his men to take care not to kill the townspeople.
Daemon and the leaders learn about the boys lining the walls, which changes his plan. Daemon asks if Roderick’s still willing to die for their queen, instructing him to take the Winter Wolves over the walls and open the gate from inside. Daemon can’t use Caraxes because of the children.
Meanwhile, Rhaenyra barges into the High Sept with Alyn and his men, ordering the High Septon to anoint her. He continues to refuse since Aegon is alive. Rhaenyra won’t back down and the High Septon declares the seven-faced god is on his side. Alyn is ordered to kill him, and he does.
Queen Rhaenyra and Joffrey step outside and she speaks to the smallfolk, reminding them that her father named her as his heir in a public ceremony. She explains her reign was prophesied before Viserys was born, describing the Song of Ice and Fire and the darkness that looms in the far north beyond the wall. “Only the might of dragons can stand against it,” says Rhaenyra. The Hightowers can’t fulfill the prophecy; only she can.
Ormund screams for Ulf, who’s still missing, as Daemon delivers a rousing speech to his army. He tells them to grant no mercy and give no quarter. He wants the worst of them, and they cheer.
Roderick also gets his men hyped up for battle, sounding the drums that everyone inside the walls can hear. He yells at the Hightower army to let their arrows loose and the war begins in earnest. Winter Wolves fall as the Hightower army showers the ground with arrows.
Ormund’s surprised to learn that Daeron and Gwayne attempted to make a deal with Daemon.
Oil is poured on the Winter Wolves who make it to the walls, and Daemon orders more of his army to advance to the south wall. Roderick and his men make it over the wall, but the Hightowers light the trenches outside on fire as Daemon’s informed that Ulf is missing.
Roderick and his Wolves engage the Hightowers as they make their way to the gate from inside. Hugh and his dragon fly over Daemon’s army and Daemon wants to learn why he’s there instead of guarding King’s Landing.
Roderick can’t get the gates open and Daemon calls for Caraxes. He orders Caraxes to light the wall and gate on fire just as the children are moved in front of it. Most get out of the way at the last minute and Caraxes busts through the gate. Daemon remounts his dragon and leads the army inside. He doesn’t make it far before his horse is slain and he’s forced to fight on foot.
Now that the gate’s open, Roderick sends his men to locate Daeron while he searches for Ormund. Ormund’s just found Ulf and slaps him around before demanding that he get on his dragon and do as he was told.
Daemon and the army make their way through the city, attacking the Hightowers. Hugh runs in with the army and screams his wife’s name. Daemon calls out for Ormund but is stopped in his pursuit by Ormund’s second in command, Ser Jon Roxton (Joplin Sibtain).
Daemon’s man is slain by the Hightowers as Ulf approaches his dragon.
Gwayne informs Daeron that the parlay is off, and Daeron wants to fly out on his dragon to help. Gwayne is adamant that he stays out of the battle, not wanting him to die for Ormund’s vanity. He refuses to allow Daeron past him.
Ulf circles above the Targaryen army and begins burning the men.
Gwayne and Daeron race to the top of the wall and watch as Ulf destroys the Targaryen army. It’s their only hope for surviving the day, and they realize this is the secret Ormund was keeping.
Daemon’s engaged in a vicious hand-to-hand fight with Roxton, and he’s on the losing end for a while.
Roderick pursues Ormund and takes him on, but Ormund manages to stab Roderik in the gut. Ormund slices off Roderick’s arm, but Roderick manages to stab Ormund in the rear and gain the upper hand. Ulf has his dragon aim its fire at Ormund, burning both Ormund and Roderick.
Ulf continues to turn his dragon on everyone, lighting up the city streets and killing whoever’s outside. Daemon’s buried under the rumble but emerges as the townsfolk carry their dead through the streets. Innocent men, women, and children were murdered by Ulf and the clashing armies during the battle for Tumbleton.
Daemon continues to fight until Corlys grabs him and says the town is lost. The battle is over and they need to leave.
Tumbleton’s streets are full of dead and dying soldiers. Gwayne survived the fight and crawls around, searching for Daeron.
Hugh finds Kat inside her home, but she’s been killed.
Rhaenyra’s maid Elinda calls out as Rhaenyra reenters the Red Keep. Helaena has leaped to her death.
Alicent (Olivia Cooke) walks through the woods and butterflies surround her.
Rhaenyra picks up Helaena’s tapestry, which includes a scene of her falling to her death. There’s also a scene of Rhaenyra on the throne surrounded by flames. There appears to be blood running down her face and body. Fire and dragons surround the Iron Throne. Rhaenyra realizes Helaena lied and did have a vision of her on the throne.
Season three ends with Rhaenyra closing the window.
- House of the Dragon Season 3 Episode 1 Recap
- House of the Dragon Season 3 Episode 2 Recap
- House of the Dragon Season 3 Episode 3 Recap
- House of the Dragon Season 3 Episode 4 Recap
- House of the Dragon Season 3 Episode 5 Recap
- House of the Dragon Season 3 Episode 6 Recap
- House of the Dragon Season 3 Episode 7 Recap
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