REVIEW: House of the Dragon – Season 2, Episode 3, “The Burning Mill”

“There is no war so hateful to the gods as a war between kin.”

Television Reviews

***SPOILERS***

“The Burning Mill” displays the conflict between the Targaryens’ claims to the throne acted out by their commoner followers. The Blacks bury Arryk and Erryk. Criston Cole and Aemond plot to win over some of Rhaenyra’s pledges. Mysaria asks to join Rhaenyra’s court in exchange for saving her life. Rhaenyra sends Rhaena and her own youngest sons to Pentos for safety. Daemon lays claim to Harrenhal, which Lord Strong gladly obliges. Rhaenyra’s Council suggests she hide away from Dragonstone, an idea she scoffs at. Rhaenys and Corlys discuss the succession of Driftmark. Helaena questions her grief for her son and tells her mother that she forgives her. King Aegon takes Lord Larys as his Master of Whispers. The King visits a bar, treats everyone to drinks, and then torments his brother Aemond at the brothel. Cole, Alicent’s brother, and their men flee from Baela and Moondancer. Rhaenyra finally takes Rhaenys’ advice, asking Mysaria to arrange a meeting with Alicent. Rhaenyra disguises herself as a nun and finds the Queen Dowager in church. For all of Rhaenyra’s efforts, Alicent says it’s too late to avoid war. 

The scene in “The Burning Mill” that interests me most is one that doesn’t even really happen. In the ruins of Harrenhal, Daemon sees a vision of a young Rhaenyra (Milly Alcock) sewing baby Jehaerys’ head back on. She says this is what always happens: she has to clean up his messes. And for once, Daemon is rushed with emotion, whether guilt for the baby or seeing this version of Rhaenyra or both. It was cool to see Alcock again, and this was a good way to use the younger (though not by much) actress. It also makes the present timeline feel more connected to the first half of season 1, at least for me. Matt Smith is delightful to watch as Daemon, and this is a rare scene in which he comes unraveled. He does a lot of rash things and enacts plans that could have been planned better, but he’s not usually outwardly emotional, let alone vulnerable. He’s probably experiencing a lot of complex emotions, like guilt and shame about the baby, obviously, but possibly concern for his marriage. And maybe he does want to be the King proper; I don’t think he’s that selfish and short-sighted, but who knows? Smith and George R.R. Martin have created a character we can’t fully understand even when he’s at his most naked. 

I also really like how this scene is shot, as well as the one when Daemon first enters Harrenhal. This castle is very creepy, giving Daemon’s scenes in “The Burning Mill” a moody, even horror-like tone. This is unique for House of the Dragon; I don’t remember anything like it in Game of Thrones, either. The woman who tells Daemon he will die in Harrenhal is Alys Rivers (Jodhi May), a bastard daughter of the Strong family. She reminds me of Maggy the Frog from Game of Thrones, the witch who warned Cersei about her future as a little girl. Simon Russell Beale appears in this episode as Ser Simon Strong. I don’t have much to say about his character, though I’m glad he’s faithful to the rightful Queen. But I loved Beale in Penny Dreadful and The Death of Stalin, so I’m always happy to see him in anything. I like his line, “Sin begets sin, begets sin,” explaining the nebulous nature of the never-ending feud between the Brackens and Blackwoods. It also applies to the Targaryens; what is this war really about? Which action made war unavoidable? It’s easy for me to blame Alicent’s ignorance and Otto’s ambition, but is there more to it than that?

“The Burning Mill” continues a major theme of showing how this familial civil war impacts the common folk. The episode kicks off with the battle between the Brackens and the Blackwoods, and the titular burning mill is seen in the distance when the damage is done. It’s interesting seeing the Small Council bicker over whether or not they can count this as a victory for the Greens. They should feel sorry that their petty power grab has led to such bloodshed. The Council is worse than ever without Otto; it is unruly and incapable of staying on topic. I never liked Otto, but he could corral the youngsters and keep relative peace at the table. Alicent has no such sway over the men. Rhaenyra’s advisors run over her, too, with only Rhaenys offering peaceful solutions. For some reason, the men on both sides seem dead set on ensuring as much destruction and death as possible. I can’t help but find characters like Rhaenyra more reasonable, saying they can’t be mad at Arryk(?) for keeping his oath. She’s lost as much as anyone and had her own life threatened, but she still wants to avoid war if possible. I knew this wouldn’t happen, but Alicent’s response still surprised me. I don’t love Alicent, but she is usually empathetic and also opposed to war. Learning about Aegon’s Dream shakes her a little bit; Alicent appears to realize she has made a terrible mistake. But she can’t admit that, and it likely wouldn’t matter anyway; Aegon and the Council wouldn’t give up and go home just because Alicent says it was an accident. It’s still hard not to be a little mad at her, though, for being unable to face what happened. 

Other things that caught my attention in “The Burning Mill” include when Baela spots Cole, Alicent’s brother, and their complement. This scene builds tension exceptionally well, and while I wouldn’t care if Cole died, I was unsure how this would go for either side. The brothel scene where Aegon mocks Aemond is just bizarre. I wouldn’t mess with Aemond, even if he were my brother. Helaena has a moment of what we today would call checking her privilege, questioning if she should mourn her son. This is also very odd, in my opinion; of course, you should mourn your baby, who was murdered in his own bed. The scene where Rhaenyra looks at her kids’ toys is genuinely sad; some part of her just wants to keep her kids safe, not endanger them with this war. Overall, “The Burning Mill” is great, despite a couple of scenes I don’t understand, at least right now.