Season 2-Episode 03

The Burning Mill

It’s a big chair made of swords.

Daemon Targaryen

Major Plot Points: Daemon goes on a vision quest after a nice meal of venison. Aegon and Aemond bond over their love of brothels. Criston Cole refuses to go to a tavern. Rhaenyra and Alicent catch up while lighting some candles together

Observations from a Book Reader:

1. As I remarked upon last season, the feud between the Brackens and Blackwoods has gone on for hundreds of years, with neither side remembering what began it. Here we see the Blackwoods on Team Black, with the Brackens on Team Green. Finally something easy to remember! The first real battle of the war, the Battle of the Burning Mill, begins with a dispute over boundary stones. Last season during episode 6 we actually heard the small council discussing how these 2 families kept fighting over the very same boundary stones.
2. Although Otto was dismissed as Hand, he still remained in King’s Landing for the duration of the war. In the show we know he has returned to Oldtown, and if he remains there his story line in the show will end up being entirely different in key events.
3. Daemon was able to take Harrenhal by himself just as easily in the book. However it was not as clear that the castellan, Simon Strong, was pro Rhaenyra. Daemon had him locked in the dungeons as a precaution. It does make sense why he would be fine aligning with Daemon though, since the show has made it very clear that Larys Strong (the technical lord of Harrenhal at this point) did in fact author the murders of his brother and father in season 1.
4. Similar to last week, we spend a long scene with a seemingly random peasant. This time it is a man named Ulf, who makes the audacious claim that he is the son of the bastard brother of King Viserys and Prince Daemon. The term he uses, dragonseed, is straight from the book. In both King’s Landing and Dragonstone, it was well known that many of the Targaryen lords used to sleep around with the common folk. In Dragonstone especially, where the Targaryens were treated more like gods than men, peasants would be honored if they fell pregnant with a “dragonseed”.
5. The book made no mention of Daemon being plagued by visions while in Harrenhall. It was noteworthy though that his subconscious saw Rhaenyra as a child, while she sewed the head of Jaehaerys. This might indicate he feels guilt over the crimes he committed against both. In his dream, we do see a pivotal book character, Alys Rivers. Known for looking unusually young for her age, Alys was the bastard daughter of the late Lyonel Strong. Many believed her to be a witch that used her magic to see the future and control/kill whomever she wanted.
6. Rhaenyra never snuck (sneaked?) into King’s Landing. This sequence was a show only creation. It does take some suspension of disbelief, but I can buy it for a couple of reasons. Firstly, Rhaenyra as an adult spent so little time in King’s Landing, that few if any people there would recognize her. Secondly, common folk certainly would not spare a second glance at anyone in a septa’s uniform. Of course, in the book this would still fail since Rhaenyra had the infamous and otherworldly piercing violet eyes that marked all Targaryens.

Other Points to Notice

1. Rhaenys quickly addresses what I found to be the moral of this episode. After the point of no return, there is no understanding or figuring out why exactly a war has started. There were so many steps along the way that led the 2 groups to this point that no one will be able to point to one moment as the inciting incident. Similar to the century long feud between the Blackwoods and Brackens.
2. I brought up last week how the 2 teams adopted different sigils in the books. Looks like I jumped the gun, as we clearly see Team Green using a green banner with a golden dragon on it this episode. However, Rhaenyra still seems to be using the traditional Targaryen sigil instead the quartered sigil of her book counterpart.
3. Rhaenyra sends Rhaena, her niece/step-daughter (lmao), along with her 3 youngest sons, to the Eyrie. In case anyone forgot, Rhaena herself was not able to hatch a dragon egg, unlike her sister Baela. Along with Rhaena, Joffrey, Aegon (known as Aegon the Younger to differentiate between him and Aegon II of Team Green), and Viserys, they also bring Joffrey and Aegon’s young dragons. Tyraxes and Stormcloud. These 2 dragons are at this point too small to be ridden, since both Joffrey and Tyraxes are younger in the show than they were in the book.
4. Criston Cole wears a chain made of hands to signify his position, instead of the pin we are used to seeing both in this show and Game of Thrones. This is actually more accurate to the books, as the infamous chain of hands was even used by Tyrion in A Storm of Swords to strangle Shae to death.
5. In the scene where Aegon wears his ancestor’s armor for the first time, Larys is able to manipulate him with ease, while gaining the title Master of Whisperers in the process. There is a stark contrast in this episode in showing how both rulers gain their new Master of Whisperers as Rhaenyra recruits Mysaria out of actual loyalty and understanding, whereas Aegon is manipulated into picking Larys.
6. The bar maiden that is groped by the man in the pub, is the same woman who in season 1 was a serving maid of Aegon. She was assaulted by Aegon and then forced to drink moon-tea by Alicent, just to make sure she did not fall pregnant.
7. For a few seconds, it seemed like Rhaenyra would in fact give up her claim, since she knew Alicent was not lying. The truth is finally revealed, but it is far too late as Alicent knows her children will not abdicate regardless of the misunderstanding. “You know what Aemond is.” It seems like all this reveal did was buy Rhaenyra enough goodwill that Alicent did not stick the guards on her as she left. Both characters are now fully entrenched in their positions, and the war is officially beginning.

Stray Observations:

1. Title sequence update! The last 2 images show a decapitated Jaehaerys, and all of the executed rat-catchers hanging outside the Red Keep.
2. I feel like they definitely could have buried Arryk and Erryk faster. It was like half a shovelful at a time
3. Cole just got promoted to a job he didn’t deserve, and still could not show up on time.
4. The riderless dragon observed by Mysaria is once again Seasmoke, Laenor’s old mount. Chekhov’s dragon?
5. Daemon wants to be addressed as “your grace” since at this point he technically would be King Consort to Queen Rhaenyra. It’s interesting that when a King rules, his wife is just called the Queen, but when a Queen rules, her husband would be called the King Consort.
6. Yes, Grover Tully is named after the Sesame Street character. Along with his kin, Kermit and Elmo. I doubt the show keeps all of these names.
7. Gwayne Hightower sucks so much that he makes Criston Cole seem rational.
8. Jaehaera forgiving Alicent for sleeping with Cole seemed to make Alicent even more uncomfortable
9. Aemond probably is not the biggest fan of Aegon after being embarrassed for sleeping with Sylvie in front of Aegon’s knights. Let’s keep an eye on that.
10. Daemon sees Alys in his vision as he stands near a Weirwood tree. As we remember from Game of Thrones, these trees seem to have magical properties and connect points in time.
11. If it seems ridiculous that Rhaenyra made it to King’s Landing from Dragonstone by boat so quickly, just keep in mind that Dragonstone is an island extremely close to King’s Landing, just across the bay. It would be like taking the Staten Island Ferry from Manhattan.

RIP: A lot of Bracken and Blackwood men.