*Warning: Spoilers ahead for House of the Dragon season three episode two* Alicent’s (Olivia Cooke) plan to get Aemond (Ewan Mitchell) to Harrenhal worked in House of the Dragon’s latest episode, paving the way for a bloody massacre. What no one expected, however, was for Aemond’s fate to be left hanging in the balance. The Game of Thrones prequel series just delivered one of its best episodes yet, and it’s not surprising. If you weren’t aware, the first two episodes of season three were supposed to round off season two. As such, ‘Queen’s Landing’ would have served as the finale (thankfully it didn’t, because that would’ve been a painful cliffhanger). A lot goes down in the episode, including Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy) finally claiming her spot on the Iron Throne – after killing Otto Hightower (Rhys Ifans), who’s been imprisoned this whole time. In the meantime, Aemond arrives to kill Ser Simon Strong (Simon Russell Beale) and take Harrenhal, which he does in cold blood. He also kills Simon’s sons, although one of them manages to stab the Targaryen prince in the back. As he bleeds out on the floor, he calls out, “Help me,” to none other than Alys Rivers (Gayle Rankin) before passing out. This sets up an interesting dynamic, but will it be cut short? Did Aemond just die in House of the Dragon? No, Aemond is almost certainly not dead. How do we know this? Well, firstly because of the promotional material, including the weeks ahead trailer, which shows he’ll live to fight another day. But we also know thanks to George R.R. Martin’s Fire & Blood. Although House of the Dragon has made plenty of changes to the source material, Aemond survives long past the capture of Harrenhal and remains one of the Greens’ most formidable commanders throughout the Dance of the Dragons. In the book, Aemond takes Harrenhal after Daemon abandons the castle, making it his base of operations alongside Alys Rivers. Their relationship becomes one of the most intriguing in the story, with Alys eventually claiming to be carrying Aemond’s child. Aemond’s journey ultimately ends much later, but I’ll stop short of giving anything else away in case you’re yet to read the books. The HBO adaptation has already altered the circumstances of Aemond’s arrival at Harrenhal, but unless the series makes one of its biggest departures from Fire & Blood yet, this injury is simply setting up the next chapter of his story rather than bringing it to an abrupt end. Plus, Aemond and Alys stars Ewan Mitchell and Gayle Rankin just hinted that the story is headed in this direction. Aemond and Alys’ twisted relationship is only just beginning Credit: HBO Speaking to Collider about their initial encounter, Mitchell said their first impression of one another was “not a great one.” “I mean, it’s a hell of a way to make an entrance – Aemond killing everyone in the room, killing Simon Strong in front of you, and then meeting for the first time. Love at first sight,” he quipped. Rankin added, “Yeah. There is something like a sick meet-cute about it. It’s like the darkest, romantic, or complex meeting of matches in some ways. It’s like, what’s going to happen? “It’s a huge cliffhanger, but there’s a charge between these two characters, certainly, and a curiosity. And I do think something clicks in about, ‘Are we keys to one another’s next step? How are we connected?’ But it feels undeniable. “I think that’s how she feels. There’s something undeniable about their connectedness.” Mitchell went on to discuss Harrenhal, and his comments not only imply that Aemond isn’t dead, but he could get a similar arc to Daemon in House of the Dragon season two. “I think Harrenhal is quite horror-esque, but I also think it’s like the White Lotus of Westeros, where it is almost like a spa retreat,” he told the outlet. Credit: HBO “You go there, all of these toxins get drawn out of you, you confront your ghosts head-on. I mean, that’s what we saw with Daemon last season. You never come out the other side the same person.” Rankin continued, “And it kind of also adapts to your needs. It’s like the best kind of spa, where it really is catered to your needs, which I think is exciting… Harrenhal is such a huge character in itself, and it lives and breathes. But I don’t think it’s going to be anything that a lot of people expect.” For all the latest film and TV updates and hot takes, like our Facebook page. Featured images credit: HBO Post navigation Next story
