This Week On House of the Dragon: Teen Angst, Sibling Rivalry & Dads Trying To Cope

TV Viserys is honestly a whole parenting mood. by Jamie Kenney Sep. 6, 2022

Warning: Spoilers for House of the Dragon Episode 3 are ahead!

Photograph by Ollie Upton / HBO While the epic battle on the Stepstones and defeat of the Crabfeeder received the most attention in “The Second of His Name” (we stan our #RoguePrince), every parent knows that for real drama you have to go to a 2-year-old’s birthday party...

Ollie Upton / HBO It’s been a little less than 3 years since last episode. Alicent, now Queen, is pregnant with her second child and her son, Aegon, is 2. King Viserys, and everyone else, seems happy and content with this new situation. Everyone, that is, except...

...Rhaenyra, who is solidly in her surly teen phase, sulking by herself and listening to the same song on repeat (via bored minstrel). She has reason to be salty: her former BFF is now her stepmom, and her new baby brother threatens her claim to the Iron Throne.

Ollie Upton/HBO But, it’s her little brother’s Name Day and they’re a family, damnit. So Viserys commands (in the nicest way an absolute monarch can) that she join them for the celebration: a massive hunting party just outside of King’s Landing.

Ollie Upton/HBO The festive air makes it clear to Rhaenyra that her bitterness and fear has not been in vain: her brother, though still a toddler, commands more loyalty from the lords of Westeros than she does, even after being officially named heir to the throne because #Sexism.

Ollie Upton/HBO Viserys, who can’t go anywhere without people vying for a slice of his realm-shaped pie, grows increasingly frustrated and consequently, inebriated. He just wants his family to be happy, especially Rhaenyra, but he begins to question whether she should remain his heir.

Ollie Upton/HBO All along, no one has been pushing the idea that Aegon should become the King's heir more than Otto Hightower, hand of the king, father of Alicent and grandfather of the new little prince... because overstepping grandparents are a thing everywhere, apparently.

Ollie Upton/HBO While Alicent acknowledges that any mother would want to see her child become king, she’s still trying to balance her maternal ambition with her desire to be a good former-bestie/stepmom to Rhaenyra and demurs. Clearly, however, a seed has been planted.

But despite his moment of doubt, Viserys returns to King’s Landing with a promise to his eldest child: on her mother’s memory, he will not replace her as heir to the throne. She, not her brother, will rule Westeros.

There were some additional moments in the episode we really loved that highlighted just how much of a family (and parenting) drama House of the Dragon really is. Like when (stepmom) Alicent and Rhaenyra had a power struggle over poor Samwell the minstrel...

... and that painfully awkward blended-family road trip.

HBO And, generally speaking, Viserys was a whole parenting mood throughout “Second of His Name.” A hapless, imperfect dude who loves his kid trying his best. From his frequent “I am trying my absolute best with you, you little brat” face...

HBO ...to his “I just want to drink my wine in peace without all these people asking me for something” moment...

HBO ... to his “I am trying so hard to make you happy please stop fighting me at every turn” speech/lecture. Look, we’re still not over the murder-by-C-section scene from Episode 1, but he served up a lot of parenting relatability here.

More from Romper

The Cringiest Parenting Moments From 'And Just Like That' We Just Can't Get Over By Jen McGuire 10 Parenting Takeaways From 'The White Lotus' Nestled In All That Chaos By Jen McGuire