What are the Stepstones, who is the Crabfeeder, and other burning questions ahead of House Of The Dragon episode 3

Here's what we're wondering about before the next installment of HotD arrives

TV Features Matt Smith
What are the Stepstones, who is the Crabfeeder, and other burning questions ahead of House Of The Dragon episode 3
Left to right: Rhys Ifans, Paddy Considine, Gavin Spokes, David Horovitch, Milly Alcock, Bill Paterson, and Steve Toussaint Image: Ollie Upton/HBO

We’re only two weeks into House Of The Dragon and the show has already given us so much to speculate about. Between the palace intrigue of the Red Keep and the expansion of the world outside King’s Landing, there’s plenty to explore. It seems like viewers are also hungry for more too, once again tuning into the Game Of Thrones prequel in droves for second installment. This week’s episode had us wondering about the geography of George R.R. Martin’s world and the motivations of the characters with regards to the question of succession. Read on for the latest in our ongoing series of questions about what’s in store and what it all means.

previous arrow1. How big of a mistake did King Viserys just make? next arrow
1. How big of a mistake did King Viserys just make?
Emily Carey and Paddy Considine Image Ollie Upton/HBO

Viserys barely had time to grieve his first wife before his advisors started urging him to find another queen to fortify the line of succession (which basically means have more children, and fast). The most strategic match is also the least appealing to him—12-year-old Laena Velaryon, the daughter of his cousin Rhaenys (The Queen Who Never Was) and his Master of Ships Lord Corlys Velaryon. Instead, the king announced that he would marry Alicent Hightower, the daughter of the Hand of the King, Otto Hightower.The decision took everyone by surprise (except perhaps Otto) and may have alienated at least two very important figures at court. The first is obviously Lord Velaryon, the Sea Snake, whose help the king will need if war breaks out in the Stepstones, which looks pretty likely at this point. The second is Princess Rhaenyra, Alicent’s closest friend, or so she thought. From her point of view it’s a betrayal on several fronts. Neither her father nor Alicent had shared with her that they’d been meeting in private the past few months (platonically, but still). And while Rhaenyra seemed to be okay with him remarrying as long as it was for political reasons, this looks like something else. Are these forgivable offenses? And what happens if Alicent bears him a son? Will the realm still accept Rhaenyra as the rightful heir when there’s a male alternative?

14 Comments

  • nowaitcomeback-av says:

    I never got too far into Fire and Blood, but at this point, it doesn’t seem like Allicent Hightower is pulling any strings. It seems like she’s genuinely trying to do the best to please her father, who wants her to comfort the king, and she genuinely seems to care about both the king and Rhaenyra. Her finger picking tic makes me think she feels overwhelmed and would rather not be involved in all these kingly matters at all.

  • ohnoray-av says:

    Lady Alicent seemed forced into this, if she ends up playing the game it’s simply for survival. And any rage she feels down the road is completely legitimate. It’s just cruel it comes at the cost of a very good friendship.

    • mark-t-man-av says:

      Lady Alicent seemed forced into thisPerhaps at the beginning, when her father coldly told her to comfort the King while wearing her mother’s dresses. But fixing Viserys little Dragon toy seems to have done more to endear her to him than any dress.And once she has a son, she could have more influence over him than her father would have.

  • deb03449a1-av says:

    Why is this another user hostile slideshow? Milking your visitors for clicks for your overlords. Gross.

  • genejenkinson-av says:

    Fortunately, when it comes to getting a better understanding of the geography and politics of Westeros, we always have the books for reference.Pardon the pun, but this is where there’s a stark difference between the opening credits of GoT vs. HotD. GoT helped orient the viewer by clearly laying out the sigils and locations. HotD’s credits uses the main theme for nostalgia and little else. We tried pausing it last week to make out the bloodline markers but it zips past everything so quickly it’s impossible to discern.

    • activetrollcano-av says:

      Well, it’s not impossible, it’s just fast and not as recognizable compared to the entirety of the Westeros landscape. The opening credits are a depiction of old Valyria, similar the the model that King Viserys is working on in his chamber, but the one in the credits appears to be in ruins.
      https://winteriscoming.net/2022/08/30/house-of-the-dragon-opening-credits-explained/I’m kind of glad they kept the main theme of the show from GoT. It is nostalgic, sure, but it’s homey and very difficult to improve upon. Going with a new theme likely would have led to inevitable criticisms and comparisons—just creating for division in the fanbase, and I’m sure there’s a lot of people who would simply just hate it because it’s not the original GoT theme. That’s the price of being crafted from the greatest premium TV show every created: either way you won’t ever be able to make everyone happy. Better to not try in some cases, rather than attempt to force greatness into the world.

  • ryanlohner-av says:

    Interesting to see this article is totally at odds with the actual episode review, which just assumes Viserys and Allicent have been banging like rabbits for those six months.

    • badkuchikopi-av says:

      I don’t know why anyone would think they were already banging. That wasn’t my read of it at all. Plus this show is going to have people banging like rabbits and not show it at least once? No way. 

    • activetrollcano-av says:

      It’s as if people forget that banging often leads to childbirth. If Viserys and Allicent were going at it for 6 months, she’d have likely been pregnant by now, resulting in a bastard that wouldn’t be capable of inheriting the throne. Unless Viserys is the first king in Westeros to learn the pull out technique, it’s highly unlikely that they’ve been premaritally getting it on.

    • thm1075-av says:

      The review of episode one was amateurish at best and showed the writer doesn’t have a fucking clue about the books and the show, and clearly spent more time tweeting than actually watching. It was whole new level at AV Club bad….it was almost as bad as a meal from Taco Bell.

  • ozilla-av says:

    A whole lotta cahooting going on.

  • dgstan2-av says:

    It seemed to me that Rhaenyra and Alicent were a little more than best friends. Rhaenyra was pretty clear about wanting to keep her head in Alicent’s lap for extended periods of time.

    • spr0kets-av says:

      Lots of people have already floated this theory.And I’m inclined to agree.I’m surprised it didn’t get mentioned in this article.

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