Rhaenyra Seizes King’s Landing and Executes Otto Hightower in House of the Dragon S3 E2

Episode 2 of *House of the Dragon*’s third season aired on 28 June 2026. After the Battle of the Gullet, Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen and her husband Daemon retake King’s Landing. With the city’s gates opened through Alicent Hightower’s secret pact, Rhaenyra confronts former Hand Otto Hightower, who had been imprisoned in the Red Keep, and beheads him, cementing her claim to the Iron Throne.

The episode also depicts the death of Rhaenyra’s son Jacaerys Velaryon, whose loss drives her into a harsher stance, and shows Aemond Targaryen’s forced raid on Harrenhal, where he kills the Strong family but is gravely wounded and left pleading to Alys Rivers for aid. Other plot points include Corlys Velaryon’s survival, the political maneuvering of Alicent, and the ongoing clash between the Blacks and the Greens.

Broadcast details were highlighted worldwide: the episode premiered at 22:00 BRT on HBO/HBO Max in Brazil, at 22:00 GMT in the United Kingdom, and at 21:00 ET in the United States, with simultaneous streams in Latin America and Europe. Fan reactions on social media praised Otto’s death as “poetic” while noting the episode’s heavy character load.

Overall, the episode moves the civil war toward a decisive showdown, underscoring Rhaenyra’s increasingly ruthless rule and setting up future conflicts over Harrenhal, dragon battles, and the fate of the Targaryen claim.