There’s nothing fans love more than a well-placed cameo. Of course, on a series like House of the Dragon, cameos come in all shapes and sizes. A cameo can mean a character connected to House of the Dragon from Game of Thrones appeared on the scene, or it can mean a particularly cool actor turned up on the hit show. The major House of the Dragon season two cameo in episodes three and four was not precisely either one of those things, but it sure did delight fans. Here’s how Milly Alcock returned to our screens as young Rhaenyra on House of the Dragon season two’s third and fourth episodes.
Milly Alcock Returns as Young Rhaenyra Targaryen in a House of the Dragon Season 2 Cameo
Surprise! Milly Alcock made an unexpected cameo as young Rhaenyra Targaryen in House of the Dragon season two, episode three and then returned again in episode four. We suppose it makes sense that the younger versions of the characters could appear for a flashback or dream sequence at any time, but we weren’t really planning on seeing much of Milly Alcock on House of the Dragon in season two.
At the beginning of season one of House of the Dragon, it was impossible to imagine anyone but Milly Alcock playing the role of Rhaenyra Targaryen. But House of the Dragon achieved the nearly impossible and cast so well that trading younger versions of the characters for older ones happened seamlessly. Though we absolutely love Emma D’Arcy as Rhaenyra, it sure was nice to see Milly Alcock return in the role for one more scene. It brought us back to everything we loved so much about the characters before the time skip.
What Was Milly Alcock’s Young Rhaenyra Doing in House of the Dragon Season 2, Episodes 3 and 4?
Milly Alcock’s Young Rhaenyra’s Episode 3 House of the Dragon Cameo
But what was Milly Alcock’s young Rhaenyra up to in her House of the Dragon season two cameo? Well, she returned to haunt Daemon’s mind in a couple of half nightmare and half a prophetic visions. First up, Milly Alcock appeared in episode three. As Daemon paced his haunted, rain-soaked room in Harrenhal, he was overtaken by a dream. Following mysterious noises and movements, he made his way through the darkened hallways and turned a corner to find who else but young Rhaenyra. Milly Alcock’s Rhaenyra sits by a fire, eerily humming and cradling the dead Prince Jaehaerys Targaryen as she sews his severed head back onto his neck.
“Always coming and going, aren’t you,” young Rhaenyra levels at Daemon in the House of the Dragon season two episode. “And I have to clean up afterward.” Daemon looks truly jolted by this encounter, but before he can say anything, the dream ends. But in his vision state, Daemon has made his way out to Harrenhal’s weirwood tree where he’s greeted with a prophecy of his own death.
Milly Alcock’s Young Rhaenyra’s Episode 4 House of the Dragon Cameo
In episode four, Milly Alcock’s young Rhaenyra returns again to haunt Daemon’s mind. This time young Rhaenyra is dressed in the same dress that adult Rhaenyra wore when Daemon choked her in a moment of anger and envy in season one of the series. She’s also wearing a crown and standing before the iron throne, implying she’s become queen. In her cameo, Milly Alcock’s young Rhaenyra first addresses Daemon in High Valryian. She says the following phrases, some of which are translated by subtitles on HBO and so of which have been translated by fans:
It’s been said that Targaryens are closer to gods than men…
In my eyes, you were a god. Daemon Targaryen. The Prince of the City. The Lord of Flea Bottom.
I was an innocent. You exploited me and abandoned me. You sullied my name at court. You empowered my rivals. You tried to make my ruin.
You put me on that throne. And you love me and you hate me for it.
You created me, Daemon. Yet you are now set on destroying me.
All because your brother loved me more than he did you.
This is what you always wanted, is it not?
Right before young Rhaenyra says her last phrase to Dameon, he unsheaths his sword and chops off her head. But that does not stop her from addressing him again.
What Do Daemon’s Visions of Young Rhaenyra Mean on House of the Dragon Season 2?
Harrenhal is a cursed place where felled weirwood trees make up the rafters, and everything is a little strange. It’s no surprise that supernatural-feeling visions emerge when one spends time there. While Daemon’s visions of young Rhaenyra aren’t necessarily prophetic, it does feel like greater forces coming to tell Daemon that he’s been really making a mess of things. It’s also interesting that in Daemon’s mind, it’s Milly Alcock’s young Rhaenyra who scolds him on House of the Dragon season two, not the full-grown version of the woman to whom he is married. This Milly Alcock cameo offers a fascinating insight into how Daemon sees their relationship. In a way, it feels like Daemon preferred Rhaenyra before she had power and responsibility and also, perhaps, respected and listened to her more when that was the case.
In the case of the second vision, it seems that Milly Alcock is telling Daemon everything he knows is true as young Rhaenyra. Daemon refuses to acknowledge these truths, but they are inside of him, haunting him in Harrenhal where one cannot escape their demons. And even killing Rhaenyra won’t make those truths stop bubbling up inside of him. Daemon also knows that if he were to ever take the throne for himself, he would have to kill Rhaenyra—but even dead, he would not be able to prevail over her. He would still feel like a diminished ruler when measured up against her.
Young Rhaenyra’s First House of the Dragon Season 2 Cameo Is All About Daemon’s Guilt
Beyond that, for Daemon, his initial vision of young Rhaenyra also serves as the first manifestation of true remorse for his actions that we’ve seen. House of the Dragon director Geeta Vasant Patel offered more insight into the cameo scene, Daemon’s feelings in it, and what Milly Alcock’s presence brought to the table, sharing:
At least in my eyes, that’s what it was. “That’s the Rhaenyra I know.” And in that dream, she looks at him — and the way we talked about it is she doesn’t need to say anything. We just worked on the look; the meaning that comes from all the episodes before she looks at him, and she cuts him. She says, “Hey, you killed a boy. You don’t do that.”
People have said that to him all the way through. But when young Rhaenyra says it to him, it’s the first time he feels it. It’s the first time he processes his actions, though he’s been killing people left and right since the beginning. This is the first time we see him regret. We see him feel. We actually kept talking, in between takes, about how this is something we’ve never seen before in Daemon.
There was a take where Matt went in, and he just kept saying, “No, I need another take. I need another take.” He was really such a hardworking actor on this, and all of a sudden I saw his face break after Milly looked at him. I just saw his hands loosen, and I saw the tear in his eye. Then I had a tear in my eye because we both felt it. Even the crew got emotional at that moment. And it wasn’t about House of the Dragon, it was about making a mistake that you deeply regret that hurt somebody else. It’s just that simple. That’s what I love about working on this show. I like to think that it is a documentary with dragons. We always try to make it feel real; like something we can relate to.
But will young Rhaenyra’s cameo appearances actually serve to change anything in Daemon beyond offering moments of grief and clarity, or will Milly Alcock have to return to House of the Dragon again and again to achieve that? We’ll have to see what awaits Daemon outside the world of dreams and back in reality.
Originally published on July 3, 2024.