As game of Thrones before, HBO Dragon House has never been a show that shied away from sex or nudity. We’ve seen castrated men, incestuous encounters on a dimly lit beach, and Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke) and Ser Criston Cole (Fabien Frankel) quickly go from slapping to sex. Now, in House of the Dragon Season 2 Episode 3 “The Burning Mill”, we get to see a completely stripped down Aemond Targaryen (Ewan Mitchell)… and we mean it. completely.
**Spoilers for House of the Dragon Season 2 Episode 3 “The Burning Mill,” now streaming on Max**
In Dragon House Season 2 Episode 3 “The Burning Mill,” Aemond goes head-to-head in a scene that begins as a moment of deep embarrassment for the one-eyed Targaryen prince, but ends on what can only be interpreted as an ominous note. Last week we learned that Aemond had rekindled a connection with the brothel madam (Michelle Bonnard) to whom he had coincidentally lost his virginity as a child. The intimacy of their relationship, as seen in House of the Dragon Season 2, Episode 2, “Rhaenyra the Cruel,” is more emotional than sexual. Aemond enjoys lying in the Madam’s arms as he tells her his true feelings about the attempted murder of Daemon (Matt Smith) and the unfortunate killing of Luke (Elliott Grihault). In turn, the Madam boosts his self-esteem as she warns Aemond that it’s the common people who suffer when nobles go to war.
However, that safe space for Aemond is shattered in Dragon House Season 2 Episode 3 “The Burning Mill.” This is because his brother, Aegon (Tom Glynn-Carney), has the great idea of taking one of the virgin squires of his new Kingsguard to the same lady for the first time for the boy. As soon as a drunken Aegon bursts into the sex worker’s arms, her naked brother disintegrates into cruel hysteria.
“Aemond the fierce!” she sneers sarcastically. “You have come so far, and yet you still lie with your firstborn. What a beautiful, sweet thing.”
While Aemond laughs and mocks, everyone else (his Kingsguard cronies and the madam) have the good sense to show some concern.
“You fucked her like a dog?” Aegon asks before barking.
Aegon then turns to his entourage and jokes that he wasn’t bragging about the lady’s prowess. “Even now, my brother will try no other.” When Aegon says, “But ill luck for your squire,” something changes in Aemond’s eyes. They become hard, not ashamed.
Aemond then stands proudly, stark naked, and declares that the child is welcome to the lady. “One whore is as good as another,” he says, before walking away, still wearing nothing, not even the eyepatch.
The scene is fascinating because, of course, a leading actor in a game of Thrones The property was front and center on HBO, but what does that tell us about Aemond himself? we know it from House of the Dragon Season 1: Aemond is a deeply sensitive person. Luke bullied Aemond when he was a child, but instead of shaking the memory off of him, he holds on to the bitterness like a miser hoards gold. In fact, Aemond’s inability to overcome the wounded boy explains the armor he wears as a grown man. He’d rather be feared than harassed…and his brother just made the mistake of harassing him.
Aemond is initially embarrassed when Aegon bumps into him with the lady, but ultimately decides to stand tall, confident in his skin, suggesting that he is not the one who should be embarrassed. They should. Coincidentally, by doing so, he also severs the only emotional connection he has with anyone, by shaming the lady as just another “slut.”
When Aemond was naked in last week’s episode, it represented emotional vulnerability. Here, nudity becomes a kind of ironic armor. Unlike Aegon, who needs to dress in Conqueror’s armor to feel powerful, Aemond doesn’t even need clothes to convey his strength.
It will be fascinating to see how this moment further strengthens Aemond’s resolve for victory or whether it will allow Aegon to outwit him more easily than Lucerys did.
