'House of the Dragon' Is Finally Giving Fans the Ultimate Version of Rhaenyra and Daemon

Published Aug 11, 2026, 7:42 PM EDT

Kendall Myers is a Senior Author with Collider. As part of the TV and Movies Features team, she writes about some of the most popular releases before, during, and after they premiere. In three years, she has written over 900 articles with topics ranging from classic sitcoms to fantasy epics.

Editor’s Note: The following contains spoilers for the House of the Dragon Season 3 finale.***House of the Dragon ***Season 3’s ending was eventful, but the war is far from over as neither the Blacks nor the Greens have a decisive path to victory. Yet, the Blacks have one advantage throughout Season 3: Daemon (Matt Smith) and Rhaenyra’s (Emma D’Arcy) partnership. Throughout *House of the Dragon, *Rhaenyra and Daemon’s relationship has been hugely important, but not always harmonious. While there have been ups and downs, **Season 3 shows them at their greatest strength as they are finally working together, **and never is that more true than in the finale.

In Season 3, the couple has reached their ultimate form as they communicate and do everything in their power to hold on to the Iron Throne. Even as they argue about Rhaena (Phoebe Campbell) or the gold cloaks, their goals are the same, which is a distinct change from previous seasons. As they maneuver in the Season 3 finale, Daemon and Rhaenyra prove that they have never been more united. However, with such a brutal pair, that isn’t necessarily a good thing.

Daemon and Rhaenyra have always been best as a team, and Season 1 demonstrated that with moments like Daemon defending her sons by killing Vaemond Velaryon (Wil Johnson). Though they were divided throughout most of Season 2, Season 3 brings them closer than ever, providing the best version of the couple. Yes, they disagreed, but in the finale, all of that is behind them. At the beginning of the episode, Daemon is the first person Rhaenyra goes to when faced with the crisis of Aegon’s return, and while she reacts emotionally, Daemon stays calm. Not only does he reassure her, but when Daemon advises her to take action, Rhaenyra actually listens, which is a rare turn that shows just how much she trusts him. She even sends Mysaria (Sonoya Mizuno) away, removing contradictory advice to focus on Daemon’s way, suggesting that she will continue to listen to him moving forward.

Your answers point to the great house whose words, values, and way of surviving in Westeros match your own. Bend the knee — or don’t. That’s very much up to you.

Winter is Coming — and you have always known it. You prepare not out of fear but out of duty, because the people who depend on you deserve someone who takes the long view.

You understand the game — its rules, its exceptions, and exactly when the rules become the exception. You play it without illusions and without apology.

You carry a sense of destiny that is difficult to explain and impossible to ignore — the feeling that you are not simply participating in the world but meant to reshape it.

You are a force — direct, powerful, and difficult to ignore when you enter a room or a conflict. You do not negotiate with challenges. You meet them.

You understand that power does not always announce itself — that sometimes it arrives with flowers, good wine, and a smile that doesn’t quite reach the eyes.

However, their latest dynamic isn’t a one-way street, as Daemon also listens to Rhaenyra. Though he has long tried to take control from her, the Season 3 finale shows him following Rhaenyra’s orders. **He leads the Battle of Tumbleton while heeding Rhaenyra’s caution for the citizens **and commanding his soldiers to do the same. This is a significant departure from his usual instinct, especially when burning the city down would be easier. Admittedly, he doesn’t fully accomplish the goal. Daemon causes damage to the small folk, most memorably by burning down the gate while children are in front of it, but he did try to get them to move, showing more deference to Rhaenyra’s authority than he had in the past. By listening to each other and acting as a unit, the couple shows they are aligned, which is a major improvement over Season 2. Their understanding of each other and willingness to work together provide a new, better version of the fan-favorite relationship, showing how perfect for each other Rhaenyra and Daemon are.

window.arrayOfGalleries[“article-gallery-1-1045460837”] = ’“<div class=“w-gallery-carousel”><section id=“main-carousel-1-1045460837” class=“splide splide-gallery” data-gallery-expanded-id=“main-expanable-carousel-1-1045460837” data-gallery-expanded-thumbnail-id=“expanded-gallery-thumbnails-1-1045460837”><button class=“expand icon i-expand” type=“button”></button><div class=“splide__track”><ul class=“splide__list” style=“—gallery-aspect-sm: 2 / 1; —gallery-aspect-md: 2 / 1; —gallery-aspect-lg: 2 / 1;” ><li class=“splide__slide gallery-main-img”>