Season 3 of “House of the Dragon” needs to do more with this character

The big picture

• Corlys Velaryon has been underused in
  House of the Dragon
  Season 2, where his story arc mainly defines future storylines.
• Season two focused on Corlys’ strained relationship with his bastard children and he had no more meaningful conversations with Rhaenyra.
• In season three, Corlys is expected to have more active roles, such as leading naval battles and confronting Rhaenyra about past suspicions.

from HBO House of the Dragon It is the second adaptation of George R.R. Martin‘S A Song of Ice and Fire universe. Set a few hundred years before game of Thronesfollows the ruling family of Westeros, House Targaryen, at the height of their power under the reign of King Viserys I (Paddy Considine). After his death, a civil war breaks out between his eldest daughter, Queen Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy), and his eldest son, King Aegon II (Tom Glynn Carney), on who will sit on the Iron Throne. The many smaller houses are forced to choose which side they are on, while in the sky, Huge fire-breathing dragons bring death and destruction.

One of the most important figures of this period is Lord Corlys Velaryon (Steve Toussaint), the head of the second of the three Valyrian houses of Westeros. Called the Sea Serpent, Corlys once sailed the world and built a fortune, which he invested in merchant ships and the largest navy in Westeros. He eventually married the Queen Who Never Was, Princess Rhaenys Targaryen (Eva the best) and sided with Rhaenyra when the civil war broke out. Unfortunately, Corlys was underutilized in season two.with his story arc mostly defining future storylines for him in season three.

What will happen to Corlys Velaryon in season 2 of “House of the Dragon”?

After recovering from his fatal injury in Season 1, Corlys devotes himself entirely to Rhaenyra’s cause. Using his navy, establishes a naval blockade across the Gorge, protected by Rhaenys and her dragon, Meleys. This causes a severe food shortage in King’s Landing. Most of Corlys’ time is spent in his shipyards talking to one of his carpenters, Alyn of Hull (Abubakar Salim), who saved him from almost certain death. Unbeknownst to most people, Alyn and his brother Addam (Clinton’s Freedom) are the bastard children of Corlys.

After the death of Prince Lucerys Velaryon (Elliot Grihault), Corlys remains without a clear heir for the seat of her house, Driftmark. Rhaenys suggests naming one of their granddaughters after their daughter, Laena (Blonde Grandma), Bael (Bethany Antonia) or Rhaena Targaryen (Phébe Campbell (actress)), but Corlys refuses. When Rhaenys is killed by Prince Aemond Targaryen (Ewan Mitchell) at the Battle of Rook’s Rest, Corlys is devastated. He attempts to name Baela as his successor, but she refuses, saying that Driftwood must pass to the salt and sea. Corlys later accepts the position of Hand of the Queen.

Still Corlys continues to spend more time with his shipwrights than with Rhaenyra’s council.and has only one meaningful conversation with her in the season finale, “The Queen Who Ever Was”, where he convinces her to press her advantage after acquiring new dragon riders, one of whom is Addam. As for Alyn, Corlys moves to appoint him first mate on his newly repaired ship, The Queen Who Never Was, but Alyn berates his father for never caring about his bastard children, and for only doing so when he had no other choice for a legitimate heir. Alyn ends the conversation by saying he refuses any offer of help from Corlys, and the two men board Corlys’ flagship to join the blockade, sharing the same boat in abrupt silence.

‘House of the Dragon’ Season 2 Doesn’t Do Enough With Corlys

As season two begins, Corlys is in a very strong position on Rhaenyra’s council. Compared to the rest of her advisors, who grew up in Viserys’s long peace, Corlys was actually leading men into battle in the Stepstones, a chain of islands contested and fought over between Westeros and the Free Cities of Essos. Thus, his voice has a strong authority, especially in matters of war. Why then does he only give military advice to Rhaenyra in the finale? One complaint about season two is that, despite losing her son at the end of season one, Rhaenyra dithers and stalls when it comes to any decisive retaliation, allowing her enemies to slowly pick off her allies on the mainland. The advice Corlys ultimately gives the Black Queen is sound: using dragons as deterrents will only get her so far, and she’ll have to get her hands dirty to win a war that’s already started. It was a breath of fresh air, but the fact that it came so late in the season left viewers wondering why the two didn’t have more conversations.

Most of Corlys’ time in season two focuses on her strained relationship with Alyn and Addam, which is good in theory, but inconvenient in execution. Their conversations become repetitive, with Corlys stiff in his attempts to show them affection, and Alyn, whom he favors, understandably cold and brusque in return. As for Addam, Corlys has only one interaction with him after he claims the dragon Seasmoke, originally ridden by his son, Ser Laenor Velaryon (John Macmillan). While this subplot builds to a well-acted conclusion, with Alyn berating Corlys, it isn’t worth the slow pace because viewers don’t learn much new about all three men.

Instead, Corlys’ most interesting moments come from episode 5, “Regent.” With Rhaenys and their children gone, Corlys is left to ruminate on how his pride and ambition brought him to this state. He pushed his children to marry a Targaryen woman because he couldn’t be satisfied with what he had. Now he has no one, and the thing he valued most, his family legacy, is about to come to an inglorious end. Toussaint’s acting is some of the best in the entire second season.capturing all of Corlys’ tumultuous emotions, from his grief and self-hatred at his current state to his determination to continue fighting for his grandchildren and the cause his wife believed in.

How can season 3 of “House of the Dragon” improve on Corlys?

If season 3 wants to fix Corlys’ story, the writers need to give him more to do than watch ships being built and have cold conversations with his bastards. Thankfully, we see the Sea Serpent finally move to act as Tyland Lannister (Jefferson Hall) sets sail for the Gorge with the Triarchy navy. This means that Season 3 will begin with an epic battle, giving Corlys the chance to demonstrate his skills as a sailor and admiral. Her fallout with Alyn will likely be resolved as well, as the seeds have already been planted for Corlys’ bastard son to become the next heir to Driftmark. As Alyn himself has said, he is made of salt and sea and has no aspirations of dragon riding, meaning it’s only a matter of time before they mend their relationship.

The most pressing matter, however, is Corlys’s relationship with Rhaenyra. In addition to providing her counsel as her Hand of the Queen, there is a lingering family issue that Corlys needs to address. Both Rhaenys and Corlys have long suspected that Rhaenyra was responsible for Laenor’s death, as she rushed to marry Daemon afterward. The audience knows that Laenor faked his death to escape to Essos (though he may have died off-screen, as Seasmoke has taken a new rider), but it’s strange that either Corlys or Rhaenys have never directly confronted Rhaenyra about the incident. If Corlys were to learn the truth, that Laenor ran away to live the life he wanted, it might give him another dose of humility that could lead to him reconciling with Alyn. Or perhaps it might fuel more resentment toward Rhaenyra, as the queen’s silence meant Rhaenys died believing that all her children had been taken from her. With a planned animated show covering Corlys’s adventures in the works, it would only be more beneficial for viewers to have a greater opportunity to learn more about the Sea Snake in House of the Dragon Season 3.

House of the Dragon is available for streaming on Max in the US

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