House of the Dragon director confirms huge Daenerys Easter egg in season 2, episode 3
*Warning - The following article contains spoilers from House of the Dragon season 2, episode 3 and Game of Thrones.*
The third episode of House of the Dragon season 2 delivered a significant impact, introducing major plot developments and fascinating characters ahead of the looming civil war between House Green and House Black.
Yet, a subtle Game of Thrones Easter egg that appeared in this week's show may have been overlooked by many fans.
Indeed, the HBO prequel series just made a direct reference to the future Mother of Dragons, Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke), 200 years before her era. The nod in Sunday night's episode has since been confirmed by House of the Dragon director Geeta Vasant Patel.
Daenerys Targaryen in Game of Thrones
It's a fleeting moment, with numerous storylines now unfolding as the show maps out the grand narrative from George R. R. Martin's books.
In the episode, Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D'Arcy) decides to send her youngest children away for their safety as the civil war approaches.
She entrusts them to her step-daughter Rhaena Targaryen (Phoebe Campbell), asking her to escort her sons Aegon and Viserys to the Vale. She also requests they take their young dragons Tyraxes and Stormcloud, along with four precious yet delicate dragon eggs.
The plan is that, by sending the children away, they can eventually journey to Pentos and find sanctuary there.
Although young Rhaena is not thrilled with the prospect of caring for her younger step-brothers, it appears her mission will be far more crucial than she initially realises.
In fact, the dragon eggs she is safeguarding will eventually land in the possession of Pentoshi merchant Illyrio Mopatis (Roger Allam), who gifts them to Princess Daenerys in the inaugural episode of Game of Thrones.
By this point, many folks are doubtful about the existence of dragons in their contemporary world. However, courtesy of Daenerys, three of those eggs evolve into the trio of Drogon, Rhaegal, and Viserion.
Episode 3 director Geeta Vasant Patel has since verified this, stating: "Those are Daenerys' eggs.
"All of us who work on this show are big Game of Thrones fans, so it was very exciting to shoot that scene," she confessed to Mashable.
Fans have also been theorising online that there's a fourth egg, which may hatch into a dragon that will become significant in House of the Dragon's timeline.
House of the Dragon season 2 arrives in the UK on Mondays at 2am BST (British Summer Time) on Sky Atlantic and NOW, with a repeat broadcast later on at 9pm.