Rhaenyra and Alicent tried to work it out on the remix, to no avail. In the third episode of House of the Dragon’s second season, “The Burning Mill,” Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D’Arcy) travels to King’s Landing to have a secret meeting with Queen Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke). Unfortunately, the former friends are unable to see eye-to-eye. On a new episode of Still Watching, hosts Hillary Busis, Richard Lawson, and Chris Murphy unpack the mounting violence in Westeros and chat with esteemed British actor Simon Russell Beale about finally entering the Game of Thrones universe.

Violence is spreading throughout Westeros as lesser houses begin to swear their allegiance to either Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen or to King Aegon II Targaryen (Tom Glynn-Carney), fighting to the death defending their chosen ruler. As the body count rises, Rhaenyra makes the decision to go and see her former friend and stepmother in an attempt to stave off the violence and restore some semblance of peace. But unfortunately for the denizens of Westeros, the queens are not able to hash out their grievances.

During their meeting, Alicent reveals what King Viserys, her late husband and Rhaenyra’s father, said on his death bed, sharing that he predicted a Prince Aegon would unite the realms. Rhaenyra asks if Viserys meant Aegon the Conqueror, and understands that he was actually referring to the ancestral king’s vision of a “Song of Ice and Fire”—leading Alicent to come to a stunning realization: She has put her Aegs in the wrong basket.

Beyond Rhaenyra and Alicent’s secret rendezvous, the third episode of House of the Dragon season two introduces us to a bevy of new characters who may factor into the battle for the crown. There’s Alicent’s brother Ser Gwayne Hightower (Freddie Fox), who accompanies Ser Criston Cole (Fabien Frankel) on his quest to a neighboring town, and almost gets their calvary blown to smithereens by Lady Baela Targaryen (Bethany Antonia) and her dragon due to his carelessness. There’s also a mysterious taverngoer who claims to be the grandson of King Jaehaerys, a bastard brother of Prince Daemon (Matt Smith), and uncle to Rhaenyra. Although he does not have the hair to prove it, he very well may be a potential heir to the throne.

Another new player we meet is Beale’s Ser Simon Strong, the lord of Harrenhal—a massive but dilapidated castle where Daemon sets up shop. Ser Simon Strong is unlike many of the toxic and aggressive men in the Game of Thrones universe, surrendering Harrenhal and pledging allegiance to Rhaenyra the second Daemon enters his castle.

Despite being a renowned actor who’s earned a Tony, three Olivier Awards, and two BAFTAs, Beale says that no one was banging down his door to get on the show. “I don’t think there was a case in which they were begging me to do it,” Beale modestly says on Still Watching. Nevertheless, when the call did finally come, Beale was thrilled to join the series in the somewhat unique role of Ser Simon Strong.

“What intrigued me about the part was that he’s described as the only gentleman in an ungentlemanly world,” says Beale. “What I really liked was this idea of a man who doesn’t want anything to do with it. He’s in charge of this huge castle that’s the center of all the feuding, but he himself doesn’t want anything to do with it. He’s like, ‘just leave me alone.’”

Although Ser Simon Strong wants to stay out of the fray, family ties may prevent him from doing so. In the episode, Ser Simon Strong suggests to Daemon that Lord Larys Strong (Matthew Needham)—King Aegon’s new master of whispers and a relative of Ser Simon—may have killed his father and brother in a fire. (We in the audience know this rumor to be fact.) “If he has that sense of family loyalty, then what’s happened to the rest of his family is, for him, a matter of great anger,” Beale says of Ser Simon.

While anger may be simmering inside of the relatively cool and inviting Ser Simon, at least on a surface level, he seems to want to be a gracious host to Daemon and whoever else may descend on Harrenhal. “I think he’s perfectly capable of trying to play their game if he feels the need to. Also, I mean, frankly, everyone’s coming. He’s the host with the most, I think, morals,” says Beale. “He’s a good host. He wants people to be comfortable. And it’s a bit embarrassing that they don’t have any red currants.”