House of the Dragon Season 2 Episode 6: Will Otto Hightower Become Aemond Targaryen’s Hand?

House of the Dragon season 2, episode 6 reminds viewers of Otto Hightower’s absence as Prince Regent Aemond Targaryen asks him to be his hand.

Rhys Ifans is one of the most prominent members of the House of the Dragon ensemble. However, in this season’s third episode, his character, Otto Hightower, was briefly written off the show when King Aegon II fired him as Hand of the King.

As the Greens’ situation worsens, characters in King’s Landing begin to feel his absence.

Alicent Hightower is one character who has missed her father’s security and sense of control as her sons escalate the mayhem. After the Blacks and Greens broke, Alicent was one of the few voices of reason in the city, while Aemond, Aegon, and Criston Cole acted foolishly.

While Aemond considered Otto’s patience a weakness, he nevertheless asked Lord Larys Strong in the most recent episode to bring the old hand back to the capital and work under him. This raises concerns regarding Otto’s recent movements.

1. Where is Otto Hightower?

Otto Hightower is in Oldtown at this point in the Book, but the show may differ.

Otto Hightower hasn’t been on screen since episode 3 when he was sacked by King Aegon and returned to Oldtown. After this decision, Alicent advises Otto to rally the Tyrells, who have been disrupting the Greens’ army assembly in the Reach.

This would imply that he would visit Highgarden or return to Oldtown, the seat of House Hightower, yet it appears that he has done neither. Or, at the very least, he’s in one of these areas but not replying to Alicent’s letters.

Otto returns to Oldtown after being dismissed in the show’s source material book, Fire & Blood, although what he accomplishes is unclear. The TV series appears to slightly alter the path of Otto’s story, as House of the Dragon’s timeline has been altered in numerous ways for the TV format.

Rhys Ifans is a well-known actor, and the series is likely to use him rather than keep him off-screen for the whole thing. The show might use some weight in King’s Landing to balance Aemond now that he is in charge.

2. Does Otto Become Aemond’s Hand?

Otto Hightower never becomes Aemond Targaryen’s Hand of the King in Fire & Blood. Therefore, this is a wholly new concept for the television adaptation. There isn’t much to Otto Hightower’s story after King Aegon dismissed him, as most of his impact on the Dance of the Dragons occurred before the war rather than during it.

Again, bringing Otto back at this stage in the show is most likely a method to keep Rhys Ifans on the show for an extended period, as he adds unique dynamics to the narrative, and it wouldn’t make sense to take him off.

3. What Happens To Otto Hightower?

Otto Hightower dies after Rhaenyra’s capture of King’s Landing, as he is executed after she seizes the Iron Throne. There isn’t much Otto Hightower in Fire & Blood between his removal as hand and his death, save from the Battle of the Gullet, which occurs as a result of events he initiated.

He is not present during the combat, of course, but it was his idea that led to it. However, the House of the Dragon has the ability to alter the timeline, which would have an impact on Otto.

Rhaenyra’s capture of King’s Landing happens after the Gullet in the book, but events point toward it occurring before in the TV series. Daemon has assembled his force in the Riverlands, and Criston Cole and Aemond have already disagreed on handling that threat.

If Aemond flies north to the Riverlands in House of the Dragon’s season 2 finale, Rhaenyra could seize the capital with the help of her dragon riders and execute Otto in the same episode or season 3’s premiere. It all depends on the show’s order of events.

4. About House Of The Dragon

House of the Dragon is the prequel series to HBO’s blockbuster Game of Thrones based on George R. R. Martin’s book Fire & Blood.

Set three hundred years before the events of Game of Thrones, House of the Dragon will show Westeros under the Targaryen family’s rule before the dragons went extinct. It will follow the Dance of the Dragons, the Targaryen civil war between siblings Aegon II and Rhaenyra, who fought for the throne after the death of their father, Viserys I.

Directed by Ryan Condall and Miguel Sapochnik, the show stars Paddy Considine as Viserys I Targaryen, Emma D’Arcy as Rhaenyra Targaryen, Olivia Cooke as Alicent Hightower, Matt Smith as Daemon Targaryen, Tom Glynn-Craney as Aegon II Targaryen, Rhys Ifans as Otto Hightower, Steve Toussaint as Corlys Velaryon, Eve Best as Rhaenys Velaryon, Sonoya Mizuno as Mysaria, Fabien Frankel as Criston Cole, and Graham McTavish.