The following contains spoilers for House of the Dragon Episode 3, "Second of His Name," now streaming on HBO Max.
When House of the Dragon introduced the Crabfeeder (aka Drahar of the Triarchy), fans were excited to see the rivalry unfold with Daemon Targaryen. The prince, after all, was being influenced by Corlys, the Master of Ships at King's Landing, to free the waterways from the aquatic terrorist and the Free Cities. It would win over the public in the budding civil war in Westeros, so Daemon, despite caring for King Viserys, waged the war without his brother's approval.
No matter what, Daemon wanted people to view him as a savior and the rightful heir to the Iron Throne. Well, Episode 3, "Second of His Name," showcased the brutal action of the assault that ran for years at the Stepstones, painting Daemon in a bitter, aggressive light. However, the climax to his vendetta had some problems in terms of creative storytelling and tactical execution.
Daemon and Corlys' forces were struggling against the mariner, with Viserys not wanting to send aid as it would make the Crown look weak. However, he had a change of heart, dispatching a messenger to let Daemon know he wanted his people to remain alive. Daemon didn't like the idea of the rescue fleet, though, so his ego drove him to murder the emissary and then go to Drahar.
He faked a surrender before rushing out to the cave in which the warlord hid. The issue with this is Daemon basically ran in a straight line, dodging arrows from archers who did their best Stormtrooper impressions. It was ridiculous plot armor as they had the higher ground. Granted, he didn't fully imitate Rickon Stark when the kid tried to escape Ramsay Bolton, as he zigged and zagged a bit, plus there was some debris he could use as cover.
But for the majority of the sprint, Daemon was vulnerable and an easy target, yet no one could take the clear shot. It's only when he neared Drahar that arrows hit him, proving his plot armor wasn't infinite. That gave way to a ridiculous plot hole right after, involving Laenor Valeryon and his grey dragon, Seasmoke.
Right when Drahar's legion surrounded Daemon and was about to finish him, flames were suddenly spat at them. It turns out Laenor flew in on Seasmoke and started scorching the enemy, but the weird thing is, no one saw them. It's as if the rider and dragon were invisible, only seen when it was above them, spewing fire. Something so big should have been spotted descending from a mile away, with the archers ready to take down the Dragonrider -- something they did for Daemon on his first attack to open the episode.
To make it worse, the archers didn't track the dragon, which allowed it to flank and burn them in the mountain. It's ludicrous that they'd just remain fixated on the flames, ignoring the giant dragon that circled above. The way the sequence was edited, it actually felt like Seasmoke was teleporting, or there were more dragons present. Ultimately, Drahar's men didn't understand strategy at all, which saw them get barbecued easily, paving the way for a quickly healed Daemon to slice the Crabfeeder to death and cement his claim to the throne.
House of the Dragon airs Sundays at 9:00 p.m. on HBO and streams on HBO Max.