The plot depicts Daemon visiting his estranged wife, Rhea Royce, in the Vale and the wedding of Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen and Ser Laenor Velaryon.
It received mostly positive reviews, with critics praising Emily Carey's performance, the conversation between Laenor and Rhaenyra at Driftmark, and the wedding sequence.
Rhaenyra refuses to give up her place as heir to the Iron Throne and tells Ser Criston she wishes for him to remain her lover.
Larys Strong, the son of Viserys's new Hand, slyly asks Alicent about Rhaenyra's health, mentioning she was given a medicinal drink.
At a feast celebrating Rhaenyra and Laenor's forthcoming nuptials, Alicent interrupts Viserys' speech, entering the hall wearing a green gown matching House Hightower's signal color for a call to arms.
Criston, taking this as blackmail, is enraged and beats Joffrey to death, bringing the feast to a disastrous end and devastating Laenor.
It also marks the first and only appearances of Rachel Redford as Lady Rhea Royce and Savannah Steyn as the teenage Laena Velaryon, who was portrayed as a younger child by Nova Foueillis-Mose in the first and second episodes, in which the adult version is subsequently portrayed by Nanna Blondell;[3] and the final appearances of recurring cast members Solly McLeod as Ser Joffrey Lonmouth and David Horovitch as Grand Maester Mellos, who is later confirmed to have died sometime in between the time jump.
The website's critical consensus said, "Holding true to the Westerosi rule that no wedding goes according to plan, 'We Light the Way' is a disturbing midpoint for House of the Dragon, punctuated by shocking brutality and Queen Alicent coming into her own.
[8] Edwards said, "We've crossed the halfway point of House of the Dragon’s first season, and, as we head into that final stretch of episodes, the battle lines have been drawn.
"[9] Bojalad criticized the characterization of Ser Criston Cole in the episode, but praised the conversation between Rhaenyra and Laenor at Driftmark, and summarized his review by saying, "House of the Dragon is at its best when viewers can feel the weight of history pressing down upon every moment.
When the mere sight of a young woman wearing a green dress is enough to bring an entire wedding to a grinding halt, we don't need Ser Criston Cole to crush some other guy's face in for good measure.