Entertainment
HBO’s ‘House of the Dragon’ Begins Its Penultimate Act With an Explosive Season 3 Premiere
Editor’s note: The below contains spoilers for House of the Dragon Season 3’s premiere.
Long waits for new seasons of hit shows are common, especially ones as ambitious and large-scale as House of the Dragon, but it’s rare that lengthy delays like this cause such division and controversy. Much of this stems from the creative schism between series creator Ryan Condal and Game of Thrones franchise creator George R.R. Martin, the latter of whom has practically disowned the show for its creative deviations from the source material. Couple that with the release of another Game of Thrones spin-off, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, and the third and penultimate season of House of the Dragon faces an uphill battle.
“Battle” is the perfect term to use, as Season 3 of Game of Thrones‘ first-ever prequel series is full of them. Season 2 left off with Aemond Targaryen (Ewan Mitchell) making the most headway in a daring play for the throne as Prince Regent, having severely injured his brother, King Aegon II (Tom Glynn-Carney), and killing Princess Rhaenys (Eve Best) in one fell swoop. Still grieving the death of her son, Lucerys (Elliot Grihault), Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D’Arcy) has grown obsessed with killing Aegon, and, with the help of Daemon’s (Matt Smith) newfound army, the Sea Snake’s (Steve Toussaint) naval fleet, and a newly recruited squadron of bastards with Targaryen dragon blood, she seeks to wage an all out war in a bid to reclaim the Iron Throne — which may be easier to claim than expected, as Season 2 ended with Rhaenyra conspiring with Alicent (Olivia Cooke) to take King’s Landing once and for all. Season 3 picks up right where Season 2 left off, and in spectacular fashion at that.
Rhaenyra Is Ready for War in ‘House of the Dragon’s Season 3 Premiere
Though there has been a shift in trust between Rhaenyra and her childhood friend, the displaced queen seems to believe that Alicent’s desire to sacrifice Aegon for the good of the kingdom is genuine. Someone who does not agree with that assessment is Rhaenyra’s eldest heir, Jacaerys (Harry Collett), who firmly believes that the current Queen of Westeros is leading his mother into a trap. Rhaenrya refuses to heed the counsel of her firstborn child, as she once again proves she will do whatever it takes to kill both of her half-brothers.
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Fire. Blood. Battles.
Elsewhere, Rhaenyra’s allies have made significant progress in their campaigns to gain footholds throughout Westeros before an all-but-inevitable invasion of King’s Landing. Rhaena Targaryen (Phoebe Campbell), desperate for a dragon of her own, is attempting to tame the wild (and decently ugly) beast named Sheepstealer in the Vale. Meanwhile, Rhaena’s father, Daemon, is leading a campaign against the affluent Lannisters before he makes contact with House Stark, forming an alliance that proves the Lannister and Stark rivalry predates the events of Game of Thrones by many decades. Also in the mix are the newly recruited band of bastard dragonriders that Rhaenyra has recruited, who are growing impatient waiting for their queen to join them in their planned ambush of Aemond, especially when they have a run-in with a mysterious antlered creature. Finally, Corlys is preparing his fleet for battle, which is arriving sooner than he thinks.
Alicent Is Losing Her Grip in ‘House of the Dragon’s Season 3 Premiere
Although the Blacks have their sights set on an all-but-assured victory, the same can’t be said for the Greens, who are practically falling apart at the seams. For starters, the current king of Westeros is in the process of fleeing King’s Landing with Lord Larys Strong (Matthew Needham). Not only that, but when they are stopped by Rhaenyra’s footsoldiers, Larys completely surrenders himself and Aegon into captivity, seemingly implying that they will surrender to Rhaenyra just as the tide starts to turn in her favor.
Back in King’s Landing, Aemond has practically named himself king in the absence of his brother, and while Alicent regards her son with fear in her eyes, Aemond is also clearly shaken by the current state of the war. He knows well that the more progress the Blacks make, the higher the likelihood he’ll need to confront Daemon — the uncle he once revered — and even a dragon as large as his undefeated Vhagar would be genuinely challenged. Despite this, Alicent still encourages her son to face Daemon in battle, which Aemond responds to by proving that Targaryens still have a penchant for incest when he kisses his own mother on the lips.
The Battle of the Gullet Lives Up to the Hype, but Comes With a Cost
Things may not be looking good for the Greens, but initially, there seems to be a silver lining with their new alliance with the Triarchy. Unfortunately, Sharako Lohar (Abigail Thorn) has a personal score to settle with her enemy, the Sea Snake, and is willing to abandon her position as the flagship to pursue her mission of revenge. Her decision plays into the infamous Battle of the Gullet, perhaps the greatest naval war ever showcased in the Game of Thrones universe. Rhaenyra is ready to take her dragon into battle, but a bold move from a worried Jacaerys leads to him locking his mother in her chambers while he and Baela (Bethany Antonia) leave to turn the tide themselves with their own dragons.
Back on the front lines, the Sea Snake’s forces have clashed with Lohar’s, but Corlys knows that his old enemy will do anything to catch up to him. After leading Lohar through a narrow strait, causing her to sacrifice her Lannister allies, a final battle between the seafarers results in Corlys being thrown overboard, with his fate ultimately left unknown. On the other hand, Lohar meets her end at the hand of Corlys’ recently reclaimed son, Alyn of Hull (Abubakar Salim).
With the Triarchy’s naval commander defeated, victory for the Sea Snake’s allies should be guaranteed, but things aren’t over yet. A wildcard enters the picture when Rhaena brings a semi-tamed Sheepstealer to the battle, which starts as helpful but soon turns disastrous when the wild dragon starts attacking friendlies. Jacaerys and Baela try to stop the violent beast, but upon realizing their kin is riding the monster, Jacaerys has to maneuver to get out of the way, sending Vermax to the depths in the process. Just when it looks like Jacaerys might make it out alive, a slew of arrows from a nearby ship kills him in an instant, taking yet another of Rhaenyra’s children and setting the stage for an explosive penultimate season.
House of the Dragon Season 3’s premiere episode is streaming on HBO Max now.
- Release Date
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August 21, 2022
- Network
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HBO
- Showrunner
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George R.R. Martin
- Directors
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Clare Kilner, Geeta Patel
- Writers
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Gabe Fonseca
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Fabien Frankel
Ser Criston Cole
- The Battle of the Gullet is an impressive battle that lives up to the hype.
- Olivia Cooke’s performance as a conflicted mother is impeccable.
- Jacaerys’ death is bound to have terrible consequences.
- Main players like Rhaenyra and Daemon don’t have much to do (yet).
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