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‘House of the Dragon’s Stunning Finale Battle Sets Up an Epic Final Season
Editor’s note: The below recap contains spoilers for the House of the Dragon Season 3 finale.
HBO’s House of the Dragon has had a lot of ups and downs since its premiere. Season 1 was praised for bringing the franchise back to its political roots after Game of Thrones‘s abysmal final chapter, while Season 2 proved a bit more divisive. Because of that, as well as a very long wait for the newest and penultimate installment, Season 3 was fighting an uphill battle.
Thankfully, House of the Dragon Season 3 began with not one, not two, but three of some of the best episodes in the entire series. From the Battle of the Gullet to Rhaenyra’s (Emma D’Arcy) complicated claim of the Iron Throne, there are plenty of standout moments that have helped to make Season 3 one of the Game of Thrones franchise’s best. Now, the finale is finally here, but does it manage to stick the landing?
Aegon and Sunfyre’s Return Causes Chaos in King’s Landing
Rhaenyra’s woes have finally come to a head, as the realm is buzzing with the news that Aegon (Tom Glynn-Carney) still lives, as well as his dragon Sunfyre. This puts Rhaenyra’s entire claim to the Iron Throne at risk, and she emotionally confides in Daemon (Matt Smith) in the hopes of finding a solution. Even less helpful is Baela (Bethany Antonia), who is hounding Rhaenyra for an update on a rescue attempt for Corlys (Steve Toussaint), currently in the custody of Ormund Hightower (James Norton).
In a somewhat surprising move, Rhaenyra also orders the removal of Mysaria (Sonoya Mizuno) from her cabinet despite their secret romance. Before Mysaria is escorted out of the Red Keep, she crosses paths with Helaena (Phia Saban) and directly informs her that the queen is never going to let her leave King’s Landing. This proves to be one of the final straws in Rhaenyra and Helaena’s already rocky relationship, which is complicated further after Rhaenyra forces the guards to force-feed Helaena to end her hunger strike.
The schism with Helaena could also double as the moment that truly pushes Rhaenyra into Mad Queen territory, even though her next heir, Joffrey (Oscar Eskinazi), has been safely delivered to King’s Landing. After donning armor and chainmail, Rhaenyra insists on being escorted under guard to the sept in an effort to reassert her claim to the throne, but when the High Septon (Simon Chandler) once again refuses to anoint her as queen, Rhaenyra orders Alyn of Hull (Abubakar Salim) to kill him. Shortly afterward, the new and much more ruthless queen addresses her subjects, revealing the truth of Aegon’s Prophecy and declaring herself “the Prince Who Was Promised.”
The Battle of Tumbleton Leads to Major Losses in the ‘House of the Dragon’ Season 3 Finale
As Daemon and other allies loyal to Rhaenyra gather at Tumbleton, Ulf the White (Tom Bennett) is inside the city’s walls celebrating as if it’s the end of the world. Ormund’s craven battle strategy, which also includes him putting literal children on the front lines as human shields, hasn’t gone unnoticed by Daeron (Benjamin Evan Ainsworth) and Gwayne (Freddie Fox), who know they’re fighting a losing battle. The two hatch a plan to trade Corlys to Daemon for safe passage out of Tumbleton, but Corlys takes over the negotiations, trying to appeal to Daemon’s better nature and arguing for peace. Instead, the Sea Snake is handed over into Daemon’s custody while Gwayne flees.
Not much longer after, the Battle of Tumbleton officially begins, with Daemon throwing everything he has at the city while Ormund runs around looking for Ulf, who’s gotten so drunk that he’s sleeping through the event. Leading the charge is Ser Roderick Dustin (Tommy Flanagan), who is having the time of his life slaying Hightowers before Caraxes burns down the front gate. Eventually, Ormund finds Ulf and gives him quite the dressing down before ordering him to get on his dragon Silverwing and attack Rhaenyra’s army.
Meanwhile, Hugh Hammer (Kieran Bew) has abandoned his post at King’s Landing to find his wife Kat (Ellora Torchia) in Tumbleton. Ulf stays true to his promise at first, burning a portion of the Blacks’ forces, but Ormund should’ve recognized that the dragonseed doesn’t respond well to negative feedback. After violently clashing with Ser Roderick on the battlements, Ormund looks up in horror as Ulf sets his sights not just on the Targaryen forces, but also the Hightowers, burning both men to a crisp. Unfortunately for Hugh, he’s too late to save his wife, cradling Kat’s lifeless body in his arms.
‘House of the Dragon’ Season 3 Ends With Another Shocking Character Death
Two people who aren’t present at the Battle of Tumbleton are Aegon and Aemond (Ewan Mitchell), but that’s for good reason. The two brothers finally reunite at Harrenhal, and understandably, Aegon is none too happy about seeing the kin who tried to kill him. Aegon has the upper hand now that Sunfyre has returned from the dead, and while it would bring the would-be king great joy to slay Aemond where he stands, Aegon instead proposes a truce between them to find Vhagar and remove Rhaenyra as queen for good. If Aemond is willing to help him regain the throne, Aegon declares, maybe he’ll finally be able to forgive his brother for attempting to kill him.
While Rhaenyra’s forces are technically victorious at Tumbleton, tragedy strikes at King’s Landing. Not willing to be a prisoner any longer, Helaena jumps from her bedroom window in a sequence eerily similar to Tommen Baratheon’s (Dean-Charles Chapman) demise in Game of Thrones. Traveling back from Harrenhal, Alicent (Olivia Cooke), who has largely taken a backseat in this episode, suddenly finds herself surrounded by blue butterflies, a heartbreaking omen, without realizing its connection to her daughter’s fate. Upon entering Helaena’s room, Rhaenyra discovers the tapestry her half-sister had been working on, which the Dreamer had not only stitched her own death into but also included an image of the queen herself, sitting on the Iron Throne, covered in blood.
House of the Dragon Season 3 is streaming now on HBO Max.
- 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
- Tumbleton is another stunning battle in Westeros.
- Emma D’Arcy’s performance of Rhaenyra’s evolution into a mad queen continues to impress.
- There are plenty of interesting plot threads for the fourth and final season to follow.
- Alicent feels weirdly sidelined.
- The episode has some plot holes and inconsistencies.
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