‘House of the Dragon’ Season 3 Review: Shocking Betrayals and Epic Battles
After only eight weeks, House of the Dragon season 3 has officially ended. Sunday night’s brutal episode capped off a season that, at times, felt like being hit by a freight train. The weight of the crown was put on full display this season, providing the audience with a consistently riveting pace and devastating impact. The third season features shocking betrayals, epic battles, a number of significant character deaths, and more.
[Warning: spoilers for the finale of House of The Dragon season 3 are discussed below]
Rhaenyra’s descent into cruelty begins in House of the Dragon season 3
Starting with the main protagonist herself, the third season quickly reveals its groundbreaking impact on Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy). We almost immediately start off with the truly devastating loss of her son Jacaerys (Harry Collett).
The heartbreaking aspect of Jacaerys’s death is the fact that Rhaenyra knows she could have prevented it. The dynamic between Rhaenyra and Jacaerys built to a breaking point over the past few seasons. Rhaenyra’s unwillingness to unleash her son and his dragon in battle understandably built up a significant amount of frustration within Jacaerys, to the point where he was willing to betray his mother as a way to serve her best.
While it ultimately led to his death in the Battle of The Gullet, the strife between Rhaenyra and Jacaerys proved to be one of the most intriguing storylines in the Game of Thrones spinoff. Rhaenyra clearly wants to win this war and prove to the realm that she is worthy of being the Queen she’s meant to be, but to do so she would have to risk the lives of her sons. Rhaenyra’s apprehensions both had her disadvantaged in the war and ultimately led to the death of her son. This sends her down an extremely dark path this season.
The result of Jacaerys’s death leads Rhaenyra to storm King’s Landing and take the throne for herself, something that fans have been anticipating since the series first premiered. Rhaenyra’s is one of the most infamous moments in George R.R. Martin’s Fire and Blood and provided the series with a much-needed needle moving moment. The second season of the series left off with the promise of both war in The Gullet and Rhaenyra taking the throne. Episodes one and two deliver on these promises in mostly satisfying ways.
Finally, some long-awaited dragon action in House of the Dragon
To start, The Battle of the Gullet provides the series with much-needed dragon spectacle. Through two seasons, House of the Dragon only delivers one major battle episode, which takes place at Rook’s Rest in season 2, episode four. The battle between Rhaenys and Aemond on their respective dragons, Meleys and Vhagar, energized the fanbase in ways that only an episode of that magnitude could.
Beyond that, the show has been significantly lacking in terms of exciting battles. The war in The Gullet puts not one, not two, but three dragons at the forefront of the story, giving the fandom the fiery destruction it hungered for for years.
While the conflict between Lohar (Abigail Thorn) and Corlys Velaryon (Steve Toussaint) was severely undercooked, the scale and usage of the dragons certainly mask the lack of depth.
Daemon Targaryen receives a big boost in screen time in the third season
Outside of Rhaenyra, surprisingly, Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith) receives the most character development this season. Thanks to his daughter Rhaena’s (Phoebe Campbell) accidentally causing the death of Jacaerys at The Gullet with her dragon, Daemon’s main dilemma this season has been whether to lie to Rhaenyra about this or to come clean to her about Rhaena’s mistake.
Either way, Daemon would have to betray one of his family members, ultimately proving to be a near impossible decision for the rogue prince. For the first time in the series, Daemon does something that could be considered “fatherly” and chooses to protect his daughter.
Unfortunately, Daemon’s protection of Rhaena and deception of Rhaenyra don’t last long, and the conclusion to that storyline is an underwhelming one. While the answer isn’t entirely clear, it seems Rhaenyra decides to somewhat forgive Rhaena for her actions while making her dragons kill Rhaena’s newly “tamed” dragon, Sheepstealer.
Beyond Daemon’s storyline with Rhaena, he leads what can be considered the second largest storyline this season. Daemon’s season 2 storyline saw him earn the trust of the riverland armies and rally them to his cause.
In House of the Dragon season 3, we finally get to see these armies unleashed, combined with the fearsome forces from the north led by Roderick Dustin (Tommy Flanagan). Daemon’s crusade shows his armies march through multiple iconic Fire and Blood battles such as The Fishfeed, The Butcher’s Ball, where Criston Cole (Fabien Frankel) meets his end, and finally the big conclusion to the season, The Battle of Tumbleton.
The Battle of Tumbleton lives up its reputation from Fire and Blood
The finale’s battle at Tumbleton proved to be another massive spectacle episode for the Thrones universe, giving audiences shades of infamous battle episodes such as Battle of The Blackwater and The Battle of King’s Landing. The brilliant standout of the finale was none other than Tommy Flanagan’s Lord Roderick Dustin.
Flanagan seamlessly delivers the burly charisma and charm of a true Westerosi northman, delivering several iconic lines throughout the season’s finale. Matt Smith finally proves he can lead a battle episode as well as any actor in the Thrones universe, and we see the duo of Daemon and Caraxes shine in battle. While the middle of the season gets rocky at points, the beginning and end of this season absolutely delivered on their promises.
Team Green’s season 3 storyline is surprisingly grounded
Beyond the action and spectacle, Team Green gets a different perspective this season. Both Aemond and Aegon spend most of the season exiled in lands far from King’s Landing. The journey of Aegon and Larys Strong felt tedious at points, as the pair spent most of the season meandering around Westeros searching for safety and a place to hide. It’s not until the back half of the season that we really begin to peel back the layers of Aegon and begin to sympathize with him a bit.
Tom Glynn-Carney’s enigmatic portrayal of Aegon Targaryen is what takes this character from simply being average to being a true standout this season. The culmination of his story and the return of his dragon Sunfyre wrapped up his storyline in near-perfect fashion.
The other Team Green Targaryen brother, Aemond Targaryen (Ewan Mitchell), spends the entire season recovering from a mortal wound in the depths of Harrenhal. Mirroring Daemon’s season two storyline, Aemond spends the season trying to figure out who the mysterious Alys Rivers (Gayle Rankin) is.
While Daemon and Alys ultimately were at odds for much of their time together, this time around we get definitively the most awkward romance in the history of Westeros. With that being said, by the end of the season, the relationship between Aemond and Alys does become endearing. Like his brother Aegon, we get to see the layers of Aemond Targaryen peel back, and we begin to sympathize with him for the first time.
The last members of Team Green have certainly been busy this season as well. Otto Hightower (Rhys Ifans) met a brutal end at the hands of Rhaenyra as she took the throne. Beyond that moment, Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke) and Helaena Targaryen (Phia Saban) remain “prisoners” of Rhaenyra for the majority of this season.
The crux of that story is Helaena’s descent into depression after being locked up in the Red Keep. Helaena has also been the only Targaryen dreamer for the entirety of the series. By season’s end, we see Helaena’s journey meet an incredibly sad ending as she jumps from the windows of the Red Keep and perishes. The only item she leaves behind is a tapestry that foretells events from the remainder of the series.
We also finally get to meet both Daeron Targaryen (Benjamin Evan Ainsworth) and Ormund Hightower (James Norton) this season after a long, multi-season wait. It’s quickly revealed that Ormund is an odd fellow with hyperosmia, which is a strong sensitivity to smells.
Ormund is also revealed to be plotting his own play for the throne, using Daeron’s claim as a vessel to vie for power. While that plot is certainly short-lived, it does add an extra layer of density and intricacy to an already heavy storyline this season. Ormund meets his end at The Battle of Tumbleton with the help of Lord Roderick Dustin and some dragon fire. James Norton was a truly fantastic addition to the cast and portrays a bizarre character in the best way possible.
Final thoughts on House of the Dragon season 3
While House of the Dragon featured well over two dozen storylines this season, the show has made it abundantly clear that the four main protagonists of this series are Rhaenyra, Daemon, Aegon, and Aemond. Rhaenyra and Daemon have barely shared any screentime with Aegon and Aemond, but season four will almost certainly change that.
As the series approaches its final season and the story of our four main characters comes into focus, the groundwork is laid for what is sure to be a devastating final season.
All eight episodes of House of the Dragon season 3 are now streaming on HBO Max.
