Season 3 - 8 episodes (2026)
Rent House of the Dragon on Amazon Video (paid link)
Created by: Ryan Condal, George R. R. Martin
Starring: Matt Smith, Emma D'Arcy, Olivia Cooke, Rhys Ifans, Harry Collett, Ewan Mitchell
Rated: TV-MA
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Plot
House Targaryen faces an internal succession war at the height of its power, two hundred years before the events of Game of Thrones and Daenerys Targaryen.
Verdict
Ultimately season two felt like a stage setter, offering less than it promised. The fate of that season is tied to this season and whatever pay off may ensue. This big war that was promised ends before it starts. Watching this season was a chore. We get a lot of sabre rattling, but no reason to care about these characters. If I was rooting for or against anyone, that would provide a reason to return each week. We don't, and it doesn't matters what happens. All of these characters are flat. Season four will be the final season, but I don't know what's left to conclude. I've watched more than enough episodes at this point.
Skip it.
Review
Two years have passed since Season 2. I was disappointed with the second season. It felt like a teaser. We're brought to the brink of war without any resolution or conclusion. With the lack of closure, it's easy to point to a few episodes from that season as filler. I could only hope this season does what the last didn't or couldn't. If this season delivers, it will make the prior season an important table setter, but if it flops that will mark two seasons of disappointment. This is more of Game of Thrones, but with that show I watched to see what would happen. I watch this show hoping something will happen.
The conflict started in season one when team Green led by Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke), the wife of the late Viserys, thinks her eldest son Aegon II (Tom Glynn-Carney) should be king and fights over the throne with her former best friend, Viserys's daughter and stated heir Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D'Arcy) who leads Team Black. Rhaenyra wants revenge at the beginning of season two, and that leads to Aemond (Ewan Mitchell), the younger son, ready to fight. Alicent's father Otto (Rhys Ifans) hoped to control the kingdom through his grandsons, but he underestimated the impulsive Aemond. Half way into the season Rhaenyra realizes peace is impossible while Alicent wonders if she was wrong to appoint her son as king. By the end of this season, it's too late to undo the impending war. We do get a dragon fight with surprisingly few casualties.
Rhaenyra married Daemon (Matt Smith) to strengthen her claim in season one. While he professes allegiance, he undermines her frequently. In season two he spends his time at a haunted Harrenhal in a sub-plot that ultimately feels like filler.
Season three picks up after Alicent brokered peace with Rhaenyra at the end of last season, and Rhaenyra plans to take King's Landing and in turn the throne. The problem is that Aegon II has fled and the war happy Aemond has taken the throne. He doesn't plan to leave until Alicent talks him into fighting Daemon at Harrenhal.
We do get a big naval battle from Corlys as he's headed to King's Landing on behalf of Team Black. I hoped for more. Maybe it's that I don't know who's on what team or why any of this matters. Three seasons in and I still have trouble keeping up with these characters. After the first episode I wondered why I was still watching. I don't care who gets the throne.
Rhaenyra mourns the death of yet another son, and in turn she summons Daemon to help her take King's Landing. Alicent tries to right things by asking the City Watch in King's Landing to stand down as she knows Rhaenyra is coming. Aemond easily takes Harrenhal as Daemon had already left.
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| E2: Emma D'Arcy plays Rhaenyra Targaryen |
Rhaenyra has King's Landing, but she's unsatisfied. She wants Aegon the Usurper who is out in the wild, who knows where. She has to settle for Otto Hightower. Rhaenyra has gotten everything she's wanted, but what happens now? Is she going to undo everything else or realize the crown is quite heavy.
Ruling is much different from war Rhaenyra learns in episode three. She's faced with many decisions and a treasury that's been ransacked. She wanted the title, but she's not ready for the responsibility. Everyone wants something from the Queen. At the end of the episode, she discovers the Hightowers have duped her. She wanted them to hand over Daeron who has a claim to the throne. They give her an imposter.
Ormund Hightower wants Daeron to be king, leading a class on how to rule the townspeople. Ormund wants to install a king that he can control. He's also having the Gold Cloaks in King's Landing killed to destabilize the Queen. Rhaenyra does find a scapegoat for the treasury programs. Unfortunately he doesn't realize his true role until it's too late. She also tasks Alicent with killing Aemond. I'm not sure it would work, but it's not like she has any other good options. The show has to give Alicent something to do.
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| E7: Emma D'Arcy plays Rhaenyra Targaryen |
The final episode is the big battle. It would mean more if I was invested in any kind of way. Instead I couldn't wait for this season to end. Three seasons in and these characters are still so boring. I'm watching more out of obligation than anything else. Rhaenyra is desperate to keep the throne but obstacles keep appearing. Aegon II returns, then there's Daeron, and the High Septon refuse to anoint her as queen. She wants all of the fighting and bloodshed to mean something, to be worth it. The only way to make it meaningful is to hold onto to the throne. That means more war and death and unfortunately another season.
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