‘House of the Dragon’ Season 3’s Masterpiece Episode Is Everything ‘Game of Thrones’ Ending Should’ve Been

Editor’s note: The below recap contains spoilers for House of the Dragon Season 3 Episode 3.There are a lot of things to hate about the way Game of Thrones ended, but none are more apparent than the flagrant character assassination of Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke). Even seven years later, it’s truly baffling that the team behind one of the biggest fantasy shows ever made thought it would be a good idea for a benevolent ruler to become a genocidal maniac with zero development to back up such a change. It’s a conclusion that’s so bad it really should have killed the entire franchise for good, but then, along came House of the Dragon.

While reactions to Season 2 of the Game of Thrones prequel may have been more mixed, Season 1 brought the franchise back to the series’ forte of political intrigue and well-written characters. One of those characters and arguably the protagonist of the entire series is Rhaenyra Targaryen, played by Supergirl star Milly Alcock in the future queen’s younger years before passing the torch to Truth Seekers alum Emma D’Arcy. D’Arcy brought down the house in Season 3’s previous episode as a mother in the throes of grief, but the focus on their character in the show’s newest chapter brings forth one of the best episodes in the entire Game of Thrones universe.

‘House of the Dragon’ Season 3’s Third Episode Puts the Spotlight on Rhaenyra

This week’s House of the Dragon appears to be the “experimental episode” that creator Ryan Condal was referring to ahead of the season’s release, but it starts as any other typical episode would. Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith), flanked by Ulf (Tom Bennett) and Hugh (Kieran Bew), goes to confront Lord Ormund Hightower (James Norton) and his army to inform them that the war between the Blacks and the Greens is over and that Rhaenyra has taken control as the rightful Queen of Westeros. Ormund, very reluctantly, bends the knee, even handing over the former queen Alicent’s (Olivia Cooke) youngest son, Daeron, as a gesture of goodwill.

After that, though, the perspective switches to Rhaenyra and stays with her for the entirety of the episode, making for a singularly character-motivated hour that hasn’t been seen since Jon Snow (Kit Harington) in the flagship series. It’s effectively a showcase of Rhaenyra’s first proper day as Westeros’ queen, where she inherits all sorts of issues. All of this occurs while Ramin Djawadi‘s score really gets to shine, with the string-heavy orchestra coming to a terrifying screech every time Rhaenyra’s resolve is shaken, even though she has vowed to be a peaceful ruler like her father, Viserys (Paddy Considine).

Last week’s episode ended on a seemingly triumphant note, with Rhaenyra taking control of King’s Landing, but this week’s hour really hones in on the tumult that follows. First of the many problems in the realm: the royal treasury has been drained of its funds, and not even the imprisoned Alicent or Helaena (Phia Saban) knows what’s become of it. Secondly, the remains of the Triarchy, now scattered after the death of Admiral Lohar (Abigail Thorn) following the Battle of the Gullet, are ransacking villages across the kingdom. Last, but certainly not least, both Aemond (Ewan Mitchell) and Aegon (Tom Glynn-Carney) are nowhere to be found, despite being the two largest threats to Rhaenyra’s reign. With Aegon’s whereabouts specifically unknown, Rhaenyra orders that the usurper be declared dead.

Rhaenyra’s Descent Officially Begins in ‘House of the Dragon’s New Episode

A depleted treasury, brigands terrorizing the realm, and two vengeful opponents to the throne missing in action are more than enough to drive anyone mad, but Rhaenyra’s problems are only just beginning. Shortly after ordering that her third son, Joffrey, be brought back to King’s Landing so that he can begin preparations to become her heir, Rhaenyra begins having visions of the recently deceased Jacaerys (Harry Collett). Later, she attempts to speak with the High Septon of King’s Landing (Simon Chandler) about officially anointing her as queen despite foregoing a formal coronation, but this leads to a surprisingly tense conversation where the supreme leader of the Faith of the Seven practically calls Rhaenyra a liar to her face, questioning her false narrative of Aegon’s death.

Another potentially bigger problem arises when Corlys (Steve Toussaint) tells Rhaenyra that he would like his two bastard sons, Alyn (Abubakar Salim) and Addam of Hull (Clinton Liberty), officially acknowledged as Velaryons by the crown. While Rhaenyra does eventually knight Addam along with his fellow dragonseeds, she refuses to give him the Velaryon title, citing the “rumors” her own children faced many years ago. Corlys is not pleased, later confronting Rhaenyra and even referring to her three eldest sons as bastards in front of several bystanders.

One place where Rhaenyra does start to make some progress, though, is with the people. While hearing testimonies from her subjects, it becomes apparent that King’s Landing’s least fortunate are starving, both from Rhaenyra’s blockade during the war and from the rich and powerful of the city hoarding food. The queen confronts this head-on by luring the city’s wealthiest families to the castle while the Goldcloaks seize control of their reserves. Despite a testy exchange with one Torrhen Manderly (played by Fantastic Beasts trilogy star Dan Fogler), the move pays off.

‘House of the Dragon’s Greater Conflict Isn’t Over After Episode 3

Image via HBO

This small victory in hand, Rhaenyra tries to make some sort of amends with Alicent in the aftermath of Otto Hightower’s (Rhys Ifans) execution. As a gesture of goodwill, Rhaenyra brings Alicent to see Daeron, but there’s just one problem: the boy Ormund gave Daemon is not Daeron, but a lowborn imposter handed over as a ruse. Rhaenyra vows that this transgression will not go unpunished as she orders the Greens’ tapestries that formerly decorated the halls of the Red Keep to be burned.

The reason why Daenerys’ turn to the dark side didn’t work in Game of Thrones is that it was a huge swing with little development. In just a single episode, let alone her brilliant scenes with Alicent, Rhaenyra is already far more dynamic, more understandable, and more eerily terrifying as she begins to devolve after becoming queen of the realm. It’s a masterful character study that definitively cements Emma D’Arcy as one of the franchise’s best performers and Rhaenyra Targaryen as one of the franchise’s best characters.

House of the Dragon Season 3 is streaming now on HBO Max.

Release Date

August 21, 2022

Network

HBO

Showrunner

George R.R. Martin

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  Fabien Frankel

  Ser Criston Cole

Pros & Cons

• Another powerhouse performance from Emma D’Arcy.
• Rhaenyra’s management of King’s Landing feels realistic and narratively compelling.
• Rhaenyra’s new rivalry with Corlys will shake things up.
• Ramin Djwadi’s score is particularly powerful.