REVIEW: ‘House of the Dragon’ season 3 returns with a bang
After a slow and, at times, lackluster season 2, House of the Dragon returned in true Game of Thrones fashion: with drama, war, and big character deaths.
The third season picks up after the Blacks’ Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D’Arcy) appears to gain the upper hand against the Greens, which consist of the burnt and weakened King Aegon II (Tom Glynn-Carney), the Prince Regent Aemond (Ewan Mitchell), and their mother, Queen Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke). Rhaenyra now has more dragonriders (from Valyrian bastards), a repaired naval blockade, and an army in the Riverlands courtesy of her husband-uncle Daemon (Matt Smith).
Fans are finally seeing more action with season 3, as Rhaenyra responds to Alicent’s proposal: the Hightower would surrender King’s Landing to the Blacks as well as Aegon’s head to end of the war once and for all, while Aemond and the monstrous Vhagar are en route to the Riverlands. However, Rhaenyra’s plan to trust Alicent doesn’t go off without a hitch or without protest from her eldest son, Jacaerys (Harry Collett). Aemond and Vhagar stay in the Red Keep and the Triarchy, led by Sharako Lohar (Abigail Thorn), are on their way to smash Corlys Velaryon’s (Steve Toussaint) fleet.
What the season 2 finale lacked in epicness, the first episode of season 3 makes up ten-fold. The 72-minute runtime—the longest premiere episode of the show so far—features the highly anticipated Battle of the Gullet. This isn’t the first time there's been a battle at sea, but it’s the best executed so far. Toussaint shines as Corlys finally gets to show his sailing know-how—and why he’s called the “Sea Snake.” Thorn’s charisma makes Lohar a compelling villain you’d love to hate and root for. Compelling characters aside, what sets this battle apart from previous naval assaults in GoT is the strategy. What made season 6’s Battle of the Bastards was the real military strategies employed, and fans are treated to this as well in the Battle of the Gullet. You can probably pick up a thing or two about sailing from the episode. And of course, the premiere episode delivers with dragons. Several make an appearance and play a pivotal role in the battle.
Now comes a question on the minds of fans: Is it faithful to the book? Expect some major changes from the book version of the Battle of the Gullet. Without giving away too much, the show gives some characters like Daemon’s daughters Baela (Bathany Antonia) and Rhaena (Phoebe Campbell) more things to do (a good thing, too!), which has resulted in one important character getting cut from the show.
Ahead of the premiere of season 3, Game of Thrones author George R.R. Martin had some choice words to say. “That is not my story any longer,” he said in a January 2026 interview with the Hollywood Reporter. This was his answer to HotD showrunner Ryan Condal when the latter presented the author with his plans for season 3. Their relationship appeared to have been rocky since season 2, when Condal “basically stopped listening” to Martin and his notes.
The new season will feature eight episodes and star other actors such as Fabien Frankel, Sonoya Mizuno, Phia Saban, Abubakar Salim, Clinton Liberty, Tom Bennett, Kieran Bew, and James Norton.
Season 3 premiered with tons of action to get fans hooked and keep them on the edge of their seat. Those who have read Fire and Blood know that there are more interesting moments to come; the question is, will the latest season see more slow burns and setups, or will it finally pay off the seeds planted in season 2?
House of the Dragon will wrap the story with season 4. Here’s to hoping that the rest of Rhaenyra's story will be like fellow GoT spin-off A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, focusing on fleshing out characters, instead of GoT seasons 6 to 8, where the showrunners clearly wanted to tie everything together quickly.
House of the Dragon is now streaming on HBO Max.
