Starting June 21, the first of eight episodes (the others will be released weekly every Monday before dawn) of House of the Dragon 3, the third season of the fantasy series based on George R. R. Martin’s Fire & Blood, the author of the novels that inspired the hugely popular Game of Thrones, of which House of the Dragon is, in fact, the prequel. As with the first two seasons, we’ll go into detail with explanations, trivia, and analysis after each episode, but for now we can give you a spoiler-free preview of this third season’s plot, followed by our verdict. At the end of the review, we’ve included the official Italian trailer for House of the Dragon 3.
What is House of the Dragon 3 about?
Unlike the second season, which began with Aegon’s Green faction holding the upper hand over the Blacks led by a desperate Rhaenyra following the death of young Lucerys at the hands of Aemond and, above all, Vaghar, HotD 3 picks up with the Blacks regaining the advantage by recruiting new dragonriders from among the illegitimate descendants of Targaryen and Velaryon, specifically the former blacksmith Hugh and the former tavern jester Ulf from King’s Landing, and Corlys Velaryon’s second illegitimate son, Alyn of Hull, younger brother of the other “bastard” Addam, who instead continues to prefer staying on ships rather than riding dragons.
Furthermore, Alicent suggested to her childhood friend Rhaenyra that she be granted free access to the palace in King’s Landing, because she realized that Aemond is too mad to take the place of his battered brother Aegon (whose condition is also Aemond’s and Vaghar’s fault) on the Iron Throne.
Meanwhile, Daemon continues to gather soldiers in the Riverlands, where Criston Cole and Gwayne Hightower are also stationed, awaiting the arrival of the new regent king and his immense dragon. Finally, Rhaena remains in the Vale; she had left her young cousins—half-siblings—as they set out for Pentos, with the intention of finding and claiming the dragon sighted in the area. The Greens are thus preparing to attack the capital to place on the throne the one who, to all intents and purposes, is the true legitimate heir of the late Viserys, and it is now that the war between the Targaryens known as “the Dance of the Dragons” enters its bloodiest, deadliest, and most spectacular phase.
That’s why we waited two seasons, and now we’re here
House of the Dragon has rightly taken its time. Showrunner Ryan Condal didn’t get caught up in the frenzy that—let’s face it—had done damage to the final seasons of Game of Thrones, and with four seasons at his disposal to tell the story of the legendary Targaryen War—which (spoiler alert) will ultimately leave Westeros free of the dragon threat until Daenerys’s arrival, he has understandably used the first season to tell us, through a few time jumps forward, the origins of this branch of the Targaryen dynasty, and then in the second season to place dragons and knights on the chessboard of the future Seven Kingdoms, with a few brief but already significant and deadly skirmishes.
But now is no longer the time for the diplomacy of Otto Hightower, who has been removed from the halls of power; there is no longer room for 3D maps on which to move the pieces: now is the time for the dance of the dragons.
In other words, what we’ve been patiently waiting for over two seasons and four years: spectacular battles featuring terrifying fire-breathing dragons, complete with deaths, upheavals, plot twists, and betrayals. If all goes well, this could be the most spectacular season of any series set in Westeros. And given the release date and the heat that’s set to rise in the coming episodes, it’s fitting to paraphrase the Starks with a “the Targaryens’ scorching summer is coming.”
