THE STORY – The reign of House Targaryen begins with this prequel to popular HBO series “Game of Thrones;” based on George R.R. Martin’s “Fire & Blood,” “House of the Dragon” is set nearly 200 years before the events of “Game of Thrones,” telling the story of the Targaryen civil war with King Viserys I Targaryen’s children battling for control of the Iron Throne.
THE CAST – Matt Smith, Emma D’Arcy, Rhys Ifans, Steve Toussaint, Sonoya Mizuno, Fabien Frankel, Matthew Needham, Jefferson Hall, Olivia Cooke, Harry Collett, Tom Glynn-Carney, Ewan Mitchell, Bethany Antonia, Phoebe Campbell, Phia Saban, Kurt Egyiawan, Kieran Bew, Abubakar Salim, Clinton Liberty, Tom Bennett, Ellora Torchia, Freddie Fox, Gayle Rankin, Simon Russell Beale & James Norton
THE TEAM – George R.R. Martin & Ryan Condal (Creators)
This review is for the first four episodes of season three of “House of the Dragon.”
It’s been two long years since “House of the Dragon” finished its second season on HBO Max. So much has changed in those two years – HBO Max was just Max, Warner Brothers wasn’t on the verge of being bought by a billionaire, and there wasn’t a UFC fight on the White House lawn. It was a simple time, really; we were all just content complaining about uneven pacing, lack of action, questionable writing choices, and the washed-out color grading of a TV show about dragons. But in those two years, the world has changed, we have changed, and “House of the Dragon” has changed – the latter being possibly the only thing for the better. Season three takes most of the complaints of the first two seasons and addresses them head-on, making for a thrilling new season and the series’ best so far.
Now, to be clear, I’ve never read the books, so I can’t speak to how faithfully the series adapts its source material. But as a standalone television show, “House Of The Dragon” – and by extension, the broader “Game of Thrones” universe – has long established itself as a compelling entity in its own right. There were complaints in the first two seasons about diversions from the book, something most television and film adaptations tend to suffer from. For many fans, season two was hampered by uneven pacing, a noticeable lack of action sequences outside of the battle of Rook’s Rest and Rhaenyra’s new Dragonriders claiming their dragons in episode 7, and political conspiracies that too often felt stagnant and dull rather than captivating. Beyond season two’s episode four, there were few battles, and the season built to what felt like an uneventful conclusion. Due to the writer’s strike, HBO had to cut episodes 9 and 10 and rework the ending of episode 8 to serve as a finale for the season, pushing the originally intended conclusion to kick off season three. You can definitely see why, as these first two episodes feel like the exciting and inevitable conclusion that season two so desperately needed.
I’m not sure how good your memory is, but I’d recommend rewatching at least the season two finale to see where you’ll be jumping in with the premiere. The first episode wastes little time on exposition and picks up right where we left off with these characters. Rhaenyra Targaryen’s (Emma D’Arcy) Blacks and the Greens, no longer led by the burnt on-the-run King Aegon II (Tom Glynn-Carney) but by his mother, Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke), and brother Aemond (Ewan Mitchell), are gearing up for war (trust us, this time it’s really happening), with Rhaenyra looking to take back the throne she believes is rightfully hers. She’s stronger than ever, with Daemon (Matt Smith) finally snapped out of his hallucinations at Harrenhal and reaffirmed his loyalty to his niece and wife. On Team Green, Aegon is still alive, but on the run after secretly fleeing King’s Landing with Larys Strong (Matthew Needham). Aemond is now leading the Greens as the new stand-in king, unaware that his mother, Alicent, is secretly helping her former friend and stepdaughter, Rhaenyra, after their agreement last season, potentially dooming her own family. Alicent has tragically offered her son, King Aegon II, as a sacrifice to Rhaenyra should she take the city of King’s Landing with her overwhelming new force of Dragonriders, with no further bloodshed.
One of the most anticipated – and expensive – battles in the “Game of Thrones” world, the Battle of the Gullet, takes place over the second half of the first episode. It’s an all-out adrenaline-pumping set piece over the sea and likely the best action sequence you’ll see on television this year. The Sea Snake, Corlys Velaryon (Steve Toussaint) and his Valerian naval fleet, enforce a naval blockade at the Gullet, a strategic strait of water, cutting off shipping and trade routes to King’s Landing, which caused food shortages for the city and riots against King Aegon’s Greens. The Greens partner up with the Triarchy, led by the badass Admiral Lohar (Abigail Thorn), to launch an attack against the Velaryon fleet to free up the Gullet, where literal hell breaks loose. It’s grandiose and filled with dragon action on a scale unlike anything else the show has attempted before. It’s an incredible display of cinematic achievements by director Loni Peristere, VFX Supervisor Dadi Einarsson, and Director of Photography PJ Dillon (good news, it’s bright enough to see) that will go down as some of the series’ and year’s best. The visual effects and cinematography are both a vast improvement over the first two seasons. While the underexposed early installments had us checking our TVs’ brightness settings, the newest season overcorrects a bit, leaving some scenes feeling dream-like at times. What continues to impress most of all and stands as a fine reason for why this particular two-year wait time between seasons was worth it is the immersive production design by Jim Clay. It’s highly intricate, continuing to build the world set by “Game of Thrones” with even deeper expansion. The third season also continues to use the tapestry-style opening from the second season, with different designs highlighting key points in the story that have already transpired, and a slight variation of Ramin Djawadi’s iconic theme.
Episode two handles the immediate aftermath of the spectacle with an intense sense of urgency. The performances in the show have always been fantastic, but Emma D’Arcy really showcases why they’ve been recognized with nominations from various awards bodies already. They get the most emotionally powerful material in the season’s first few episodes, revealing new sides of Rhaenyra that the audience may or may not be ready for. Early in the season, we’re also introduced to a new key player, Ormund Hightower – Alicent’s first cousin and Otto Hightower’s nephew, played by James Norton. He’s a major military leader for the Greens, a wealthy and arrogant upperclassman who’s secretly manipulating all he crosses, including taking in Alicent’s youngest son, Daeron Targaryen (Charlie Gordon), as his squire. Norton at first seems like too modern a casting choice for the character – his cut jawline and 6-pack abs have definitely read an email before. Still, when examining the type of character he’s supposed to be embodying, one that is stuffy (he has a strong dislike of odors) and unhinged, it begins to click. Ormund is a charismatic member of the elite, but smarmy enough never to trust if you see through the facade. As the season unfolds, Norton gradually grows into the role, making both the performance and the casting choice feel increasingly convincing.
By the end of the second episode, the pieces on the board are positioned for a dramatic shift in the show. The shocking deaths that take place aren’t just reserved for the battles, though, which keeps the momentum of this season consistently exciting. There’s more strategic scheming this season, harkening back to the glory days of “Game of Thrones,” and invoking another HBO drama in “Succession.” Director Clare Kilner, who’s at the helm of episodes two, three, and four, emphasizes the nuances within relationships, steadily increasing tension amid the shifting power dynamics. The end of episode two was clearly intended as the season two finale, as it sets up the rest of the third season to deal with the events of the first two hours, while also paying off many plot points from the second season and establishing the motivations for the characters for the rest of the season. There are huge power moves, retaliation sought after, sly politicking, and many characters’ backs against the wall, forcing them into tense situations where they must make decisions that will surely shock the audience. These first two episodes are peak “Game of Thrones,” peak television, and the blockbuster event on the small screen we were missing from the first two seasons.
Episodes three and four deal with the repercussions of the first two, with three being more of a concept episode than the others. Heavy lies the head that wears the crown. There’s a lesson in here that the oligarchs of today should be paying attention to. The rich get richer while the poor struggle to survive (feel familiar?). Due to the blockage of the Gullet, there’s still a food shortage in King’s Landing and an animalistic musk of incompetence running through the air. These rulers are realizing in real time that governing all classes is hard. It raises the question of how much society can redistribute from one group to another, and whether laws can be rewritten to create a fairer chance at survival. The third episode is an interesting divergence from the typical tone and story of “House Of The Dragon,” especially compared to the first two episodes, and the gamble by Condel and episode writer Sara Hess may not work for everyone. But it’s an interesting examination of the idealistic, simplistic nature of government: a compassionate ruler provides for its people, but some may get greedy or shortsighted in their thinking. How do you address these flaws without angering everyone?
Throughout the first four episodes, there are battles, major plays made for the Iron Throne, a dizzying examination of what it means to rule, and treasonous uprisings in the making. The first two stages of grief take shape for some key players: denial, then anger, then a new stage: retaliation. It’s quintessential George R.R. Martin storytelling, with plenty of intriguing new developments for each character to keep us locked in for what the second half of the season will deliver. Season 3’s first two episodes may spiritually represent the ending of season two that most of us were initially hoping for two years ago, and they thrillingly set up the rest of the season for exciting new developments for both the Blacks and the Greens. The improvement in production quality across all areas, including Ramin Djawadi’s epic score, which still manages to find gripping new compositions that give this dark world the perfect soundtrack, firmly levels up the third season as the series’s best so far. It’s the most anticipated and most exciting show of the year for many, and it mostly delivers on all fronts. While more hardcore audience members may nitpick the finer details of Condal’s adaptation of Martin’s work, casual audience members will get exactly what they are craving, what they feel was missing, and what the story, at this stage, fully requires: all-out war with consequences.
THE GOOD – The battles are grandiose, the pacing is exciting, and the writing is smart and keeps you guessing. It’s the stellar fantasy epic that finally proves worthy of eclipsing its predecessor.
THE BAD – For continuity sake, some may not care for the first two episodes starting off season three vs concluding season two and the second two episodes are weaker than the first two. The cinematography is an improvement, but not perfect.
THE EMMY PROSPECTS – Outstanding Drama Series & Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series,
THE FINAL SCORE – 9/10
