Ryan Condal Promises 'House of the Dragon' S3 Will Open With The "Craziest Episode of Television Ever Made"
The third season of House of the Dragon promises to be the bloodiest and most spectacular yet.
House of the Dragon creator Ryan Condal made an announcement that left fans breathless – the third season will open with the legendary Battle of the Gullet. Condal compared the scale of the upcoming clash to the iconic defense of Helm's Deep in The Lord of the Rings.
Ryan Condal Says That the Start of the Third Season of 'House of the Dragon' Will Be Epic
Given that HBO has already delivered the widely regarded gold standard for battle sequences in modern television with episodes like Battle of the Bastards and Hardhome, such a comparison sounds both bold and highly promising.
After two seasons of slow-burning intrigue and family drama, the creators are finally shifting gears toward all-out war.
The showrunner has confirmed that the third season will depict the largest phase of the Dance of the Dragons, the civil war that destroyed House Targaryen from within. It seems the creators have no intention of slowing down the plot's momentum.
Condal said the third season will start with "arguably the craziest episode of television ever made."
Cast Members of 'House of the Dragon' Fuel Excitement for the Third Chapter
In an interview, Emma D'Arcy, who plays Rhaenyra Targaryen, revealed that the new season will jump right into the thick of the action from the very beginning:
“The series this time around starts at 60 miles an hour. We're finally watching a war that has been building for two seasons… I'm so impressed by Ryan and the team. There was a thrill in what was on the page this season because the show's gotten bigger. It felt to me that the bar had been raised.”
The actress added that her character would veer toward religious fanaticism due to her blind faith in the Song of Ice and Fire prophecy.
Meanwhile, Ewan Mitchell, who plays the one-eyed Prince Aemond, described his character as the "the Fifth Horseman of the Apocalypse," emphasizing that a veritable blitzkrieg would begin in the first few minutes.
What Will 'House of the Dragon' Season 3 Be About?
The following text contains spoilers for Season 3 of House of the Dragon!
The third season's storyline promises to be action-packed. The Battle of the Gullet, which Condal has promised to depict in the first episode, will be a naval engagement between the Greens' fleet (reinforced by ships from the Triarchy) and Rhaenyra's dragons.
The Blacks will emerge victorious, though at a heavy cost. Rhaenyra's heir, Prince Jacaerys, will die when his dragon, Vermax, is shot down into the sea. Rhaenyra will then capitalize on Aemond's absence – he has departed to ravage the Riverlands – and seize control of King's Landing.
Alicent will surrender the city, and Otto Hightower will be sent to the chopping block. However, the maimed King Aegon II will escape the capital, an event that viewers witnessed in the second season finale.
The season's climax will most likely be the legendary duel above the God's Eye. After Aemond begins burning down the River Lords' castles, Rhaenyra will have no choice but to send her husband to confront him.
Daemon, mounted on his dragon Caraxes, will face his nephew above the waters of the lake. At the last moment, he will leap from his dying dragon onto Vhagar's back and slay Aemond, who is chained to his saddle. Both dragons will plummet into the water, and Daemon's body will never be recovered.
