I had the opportunity to watch the first four episodes of House of the Dragon season 3, and I was thrilled to see that it wasn't just the premiere episode that delivered non-stop momentum. The Battle of the Gullet is a major moment in the history constructed by George R.R. Martin for Westeros, and it marks a significant step forward in the Dance of the Dragons and Rhaenyra Targaryen's claim for the Iron Throne. This makes it the perfect launching point for four episodes that completely contradict everything we know about Game of Thrones' pacing.
House of the Dragon season 2 ended with Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke) delivering a promise to open the gates for Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D'Arcy) to claim the Iron Throne. Of course, just because Alicent has become more cooperative doesn't mean the Greens will lay down their weapons altogether. I would have expected House of the Dragon to take its time following through on its promise to move Rhaenyra's story forward, but I was pleasantly surprised. This is a whole new side of Game of Thrones.
House Of The Dragon Season 3’s First Episodes Show No Signs Of Game Of Thrones’ Old Pacing Issues
A consistent criticism against House of the Dragon is its pacing, and I tended to agree. While the Dance of the Dragons requires significant exposition, there was far too much time wasted on endless dream sequences and foreshadowing, especially in season 2. Additionally, D'Arcy's Rhaenyra has been painfully stagnant, unable to make any real moves in the conflict or even establish herself as a character at the same level as other Game of Thrones favorites. Rather spectacularly, it only took a couple of episodes for House of the Dragon season 3 to correct these issues.
The Battle of the Gullet is only the beginning. House of the Dragon showrunner Ryan Condal teased that this massive conflict would be extremely ambitious, and he wasn't lying. This is on-screen war at its finest, and the combination of intense naval maneuvers and dragon battles of the air makes the Battle of the Gullet unlike anything Game of Thrones has ever done before. House of the Dragon uses this intensity as a catalyst for momentum. At a breakneck speed, season 3 carries us forward without wasting a single moment on needless regrouping.
While watching these episodes of House of the Dragon, I truly felt the Game of Thrones franchise was saying it has heard our complaints. The ever-building political intrigue and suspense are still there, but there's no overreliance on spectacle at the expense of character and plot development. If you've grown used to the sort of pacing Game of Thrones adopted from about season 7 onward, including House of the Dragon's first two seasons, get ready for a much-needed switchup.
Emma D’Arcy Takes Rhaenyra Targaryen To Agonizing New Heights
There's absolutely no question that D'Arcy is the highlight of House of the Dragon season 3. It's a massive relief, since this extremely talented actor has been somewhat held back through the previous two installments. D'Arcy fully realizes Rhaenyra's potential in these episodes. This Targaryen queen is meant to be something truly remarkable—steadfast, powerful, and even cunning. Now that House of the Dragon has fully removed D'Arcy's constraints, they can finally show us just who Rhaenyra is to her core.
D'Arcy's most powerful performance so far comes right at the start of House of the Dragon season 3, episode 2. We've seen Rhaenyra experience loss and grief before, and D'Arcy managed to get a miraculous amount of emotion across without a single word. This is something else entirely. I've never felt so devastated by a loss in Game of Thrones (which is really saying something), and that has everything to do with the nothing-held-back agony of D'Arcy's performance.
Beyond this, D'Arcy continues in House of the Dragon season 3 with a poignant exploration of Rhaenyra's psychological and moral state. While the character's progress is just as rapid as everything else within these episodes, D'Arcy's nuanced performance ensures that Rhaenyra's development doesn't feel rushed. This is what we would have hoped for from Daenerys Targaryen in season 8—yet another sign that Game of Thrones has heard our complaints.
House Of The Dragon Season 3’s Weakest Moments Are Still Those Changed From The Source Material
I'm wholly satisfied with House of the Dragon's correction of its pacing in season 3, but that's not to say this installment of the Game of Thrones spinoff is perfect. Some old issues from seasons 1 and 2 persist. This comes down, of course, to the continued dedication to changes from George R.R. Martin's Fire & Blood. I'm not among those who are angry that Alicent would open the gates to Rhaenyra or that some lesser characters have been cut from the story. However, I would have hoped that non-canon stories added to House of the Dragon season 3 would hold more value.
These episodes carry forward changes from House of the Dragon season 2, including the choice to place Princess Rhaena Targaryen (Phoebe Campbell) on the back of the wild dragon Sheepstealer instead of the canon character Nettle. This shift leads to its own twist in season 3, and were this story actually interesting, I might not have complained. However, it's easily the weakest plotline of these House of the Dragon episodes. It's further evidence that the Game of Thrones franchise will always struggle to cover ground not first explored in Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire.
Still, these four episodes of House of the Dragon season 3 mark only the halfway point of this penultimate installment, and it's no doubt an excellent start. I'm eager to see what comes next, and perhaps even those canon changes will pay off, said and done. So long as this momentum continues, we can certainly count on House of the Dragon season 3 to prove us wrong about Game of Thrones endings.
House of the Dragon Season 3 premieres on Sunday, June 21, 2026, at 9:00 PM ET.
Release Date
June 20, 2026
Network
HBO
Episodes
8
English (US) ·