House of the Dragon Season 3 picks up after what was a disappointing back half of Season 2 and returns the show to the highs we were accustomed to. The pace picks up again; the show does a pretty good job of showcasing the dynamics we care about, and most of the emotional punches land, not because they feel overdue, but because the storytelling foundation is solid.
In this regard, even the ways in which the show deviates from Fire & Blood seem to be good decisions, made to better the story. I’m not usually one to favor much in the way of changes from the source material, but this book in particular is primed for an adaptation that doesn’t change the story but chooses one perspective to follow. And though I have complained about the choices made by this show before, in this season, they all feel like the right ones.
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Of course, whether you agree with that or not might determine how you feel about the season.
However, one thing feels clear: ambiguity doesn’t work in this medium. All characters cannot be both black and white. There have to be villains, and there have to be heroes, even if not all heroes are perfect and not all villains are truly evil. And though some characters, like Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith) are better served by never being just one thing, even those characters seem to benefit from a clarity of purpose in Season 3.
The standout of Season 3 is, without a doubt, Emma D’Arcy, who gifts us with a Rhaenyra Targaryen who has had enough of men telling her what she can and cannot do. To be fair, this has always been a constant, but this Rhaenyra is in a position to act on it, and boy, does she. She truly suffers no fools in Season 3, and that’s what we want to see from a queen.
But even throughout the natural hardening of the character that comes from what life keeps throwing at her, D’Arcy continues to play Rhaenyra with an underlying layer of vulnerability that makes her feel real. She’s not the type of queen we cannot relate to. In fact, we might relate a little too much to her.
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On the other side of the coin, there’s Olivia Cooke’s Alicent, who is magnificent now that she’s shed the confidence and self-righteousness that were constant in the character for almost two seasons. Perhaps the most interesting part of the season is seeing Alicent trying to figure out not just who she is, but what her role is in this war that she had such a big part in bringing about. And if we get to see some of that come through, especially in specific moments opposite D’Arcy or Phia Saban, who plays Helaena Targaryen, all the better.
Outside of that, we get to go back to the best moments of the dynamic between Rhaenyra and Daemon, and D’Arcy and Smith are in rare form as a couple who know each other so well that they can, sometimes, anticipate what the other will say and think. There are more than a few instances in this season where it feels clear that their relationship goes beyond that of husband and wife, and as Targaryens do, they use that to their advantage.
But this new closeness between Rhaenyra and Daemon, which is the natural follow-up to the way their storyline ended last season, doesn’t feel out of character. Instead, it feels like a return to what really worked in Season 1, and what we expected to see when these two wed. Rhaenyra needed an ally by her side, and Daemon is now fully in a position to be not just her sword, but surprisingly, a sound advisor.
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The other noteworthy character that needs to be mentioned is, without a doubt, James Norton’s Ormund Hightower. There’s a magnetism to his every moment on screen that makes it hard to look away, whether you are rooting for him or not. And make no mistake, some people will be rooting for him. He’s probably the only character on Team Green that can, at this moment, match Smith’s Daemon Targaryen in that sense of chaos you cannot help but be drawn to.
Compelling narratives require a bit of both. This is still only Season 3, and there’s still a long, complicated story to be told here. The good news is that House of the Dragon seems to have decided where it’s going and which characters and dynamics are going to carry it there. So far, from the first half of Season 3, it seems like the decision is the right one. We’ll just have to wait and see when it’s time for them to deliver the setup for the end of this tale.
Are you excited for Season 3 of House of the Dragon? Share with us in the comments below!
Season 3 of House of the Dragon premieres June 21 on HBO.
