It’s been about two years since Season 2 of House of the Dragon ended, and yes, I’m still not thrilled about how underwhelming the finale was. However, I haven’t given up on the show, and I am very excited for Season 3. My excitement also just increased tenfold, as two stars teased what’s to come and confirmed that my biggest complaint about that sophomore season will be fixed immediately.
The problem with Season 2 of House of the Dragon is that it felt like it spent the entire season building up to a battle that didn’t happen. They just started walking toward it by the time the final seconds of the installment aired. It felt like we were building up to Season 3 of HOTD, not witnessing the climax of Season 2. However, when this junior season starts on the 2026 TV schedule, we’ll be getting right into the battle we’ve been waiting for, as Ewan Mitchell, who plays Aemond, told EW:
It's all-out war. It's just a blitz straight out of the gate.
Now, that’s what I’m talking about. We’ve been building up to the Targaryen family’s big battle for two full seasons, so it’s about time for a “blitz straight out of the gate.”
We knew that The Battle of the Gullet was coming; however, this new report confirmed that it will happen in the Season 3 premiere. That means, this installment will kick off with one of the “most violent sea battles in the history of” Westeros. Talk about a way to start!
On top of that, it’s also an immediate remedy to the issue I had with Season 2. This is the battle I’ve been waiting for, the one we’ve been building toward, and according to Emma D’Arcy, who plays Rhaenyra, it will be just as intense as I want it to be, as they said:
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, because it's to really hold your nerve to stage a conflict that has been, until now, primarily interpersonal, interfamily — and then [to] finally, in one huge gesture, allow that conflict to unleash on the realm as a whole, I think is some very classy plotting.
As D’Arcy said, we’re “finally watching a war that has been building for two seasons.” These last two installments of House of the Dragon have been exposition for the battle that’s been brewing. And while I’m all about Targaryen family history, at some point, we need to stop talking about an impending battle and actually have one.
Boy, are we getting one, too. Co-creator and showrunner Ryan Condal said this episode is “arguably the craziest episode of television ever made.” So, it really sounds like whatever they’re cooking is epic and will more than make up for any apprehension I was feeling at the end of Season 2.
Thankfully, we don’t have to wait long to see this either. Season 3 of House of the Dragon will premiere on June 21 at 9 p.m. ET, and you can watch it on HBO or with an HBO Max subscription.
