This Sunday marks the halfway point for the third season of House of the Dragon with just four more episodes to go once this one has aired. Things are heating up in Westeros, with Team Black and Team Green no closer to resolving this brewing Civil War.
Read on for everything you need to know about this week’s episode as Rhaenyra and the Blacks take on the Hightowers and the Greens.
House of the Dragon Season 3, Episode 4 drops at 9pm ET / 6pm PT on Sunday, July 12 and will run for a total of 62 minutes, or 66 minutes including end-credits. An updated opening credits sequence and theme music accompanies the new season.
Like Season 2, Season 3 will be just eight episodes long instead of 10. Here’s when they air on HBO and HBO Max:
The Season So Far
What Happened In ‘House Of The Dragon’ Season 3, Episode 1
For a full recap and review of the Season 3 premiere, “Salt and Sea, Fire and Blood,” be sure to check out my House of the Dragon Season 3 Premiere review. I had pretty mixed feelings about the episode, which had some great moments but a lot of frustrating changes from the source material.
The Season 3 premiere largely focused on the infamous Battle of the Gullet, when Triarchy forces attacked Lord Corlys Velaryon’s blockade of King’s Landing. Outnumbered, Team Black risked losing their naval dominance. Just in time Prince Jacaerys and Princess Baela arrived on dragon-back.
The tide turned, the battle all but won, Triarchy archers managed to hit Jace’s dragon, Vermax, and both dragon and rider crashed into the waves. While the crown prince managed to free himself from the dragon before sinking, Triarchy crossbowmen peppered him from a nearby ship, and both dragon and rider perished.
Elsewhere, Daemon and his forces celebrated victory and joined with the men of the North. Gwayne Hightower and Criston Cole continue their march across the Riverlands, fearful of Team Black’s dragons with no support from Team Green’s own winged beasts. Plots and machinations have been set in motion in King’s Landing as well, where Alicent conspires against her own sons, sending Aemond out of the city and paving the way for Rhaenyra to take the city.
What Happened In ‘House Of The Dragon’ Season 3, Episode 2
In the second episode of House of the Dragon Season 3, titled “Queen’s Landing,” Rhaenyra discovers that her eldest son, Jacaerys, is dead, slain at the Battle of the Gullet. This breaks her. She’s determined to discover who Sheepstealer’s rider was and bring them to justice, not knowing yet that it was Rhaena. Rhaena goes to the Vale and begs Lady Jeyne Arryn for sanctuary, but the noblewoman wants nothing to do with her. In the end, she allows Rhaena to live in the wild, her dragon a defense of Arryn lands.
Rhaenyra and Daemon head to King’s Landing, where Alicent has done all she can to provide them a smooth landing. Alicent is very nearly raped by the Lord of Laws, Jasper Wylde, but the High Maester, Orwyle, intervenes. The Gold Cloaks end up turning on Team Green, allowing Rhaenyra to take the Iron Throne.
Daemon, set to execute Orwyle since Aegon has absconded (and is off on a fun adventure with Larys), decides to spare the High Maester, who offers him Jasper Wylde instead. But Daemon makes another discovery. Larys has imprisoned Otto Hightower beneath the Red Keep. Daemon brings both men to Rhaenyra, who lops off Otto’s head – though it takes two swings, the first wedging into the older man’s back. Just as she climbs the Iron Throne, Alicent and Helaena arrive, horror written over their faces as they see Otto’s decapitated body on the floor.
It’s a gripping end to the episode, setting the tone for what’s to come. You can read my recap/review of House of the Dragon Season 3, Episode 2 right here.
What Happened In ‘House of the Dragon’ Season 3, Episode 3?
Episode 3 was mostly about Rhaenyra’s dawning realization that actually ruling is quite challenging, with a thousand people always trying bend your ear. Everybody needs something and with no gold and barely your feet on the ground, this is no easy task. The one reassuring thing is that Lord Ormund bent the knee and gave over Alicent’s youngest son, Daeron, to Daemon. Only, it’s all a subterfuge. At the end of the episode we learn that this was a false Daeron. The real one is back with the Hightowers in Tumbleton, which Ormund has sacked and occupied.
Elsewhere, Rhaenyra clashes with Lord Corlys, refusing to legitimize his sons Addam and Alyn with her hold on power so tenuous. Corlys has some very harsh words for the new queen. She also clashes with the High Septon who is no fan of Targaryens and their dragons and still very foreign ways. It was a very strong episode overall, and my favorite of the season so far.
You can read my full recap/review of House of the Dragon Season 3, Episode 3 right here.
Watch The ‘House of the Dragon’ Season 3, Episode 4 Teaser
It appears we’ll get a slightly less frazzled Rhaenyra this week, and more of Lord Ormund. Still no big battles yet, but the forces of both Team Black and Team Green are readying for war (which I suppose has been the case for one-and-a-half seasons with the odd battle here and there). I think James Norton is fantastic in this role, though I can’t shake him as Tommy Lee Royce from Happy Valley, one of the most terrifying villains in television history.
‘House Of The Dragon’ Season 2 Recap
Season 1’s time-jumping plot ended with the death of King Viserys I and the fractious road to succession, with both Team Black, led by his daughter Rhaenyra and her husband and uncle, Daemon, and Team Green, led by the Hightowers and Visery’s sons with Alicent, Aegon and Aemond, vying for power.
At the end of the first season, when Rhaenyra’s son Lucerys visits Storm’s End to petition House Baratheon to join their cause, he and Alicent’s second son, Aemond, trade barbs. This escalates into a dragon chase and Aemond’s giant, ancient beast is overcome with bloodlust, killing Luke and his dragon much to the dismay of Aemond One-Eye.
If peace could have been reached before, there’s no turning back now. In Season 2, Daemon sends assassins to kill Aemond in retribution, but they cannot find him so they behead Aegon and Helaena’s young son and heir, Jaehaerys, instead. The second season continues a very slow build as both sides navigate alliances and shore up their power, though the Battle of Rook’s Rest gives us our first real dragon battle. Rhaenyra’s aunt, Rhaenys, is slain in the fight, and Aegon is mutilated, his own dragon left for dead on the field. Team Black gains an advantage when they recruit dragonriders for their spare dragons from the common folk, but Team Green still holds King’s Landing.
All that might change, however. In a secret meeting between Rhaenyra and Alicent, the queen dowager agrees to help Rhaenyra take King’s Landing, even if it costs her son Aegon his head. Meanwhile, Lord Corlys Velaryon and his fleet have the city blockaded, while Team Black commands from Dragonstone and Daemon battles in the Riverlands and Aemond broods on the throne, which he’s taken from his maimed brother. Larys sneaks Aegon out of the city and we see Otto Hightower languishing in what appears to be a prison cell.
‘House of the Dragon’ Cast
House of the Dragon stars:
- Matt Smith as Prince Daemon Targaryen
- Emma D’Arcy as Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen
- Olivia Cooke as Queen Dowager Alicent Hightower
- Rhys Ifans as Ser Otto Hightower
- Steve Toussaint as Lord Corlys Velaryon
- Ewan Mitchell as Prince Aemond Targaryen
- Tom Glynn-Carney as King Aegon II Targaryen
- Fabien Frankel as Ser Criston Cole
- Sonoya Mizuno as Mysaria
- Harry Collett as Prince Jacaerys Velaryon
- Bethany Antonia as Baela Targaryen
- Phoebe Campbell as Rhaena Targaryen
- Phia Saban as Queen Helaena Targaryen
- Matthew Needham as Larys Strong
- Freddie Fox as Ser Gwayne Hightower
- Abubakar Salim as Alyn of Hull
- Gayle Rankin as Alys Rivers
- Tom Bennett as Ulf the White
- Kieran Bew as Hugh Hammer
Newcomers include:
- James Norton as Ormund Hightower
- Tommy Flanagan as Roderick Dustin
- Dan Fogler as Torrhen Manderly
- Tom Cullen as Luthor Largent
- Joplin Sibtain as Jon Roxton
- Barry Sloane as Adrian Redfort
- Annie Shapero as Alysanne Blackwood
Look for my review of tonight’s episode here on this blog directly after it airs, and let me know your thoughts on House of the Dragon on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook.
