We’ve certainly been here before with House of the Dragon. The second season was a struggle to get through due to its bad pacing, and now the third season is suffering from the same fate.
Just like the second season, House of the Dragon Season 3 got out of the gate strong. The “Battle of the Gullet” was a fun watch, and our hearts broke for Rhaenyra as she learned her son, Jace, had died. Yet, after this, everything went down.
There were some humorous moments, such as with Criston Cole’s sudden death, and Aegon has had some much-needed character development, but the rest of the storylines have been dull and annoying. Just look at how Rhaenyra still can’t make any decent decisions thanks to her squabbling Small Council, and look at how she can’t even make financial decisions because of the treasury being taken away.
House of the Dragon Fails to Adapt the Book
A lot of the issue is the way House of the Dragon has failed to adapt the book Fire & Blood by George R.R. Martin. Sure, there are always going to be changes, and the benefit of a book like Fire & Blood is that a lot can be read between the lines. This is a story of three people telling a story from history based on other accounts, so that opens a lot for interpretation.
Yet, from the second season, major changes have happened that have affected character development. While some will have appreciated Helaena’s loss being lessened at the start of the second season, it’s created major problems for the plot later on, especially as we get closer to what is supposed to be Helaena’s traumatic death.
With not much to go on for Daemon’s storyline, we saw him deal with nightmares and odd ghosts throughout the second season, and he’s never quite found his footing again in the third season. He can see that Rhaenyra is floundering, and instead of helping her see that, he’s going off and doing his own thing and hiding the fact that his daughter was Sheepstealer’s rider.
Now Rhaena is back, but it’s all felt pointless. What could have been an exciting story of Rhaena trying to train a wild dragon has been for nothing, as we only ever saw her a couple of times in a cave or going to see Jayne Arryn. There was so much in the book that could have been used or adapted based on what we knew of Nettles and Daemon.
Is House of the Dragon Worth Watching?
The issue with all the flailing around is that the show is becoming something of a let-down, and much more than the final season of Game of Thrones. It’s turning out boring, and if it wasn’t for it being a Game of Thrones spin-off, I could have seen it canceled in the second season.
There’s only one more episode of House of the Dragon Season 3, which is sure to bring the “First Battle of Tumbleton.” If it doesn’t, then it’s been an absolute waste of a buildup throughout the third season — and it really will be a repeat of the second season that we thought for sure would have the “Battle of the Gullet” happen at the end.
This third season needs to end with something major in multiple locations. We need the battle, but we also need the smallfolk turning against Rhaenyra in King’s Landing. At this point, it’s the only way to save things for the final season.
And I’ve got to admit; I’m happy that the fourth season will be the last. It means the big events have to happen. And if they don’t, what have we even been watching?
What do you think of House of the Dragon Season 3? Has it been worth the wait? Share your thoughts in the comments.
