HOUSE OF THE DRAGON: SEASON THREE
Starring: Emma D’Arcy, Matt Smith, Olivia Cooke, Tom Glynn-Carney, Ewan Mitchell, James Norton, Phia Saban, Sonoya Mizuno, Steve Toussaint, Fabien Frankel, Abubakar Salim, Clinton Liberty, Benjamin Evan Ainsworth, Matthew Needham, Gayle Rankin, Tommy Flanagan, Bethany Antonia, Phoebe Campbell, Freddie Fox, and Harry Collett
Creators: Ryan J. Condal and George R.R. Martin
PAIGE
Season Three of House of the Dragon delivers the perfect balance of thrilling dragon action, political intrigue, and compelling character drama, focusing on destiny and the pursuit of power to make it the darkest and most intense season yet. The writing this season is extremely sharp and gripping throughout, managing to keep the tension high and raise the stakes while also excelling in showcasing these characters’ internal conflicts. Plus, Emma D’Arcy delivers a commanding performance as Rhaenyra. If this season proved anything, it’s that no one is safe in this tragic story.
ROBERT
I have tried to be a Game of Thrones book reader, but I have failed in my attempts. I also know the third season of House of the Dragon was meant to showcase some epic wartime action from the stories that Season Two sorely lacked. Fortunately, it delivers in spades, especially with HBO spending the money to fill out the landscape with striking and realistic visuals. I do think some plotlines are stretched out much longer than they should have been for filler, but the acting is superb, the characters are compelling in their motivations, and, now, Season Four can be the gift that was promised.
QUENTIN
In my House of the Dragon: Season Two review, I mentioned being relieved that there were only two more seasons to hate-watch. With Season Three, I ended up somewhere worse than hate-watching: indifference. Outside of Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy), we don’t spend enough time with any other character to truly be invested. Does anyone honestly care about Criston Cole (Fabien Frankel), Rhaena (Phoebe Campbell), or Sir Ulf (Tom Bateman)? When you don’t care about most of the characters, none of the deaths, twists, or reveals leave an impact, which means you’re basically just sitting around waiting for the next cool-looking but substantively bereft battle scene.
Shout out to Tommy Flanagan. He stepped into House of the Dragon: Season Three to remind everyone that the North remembers… and that the writers remembered why this show is so entertaining. They heard the complaints about Season Two and said, “is this what you want?” From jump, this season brings the twists, political gains, epic battles and deaths, all while paying off our patience from last year’s setup. In addition to Flanagan, Emma D’Arcy, Matt Smith, and many of the ensemble deliver masterful performances that bring Game of Thrones back to prominence.
