Yazar House of the Dragon returns with its third season after a two-year break. The second season was full of controversy and managed to split the show’s fanbase in two. While some enjoyed it, the other camp questioned the logic of the decisions made and subjected the creative team to a barrage of criticism. For me, the most important criterion that makes this universe great is precisely this state of relativity. After all, there is hardly any other production you can rack your brain over and engage with other people about. There may be creative debates about superhero films and series too, but their scope and degree of seriousness aren’t found on screens as broad as this universe’s.
House of the Dragon is, I wouldn’t be exaggerating to say, still the most important project for HBO. It’s a production that proves people are still attached to this universe even after the criticism of Game of Thrones‘ final seasons. As a result, projects to expand the universe are still ongoing. At the top of the stages that will influence these new projects is, without doubt, the third season being well received overall. Because it’s fair to say that, over the first two seasons, viewers have drifted somewhat from the show. Especially when the waits are spread this far apart, a season that makes a splash to draw people back is essential.
This article contains spoilers about House of the Dragon Season 3, Episode 1.
The Cost of Unconditional Trust
House of the Dragon, after the two years that have passed, in a sense picks up where it left off. The mood it sets at the start of the first episode, however, suggests the third season will unfold in a different tone. Of course, the main reason I get this impression might be watching the show after such a long time and missing it just as much; I’ll leave that judgment to you.
The story continues to be told not through a single window, as we’ve known since the classic Game of Thrones era, but again through the experiences of various different characters. The most important part, of course, is what will happen after the behind-the-scenes of the Alicent and Rhaenyra meeting we saw at the end of the second season. This point is truly crucial, because we had seen the two of them step toward each other for the first time in a long while.
We see that what happens after this step will form the season’s overall theme. At a point where the war has come this far, with losses suffered and moves made that we might even call dishonorable for this universe, it’s a little strange that the two still choose to trust each other. The points I could criticize about Alicent are genuinely few when it comes to this particular choice. With no one around her she can trust or truly lean on, it’s quite reasonable that she wants to secure her daughter’s and grandchild’s lives through a peace agreement of her own making. But Rhaenyra’s side has been overly problematic since the start of the show.
During the two-year gap I had the chance to rewatch the show. After rewatching House of the Dragon, my opinions naturally shifted a little here and there. Across two seasons, the show in a way handles events that wait for Rhaenyra to snap at some point and make harsh decisions. The episodes constantly tease this to the viewer. But for some reason that point is never reached, and Rhaenyra in a sense ends up being subdued.
Grasping the logic behind this decision is actually easy; indeed, we can see that the writers place Rhaenyra and Alicent in the same situation. While the men around them make war plans and every kind of decision imaginable, the two carry on their struggle by trying to assert themselves in such an atmosphere. I genuinely like this narrative; but even if these two characters are in the same position, how far they can make decisions trusting each other — merely because of their past friendship, after everything that has happened — is entirely a question mark.
Step by Step Toward the Throne
After Aegon and Sunfyre were scorched by the late Rhaenys, the advantage had largely shifted to the blacks’ side. Once they found riders for their dragons, the only obstacle left before them was Aemond and Vhagar. Vhagar is, of course, the largest living dragon — and, as we see repeated a few times in the show, the others look even smaller than hatchlings beside her. With their numerical superiority in dragons, and the support Daemon — who spent the entire second season vacationing at Harrenhal — gained in the Riverlands and the northern regions, a military advantage has passed to the blacks as well.
From this point on, the only thing left to do is to take King’s Landing by siege. However, this conflicts with Rhaenyra’s actual desire to take the city without a siege. It’s possible to notice that, in her style of rule, Rhaenyra bears many similarities to her father Viserys. After all, the decisions she makes are — just like his — rulings meant to keep the realm together and to be met with tolerance by the people. But being this merciful and advancing by doing the right thing is, unfortunately, not a rule that holds in this universe. Indeed, if you remain politically weak, you are punished sooner or later.
It’s a fact that both sides in House of the Dragon show political weakness. The number of characters who can play this game well is also limited. Considering both sides, apart from Corlys and Otto there really aren’t many skilled names in this regard. The dominance of the dragons is, of course, a factor that triggers this; so for the houses of the realm, getting involved in this game is considered risky. On the other hand, while I’d like to see the leaders of the houses more throughout the show, I’m aware that what we’re watching is a family drama. Still, the lack of focus on the characters within the family is, unfortunately, a point the show leaves wanting.
The New King
After Aegon’s well-known condition, a power vacuum was inevitable. Aemond quickly seized this opportunity and, following his brother’s flight, has become the throne’s new holder. This isn’t unexpected, because no one felt any love or respect toward Aegon; the respect shown was only about the weight of the throne. At this point Aemond is, for the people in King’s Landing, a more charismatic leader than Aegon; and he deserves the throne more.
I liked the double game the show plays at this point. The episode offers a good narrative in terms of Alicent’s helplessness. Olivia Cooke truly succeeds in conveying her character’s feelings to the viewer. The character of Aemond, having emerged as a kind of parody of Daemon, keeps developing across three seasons. Personally, I’m on the side that generally likes this development, and it’s certain he’s one of the characters House of the Dragon enjoys exploring.
His becoming the throne’s new holder completely undoes the agreement Alicent made with Rhaenyra. Alicent tries everything to reverse this situation. They convey quite well how helpless the character is in her conversation scenes with Aemond. Rhaenyra and Alicent are the show’s two mother figures. Although I don’t want to compare the characters in this regard, their differences in raising children become clear. While one has an extremely healthy and close relationship with the children alleged to be illegitimate, the other’s relationship with her legitimate children is genuinely strange. This is a dilemma the show loves to play with and reflect.
Alicent’s future is one of the things I’m eagerly anticipating. Although she seems to have little place in the story right now, she actually forms one of the story’s two halves. Despite the wide range of characters, we must admit that the main characters of this story are Rhaenyra and Alicent. House of the Dragon differs from Game of Thrones in this respect. Although we watched grayer characters in the main series, House of the Dragon has split the two sides into good and evil from the very beginning. This makes a clearer distinction possible, so that one can pick a side.
The Spirit of the Sea
The last half hour of the first episode is genuinely very impressive. I hadn’t watched such a good naval battle in any production in a long time. And I include not just series and films in that, but games too. We had seen the Triarchy — whose name we’d heard since the first season — in the final scenes of last season. A large part of the realm’s troubles were because of them. During the war between the realm and the Triarchy, the situation changed at one point and turned into the struggle with the Velaryons.
Corlys is one of the smartest and greatest living figures for House of the Dragon and A Song of Ice and Fire. It had felt as though he wasn’t given enough of his due. House of the Dragon, with its new episode, finally gives Corlys his due. Although his struggle with the Triarchy isn’t shown in depth, it’s at least conveyed to the viewer through the tension and atmosphere of the scenes. The most important part of this battle is that it doesn’t focus solely on a clash of ships on the sea.
We’ve known since Rhaena’s first appearance that she’s been looking for a dragon of her own. And she finally manages to bond with Sheepstealer. In House of the Dragon there’s a class we call wild dragons. Sheepstealer falls entirely into this, the basis being that they’re untamable dragons. Although Rhaena bonding with such a dragon is impressive, the show flawlessly conveys her reckless attitude during the war and the problems she could cause.
Of course, there’s a factor here: a character who isn’t even at an amateur level yet when it comes to flying a dragon makes, with an impulsive decision, moves that will shake the course of the entire story. Even so, as someone who loves and follows the universe, I personally adored the scenes and quite liked the decisions. Such an episode was genuinely needed; big moves were required for the viewer to get back into the House of the Dragon mood.
For a season opener, House of the Dragon manages to make the boldest decisions it could without fear. I’m quite excited for the rest of the season. If the opening was made this strong, House of the Dragon looks set to give its viewers what they want with its third season.
To read all articles by Ali Can Bartu Sakarya, click here.
For more, follow us on YouTube, X and Instagram.
Yorumlar