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[This story contains MAJOR spoilers from the House of the Dragon season three premiere.]
At long last, the battle begins!More than two years on since its season two premiere, HBO’s House of the Dragon came back with a season three premiere that wasted no time throwing the Westeros faithful back into the deep end. The Game of Thrones successor from executive producer and showrunner Ryan Condal was originally intended to include a massive naval battle at the end of its second season, but was forced to cut the sequence due to the writers’ strike of 2023. Now, the fight’s back on, opening a season rather than closing it — and if nothing else, it sets a deadly tone.
The episode builds toward the Battle of the Gullet, well known within George R.R. Martin’s fandom as one of the most consequential battles in the Dance of the Dragons conflict between the Blacks and the Greens — the armies loyal to Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D’Arcy) and her nephew Aegon (Tom Glynn-Carney), respectively. Told from perspectives embedded in both sides of the naval battle, Team Black ultimately wins the day, but not without suffering a significant loss: Jace Velaryon, Rhaenrya’s oldest son, and now, her second child lost in this violent conflict.
