Victory is never meant to be permanent in the world of Game of Thrones, as its title indicates. That its prequel, House of the Dragon, takes place two centuries earlier is further proof that there are no true winners since each dynasty will likely fall multiple times over before another one emerges to take its place. In its third season, House of the Dragon remains engrossing and rewarding, moving away from moderately hopeful negotiations for some temporary peace to a full-on call for senseless war driven by a need to show strength and an unwavering brutality where a much softer touch would surely have spared countless lives and achieved similar if not nobler aims.
While it still does cast a wide net in terms of featuring almost innumerable characters from far-reaching parts of his expansive universe, season three hones back in on one of the most significant competitors for its signature rules, Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D’Arcy). She does believe herself to be deserving of the throne and even divinely ordained for it, but she lacks a confidence and a backing from the public that could manifest itself in a totalitarian crushing of her foes. Instead, she’s driven by impulse and acts of desperation, visibly overwhelmed by the scope of what her kingdom – and the maintenance of it – demands of her. It’s a layered and welcome portrait of a female leader with a seemingly adequate steely resolve but an equally formidable course charted for her even by those who allege themselves to be her strongest allies.
What fans of this franchise have come to love and expect about it remains true, including the jarring dismissal of major characters mid-episode who die violent and startling deaths. But as compared with previous infamous incidents like the Red Wedding or Purple Wedding, there is an unpolished intimacy and intensity to these moments where it feels like the perpetrators are losing control and acting without considering the consequence of what they’re doing rather than enacting a carefully-orchestrated scheme designed to move the needle of power in their favor. There’s something riveting and terrifying about watching those who have until now exercised restraint and demonstrated stable leadership give in to problematic emotions and do irreversible things, proving more than anything that they’re just as human as every one of their would-be subjects, even if their actions carry considerably more weight and devastation for others to endure.
This show’s medieval setting allows it to further explore the banality of collateral damage in the fog of war, emphasizing the fearsome nature of dragons to intimidate those who can’t breathe fire and the human compulsion to turn to deception and barbarism when initial efforts to subdue a population won’t work. The value of honor and of pledging allegiance to a particular ruler remains paramount, all the weightier as loyal soldiers are forced to put down their arms and submit to a conquering leader in order to save their armies and civilians. As always, it can be challenging to keep track of the many warring factions and just who they’re willing to sell out to get ahead and stay ahead, but the writing and character construction is sufficiently established to ensure that following the individual plotlines closely isn’t key to enjoyment and appreciation of the overarching storyline.
The news that the fourth season of this show will be its last shouldn’t suggest that a definitive conclusion will be coming, but the start of season three does feel intensified, not just in scope of the kingdoms-wide battles but in the fury that burns from its central characters’ hearts. More screen time for Olivia Cooke, whose Alicent Hightower takes a significant backseat in season three, would certainly be welcome as the show nears its end, but D’Arcy is towering in her depiction of dangerous vulnerability under a mask of iron might. This expansive world has much to offer and this show isn’t by any means getting lazy or taking any easy routes to entertainment in its third outing, probing complex and compelling interpersonal dynamics in a civilization defined by an unending thirst for more power at any cost.
Season Rating: 8/10
