Rhaenyra takes King’s Landing but is already surrounded by plots, betrayal, and threats.
Warner Bros. Discovery
HBO has never been shy about building suspense, so it came as a surprise when the final trailer for House of the Dragon season 3 casually revealed one of its biggest moments up front.
The outcome of the much-anticipated Battle of the Gullet, the centerpiece naval clash that opens the season, is effectively out in the open. Rhaenyra Targaryen wins the battle and takes over King’s Landing. For fans of George R.R. Martin’s source material, Fire and Blood, this was inevitable. For everyone else, it is a bittersweet spoiler they might have preferred to discover on screen themselves, though the closing moments of season 2 made this development all but unavoidable.
The Battle of the Gullet promises to be the biggest spectacle in Game of Thrones history
The trailer opens on a field of bodies, with Daemon Targaryen, played by Matt Smith, bashing enemies into the mud while majestic dragons rain fire down on a naval fleet below. The chaos of the Battle of the Gullet quickly gives way to Rhaenyra standing in a conquered King’s Landing, declaring she will secure the city without further bloodshed.
Showrunner Ryan Condal has described the season opener as arguably the craziest episode of television ever made. The battle itself pits Corlys Velaryon and his fleet against Tyland Lannister’s forces and the Triarchy, and it is going to be one of the bloodiest naval engagements in all of Westeros history.
Taking the Iron Throne is one thing, but holding it is another battle entirely
The trailer makes it clear that claiming the Iron Throne is already proving to be Rhaenyra’s undoing. Alicent Hightower, played by Olivia Cooke, delivers the trailer’s sharpest line when she warns that the crown is a weight that crushes. She is not wrong. Rhaenyra is surrounded by plots from Team Green, who are actively running smear campaigns in the city streets to undermine her authority.
Even within her own council, loyalties are shifting in ways she cannot yet see. The trailer hints at disagreements, divided loyalties, and the kind of quiet betrayal that tends to hurt far more than any sword.
Aemond Targaryen, still riding the fearsome dragon Vhagar, remains a deadly threat. Meanwhile, Rhaenyra remains convinced that removing Aegon II from the picture will unite the kingdom behind her, seemingly unaware of the building resentment among ordinary people under her rule.
Alicent, for her part, appears to be making her own moves, including a moment where she asks visibly shaken Rhaenyra, “Did I not warn you that you would come to this?”
Emma D’Arcy, who plays Rhaenyra, has said the character is finally moving into a more active, front-footed position this season after spending two seasons backed into corners. However, the trailer suggests that stepping forward comes at a brutal cost.
If season 2 tested your patience, season 3 looks like it is here to make up for every slow burn. House of the Dragon returns on HBO and Max on June 21.
Manisha Priyadarshini is a tech and entertainment writer with over nine years of editorial experience.
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