The third season of House of the Dragon is off to a blazing, shocking start

📺🐉 After two years of waiting with bated breath, HBO’s juggernaut production and sister series to the iconic Game of Thrones, House of the Dragon, is finally back for its third season. It’s been a period full of tinfoil-hat theories, leaked scripts, and viral controversies — this morning, we were treated to a handful of answers to our most biting questions.

How the season kicks off: Kicking off exactly where the second season left off, the episode starts with Princess Rhaena Targaryen (Phoebe Campbell) still adamant on claiming the wild, untamed dragon in The Vale of Arryn — just when all hope seems to be lost, Rhaena’s efforts prove successful, and Sheepstealer is hers.

From that point onward, the remaining loose threads of the sophomore season are promptly addressed, with Aegon (Tom Glynn-Carney), Aemond (Ewan Mitchell), Alicent (Olivia Cooke), Daemon (Matt Smith), and Rhaenerya (Emma D’Arcy), alongside the remainder of the cast, all getting their time in the spotlight. We’ll keep it at that to avoid spoilers.

What we liked: There was not a single second throughout the premiere’s runtime when our eyes were not laser-focused on the screen. The episode starts off strong and maintains that fiery momentum throughout. It’s brilliantly shot, and the score is — as usual — top-notch, giving us a first glimpse of the mysterious Prince Daeron Targaryen (Henry Ashton). The entire second half of the episode features one of the franchise’s longest-ever battle sequences, a whopping 25 minutes — if you’ve read the book, you’ll know what’s in store.

The episode also features some of the cast’s best performances to date — with Campbell, Henry Collett (Prince Jacaerys Velaryon), and Cooke in particular all stealing their scenes.

What book-savvy viewers might not like: Following the episode’s release, it becomes clear why author George R.R. Martin has spent the better part of the past two years trashing showrunner Ryan Condal. The third season veers dramatically from the source material, irrevocably impacting how future events will unfold. If you’re a book die-hard, you’ll likely share Martin’s disappointment, but if you’ve been looking for a twist, you’ll find it and then some.

The verdict: With a 9.4/10 rating on IMDb, it seems fans are pleased — us, certainly, included. The premiere is, subjectively, the franchise’s best to date, but the real question is: Will it maintain its momentum throughout the season, or will it crash and burn like a certain someone’s dragon? Time will tell, but we’re very optimistic.

💡NOTE: The show, in true Game of Thrones fashion, is gory and explicit — and, without the comedic relief offered in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, so tread with care.

WHERE TO WATCH- Episodes drop weekly on Mondays at 4am on OSN+. Watch the trailer on YouTube (watch, runtime: 2:30).