‘House Of The Dragon’ Season 3, Episode 8 Recap And Review: A Season Finale Rivaling The Best Of ‘Game Of Thrones’

House of the Dragon

Credit: HBO

Post updated 08/10/26. See updates below.

Heavy lies the crown. Sunday night’s brutal, devastating section of House of the Dragon surely made that constituent abundantly clear. As Rhaenyra slow descends into a pit of despair, cruelty and desperation, Daemon and his armies tally into immoderate snags connected their battle of Tumbleton acknowledgment to the various tricks Lord Ormund has up his sleeves. A mates large problems persist, which I’ll get to below, but overall, this was a tremendously entertaining section of a bid that often spends overmuch much clip successful melodramatic speech than successful clashes of arms.

Spoilers ahead.

The Prince That Was Promised

Let’s dispense pinch my biggest gripes first. The prophecy remains 1 of the series’ astir irksome issues, if not its biggest. Even erstwhile House of the Dragon is astatine its best, the prophecy skitters successful to make a muck of things. Tonight, Rhaenyra made it nationalist for each to hear.

Rhaenyra decides she’ll spell unit the High Septon to anoint her queen, that measurement everyone will person to admit her – aliases something. I’m not judge of the logic here. Aegon was already crowned and anointed and each that hullabaloo, and the High Septon has already told her that he won’t do it.

Now that news has arrived that Aegon is live (which leaves Rhaenyra weeping hysterically) she decides to march down to the High Sept anyways, and erstwhile he and his hangers-on protest, she orders Alyn and the remainder of her guards to termination them all. Which they do, though Alyn doesn’t look happy astir his murderous task. Surely this unit will not travel backmost to haunt Rhaenyra later.

Out of the sept she goes to wherever a ample crowd has gathered (rather calmly for a metropolis truthful sick astatine ease). Wearing her crown and a suit of chainmail, Rhaenyra looks each spot the warrior queen, but she does not speak of the warfare she’s presently waging. She steps guardant and delivers what tin only beryllium described arsenic the astir bizarre and unhinged reside anyone coming has ever heard. She talks astir the prophecy of Ice and Fire, of the ineffable quest she and her lineage person been entrusted pinch to forestall a awesome and sinister evil from overwhelming the world. Even her supporters glimpse askance astatine 1 different during her rambling entreaties. She ends successful Old Valyrian: “I americium the prince that was promised.”

Along pinch the messy Rhaenyra/Alicent relationship and the wide deficiency of likable characters, it’s worldly for illustration this that really bothers maine astir this show. For 1 thing, arsenic pinch Daenerys successful Game of Thrones, Rhaenyra is not a prince, and twisting astir the root worldly truthful that the prophecy could mean “princess” is conscionable silly. It was successful that show, and it’s perchance moreover sillier present since Rhaenyra has nary logic to judge she’s this prince that was promised.

The prophecy detracts from the communicative of civilian warfare and dynastic succession and could person been dispensed pinch altogether moreover successful Season 1. Though, it led to Alicent misunderstanding Viserys’s dying words, and that could person been avoided altogether arsenic good if the show had simply made Alicent eager and power-hungry, arsenic she is successful the book. It gives the main characters supernatural motives alternatively than quality ones. In truth, the logic Rhaenyra wants the crown is because her begetter promised it to her, and she feels tremendous resentment toward the patriarchal strategy that would contradict Rhaenyra her birthright. The logic galore others don’t support her is because she’s a woman. They support Aegon because he is the first-born son.

Much of Otto’s plotting was to unafraid powerfulness for his House, but besides because he firmly believed a female could not norm and hoped to springiness Viserys a boy (conveniently 1 who would besides beryllium Otto’s grandson). This is simply a dynastic struggle rooted successful antiquated monarchical, patriarchal belief systems. Prophecies person thing to do pinch immoderate of it, and it makes an different mature governmental play consciousness for illustration inexpensive tv imagination alternatively of the crippled of thrones it should be. Politics and ambition successful each their ugliest manifestations.

Queen Rhaenyra the Ugly

After being warned that Helaena refuses to eat, Rhaenyra tries to plead pinch her half-sister. When Helaena replies that she hates this place, that everything present is disfigured and that Rhaenyra herself is ugly, Rhaenyra loses her cool. If Helaena won’t eat the easy way, she’ll person to do it the difficult way. “You unit my hand,” Rhaenyra tells her half-sister. Rhaenyra’s guards drawback the young female and statesman to force-feed her arsenic she screams successful protest.

Rhaenyra besides dismisses Mysaria, a wise move carried retired successful a very unwise manner, fixed the woman’s cunning. When exiling your maestro of spies, make judge she’s nether defender until she arrives astatine wherever she’s going. But really, you don’t ever exile your spymaster. There’s dungeons aliases the headsman’s artifact for personification pinch that galore secrets to spill. Or you load them connected a vessel to immoderate faraway spot and salary the skipper to person her thrown overboard connected the voyage. It’s incredibly foolish to conscionable fto her spell free, and almost instantly she’s exacting her revenge. It’s Mysaria who tells Helaena that Aegon lives and that her babe will beryllium a hostage. And Mysaria is coming to perceive astatine slightest immoderate of Rhaenyra’s speech.

We spot passim the section that Helaena is correct astir Rhaenyra. The queen really is ugly, arsenic Helaena says, though not successful position of outward beauty. Instead, she has go truthful hellbent connected gaining the throne that it’s the only point she cares astir anymore, and everyone astir her is simply a stepping chromatic toward powerfulness aliases an obstacle to beryllium dispatched. Baela calls her retired connected this, accusing her of simply utilizing group arsenic tools, and Baela and her dragon are confined to the Red Keep. Rhaenyra shows nary affection whatsoever to her heir, Joffrey, and only shows signs of immoderate warmth astatine each erstwhile speaking pinch Daemon astir taking backmost Tumbleton from Lord Ormund and the Hightowers.

In the end, Helaena throws herself from her model and to her death. When Rhaenyra finds out, we spot almost nary regret aliases condolences connected her acold face. She walks to the model and looks retired complete the city, staring alternatively astatine the tapestry the once-queen and prophetic illusionist had been embroidering. It shows Helaena falling from the tower, weeping, and it shows Rhaenyra connected the Iron Throne, surrounded by occurrence and blood.

So why does Helaena propulsion herself from the window? Is she worried astatine what she will go if she stays successful King’s Landing overmuch longer, a monster devoured by the ugliness each astir her? Is that what she thinks erstwhile she finds herself stepping into the segment from her vision, the 1 successful which she sits atop her dragon and orders it to pain everyone?

Whatever the case, we are seeing a acold much callous and bloodthirsty Rhaenyra than ever before. A much hopeless monarch.

Rhaenyra is Even More Bloodthirsty successful ‘Fire & Blood’

If anything, the existent book by George R.R. Martin makes Rhaenyra moreover much ruthless, and little . . . weepy. Rhaenyra returns to King’s Landing and swiftly imprisons aliases beheads her enemies, sends retired “knights inquisitors” to find Larys and Aegon and her different enemies. Tyland Lannister is tortured to find the missing royal gold. Alicent, not astatine each her friend successful the book, is chained up and not sent disconnected connected immoderate silly assassination effort to termination her son, Aemond. She’s confined and spared “for the liking of our father, who loved you once.” Orwyle is sent to the dungeons and replaced pinch a caller Grand Maester.

And, of course, we are missing retired connected Maelor, Aegon and Helaena’s boy who escapes the Red Keep pinch Ser Rickard Thorne successful the books and is pursued from an inn, riding difficult to scope Lord Ormund’s campy but yet brought down by crossbow bolts arsenic they crossed a bridge. No 2 tales of what happened to Maelor aft his knight protector was changeable dormant agree, but the young boy was besides slain connected the bridge, possibly torn isolated by the mob who assailed him, arguing complete what to do pinch the young prince.

Accounts alteration besides connected Rhaenyra’s guidance erstwhile the boy’s caput was sent to her. “Mushroom, who loved the queen well, tells america that Rhaenyra wept erstwhile Maelor’s mini caput was placed earlier her arsenic she sat the Iron Throne. Septon Eustace, who loved her little, says alternatively that she smiled, and commanded that the caput beryllium burned, ‘for he was the humor of the dragon.’”

Rumors were dispersed that Rhaenyra past sent the caput of the boy to Helaena successful a chamber-pot, though immoderate fishy these were started by Larys Clubfoot.

The Battle of Tumbleton

Presumably, while overmuch of the goings-on successful King’s Landing occur, Daemon is connected the march toward Tumbleton pinch his service wherever he will meet up pinch the Riverlanders and Northmen to make an all-out battle connected the city, though avoiding arsenic overmuch usage of dragon arsenic imaginable to spare the innocents there.

Lord Ormund isn’t counting connected the queen’s mercy. He lines the ramparts pinch children, utilizing them arsenic shields to deter immoderate draconic attacks. Ser Gwayne and “King” Daeron – now made Ser Daeron the Daring by Lord Ormund – hatch a scheme of their own, unaware of Ormund’s concealed dealings pinch Ulf the White. Gwayne takes the prisoner, Lord Corlys, and meets pinch Daemon wherever he tries to make an connection of peace. Gwayne wants Daeron to beryllium made King of the Reach and various different kingdoms loyal to the Greens, while Rhaenyra tin declare the rest. Corlys agrees, though he suggests Daeron beryllium made Warden of the Reach alternatively than king.

Daemon scoffs astatine this, takes Corlys captive and sends Gwayne moving backmost pinch his answer. And truthful the conflict begins. Roddy the Ruin and his wolfish northmen make the first complaint amidst a hail of arrows, looking to climb the walls. Daemon cannot simply pain the defenders now that children are upon them, not because he’s morally against the thought but because the queen’s estimation must beryllium protected.

The conflict is massive, 1 of the astir genuinely awesome I’ve seen put to screen. The Northmen charged a battering ram astatine the main gate, which is yet replaced pinch Caraxes – who burns done it (but not earlier a group of children are ordered to guidelines arsenic quality shields first, astir of whom move retired of the measurement astatine Daemon’s urging). There’s fighting successful the streets, on the ramparts, basking lipid poured connected men climbing ladders. All seems mislaid for Ormund and the Hightowers.

Because Ulf the White, the drunken tavern-dweller, cannot beryllium found. He’s sleeping it disconnected successful a latrine, it turns out, and thing could beryllium much violative to the Hightower lord. He berates Ulf, kicking him and hurling insults, sending him to fetch his dragon and do what he was told. Ulf complies, but he’s had capable pinch nobles telling him what to do erstwhile he’s the 1 pinch a dragon. He burns Daemon’s troops first, sending immense gouts of occurrence down upon those he had sworn to conflict alongside. Then he turns his dragon toward Tumbleton, leaving the municipality successful smoldering ruin, and Ormund on pinch it.

Of course, it’s Roddy the Ruin who really deals the sidesplitting rustle to the Hightower patriarch, aft he and his chaotic Northmen rampage done the city. Even aft losing an arm, the aged warrior manages to instrumentality the Hightower lord, conscionable successful clip to person Ulf and Silverwing look supra them. Ormund looks connected successful scary arsenic Roddy raises his arms – aliases what’s near of them – and bellows laughter. A bully death, nary doubt, for aged Roddy. Not what Lord Ormund had successful mind, however.

Daemon is very astir slain arsenic he battles his measurement done the city, outmatched by the alternatively ample and heavy armored Ser Jon Roxton, Ormund’s right-hand man. Only a collapsing building, burned down by dragonfire, saves him, pinch Roxton connected the different broadside of the collapse. Daemon struggles to his feet, dazed, and originates cleaving his measurement done the smouldering city. Ultimately, it’s Corlys who finds the queen’s consort and makes him fly the city. At this point, it appears only Ulf has turned coat, but Hugh finds his woman dormant and weeps complete her body. Ser Roxton finds Ormund’s corpse, while Gwayne searches among the rubble and ash for young Daeron.

We spot 3 dragons alert successful the entity supra the metropolis arsenic the Blacks retreat, presumably Caraxes, Silverwing and Vermithor, though only Ulf is riding connected one, since some Daemon and Hugh were connected ft wrong the metropolis itself. Did Daeron return formation connected Tessarion? Surely he’s live aliases we’d person seen his assemblage successful the rubble.

There are truthful galore changes from the book present that I will walk the adjacent conception discussing these (though not each of them, it would inhabit acold excessively overmuch space) truthful if you’re not willing successful comparisons and why I deliberation they’re important, skip up to the last verdict below.

The Book Version of the Battle of Tumbleton

We’ll statesman pinch Gwayne’s parlay pinch Daemon. This is akin to what Corlys urges Rhaenyra to do successful the book, though the book type is much expansive and Corlys is ne'er captured successful the first place. It’s conscionable proposal fixed arsenic Hand to the Queen.

He wants Alicent and Helaena to beryllium handed complete to the Faith, Aegon and Aemond sent to the wall, and various different provisions for bid but Rhaenyra, for illustration Daemon successful the show, denies him. Alicent makes akin entreaties to Rhaenyra, offering to disagreement the kingdom, pinch Aegon successful complaint of the stormlands, westerlands, the Reach and norm from Oldtown, pinch everything to the northbound going to Rhaenyra. “Your sons mightiness person had places of grant astatine my tribunal if they had kept faith,” Rhaenyra replied, “but they sought to rob maine of my birthright, and the humor of my saccharine sons is connected their hands.”

“Bastard blood, shed astatine war,” Alicent replies successful Martin’s book. “My son’s sons were guiltless boys, cruelly murdered. How galore much must dice to slake your thirst for vengeance?” Rhaenyra responds by telling Alicent that immoderate much talk of bastardy and she’ll person her lingua out. It’s rather . . . a different narration betwixt these 2 successful the book than successful the show, wherever Alicent is galavanting disconnected to execution her ain son. (In Mushroom’s telling, Rhaenyra ordered her lingua trim retired astatine once, but Mysaria intervened and had some Alicent and Helaena sent to a brothel successful chains wherever they were to stay until they were pinch child. “They speak of bastards truthful freely, fto them each person 1 for their very own.”)

In immoderate case, the conflict successful this section is simply a condensed type of 2 battles successful the book. In the original, Rhaenyra’s troops combine astatine Tumbleton to extremity the oncoming march of Lord Ormund and his 20,000 troops, and Daeron and his dragon Tessarion. It is present that some Ulf White and Hugh Hammer connected their dragons Vermithor and Silverwing, deny Rhaenyra and her men, laying discarded to the armies they were expected to protect.

The book only speculates connected their reasons for turning coat. They knew Aegon II was live by this constituent and possibly hoped he would reward them. Or Larys sewage to them. Or they were cowards and decided to prime the squad they thought had the precocious hand.

I really for illustration that they show Ormund mounting up Ulf’s betrayal, but I’m really uncertain wherever they’re going pinch Hugh. Will he simply blasted Rhaenyra for his wife’s death? Wouldn’t it make much consciousness to blasted Ulf? Perhaps they will only make Ulf a betrayer successful the series. Unlike Ulf, they’ve made Hugh into a respectable man successful the show, whereas some men are vile and alternatively wide loathed successful the book.

Without spoiling excessively much, since it’s wholly imaginable that immoderate of the events of the Second Battle of Tumbleton will still hap successful Season 4, divisions successful the Green campy betwixt the dragon-riders and Hightowers lead to unit and infighting, and the spot wherever Ulf sleeps passim the full matter occurs successful this conflict alternatively than the first. I fishy we will get immoderate type of this, because it is simply a beautiful important infinitesimal successful position of nonaccomplishment of life, some quality and otherwise.

Aegon and Aemond Reunited

While each this fighting is going connected astatine Tumbleton and Aegon’s sister / woman is being force-fed successful King’s Landing, the crippled and disfigured king-in-hiding flies Sunfyre to Harrenhal wherever he finds his brother, Aemond, overmuch changed. The arrogant, brooding younker is gone almost entirely, and personification acold much circumspect and humbled kneels earlier his older brother.

Aegon is infuriated. He wants a fight. He soon realizes that Aemond and his “betrothed” person been truthful isolated successful the haunted aged castle that they person nary thought what’s going connected successful the wider world. Aemond begs his brother’s forgiveness and Aegon tells him that maybe, aft they spell and bring Daeron and Ormund into line, and aft they springiness Rhaenyra and Daemon and the remainder of her loyalists a bully beating, possibly aft each is said and done he’ll see forgiving him for trying to pain him to death. Maybe.

It’s a great, if somewhat superfluous moment, betwixt these estranged brothers. Aegon remains a delightful watch successful each scene. It’s funny really one’s position tin alteration truthful drastically connected a character, though I suppose that’s pointing much toward a well-written arc than thing else. Rhaenyra has go acold little sympathetic, while Aegon, for each his galore flaws, has moved successful the other direction. Aemond, too, for that matter, while Daemon’s arrogance continues to get Team Black into each sorts of predicaments.

Verdict

Changes from the root worldly person worked overmuch amended successful the 3rd play than successful the second, though I deliberation those “butterfly wings” Martin wrote astir erstwhile he critiqued the changes past play person travel backmost to haunt House of the Dragon.

I don’t deliberation the Nettles/Rhaena changes person been a immense problem, amazingly enough, but not having Sheepstealer astir connected Team Black could propulsion things off-kilter later on, particularly successful Daemon’s upcoming storyline. More problematic is Helaena’s suicide, which feels much contrived here.

In the book, arsenic always, location is overmuch speculation. Mushroom’s communicative of her being impregnated astatine the brothel against her will; horrors of warfare she witnesses; aliases Lady Mysaria waiting until that infinitesimal to show her of her boy Maelor’s death. I suppose present it is Mysaria telling her that her boy will beryllium a hostage forever, but it feels very dissimilar Helaena to termination herself while her girl remained live and successful Rhaenyra’s clutches. I’m conscionable not judge this conception worked arsenic good arsenic it could have.

The large changes to Tumbleton fuss maine less, simply because I understand that the needs of tv and the benignant of point Martin’s Fire and Blood is trying to do alteration successful beautiful important ways. Ormund is fixed a awesome woody much characteristic and powerfulness and cleverness successful the show. Instead of Larys pulling strings, Ormund is the puppet master. We get ourselves a villain, aliases astatine slightest a foil, for Rhaenyra while Aegon and Aemond stay successful the wind. The defense of Tumbleton switches from Black to Green but it makes small quality successful the extremity (other than the large alteration to Hugh and his full storyline).

Still, changes aside, this was an unthinkable section of TV. The conflict was astonishing, a scope and standard that we haven’t seen successful this show. House of the Dragon likes to zoom successful close, very close, cramped corridors and bedchambers, claustrophobic conversations. Now, astatine last, it zoomed measurement retired instead, and soared.

Score: 9/10 Dragon Eggs

Watch my video review of this section below:

Update: Scattered Thoughts

Looking backmost connected the season, I’m irritated astatine 2 large things that took spot that astir apt could person been circumvented pinch amended writing. First, it really doesn’t make consciousness that Daemon and Rhaenyra would beryllium fooled by a mendacious Daeron. As galore readers person pointed out, why would Daemon not return Tessarion arsenic well? Daeron’s dragon surely would spell on pinch him successful a hostage business specified arsenic this. The strategy would quickly unravel. The easy solution would beryllium to skip this twist/shock altogether and simply not person Ormund dress to surrender astatine immoderate constituent to Daemon. It’s really not a basal crippled twist and does very small to alteration the trajectory of the story.

The 2nd large rumor is pinch Mysaria, supposedly this incredibly talented manipulator and spymaster who has connections each crossed the seedy underbelly of King’s Landing. And yet, erstwhile the Gold Cloaks are abruptly being murdered by men hired by Ormund, she is wholly impotent. The only point she does each play is drawback Alicent and Helaena trying to escape. The show could person had her deliberately moving against Rhaenyra, aliases it could person shown really she was foiled contempt her competency (Ormund hired existent Faceless Men, for instance, which 1 section title suggested, but is acold from clear). Making her incompetent is the slightest absorbing action and the way the show took for Season 3.

Any different large rumor harvest up for you this season? Let maine cognize connected Twitter, Instagram, aliases Facebook.

Tonight’s section was directed by Andrij Parekh (Succession, Watchmen) and written by showrunner Ryan Condal and Ti Mikkel.

Read my past reviews of Season 3 below:

• Episode 7 Recap and Review: Sunfyre Returns!
• Episode 6 Recap and Review: The Butcher’s Ball
• Episode 5 Recap and Review: A Feast For Traitors
• Episode 4 Recap and Review: Lord Ormund Isn’t Playing Around
• Episode 3 Recap and Review: The Madness of Queen Rhaenyra
• Episode 2 Recap and Review: The Fall Of King’s Landing
• Episode 1 Recap and Review: The Battle of the Gullet

‘House of the Dragon’ Cast

House of the Dragon stars:

• Matt Smith arsenic Prince Daemon Targaryen
• Emma D'Arcy arsenic Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen
• Olivia Cooke arsenic Queen Dowager Alicent Hightower
• Rhys Ifans arsenic Ser Otto Hightower
• Steve Toussaint arsenic Lord Corlys Velaryon
• Ewan Mitchell arsenic Prince Aemond Targaryen
• Tom Glynn-Carney arsenic King Aegon II Targaryen
• Fabien Frankel arsenic Ser Criston Cole
• Sonoya Mizuno arsenic Mysaria
• Harry Collett arsenic Prince Jacaerys Velaryon
• Bethany Antonia arsenic Baela Targaryen
• Phoebe Campbell arsenic Rhaena Targaryen
• Phia Saban arsenic Queen Helaena Targaryen
• Matthew Needham arsenic Larys Strong
• Freddie Fox arsenic Ser Gwayne Hightower
• Abubakar Salim arsenic Alyn of Hull
• Gayle Rankin arsenic Alys Rivers
• Tom Bennett arsenic Ulf the White
• Kieran Bew arsenic Hugh Hammer

Newcomers include:

• James Norton arsenic Ormund Hightower
• Tommy Flanagan arsenic Roderick Dustin
• Dan Fogler arsenic Torrhen Manderly
• Tom Cullen arsenic Luthor Largent
• Joplin Sibtain arsenic Jon Roxton
• Barry Sloane arsenic Adrian Redfort
• Annie Shapero arsenic Alysanne Blackwood