The eagerly anticipated third season of “House of the Dragon,” the prominent prequel and spin-off to “Game of Thrones,” has returned, and critics are singing its praises after viewing the first four episodes.
These initial episodes, made available to critics before the show’s June 21 premiere, plunge viewers back into the turmoil as Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen, portrayed by Emma D’Arcy, battles to secure her claim to the Iron Throne of Westeros. She seeks to unite the Black factions against her once-close ally and now adversary, Queen Alicent Hightower, played by Olivia Cooke, who commands the formidable Green army. Following the groundwork laid in Season 2, which hinted at significant confrontations, Season 3 dives headfirst into the intense conflicts of the Targaryen civil war, famously known as the Dance of the Dragons, much to the delight of critics.
In a review for Mama’s Geeky, Tessa Smith observed that “This season wastes absolutely no time getting into the dark and gritty. The Battle of the Gullet is a massive, devastating spectacle, and it just gets wilder from there.” Similarly, Melody McCune at MovieWeb urged viewers to “Strap in, folks. It’s all sword-clashing, fire-breathing action from here on out, with a smattering of political machinations for good measure.” Matthew Jackson from Looper echoed these sentiments, stating, “The series is better than ever, and the new season will have you hanging on every single moment.”
Nick Schager, contributing to The Daily Beast, also praised the season, describing it as “an assured and often-thrilling mixture of colossal battles and court intrigue.” Megan Lachinski from Next Best Picture concurred, noting that the season addresses previous criticisms effectively, leading to “a thrilling new season and the series’ best so far.”
Alison Herman, representing Variety, highlighted the interpersonal dynamics, particularly how the third season develops after the clandestine meeting between Rhaenyra and Alicent in the Season 2 finale, amid plans involving the fate of Alicent’s son, Aegon II Targaryen, played by Tom Glynn-Carney. Herman noted, “Whether they provide surprise and distraction or anchoring ballast, it’s the people who make ‘House of the Dragon’ worth enduring the predetermined devastation.” Kaiya Shunyata from RogerEbert.com shared this view, stating that as the stakes escalate, the characters have become more nuanced and fully developed. Meanwhile, Samantha Nelson at Polygon affirmed that the season is “well worth watching to enjoy the same mix of cutthroat intrigue, spectacular action, and gutting drama that made the world fall in love with Westeros.”
Writing for Mama’s Geeky, critic Tessa Smith declared, “This season wastes absolutely no time getting into the dark and gritty. The Battle of the Gullet is a massive, devastating spectacle, and it just gets wilder from there.” Melody McCune agreed for MovieWeb. “Strap in, folks. It’s all sword-clashing, fire-breathing action from here on out, with a smattering of political machinations for good measure,” she wrote in her review. Looper’s own Matthew Jackson added to the chorus of rave reviews, writing, “The series is better than ever, and the new season will have you hanging on every single moment.”
Nick Schager, writing for The Daily Beast, also thinks the season is a huge success, calling it “an assured and often-thrilling mixture of colossal battles and court intrigue.” Megan Lachinski agreed for Next Best Picture: “[Season 3] takes most of the complaints of the first two seasons and addresses them head-on, making for a thrilling new season and the series’ best so far.”
According to critics, House of the Dragon Season 3 is a triumph — and a pivot from the previous season
Ollie Upton/HBO
Over at Variety, Alison Herman praised the interpersonal conflict on the third season of “House of the Dragon,” which picks up after Rhaenyra and Alicent met in secret during the Season 2 finale to try and come to an agreement … albeit one that’s supposed to result in the death of Alicent’s eldest son and heir Aegon II Targaryen (Tom Glynn-Carney). “Whether they provide surprise and distraction or anchoring ballast, it’s the people who make “House of the Dragon” worth enduring the predetermined devastation,” Herman wrote in her review. Kaiya Shunyata seemed to agree with this assessment at RogerEbert.com. “As the stakes grow, the show has managed to salvage its beating heart, allowing its characters to become fully realized, complicated versions of the husks who took up the screen in [Season 2],” she mused. At Polygon, Samantha Nelson declared, “It’s well worth watching to enjoy the same mix of cutthroat intrigue, spectacular action, and gutting drama that made the world fall in love with Westeros.”
Still, some critics had reservations, like Daniel Fienberg at The Hollywood Reporter. “Anyway, this all boils down to me really liking the third episode, liking portions of the fourth and fearing that no matter how much I like the change of direction that occurs in much of those two episodes, House of the Dragon has too much on its plate,” he wrote. Nick Hilton at The Independent UK expressed a similar sentiment, saying, “In truth, ‘House of the Dragon’ is perfectly watchable fare.”
Season 3 of “House of the Dragon” premieres on HBO and HBO Max on Sunday, June 21 at 9 p.m. EST — and here’s the only recap you need before you return to Westeros.