At long last, the promo for House of the Dragon season 3 is fully underway. The Game of Thrones prequel series, which has been off air for nearly two years now, has a lot to prove in this next installment—and the cast and crew are hyping us up to believe they’ll deliver.
We’re less than one month away from the premiere, and as the countdown continues, HBO has released the full-length trailer for House of the Dragon season 3. Check it out:
Woah. There’s so much to unpack here. We get a bit of a clearer narrative in this trailer, which makes sense, because though it’s being promoted as the “final trailer,” it’s actually the first full-length trailer after a couple of teasers. There’s no doubt after the disappointing season 2 finale that this season will be all-out war. Finally! But it seems Rhaenyra Targaryen is still insistent on winning back the Iron Throne without spilling blood.
In one early moment in the trailer, Rhaenyra declares “We’ll secure the city without further bloodshed,” referring to King’s Landing. I can’t lie, this makes me a little nervous. We’ve been waiting for Rhaenyra to drop the saint act for a while now, and though I absolutely love her, she got a little boring in the second season. After the Battle of the Gullet, I simply can’t see her wanting to be this peaceful still. But I guess we’ll have to wait and see what her evolution is this season.
There is a later scene in the trailer where Alicent Hightower’s narration is heard over a shot of Rhaenyra looking angry, saying: “Did I not warn you that you would come to this?” The trailer is making it seem like she’s talking to Rhaenyra at this point, and I have to wonder what exactly she’s referring to. We know the war is going to get ugly. We know there will be a LOT of bloodshed, despite what Rhaenyra wants, so we’re curious to see how this changes her mindset.
Elsewhere in the trailer, we get more shots of the Battle of the Gullet, as well as quick scenes of all of the main players. We’ve known this battle is going to open up the season, and the trailer does a good job reminding us there’s still a lot to come after that.
On Thursday evening, House of the Dragon hosted a panel at ATX TV Festival in Austin, Texas, spotlighting the very highly anticipated Battle of the Gullet. Cast members Steve Toussaint (Corlys Velaryon), Harry Collett (Jacaerys Velaryon), Bethany Antonia (Baela Targaryen), and Abubakar Salim (Alyn of Hull), along with showrunner Ryan Condal, were all present to share some exclusive new footage and other fun tidbits.
“Incredible, organized chaos,” Salim described filming the Battle of the Gullet, “it’s why it felt so magical at the time…was it all a dream?!”
It’s no secret that the Battle of the Gullet will be one of the biggest events, if not the biggest, of House of the Dragon season 3. The naval battle will open up the season, with Corlys Velaryon and his fleet going up against Tyland Lannister’s army and the Sharako Loha-led Triarchy. Not only should the battle be absolutely action-packed, but it’ll also be devastating. We won’t get into book spoilers here, but this will serve as a turning point for the Dance of the Dragons. And us fans will never get over it.
For Entertainment Weekly’s House of the Dragon cover story, published earlier this week, Condal called the season 3 premiere “arguably the craziest episode of television ever made.” This echoes sentiments he’s shared over the past couple of years, getting fans ready for what should be epic television. Though fans are a bit hesitant to believe these big claims after losing trust in the writers in season 2, it’s hard not to get excited.
No matter how the show depicts the Battle of the Gullet, we know this event will change everything for all involved in the war. As Condal says, “There is the reality before the Gullet and the reality after the Gullet.” Though characters have faced tremendous heartbreak already, this one is different. It’s said to be one of the bloodiest naval battle in all of Westeros history, and in the aftermath, there are no real winners.
House of the Dragon season 3 premieres on Sunday, June 21, on HBO and HBO Max. Keep checking back with us at Winter Is Coming for all the latest Westeros news.
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