House of the Dragon season 3 granted viewers something they'd been waiting for since the very start of the show, when Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D'Arcy) finally ascended the Iron Throne for the first time and claimed her rightful place as Queen of the Seven Kingdoms. While this moment was tempered by bloodshed and tragedy, it still marked a massive turning point for HBO's Game of Thrones prequel series as well as Westeros as a whole.
By the season's fourth episode, "Tumbleton," Rhaenyra's ascension is also starting to reshape the Red Keep and Small Council in ways that will ultimately lead to it becoming the way we see in the original show — starting with the rejection of an archaic tradition which has bemused viewers since the show's very first episode.
Rhaenyra's first Small Council reform brings it closer to Game of Thrones
Part of the promise of House of the Dragon is getting to see what the Seven Kingdoms and King's Landing were like when the Targaryens were at the height of their power, before it all slips away as they destroy their own dynasty. This not only means dragons galore, but also a plethora of other differences big and small, from an Iron Throne surrounded by far more swords, to different buildings such as the Grand Sept instead of Thrones' Great Sept of Baelor, since the latter won't be built until decades after the Dance of the Dragons civil war ends. For observant fans of Westeros, the little details are an incredibly appealing aspect of House of the Dragon.
One such divergent detail appears in the Small Council chamber, where the ruler and each of their closest advisors have a fun little way of marking themselves present and ready to talk business. Yes, I'm talking about the little balls. And as of "Tumbleton," they've become an unexpected early casualty of the Black Queen's reign.
Rhaenyra Targaryen has abolished the Small Council's marbles
As she takes her place at the head of her Small Council in episode 4, Rhaenyra finds herself with inconveniently few advisors, since she gave the boot to several who served her poorly on Dragonstone. After Orwyle (Kurt Egyiawan) offers a valuable strategy for retaking Tumbleton from Ormund Hightower (James Norton), Rhaenyra allows him to continue in his role as Grand Maester. But as he goes to claim his little marble to join the meeting, she bids him leave it.
"Relics of a dead regime," she declares them, and just like that, the tradition of attendance marbles in the Small Council is no more.
While this is a tiny thing in the grand scheme of the Dance of the Dragons, it's enough to pique the curiosity about what other changes we'll see happen during the final two seasons of the show's run that move things more toward the Westeros we know and love from Game of Thrones and A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.
Will we see the nest of swords around the Iron Throne removed, perhaps so that a certain leader requiring a wooden throne might better sit before it? Why is the thriving city of Tumbleton no longer a bustling trading hub in the days of Robert Baratheon and Ned Stark? How will the show explain the events that irrevocably change the Dragonpit — the mighty building where Targaryen dragons are housed — which stands in ruin by the time Jon Snow and Daenerys Targaryen treat with Cersei Lannister there in an attempt to form an alliance against the army of the dead?
House of the Dragon will undoubtedly answer these questions and many more before the credits roll for the last time on Rhaenyra, Aegon II (Tom Glynn-Carney), and their warring branches of the Targaryen family. And while spectacular clashes like the Battle of the Gullet will undoubtedly leave their mark, quieter shifts such as Rhaenyra's first Small Council reform will also forever change the Seven Kingdoms. It's going to be fascinating to discover all the ways House of the Dragon approaches the historical transformation of Westeros as it nears the end of its run.
Given showrunner Ryan Condal's love of props and the nature of George R.R. Martin's source book Fire & Blood as a tome which delights in playing with the fluid nature of historical record, I'm expecting more changes like the Small Council marbles ahead. After all, the catspaw dagger, currently in the possession of Aemond Targaryen (Ewan Mitchell), still has quite a journey ahead before it pierces the Night King. The props, settings, and cultures of the Seven Kingdoms are undergoing their own story just as much as the characters at the heart of the drama.
So remember the next time you watch Game of Thrones: it's because of Rhaenyra Targaryen that Tyrion Lannister never got the chance to make jokes about the Small Council's little balls.
House of the Dragon season 3 premieres new episodes Sundays on HBO and HBO Max. Check out our recap and review for episode 4, "Tumbleton," here.
Considering a rewatch as you make your way through season 3? We've assembled watch guides for House of the Dragon season 1 and House of the Dragon season 2, which have collected all our reviews, page-to-screen comparisons, and Easter egg breakdowns for the show's previous episodes. See you in Westeros!
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