The season 3 premiere of House of the Dragon is fast approaching, and little by little, we're getting glimpses at what's in store. A new clip was shown during Olivia Cooke's appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon this week that featured a confrontation between Alicent Hightower and her son, Aemond Targaryen (Ewan Mitchell). Now we're checking in with Team Black, thanks to a clip aired on the TODAY Show that accompanied an appearance by Daemon Targaryen actor Matt Smith.
This clip is a juicy one. It shows Daemon amidst the bloody remnants of a battle in the Riverland, where he debates the best way to dispose of bodies with young Lord Oscar Tully (Archie Barnes). Daemon wants to burn them with Caraxes, the better to stave off any plagues that can come from the corpses; Oscar insists rivermen must return to the mud. It's a cool interaction that highlights the cultural differences between the Targaryens and people of the Riverlands.
Smith teased "two absolute splendid battles" coming in House of the Dragon season 3. From the sound of things, Daemon may have a hand in at least one of them. "He's back in the belly of the beast, he's got his sword in his hand, he's got blood on his soul," Smith said. "You know, he's back. He's back fighting, he's back starting wars, he's back doing what Daemon does, which is take souls, man. Take souls, take people down."
This will no doubt come as a relief to fans. Daemon Targaryen spent most of season 2 cooped up at Harrenhal having trippy dreams and visions, which went over poorly enough that even this mainstream media interview broaches the fact that fans were displeased with it. "He was drinking some fuzzy tea or something, I don't know what he was doing," Smith joked.
It certainly is good to see Daemon back on a battlefield. As for which battles Smith could be referring to here, we've got some ideas — but to discuss them we'll have to get into MILD SPOILERS from George R.R. Martin's book, Fire & Blood.
Daemon Targaryen clip reveals the result of House of the Dragon season 3's first battle
There are several battles that could fit Smith's tease. Obviously, we know the Battle of the Gullet which features in the season premiere is easily one of the most ambitious sequences the show has ever attempted. It's pretty much a guarantee that's one of the battles he's referencing.
But what of the other? The First Battle of Tumbleton, where forces loyal to Ormund Hightower and Rhaenyra Targaryen clash with stunningly disastrous results in a bustling market city, seems a strong possibility. The show foreshadowed it last season when Hugh (Kieran Bew) and his wife Kat (Ellora Torchia) discussed the city. For my money, this is the other one Smith is alluding to, and I wouldn't be surprised if the show found a way to involve Daemon in it. But Tumbleton is far from the only battle we're expecting to see in House of the Dragon season 3.
In the Riverlands, there are three major battles on the horizon: the Battle of the Red Fork, the Battle by the Lakeshore (nicknamed the Fishfeed), and the Butcher's Ball. The Butcher's Ball is a crucial battle for one particular character, and it is all but guaranteed to feature in some form this season.
The Fishfeed is another epic moment from the book, and stands as the single bloodiest land battle of the entire war. As for the Red Fork, that's a battle that was teed up by the season 2 finale, when Lord Jason Lannister's (Jefferson Hall) army marched on the Red Fork river to make their crossing into the Riverlands. He'll find a host of rivermen waiting for him. It doesn't go well for Lord Jason in the book, and from this clip, we can see the same is true in House of the Dragon.
I imagine this scene occurs in the aftermath of the Battle of the Red Fork, because Daemon mentions Jason Lannister escaping the carnage, while Oscur Tully speculates that the Lannister army will try to regroup near the Gods Eye — a clear set up for the Battle by the Lakeshore. Given the Red Fork's timing in the narrative, and the fact that season 2 ended on the brink of it, the chances are very good this battle will be the first one of the season, even before the Gullet.
That said, I doubt the show will spend much time on it; and it certainly isn't one of the 'splendid battles' Smith teased, because if it was there's no way they'd be showing clips of the aftermath ahead of the season premiere. That's pretty understandable, in my opinion. The Battle of the Red Fork is probably the smallest skirmish of this part of the Dance...which is saying something about what's to come, because it's still a horrific battle that sets the tone for the war in the Riverlands.
However House of the Dragon handles the Battle of the Red Fork, and whatever other battles between the Greens and Blacks await, the time to find out is almost here. House of the Dragon season 3 premieres June 21 on HBO and HBO Max.
Add us as a preferred source on Google