We already know that House of the Dragon season 3 is the penultimate season, which will most likely drop sometime in 2028. Since the finale is coming next week, the long wait will begin. That means that we’re going to see a bit of a decline in Rhaenyra’s (Emma D'Arcy) mental state—meaning, her dark side is going to come out more, and the show's writers are nervous.
In the official HBO podcast for House of the Dragon, one of the writers for “The Dragon in Winter,” Philippa Goslett, spoke about how she was nervous for the writing of Rhaenyra’s downfall and how we're going to see more and more of her dark side going forward.
“I would say that we’re seeing these dark parts rising within Rhaenyra, and we are concerned about where she’s headed.”
Goslett also said that a clear indication of Rhaenyra's future was depicted in the scene with Helaena Targaryen, where she demanded that Helaena (Phia Saban) reveal her dreams and confirm that Rhaenyra is the one meant to rule. And as she asks, she’s frantic and anxious.
“We are seeing parts of her, particularly in the scene with Helaena, where her frustration is giving rise to darker sides of her character. To sides which would adhere more towards the Daemon vision of how she should rule, to compel her as her queen," Goslett explained.
Rhaenyra’s downfall is set up throughout season 3
To be honest, there are a lot of reasons why Rhaenyra is feeling this way after everything that has happened over the last couple of episodes since she claimed the throne of the Seven Kingdoms. Season 3 episode 7 itself saw the dragons dance in a way we haven’t seen in a long time, where dragons were quite literally fighting against each other.
That moment is due to Rhaenyra and how relentless she is in trying to find the dragon rider responsible for the distraction that led to Jacaerys' death, which just so happened to be her stepdaughter Rhaena. That sequence ends with Sheepstealer licking his wounds, as he can’t fly, and by the end of it, we don’t really know if he’s dead.
Even with Rhaenyra’s quest for vengeance against those who have wronged her, she’s also ruffling plenty of feathers too, which led to a massive betrayal that is set up for the season 3 finale. The dragonseed Ulf White is persuaded by Ormund Hightower to abandon his loyalty to Rhaenyra for the chance to become a lord, and he eerily ends the episode saying the Blacks will “burn” before seeing who he truly is.
Yikes. Well, that doesn't sound great.
We’re really going to see a lot of harm will likely come to Rhaenyra before this show ends. And since there’s still going to be one more major battle in this season, we might get one extra dose of pain before we’re forced to wait for some time. It’s no wonder the writers are nervous — heck, I’m nervous. I suppose we’ll just need to wait and see.
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