Gaming ‘House Of The Dragon’ Season 3, Episode 1 Recap And Review: The Battle Of The Gullet By Erik Kain ,
Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. I write about TV shows, movies, video games, entertainment & culture. Follow Author Jun 21, 2026, 10:00pm EDT House of the Dragon Credit: HBO Season 2 of House of the Dragon ended where it began. Team Green (Aemond, Aegon, Allicent, the Hightowers, Ser Criston Cole etc.) and Team Black (Rhaenyra, Jace, Daemon, the new lowborn dragonriders etc.) on the eve of war. If I were to level but one accusation at the second season, it would be that very little happens betwixt its premiere and finale . A lot of table-setting for war, positioning of pieces on the board, setup for big exciting things to come. Season 1 was also a lot of laying of groundwork for the Dance of Dragons.
If I were to level a second accusation at Season 2, it would be the many baffling changes from George R.R. Martin’s book. The first season padded out a lot of stuff but it had a good reason to. The show spent time introducing us to Viserys I and his family in order to establish the overarching conflict, and it was done quite well. Season 2, on the other hand, made more egregious alterations.
One of these changes was the exclusion of Nettles, the teenage girl in the book who tames the wild dragon, Sheepstealer. In the show, Nettles is replaced with Rhaena Targaryen. This is at least an understandable change: Instead of introducing yet another new character to an already sprawling cast, they gave Rhaena – who doesn’t have a dragon – her own and something to do. I’m not saying I agree with this change, but I do understand its purpose.
House of the Dragon Credit: HBO Other changes were more inexplicable. The Blood & Cheese assassination was neutered entirely , and while still a horrific moment, lacked the genuinely brutal “Sophie’s Choice” that made the original scene so powerful. The relationship between Rhaenyra and Allicent became bloated and wore out its welcome and continues to drag the story down as we enter Season 3.
Rhaenyra’s character arc was likewise neutered, with the show’s creators insistent on making her the Good Guy when, in fact, she’s a lot more complicated and bloodthirsty and unhinged in the original story. Maybe they’re getting to that point, but I worry that this Rhaenyra / Allicent friendship has made them alter both characters for the worse (by making them both far more likable).
Some of these changes in focus have left important characters on the sidelines. Specifically, three of Rhaenyra’s sons – Joffrey, Aegon the Younger and Viserys – have spent so little time in the frame, it’s easy to forget they exist. And the absence of two of these in the Season 3 premiere is quite strange.
House of the Dragon Credit: HBO In Season 2 we learn that Aegon the Younger and Viserys are to be taken to safety in Pentos by Reggio Haratis, along with Rhaena, though she absconds to find and tame Sheepstealer. Joffrey and his young dragon remain at the Eyrie. The voyage is poorly timed, however, with the Triarchy fleet on the move.
The Season 3 premiere focuses on the Battle of the Gullet, the largest and most devastating naval battle in the history of Westeros, and in the books it begins when the ship transporting Rhaenyra’s children, the Gay Abandon , is seized by the Triarchy. Aegon escapes on the back of his small dragon, Stormcloud, though the dragon is pelted with arrows and later di…