HBO’s House of the Dragon is finally back after a two-year wait with season three and while it wasn’t a perfect episode, it has all the ingredients of a good season premiere. ‘Salt and Sea, Fire and Blood’ updates us on all the main players, introduces new characters, and sets up a spectacular final battle extremely well. While the Battle of the Gullet looks different and occurs for different reasons than those in the book Fire & Blood, it is still a well-shot battle with high stakes and some really tense, gritty fighting. I’m probably still riding off the high of the fight scenes from A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms (which, is to say that the fighting here isn’t as good), but it is still bloody, tense, and kept you guessing.
Some Really Strong Seeds Being Planted Here
Some of the better scenes in this episode come from outside of the main battle. The scenes that lay the groundwork for future events. We see the dragonseeds (Addam, Ulf, and Hugh) react differently to the assignment given to them by Rhaenyra. Ulf is completely undedicated to the cause, Hugh is quiet throughout the whole thing, and Addam follows instructions without question. We can see the difference between all three and can guess what that means for the rest of the season.
The scene with Corlys and Alyn was given enough time to breathe, without it feeling like it was slowing down the episode or taking away from the bigger picture at hand. Corlys’ children that he had outside of his marriage are slowly becoming some of the more interesting characters in the show, and their intentions are showcased in a big way – especially Alyn in the Battle of the Gullet.
Liking Gwayne Hightower for the brief time he is on screen was surprising, but it’s nice to know Otto raised at least one child right. The scene where Gwayne was lecturing Criston Cole on civility is good on Gwayne’s part, but Criston’s new attitude of “we’re all doomed men” is rich, considering Criston’s part in the start of the tensions between Team Black and Team Green.
Ormund Hightower is Here
Speaking of Hightowers, we get introduced to Ormund Hightower – Otto’s nephew and Lord of House Hightower. While only on screen for a short time, he’s an interesting character who doesn’t necessarily care who sits in the Iron Throne, as long as they are who he fights for. And we do believe we get our first shot of Daeron, Alicent’s fourth child. And he’s…brunette? Theories on the internet guess that he’s hiding his Targaryen hair, because let’s be real: if this kid has Hightower hair, could he not be contested in the same way that Rhaenyra’s first three sons were?
Let’s Talk About the Elephant(s) In the Room
Not everything was great. We have to talk about Rhaena claiming Sheepstealer – a feral dragon that was claimed by a character named Nettles in the book; a character omitted from the show. Sweet, out-of-sorts Rhaena “claims” the wild beast, rides him into battle, and the outcome is as disastrous as you’d expect without getting into too many spoilers. Not a smart choice and it cost Team Black.
Also, what the hell was that kiss between Aemond and Alicent? This crosses into spoiler territory, but it has to be talked about. We know Targaryens, but this is weird even for Targcest. Aemond has very clearly had mommy issues from the start, but between this and the dream sequence between Daemon and his mom in season two, I’m questioning the creative team behind this show. Daemon and Rhaenyra may be uncle and niece, but for the most part, the incestuous pairings haven’t been vertical, soooo…why? Okay, this whole line of thinking just feels weird – like that kiss!!
Finally, it has to be said. Lohar is not the cool badass warrior-lady character everyone portrays her as. She broke her contract with Tyland and her singular focus on Corlys proved to be a bad decision. Great fight sequences, though, between Corlys and Alyn vs. Lohar.
SPOILER, SPOILER, SPOILER!!!!
Okay, this is MAJOR spoiler territory, but we can’t end this review without talking about Jacaerys Velaryon’s death. As the meme says, my shaylaaaa. As a book reader, we knew it was coming, but it still hurt. Jacaerys’ motives for joining the Battle of the Gullet are different than the motives from Fire & Blood, but it was still cool seeing Jace and Baela in battle together. A true power couple. The way Jace and Baela maneuvered Vermax and Moondancer was so cool and the episode did a great job in showing the flying skills of both experienced riders, as well as showing the bond that they have with their dragons. Jace’s death was sad and the buildup to it filled me with desperation, despite knowing that he wasn’t getting out of this episode alive.
If Lucerys’ death broke Rhaenyra, Jace’s death will wreck her. This was just episode one, so there’s so much more to go, and while there are some questionable decisions made on behalf of the writers, season three’s premiere was exciting enough to make us want to tune in next week.
A girl with too many fandoms to count.
