Say what you will about House of the Dragon as an adaptation. (As both George R.R. Martin and myself have.) But d*mn if the show doesn’t know how to cut one seven bloody hells of a trailer. The latest look at the show’s upcoming third season is an intense, violent, sad affair that teases an explosive new entry. It makes good on House Targaryen’s promise. There will be plenty of fire and there will be plenty of blood. And the ones set to suffer the most are the family members bringing both to Westeros.
“There will be no doubt who the gods have chosen to rule.”
That’s the tagline for this newest promo for season three of HBO’s first Game of Thrones‘ prequel series. We’re not so sure this is a matter forthe gods, though. This is about dragons, both human and fire made flesh.
In this trailer we see Rhaenyra and her supporters having the advantage. However, as Queen Alicent tells her former friend-turned enemy-turned accomplice, ruling comes at a great cost. And that’s without factoring in that the Targaryen civil war is clearly far from over. There are still plenty of battles to be fought and plenty of losses to be endured.
While we won’t give away any spoilers, book readers will definitely spot some big moments (and/or their fallout) destined to occur this season. (That one very emotional reaction….we know. We know.) Even those unfamiliar with George R.R. Martin’s history knew multiple big battles loom at the start of the season. The show’s sophomore outing set up some huge conflicts without delivering them.
Was that a mistake? Some would say yes. (It’s me, I’m some.) But the tradeoff is that season three could be the show’s best yet. We’ll find out when House of the Dragon returns to the skies of Westeros this summer. The third season debuts on June 21, 2026.