Warning: Spoilers ahead! Do not proceed unless you have seen the “House of the Dragon” season 3 premiere.
Good night, sweet prince.
“House of the Dragon” season 3 opens by brutally killing another protagonist: Prince Jacaerys “Jace” Velaryon (Harry Collett), the firstborn son of Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D’Arcy) and the heir.
In the episode, Rhaenyra is informed that ships are gathering and preparing to fight. She will fly her dragon, Syrax, into the naval battle – which is called The Battle of the Gullet.
Jace insists that because his mother is the queen, she shouldn’t risk going. He locks Rhaenyra in her chambers and obeys her orders, flying out his dragon, Vermax, to enter the battle himself.
As Jace and Vermax fly over the water where the ships are fighting, his cousin, Lady Rhaena Targaryen (Phoebe Campbell), flies into Sheepstealer, the wild dragon she recently tamed.
Unfortunately, Jace had no idea that Rhaena was coming to help him, and he is both surprised and distracted.
Since she is new to flying a dragon and the sheep styler is wild, Rhaena has limited control over the dragon. The beast keeps spitting fire at people erratically – regardless of which side of the war they are on.
Rhaena and Sheepstealer distract Jace, leading to Vermax being shot down by enemies on the ships below.
Jace drops a wounded Vermax. As he floats in the water, archers standing on a nearby ship shoot him in the chest with a bunch of arrows, killing him. His body is left floating in the water.
During an HBO press conference attended by Page Six, Collett said Jace had “reached his boiling point,” which is why he locked his mother in her room and went into battle against her orders.
“He is very determined. He knows what he wants, he knows what needs to be done and he will stop at nothing to get it,” he added.
But in the end, Jace was stopped – by a distracting dragon and a hail of arrows.
The show takes place nearly 200 years before the events of “Game of Thrones.” In the years following “The House of the Dragon”, the Battle of Gullet is known as the bloodiest sea battle in Westeros history.
The main forces fighting the battle are the Triarchy, led by Sharako Lohar (Abigail Thorn) and Tyland Lannister (Jefferson Hall), who violently clash against Jace’s grandfather, Corlys Velaryon (Steve Toussaint), and his forces.
“House of the Dragon” follows Rhaenyra and her allies – which include the Corlys – as they battle for control of the Iron Throne.
In true “House of the Dragon” style, Jace isn’t the only death the Season 3 opener featured.
Sharako and Tyland are also killed in the Battle of Gullet.
Tyland’s twin, Jason Lannister (also Hall) is also beheaded off-screen, earlier in the episode.
Jace is Rhaenyra’s second son to die after her half-brother Aemond Targaryen’s (Ewan Mitchell) dragon ate his son Lucerys “Luke” Velaryon (Elliot Grihault)at the end of season 1.
For those keeping count: Rhaenyra started out with five sons and now has three. Her eldest three sons (including Jace and Luke) were fathered by Harwin Strong (Ryan Corr). Her two younger sons (who haven’t been on screen much) were fathered by her uncle-slash-husband, Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith).
During a press conference attended by Page Six, showrunner Ryan Condal said, “It’s a Shakespearean family tragedy,” adding, “things get darker and a little bleaker.”
This is the penultimate season as HBO has announced that the show will end with an upcoming season 4.
“There’s a darker mood that you’re going to continue to see unfold over the rest of, not just this season, but into the final season,” Condal said.
“House of the Dragon” airs Sundays at 9 p.m. on HBO.
