‘House of the Dragon’: Everything We Want to See in Season 3

Editor’s Note: This post contains spoilers for “House of the Dragon” Season 2, but not for Season 3 events in George R.R. Martin’s “Fire & Blood.”

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While we’re easily two years away from “House of the Dragon” Season 3 on HBO — but that happens to be the perfect time to fantasize about the show’s future as the writers room reconvenes. After showrunner Ryan Condal confirmed that he’s ultimately planning for four seasons, there’s a hard deadline on when and how the story ends, and hopefully more focused, driven storytelling as a result.

“House of the Dragon” is a massive production which requires meticulous planning, budgeting, and post-production — and that’s on top of balancing complexly intertwined relationships and loyalties within the story. It’s also a test of pacing for both the audience and those who work on the show; Season 2 picked up immediately on the heels of Season 1, maybe hours after the finale occurred chronologically, and with characters marching to battle in Season 2’s last moments, the same will likely happen again.

George R.R. Martin already established an outline for key events in his novella “Fire & Blood,” but “House of the Dragon” isn’t sticking firmly to Martin’s timeline or character arcs, so there’s room for the show to keep spreading its wings in the future.

With that in mind, here’s a little wish list with broad strokes for Season 3. All we can do in the end is trust the creative team… but that doesn’t mean we can’t nudge them a little.

A New Side of Daemon

After weeks (even if it felt like years) having nightmares and drinking Alys Rivers’ (Gayle Rankin) specialty brew, Daemon (Matt Smith) bent the knee to his wife and queen Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy), which should hopefully signify an interesting shift for the character. Daemon has had his eye on the Iron Throne ever since we met him; though he didn’t sabotage others’ claims or try to kill his brother (like someone else we know), he resented all of brother Viserys’ (Paddy Considine) children for pushing him lower down in the succession, including Rhaenyra (and the baby Baelon, who lived only a day). Who is this man without that corrosive sentiment hanging over him? We can’t wait to find out.

Another Big Battle

This feels like neither a tall ask nor a spoiler. After two whole seasons teasing war, Condal promised “total war” in the show’s third season, so let’s have it! There are no less than ten dragon riders in the show now, which should make the airborne beast battles of Season 2, Episode 4 and Season 1, Episode 10 look like child’s play. Don’t break the budget, of course, but maybe break a few existing records.

Rhaenyra and Alicent

The poster children of “House of the Dragon” only had two scenes together in Season 2, and they were two of the most electric. Rhaenyra and Alicent may be on opposing sides of the war, but D’Arcy and Olivia Cooke are electric together; they have the kind of chemistry that makes a showrunner rewrite the entire source material and has led to some of the more compelling threads of loyalty and treason in this story. Alicent has now made the conscious choice to distance herself from two of her sons and relinquish Aegon’s (Tom Glynn-Carney) claim to the throne, inviting Rhaenyra to take it for her own (unless she wants to run away together!).

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More of Helaena’s Visions

The kindest character in “House of the Dragon” happens to be blessed with… visions? Vibes? Clairvoyance? Maybe all three — and whatever it is, it seems to be getting stronger and more within her control. The Season 2 finale connected Helaena (Phia Saban) to “Bloodraven,” a Targaryen with omniscient and magical powers, when she appears in Daemon’s haunted Harrenhal visions. She also appeared significantly more confident that whatever she sees and feels will indeed come to pass — including her brother Aegon back on the throne and brother Aemond’s eventual death.

Daeron

Alicent’s youngest son was the talk of the town this season, but Daeron was not in the story and hasn’t even been cast! Lot of pressure for the young actor who will mount the blue dragon Tessarion next season, but it’s about time we got some fresh blood in here with all that fire (no disrespect to the season’s new riders). Daeron’s been busy studying with the maesters of Oldtown, and while her two elder sons have turned out to be nightmares Alicent can’t help pin her remaining hope on the youngest. Will Daeron follow in his brothers’ footsteps, match his sister’s gentle nature, or perhaps a secret third thing?

Fewer Council Meetings

Everything doesn’t have to be full-tilt dragon battle, but everything that isn’t doesn’t have to be a conversation or argument about strategy. This cast has so much to offer in terms of acting prowess and chemistry between all its players, and could be put to much better use than repeatedly outlining plot and stakes through dialogue. Sometimes these scenes strengthen the emotional weight of the war and its interpersonal tension, but in Season 2 they felt like a narrative crutch.

Corlys’ Redemption

A fan favorite, Corlys Velaryon (Steve Toussaint) had a tough Season 2 between losing his wife and getting read to pieces by his son by another woman, Alyn of Hull (Abubakar Salim). Corlys knew about his Alyn and Addam (Clinton Liberty) for their whole lives but didn’t try to help or see them, and he’s rightfully put in his place for that. Will the Sea Snake be the dad that steps up, after all these years? Will he celebrate and raise up his remaining sons, w i t h h i s d e a d w i f e ‘ s b l e s s i n g ?

Jace and Baela Supremacy

Rhaenyra’s oldest son (Harry Collett) went from boy to man this season, and he’s poised to be the future king if she wins the throne. He and Baela (Bethany Antonia) are the rare “Game of Thrones” couple to actually know and like each other, and the rare Targaryen betrothal that’s not between direct siblings (I think…cousins…removed?). There’s clearly a lot of love and respect between these two, who you can already envision as leaders of the realm in due course.

More Creativity from Criston Cole

A man changed after he faced his own insignificance in Season 2, Criston (Fabien Frankel) is still in danger of returning to his insufferable self next season, so my ask is minimal: stop calling Rhaenyra a “whore.” We get it — you loved her, you wanted to be with her, and she didn’t reciprocate. But everyone gets dumped, my guy, even if not everyone’s ex ends up at war with your new boss over who rules the kingdom, so it’s time to move on! Call Rhaenyra a pretender, usurper, a kinslayer — hell you can call her “tacky” for all I care, but whore no more!

“House of the Dragon” is now streaming on Max.