House of the Dragon Showrunner Promises War ‘Comes to a Head’ in Season Three

Photo: HBO

For many, the House of the Dragon season-two finale, “The Queen Who Ever Was,� lacked a Vermithor-worthy bite. Daemon pledges his fealty to Queen Rhaenyra with a massive army to boot, Alicent comes to Dragonstone with a desperate plea, armies march across Westeros, and Rhaena is maybe still running through the Vale. It’s all a boiling pot of promises that has yet to spill over. Showrunner Ryan Condal compared this season to Westeros’s version of the Cold War, likening it to “a metaphor for a nuclear conflict.� House of the Dragon has elected to let those conflicts simmer a little longer — a year or two at most — as Condal confirmed during a virtual press conference this morning; preparation for season three will start in the fall, while production will begin in early 2025. Taking a break from writing season three, he discussed the events of season two and even briefly lifted the lid on the events of season three, in which, he promises, “war really comes to a big head.�

Daemon has no idea he just binge-watched Game of Thrones.
Alys Rivers’s Harrenhal therapy definitely put Daemon Targaryen through the wringer (the writers’ way of “humbling Daemon�), topped with a glimpse of White Walkers and Daenerys Targaryen, but Condal noted that Daemon doesn’t know who she is. “He is sensing that This was shown to me for a specific reason. We know Rhaenrya is already running with the Prince Who Was Promised, but if Daemon also believes that that is Rhaenyra … there’s an interesting thing to be done with his interpretation of that reality as we move forward.�

Daemon’s vision also shows a red comet shooting through the sky — Melisandre says in George R.R. Martin’s novel A Dance With Dragons, “When the red star bleeds and the darkness gathers, Azor Ahai shall be born again amidst smoke and salt� — before it reveals the back of Daenerys with her three newborn dragons, leading many online to believe it’s the show confirming she is the Prince over Jon Snow or anyone else. Condal played coy to that notion, revealing they chose the image of Daenerys to instill a singular goal in Daemon’s mind: to put Rhaenyra on the Iron Throne. “We are not trying to make any kind of specific interpretation of a prophecy that has yet to be revealed by its author,� he said. “That’s George’s world.�

Helaena Targaryen’s dreamer abilities are “evolving.� 
Another unexpected face in Daemon’s vision was Helaena, who seemingly dream-walks into this moment. She speaks with Daemon’s vengeful Green Team counterpart, Aemond, telling him some possibly spoiler-filled truths. See, Helaena wasn’t known to be “dreamer� in Fire & Blood, but Condal spoke about how Alicent’s sons got meaty stories as dragon-riding warriors while Helaena was “a bit of a tabula rasa,� giving them a great challenge in expanding her character. Martin has written about how much he loves this upgrade: In season one, Helaena spoke of her dreams as almost riddles, from “the beast beneath the boards� to “spool of green, spool of black. Dragons of flesh, weaving dragons of thread.� Now, in the back half of season two, Helaena plainly announces the future for Aemond and Aegon II.

Condal compared her journey to a psychic medium’s evolution. She’s learning to interpret her dreams better as well as wield them properly, but this is coming from “extreme psychological pressure� from the loss of her child Jaehaerys and “the stress of living in this chaotic environment.� Condal is aware that her dreams come across as big spoilers but said spoilers are just a Wikipedia search away. “We dispensed with the idea that there are going to be surprises on that level … The surprises come from the nuances and character moments,� he said. “Just because a thing is told to you doesn’t mean it’s going to happen exactly that way.�

Alicent leaves Rhaenyra more tortured than ever. 
The finale might have had nary a physical battle, but there was definitely some behind-closed-doors politicking from Alicent and Rhaenyra. Condal described Rhaenyra as a “rebel running against the grain of a male-led society� while Alicent was placed in a position to use “soft female power� to gain influence, though using those tools to place her son on the throne ultimately led her nowhere. “We see how Alicent has changed her point of view and realized how empty this thing is that she devoted her life to,� he said. As Rhaenyra grapples with acquiring her unwieldy power, Alicent seeks to be rid of it. “The ending bookends our two main female characters. You see Rhaenrya framed through the scroll shelves at Dragonstone — she’s trapped and has to make this decision� whether to take King’s Landing with Alicent’s help, Condal said. Meanwhile, Alicent is “sitting with this betrayal, for a lack of a better word, that she’s visited upon her own family for, as she sees it, hopefully the greater good.�

At least she could ponder that huge decision while looking upon the gorgeous sunset at Dragonstone. “The image of Alicent staring in the horizon was entirely real,� Condal said, “a real vista from a real sunset in Wales. We shot it that day and could not believe it.�

Season three will finally introduce Daeron and answer those Rhaena Targaryen and Otto Hightower questions. 
You may have noticed a brand-new dragon flying with the army of Oldtown: a blue-and-copper-colored dragon known as Tessarion, or the Blue Queen, with no rider on its saddle. Well, that rider will be Daeron, who, after a season of mentions, will make his debut in season three, Condal confirmed. But of whether Rhaena will claim the wild dragon Sheepstealer at the Vale, thus taking over Nettles’s role in Fire & Blood, he said, “There’s a lot of paths to interpretation for this, and I think Rhaena’s story as we’re seeing it unfold is potentially one of those interesting interpretations that we have to offer.� Then there’s that curious Otto crumb in the finale, to which Condal said, “the Otto Hightower tale has not yet come to an end.� We can’t let you go just yet, Rhys Ifans.

The Battle of the Gullet is imminent.
Sunday night’s “The Queen Who Ever Was� didn’t end at either of the two possible battles the season seemed to be building toward. Condal was quite aware of those expectations: “As a showrunner, you’re always in the position of having to balance storytelling and the resources you have to tell that story.� When it came to the decision of where to end season two — HBO had originally ordered ten episodes but brought the season down to eight — he said they had to “rebalance� the season to flesh out “three further great seasons of television.� He confirmed to reporters on the call that the series is poised to have four seasons total and that we should expect “a similar cadence of the show from a storytelling perspective to continue being the same from season two on,� which one can suppose just means more eight-episode seasons.

And if this season’s finale didn’t make it clear, one of the next major events being teed up is the Sea Snake and the Triarchy sailing to the Gullet, an event Condal said is “arguably the second most anticipated action event of Fire & Blood.� Which is why he wanted to give it “the time and space it deserves.� He finished this sentiment by saying, “The show is so complex that we’re really making multiple feature films every season, so I apologize for the wait. But I will say if Rook’s Rest and the Red Sowing are any indication, we’re going to pull off a hell of a win with the Battle of the Gullet in the future.�