‘House of the Dragon’ is no longer holding back after two seasons of political maneuvering, betrayals, and simmering tension.
Season 3 begins with a level of destruction and chaos that the franchise has never done before, and in all honesty, that sounds massive, according to showrunner Ryan Condal.
‘House Of The Dragon’ Season 3 Starts With Fire, Blood, and Absolute Chaos
The much-anticipated Battle of the Gullet will officially set the Dance of the Dragons in motion, as dragons, burning ships, and deadly sea battles all converge. This could be the payoff for fans who were waiting for the conflict to really break out in season 2
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Talking about the upcoming premiere, Condal said the Battle of the Gullet episode is “arguably the craziest episode of television ever made.” It’s a big promise for a franchise that already has shows such as “Blackwater” and “Battle of the Bastards.”
However, this time, HBO has its sights set even higher. The conflict revolves around the Triarchy fleet, which is trying to pierce the Gullet under the command of Admiral Sharako Lohar, and House Velaryon’s attempt to hold its naval base. Meanwhile, Rhaenyra’s son Jace flies into the fray on dragonback, adding aerial warfare to an already devastating war.
The sequence is already extremely ambitious, just by itself. It’s hard enough to execute a sea battle on TV, let alone with several dragons and battle fronts. After two years of build-up, even Emma D’Arcy was impressed by the scope of what season 3 is going for, stating that the story starts at “60 miles an hour”.
The Show’s Biggest Gamble Could Make All The Difference
Behind the scenes, Condal also revealed that the Battle of the Gullet had been a nearly four-year project. He said that, at one time, he didn’t even believe that the production would work logistically, even with HBO’s big budget.
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That is why they took so long to prepare for this moment, rather than just going to war. The Gullet was obviously a pivotal moment that had to be grand and heart-wrenching.
According to Condal, “To try to tell this story without doing the Gullet would be trying to film ‘Lord of the Rings’ without doing the Battle of Helm’s Deep,” he added. “If we were gonna do it, we had to do it right. And that meant dragons and ships and multiple theaters of conflict.” ‘House of the Dragon’ could now be in its most volatile and explosive season ever, as season 4 is still in the pipeline to wrap up the series.
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