House of the Dragonseason 3 needs to change Rhaenyra Targaryen’s character, and challenge audiences, to make its King’s Landing story reach its full potential.House of the Dragonseason 2’s endingset up a major change to the status quo for the show’s third season, with Rhaenyra finally ready to make a move to King’s Landing. Even Alicent Hightower has accepted this, preparing to sacrifice the life of her son, King Aegon II Targaryen, in order to protect two of her other kids, Helaena and Daeron.
WhenHouse of the Dragonseason 3releases, which is expected to be sometime in 2026, that story should happen quite quickly. After season 2 was largely setup, there’s no reason (or excuse) for hanging around in the Dance of the Dragons, and the first couple of episodes should include the fall of King’s Landing and Rhaenyra taking the Iron Throne. With that, she needs to become a bit different, and Emma D’Arcy, who plays Rhaenyra as part ofHouse of the Dragon’s cast, is aware of it.
Rhaenyra Has To Be Less Sympathetic In House Of The Dragon Season 3
Emma D’Arcy Is Right About The Character
House of the Dragonseason 3 will see Rhaenyra in an unfamiliar position: one of power. So far, she has been an heir and a claimant, but not the one to sit the Iron Throne and rule theSeven Kingdoms of Westeros. But with her plan to take King’s Landing, and Alicent willing to effectively hand it over to her, that’s going to change.Rhaenyra won’t just be the hero fighting the good fight against those who wronged her, but wielding incredible power herself, and that needs to impact her. D’Arcy said something similar onJosh Horowitz’sHappy Sad Confusedpodcast:
“We’re approaching the realm of fanaticism, and that’s where faith starts to beget faith. I think that becomes a frightening character. I want to test the audience’s loyalty to her. I wonder how unsympathetic she can be.”
D’Arcy’s comments fit perfectly with where Rhaenyra now stands. It’s not only about her chance of taking power, but also how she’s starting to buy into that power and her own destiny.There was a growing sense of the character developing a God complex in season 2, most notably seen in episode 7 with the dragonseeds, where she feels that she is divinely positioned to not only rule, but to save Westeros. That fundamentally has to alter her, and make her less sympathetic, when audiences have largely been invited to root for Rhaenyra above all others so far.
How Far Will House Of The Dragon Go In Testing Loyalty To Rhaenyra?
The Show Needs To Be Prepared To Tell This Story
Rhaenyra’s arc and characterization is whereHouse of the Dragonneeds to be a little brave in season 3, because it has to make one of its most likable heroes into someone who, while not a villain, should certainly be questioned more. The HBO show has been a notable contrast toFire & Bloodin its presentation of Rhaenyra thus far, making her a much more sympathetic and generally quite good character, whereas the accounts of her through Westeros history are far less kind.
House of the Dragonis confirmed to be ending with season 4.
That has been a smart choice, since those accounts are designed to be questioned (not to mention misogynistic), but it needs to balance the scales more with her in season 3. It can’t be afraid to have her do terrible things and make her a darker, more morally gray character - somethingGame of Thronesshied away from with Tyrion Lannister, as an example. Rhaenyra’s rule of King’s Landing in the book goes quite terribly, and she becomes hated by the people. While it doesn’t need to make audiences hate her, it has to test that loyalty in a way it hasn’t before.
The shades of fanaticism that started to come through in D’Arcy’s performance at the end of season 2 were fascinating, and proved they can do so much with the character.
That can actually help make Rhaenyra an even more interesting character. The shades of fanaticism that started to come through in D’Arcy’s performance at the end of season 2 were fascinating, and proved they can do so much with the character. Rhaenyra’s triumphant claiming of the Iron Throne going sour and giving way to a character who becomes a little more corrupted by that power is a strong story, and will makeHouse of the Dragonall the better and more powerful if done right.
House of the Dragon
Cast
House of the Dragon is a 2022 fantasy drama set in the world of Westeros, chronicling the Targaryen dynasty at its height. The story revolves around King Viserys’s controversial decision to name his daughter Rhaenyra as heir to the Iron Throne, sparking tensions and divisions within the realm.
