I hate to admit House of the Dragon’s season 3 finale exposes its biggest flaw

This is a spoiler-free review for House of the Dragon’s season 3 finale.

I have been – and continue to be – an avid defender of House of the Dragon. There are some who knock the show down, claiming it’s not worth the watch. This is simply not true, although there has been valid cause for criticism through its three-season run.

Fans have recently been furious over the treatment of Olivia Cooke as Alicent Hightower, as the actress had to act out several horrifying sexual moments. I was among those who felt the scenes were utterly unnecessary, and agreed that they felt like a disservice to Olivia. 

As I watched the House of the Dragon season three finale, being one of few journalists granted early access, it made me realise something about the show that I didn’t want to admit, but couldn’t deny: I don’t have anyone to root for anymore.

I need characters to champion, to see the good in them and feel they deserve the power they’re fighting for. The events of the season three finale cemented the fact that to me, none of them feel worthy to sit on the Iron Throne. It’s an exasperating and sad thought.

I have been firmly Team Black since the beginning, avowing that Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D’Arcy) should be the Queen of the Seven Kingdoms, as is her birthright and as her father King Viserys (Paddy Considine) declared to his realm when he named her his heir.

However, since Rhaenyra claimed the crown this season, I haven’t seen the Queen I hoped she would be. Not only did she cut herself sitting on the throne – a bad omen in the world of Game of Thrones – but I don’t believe her actions have lived up to her word. 

There was the moment where she handed out food to the hungry smallfolk of King’s Landing, after her blockade restricted their access to necessities. But otherwise, she’s sown constant doubt among her Small Council, required constant reassurance from her husband Daemon (Matt Smith) and treated her newly-instated dragonriders as second-rate citizens, despite needing them to fight her cause. 

We can’t forget what she’s been through, after suffering the losses of her two eldest sons. Nonetheless, I don’t see the fiery Rhaenyra who we met at the start of the series, the young girl destined to be Queen. In the season three finale, she announces that she’s the ‘prince that was promised’. While I was pleased to see her finally regain her inner self-belief, I hate to say that she’s wrong, as it’s too little too late. As Tywin Lannister once told Joffrey Baratheon: ‘Any man who must say, “I am the king” is no true king.’

Who else, then, merits winning this bloody war that’s going to lead to the loss of all of the Targaryen dragons? There’s Aegon (Tom Glynn-Carney), the eldest son of Alicent and Viserys, who was burnt alive by his brother Aemond (Ewan Mitchell) and left for dead. The resurrection of his dragon Sunfyre in the penultimate episode of season three was spectacular, but I can’t ever forget how Aegon raped a servant in season one. Not my King.

Then there’s Aemond, who tried to kill his brother, kissed and fantasised about sleeping with his own mother and is now holed up in Harrenhal, recovering from near fatal-injuries with the help of the witch Alys Rivers (Gayle Rankin). Ever since he claimed the enormous dragon Vhagar as a child, he’s become increasingly power-hungry and sadistic. He has an attempted redemption arc in the final episode of season three, but the damage is done. 

Alicent’s youngest child Daeron (Benjamin Evan Ainsworth) seems to have a good head on his shoulders, even though he’s been raised by the merciless and tempestuous Ormund Hightower (James Norton). In the finale, he demonstrates his strong morality once again. However, his lack of experience could be a disadvantage.

Poor Helaena (Phia Saban) has been one of the only beams of light in Alicent’s family, a woman of pure heart who wants to live a simple life away from conflict. Her suffering feels especially unjust, and it reaches a terrible peak that’s hard to stomach.

In the season three finale, the Battle of Tumbleton causes mass destruction. It’s another epic Westerosi bloodbath, but it proves one thing – there are no winners in this war. Devastation wreaks havoc on both sides, as blood spills and innocent people get caught in the crossfire. 

Maybe that’s the whole point: that in this world where blood is currency and all that matters is who’s going to sit on the Iron Throne, no one actually deserves it. It’s all just a power grab determined by whoever can swing the biggest stick. 

Even if that’s the message that was intended, it leaves me disheartened. Having watched Game of Thrones, where Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke) proved herself an admirable ruler (until her final season shift into the Mad Queen), and Jon Snow (Kit Harington) also showed he could take up the mantle, I need some light at the end of the tunnel.

That’s not to say that we can’t enjoy brilliant villains. Cersei Lannister (Lena Headey) was a fan favourite for a reason, and as much as we all hated Joffrey Baratheon (Jack Gleeson), he was fantastic on screen. But their villainy made the heroics of other characters feel that much more galvanising to witness.

I’m not naive – we all knew going into House of the Dragon that we were in for a world of heartbreak. But that heartbreak feels dulled by the outcome of the season three finale. In the words of Bonnie Tyler, I need a hero, someone who I can root for before the bitter end. 

House of the Dragon is available to watch on HBO Max, Sky and NOW.