‘House of the Dragon’ Season 3 Episode 1: Battle of the Gullet delivers devastating blow to Rhaenyra Targaryen
'House of the Dragon' made an impactful start to Season 3 with a 25-minute sequence showcasing the Battle of the Gullet, one of the bloodiest battles ever fought in Westeros. The rising tensions between the Green (supports Aegon II) and Black (supports Rhaenyra) factions of the Targaryen clan come to a head in the season premiere, which aired on June 21 on HBO and HBO Max. The episode, titled 'Salt and Sea, Fire and Blood,' had a runtime of 72 minutes, making it the longest season opener in the franchise's history. It was written by showrunner Ryan Condal and directed by Loni Peristere. The episode marked a turning point in the Targaryen civil war, 'Dance of the Dragons', as a major character and future heir meets his end.
After Alicent Hightower's (Olivia Cooke) son Aegon II was gravely injured at Rook's Rest at the end of Season 2, she struck a secret deal with Queen Rhaenyra (Emma D'Arcy) to help her ascend to the throne and end this war to stop her family's suffering. However, things rarely go according to plan in the world of Westeros. At the start of Season 3, Rhaenyra prepares to take over King's Landing, as per her agreement with Alicent. However, both women are unaware that King Aegon II has abandoned the throne and escaped the city with Larys Strong (Matthew Needham). In his brother's absence, Aemond (Ewan Mitchell) takes his place on the throne and prepares to defend the capital city against Rhaenyra's incoming attack with Ormund Hightower's army of 15,000 men.
Aemond also informs his mother, Alicent, that he plans to break the blockade at the Gullet. In Season 2, Lord Corlys Velaryon had blockaded the Gullet, a narrow stretch of ocean between Driftmark and Dragonstone, hoping to damage the economy of King's Landing and get the Green faction to surrender without going to battle. However, Aemond has no such plans and recruits the Triarchy (an alliance between the Free Cities Myr, Lys, and Tyrosh) to fight on behalf of the Greens.
The Triarchy, led by Admiral Sharako Lohar, teams up with Tyland Lannister (Jefferson Hall) and arrives at the blockade with thousands of men and their ships to end the blockade. Alicent reveals her secret pact with Rhaenyra and pleads with Aemond to escape to Harrenhal for his own safety. Meanwhile, Corlys reconciles with his sons, Alyn and Addam of Hull, and enlists them to fight for the Blacks.
As the news of the naval battle reaches Dragonstone, Rhaenyra's son Jacaerys (or Jace) and her stepdaughter, Baela, take charge of their respective dragons, Vermax and Moondancer, and head over to the Gullet to help Corlys and his men. Meanwhile, Rhaenyra's other stepdaughter, Rhaena, also joins the battle after commanding the wild dragon Sheepstealer. Rhaenyra, however, misses all the action as she is locked in her chamber by Ser Lorent at Jace's insistence. During the battle, Corlys and Lohar go head-to-head in a fierce battle that damages their ships. Alyn eventually kills Lohar, but Corlys goes missing in the waters, and his fate is left unknown at the end of episode 1.
The scene at the Gullet is of utter destruction and mayhem, but Jace and his siblings try to get the upper hand for the Blacks. Seeing the dragons in the sky, Lohar shoots Vermax, which nearly spells the end for Jace and his dragon. However, Moondancer comes to their rescue at the nick of time. The dragons unleash their fury by setting the Lannister and Triarchy ships on fire. Furthermore, Sheepstealer goes truly berserk and starts attacking its ally, Moondancer, unbothered by the fact that they are fighting for the same side. Jace directs Vermax to intervene and stop the wild dragon. While their attention is diverted, the Triarchy takes a fatal shot at Vermax, causing it to descend into the waters. Jace quickly dismounts, but he is fatally shot with three arrows from the Triarchy’s ship. Jace succumbs to his injuries and dies alongside his dragon.
