House of the Dragon Season 3 Episode 7 Review: A Melodramatic Mess Saved by a Compelling Ending

Critic’s Rating: 2.75 / 5.0

2.75

At some point, you have to let go of a show that’s frustrating, and I fear I’m losing the will to live while watching House of the Dragon.

Having read Fire & Blood, I had high expectations for this Game of Thrones prequel. While there have been flashes of greatness, I’ve spent far more time disappointed than impressed.

House of the Dragon Season 3 Episode 7 featured some of the most questionable storytelling to date, and almost none of it landed.

Rhaenyra continues to spiral into a maddening state where she makes sweeping decisions without considering the consequences.

I understand that her claim has been challenged at every turn, but why does she keep making choices that undermine her own reign?

Daemon has lied to her time and again, yet she spends most of this episode convinced he’d never conspire against her.

Granted, he wasn’t exactly conspiring with Rhaena. Instead, he concealed his daughter’s identity as Sheepstealer’s rider. But that’s still another betrayal Rhaenyra should have taken seriously.

It also raises an obvious question: why does Rhaenyra even have a council if she ignores almost everyone in favor of Daemon?

The only positive to come from his deception was that it finally pushed Rhaenyra to leave King’s Landing and seek answers for herself.

Sadly, getting four dragons on screen at once must have pushed the visual effects budget to its limit because the confrontation felt less like a clash between legendary beasts and more like a Pokémon battle.

House of the Dragon Ruins Another Big Moment

Watching Caraxes, Syrax, and Seasmoke form a defensive line while Sheepstealer — one of the most fearsome wild dragons in Westeros — was reduced in both size and menace was laughable.

I genuinely couldn’t believe my eyes when Caraxes almost laid waste to Sheepstealer.

What makes Sheepstealer so fascinating is its wildness. Unlike every dragon we’ve spent significant time with, it isn’t conditioned by a lifelong rider, making it far more unpredictable.

I doubt we’ve seen the last of the dragon, but if the writing continues down this path, I’m not sure that’s something to look forward to.

The show has already deviated significantly from Fire & Blood, and diminishing one of its most formidable dragons only adds insult to injury.

What surprised me even more was Rhaenyra taking Rhaena back to King’s Landing on dragonback.

Given everything that happened on House of the Dragon Season 3 Episode 1, I honestly expected this iteration of Rhaenyra to execute her on sight.

Perhaps Rhaenyra sees Rhaena as another victim of Daemon’s manipulation, but it’s difficult to understand what her long-term plan actually is.

One thing is certain: Rhaenyra’s patience with Daemon is rapidly evaporating, and with Mysaria becoming an increasingly trusted confidante, their relationship feels destined to implode before long.

Rhaenyra also has an extraordinary talent for creating new enemies, which only makes me question how she ever expected her reign to succeed.

Her treatment of Helaena was especially despicable.

The Game of Thrones franchise is filled with monsters, but Helaena remains one of its few genuinely kind-hearted characters. All she wants is the freedom to live her life instead of being imprisoned by her own family.

Yet Rhaenyra seems convinced Helaena’s prophetic abilities can provide answers they simply cannot. Helaena’s dreams have offered glimpses of the future before, but I doubt she’ll ever extend Rhaenyra any grace after this encounter.

Watching Rhaenyra snatch the object from Helaena’s hands was needlessly cruel and confirmed Helaena’s worst fears about trusting her sister.

While Rhaenyra and Helaena clashed, Alicent’s mission to Harrenhal unraveled spectacularly.

One of my biggest frustrations with House of the Dragon Season 3 is how little Aemond has actually had to do.

He’s one of the franchise’s most fascinating characters because his motivations have always been layered. Yes, he craves power, but would ruling alongside someone as manipulative as Alys truly satisfy him?

Alys clearly wants power herself, and she only reveals information when it benefits her. It’s becoming increasingly obvious that she views Aemond as her route to achieving everything she’s ever wanted.

Still, after saving his life twice, she may have secured a loyalty that ultimately comes back to haunt everyone else.

The least Alicent could have done was stay long enough to ensure her plan actually succeeded.

Instead, she fled in the belief she’d condemned her son, when in reality she may have sealed her own fate.

Aemond Has Been MIA

Surely Aemond suspected something was amiss. Why else would Rhaenyra allow Alicent to leave King’s Landing and travel to Harrenhal without an ulterior motive?

It’s moments like these that make the writing feel frustratingly contrived. The real tragedy is that Alicent is traveling across Westeros making impossible decisions without even knowing Criston’s dead.

Considering their relationship, that revelation is bound to reshape her perspective once the truth reaches her.

Sadly, I don’t think Alicent has much time left. Her usefulness to Rhaenyra is fading, Helaena has every reason to resent her, and both Aemond and Aegon will surely want revenge.

Speaking of Aegon, his meandering storyline finally found some purpose with Sunfyre’s return.

There was never any chance the dragon was truly dead, so the reveal wasn’t exactly shocking, but it was one of the few moments that genuinely worked.

Now I’m curious whether Aegon heads straight for King’s Landing or joins Ormund at Tumbleton to begin plotting his return.

The problem is that Ormund clearly favors Daeron as king because he believes the younger prince will be easier to influence. Aegon’s return complicates that plan considerably.

Then there’s Ulf. Ormund continues collecting people who despise Rhaenyra like they’re Infinity Stones, and I hate that Ulf has become one of them.

He’s the perfect example of what happens when you hand someone a dragon, and they immediately think they’ve been given the keys to the Seven Kingdoms.

There’s no way he’s taking any of this seriously, but he’s enjoying the ride all the same. I genuinely hope he meets a grisly end because betraying his queen is unforgivable.

And could you imagine Ulf ruling Driftmark? It would be like replacing Corlys Velaryon with the Temu version.

That’s just not a thought I want in my head.

With one episode of the season remaining, House of the Dragon needs to put the pedal to the metal if it wants anyone to return for its fourth and final season.

What are your thoughts on the dragon battle? Are you surprised by how much Sheepstealer has been diminished by the HBO adaptation?

Let’s keep the conversation going — it’s the only way the good stuff survives.

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