House of the Dragon’s Lore-Changing Dragon Action Scene Just Made Battle of the Gullet Look Like a Playground Fight

Even before House of the Dragon Season 3 premiered, there was major anticipation for the carnage ahead. The previous batch of episodes had ended in a way that meant a battle was on the horizon, and for fans of George R.R. Martin’s fantasy series, they knew that the deadly Battle of the Gullet was set to break hearts and deliver a huge fight. Though originally planned to be part of that season, the battle was shifted over as plans changed for House of the Dragon; and true to form, the Battle of the Gullet lived up to expectations by not only being grossly entertaining, but delivering some tragic deaths for the show.

The latest episode of House of the Dragon just delivered another major action scene, one that fans of the show might have theorized could happen but one that doesn’t exactly occur within the pages of Fire & Blood. This sequence not only checked a major box for fans by resolving a conflict that has lingered underneath House of the Dragon Season 3’s other major fights and battles, but gave the show what might very well be the BEST dragon action scene in the entire series, including Game of Thrones. Spoilers follow.

House of the Dragon Ends the Sheepstealer Subplot (For Now)

One reason that the Battle of the Gullet got so bad was an unexpected participant: Phoebe Campbell’s Rhaena Targaryen and the dragon Sheepstealer. Eager to claim a dragon as her own, Rhaena went over to the wild beast that earned its name for all the havoc it caused out in the countryside of Westeros.

Despite knowing its reputation, she claimed it and tried to ride the dragon into battle to make a name for herself. As fans know, this went poorly, with Sheepstealer not listening to her commands, but burning ships on both sides and even attacking other dragons, leading in part to Vermax being put in a position to be killed, alongside Rhaenyra’s son Prince Jacaerys.

The result is twofold. Rhaenyra has been on the hunt for this mysterious rider of Sheepstealer in order to get vengeance for her son’s death, while Daemon Targaryen has also been hiding the truth that his daughter is that very person from his wife/the queen. All of these came to a head this week, when a four-way bout begins between Rhaena & Sheepstealer, Daemon & Caraxes, Addam & Seasmoke, and Rhaenyra & Syrax.

The battle is, as one might expect, between four different dragons all snipping at each other: quite disastrous. Though none of them appear to be killed by the fracas, there are some major emotional wounds in addition to the physical ones that they have to endure. Not only does Rhaenyra have to face the reality that her husband has been actively deceiving her about the identity of Sheepstealer’s rider, but she also separates Rhaena from the dragon, resulting in a cry from the beasts that seems like the closest it has ever come to acknowledging her.

The action itself is huge, as the dragons shriek, swipe, bite, and dive at each other throughout the scene, leaving scars and sending molten hot blood flowing out into the grass. At the end of it all, Sheepstealer waddles away, hinting that she may not be able to fly anymore but also far from confirmation that she’s finished being a menace in Westeros.

Not only is the action itself harrowing and wild even for this franchise, but the scene carries so much more weight as a dramatic beat because of the emotions that are behind the dragons attacking each other. For both Rhaena and Rhaenyra, the whole thing looks like a set-up by Daemon, who genuinely had the best intentions in how he was concealing all of these from each of these important women in his life. Even without accounting for that emotion, though, it’s a wicked awesome scene.

How House of the Dragon Changed the Lore, Again

It’s worth noting that this giant dragon fight seen in the show is an invention for the series, and not something found in the original book, but it’s still putting the show in a place to accomplish the same things narratively. In the pages of Fire & Blood, the complete history of House Targaryen that the TV Series is based on, the story of Sheepstealer is pretty different, with some similarities despite a big character change. As told in the source material, Sheepstealer’s rider was a character named Nettles, who has been written out of House of the Dragon entirely and instead had her characteristics merged with Rhaena.

The book details her relationship with Daemon, which may or may not have been sexual in nature, but given his history and the things said about them, it seems likely. In the text, the pair attempt to hunt down Aemond Targaryen and his dragon, Vhagar, something that House of the Dragon brings into the fold by having Daemon believe that the same task could have Rhaenyra show mercy toward Rhaena.

Rhaenyra has been paranoid since taking the Iron Throne about who may actually be working with her and who is plotting against her; the reveal that not only was Daemon’s daughter the rider responsible for killing Jace (in her eyes at least), but that he would withhold that information may be a push her toward extreme distress. On top of that, Ulf White has seemingly aligned himself with the Hightowers in response to Rhaenyra’s belittlement toward him.

Given that the end result of the dragon fight sequence in the show is that Rhaenyra has captured Rhaena and Sheepstealer has fled, House of the Dragon could be heading for an even bigger change. In the book, Rhaenyra declares Nettles a traitor, and she flees as a result (a legend goes on to form of a fire witch in the mountains that could be them), while Rhaena goes on to lead a pretty productive life away from dragons. House of the Dragon, however, seems like it has a different fate in mind for Rhaena as she becomes a prisoner in King’s Landing, with her dragon nowhere to be found.

Will Rhaenyra’s paranoia lead to her doing something deadly toward her step-daughter? Will Daemon’s secrecy being revealed cause him to seek out Vhagar to try and save his own skin? Is all of this going to end poorly for everyone? Only one episode of House of the Dragon remains this season, and things aren’t about to suddenly get nice.