House Of The Dragon Episode 3 Review - 9 Ups & 1 Down
5. Up - The conflict in the Stepstones
Second of His Name saw the debut of House of the Dragon's first real battle scenes. If this was a taster, fans will be salivating at the thought of even bigger conflicts to come.
Showcasing the unique brand of shooting that made the original battles such a spectacle, this conflict's shock factor is ratcheted up a few notches by the inclusion of dragons. The opening to the episode sees Daemon and Caraxes raining down a hailstorm of fiery destruction upon the Triarchy forces in the Stepstones.
As usual, HBO do an unparalleled job of bringing the devastating firepower of dragons to life on screen; soldiers are flattened, swatted with a gargantuan tail or literally disintegrated in the inferno that Caraxes unleashes upon them. The battle also adds an intriguing guerrilla element; the Crab Feeder's forces' cave retreat. Historical adversaries on Game of Thrones are usually annihilated with dragon fire before they can even think to employ such tactics.
The actual battle scenes themselves are beautifully visceral; Daemon's solo charge through no-man's land as a monsoon of arrows hurtle towards him and the Velaryon's triumphant arrival on the ground and dragon back to rout the Triarchy forces are particular highlights. While the ending of the battle was a touch predictable, this did not take away from the otherworldly quality of the gore soaked scenes, with the torch being carried by a blood drenched Matt Smith.
A perfect first foray onto the battlefield for House of the Dragon, and a thrilling end to the Stepstones conflict for now.