Five-year setup culminates in House of the Dragon season 3's biggest death

If you thought HBO might ease us back into 'House of the Dragon' with gentle politicking and a bit of table-thumping, think again. The Season 3 opener barely lets you catch your breath before slinging you head-first into the Battle of the Gullet – a massive set-piece lifted more or less straight from George R.R. Martin's blood-soaked playbook. By the end of the hour, one thing's clear: nobody is safe, including some major Targaryen royalty.

Jacaerys Velaryon: Gone But Not Forgotten

Right, let's not bury the lede. Jacaerys Velaryon, eldest son of Queen Rhaenyra (played by Emma D'Arcy), is now officially dragon food. Harry Collett’s prince copped it during the naval chaos, in a sequence that gave his dragon Vermax a proper send-off as well (and not in a way you'd call dignified).

How did it go down? Vermax got fired at with enormous bolts – we’re talking 'someone-actually-chained-these-to-anchors' big – and pulled under by the Triarchy, which, frankly, is a bit of a cheat. Jace himself didn’t exactly get the hero’s death: while floundering on the surface, he ended up full of crossbow bolts, top and back, slumping into the sea while his mother’s war fell apart around him. So, not a lot of ambiguity there. Even Harry Collett admits as much, telling CNN:

'I think I’m pretty dead. I don’t think there’s any coming back from this.'

True to the Source (For Once)

Fans of Martin’s Fire & Blood will spot the close resemblance to the book – for once, the on-screen demise matches up with the page. Collett apparently found out he was doomed the second he landed the gig, and spent four and a half years wondering how they'd actually pull it off. It’s not every day your boss says ‘Great news – you’re hired, by the way, you’re dead by Season 3.’

Here’s a quieter moment from Collett about making his watery grave look convincing:

'Acting dead was probably the hardest acting I’ve ever done in my life because we have so many real emotions in these shows... But playing dead is so unnatural to the body. And especially in water. I was, obviously, like floating. And they wanted me to, you know, drown in some bits. And I just, I couldn’t. And they would go up my nose and in my eyes and I’d cough and everything. Obviously, I can’t cough if I’m dead.'

Growing Up Targaryen

Harry Collett’s been knocking about Westeros since he was 17 – he’s 22 now – which probably explains the slightly parental mood he’s got when talking about leaving behind a cast he’s grown up with. Emma D’Arcy (Rhaenyra herself) gets a special mention:

'Emma D’Arcy, who plays Rhaenyra, they’re incredible. And I love them so much... they’re like my second family.'

He also reckons you learn to roll with the punches as an actor: every job is a new family, every finale a bit of a funeral. The bit that sticks with him, though, is the friends for life. And yes, he's still rooting for 'Rhaenyra, obviously. My mother, the rightful heir.'

How We Got Here (and Why Now?)

Funny detail for those who like a peek behind the curtain: the Battle of the Gullet was originally meant to close out Season 2. Right after the scripts got shuffled, it became the curtain-raiser for Season 3. So, Jace’s head could have been above the waterline for a bit less if they'd stuck to the original plan.

What Next?

There are seven episodes left, and if this is how they’re starting, I don’t fancy the odds for anyone else. Collett’s not giving much away (‘Season 3 is a great season and people aren’t going to be disappointed, definitely’), but so far, it looks like the gloves are well and truly off.

Main Cast – Season 3 Movers and Shakers

• Emma D'Arcy as Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen
• Harry Collett as Jacaerys Velaryon (exit: Season 3, Episode 1)
• Plus the rest of the dragons, lords, plotters, and backstabbers you'd expect from a Targaryen civil war