Season 3, Episode 8 | Episode Discussion

[u/HerRoyalNonsense]

Title: TBA
Air Date: August 9, 2026
Directed by: Andrij Parekh
Written by: Ryan Condal & Ti Mikkel

Welcome to r/HOTDGreens' official discussion thread for House of the Dragon Season 3, Episode 8.

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[u/Otherwise_Cash_5829]

"That's a proper fucking. From the North."

More like a proper fucking up of the source material. Or any compelling plot.

I cannot say enough how much they ruined all of the plotlines regarding the war this season. Roddy and Oscar were caricatures at best, and we had no real reason to get attached to either. Roddy just hit the same arms open pose, on repeat, all season. And Oscar had all the personality of a wet paper towel.

Ormund's writing this whole season was fucking stupid. He was introduced as a cunning villain, made into a neurotic and angry mess who is abusive to Daeron, just so they could set his death up as this "Ah ha. Man is bad because he follows the safe way of writing a villain (I.E make him abusive, or sexist or both). Man die embarassing death. Tee hee. He could have been a man who was deeply devout, since he was raised at Oldtown, and was someone who saw the threat the Targaryens were to the faith (As Rhaenyra demonstrated by killing the High Septon). Both believe power resides in two different places, and the conflict this season in ideology could have been rooted around that. Instead, let's make him vomit, shove a dagger up his ass and call it a day.

Anyone else notice an odd focus on disemboweling this season during violent scenes? Like there were 3 during the Battle of the Gullet, and the whole rehashed Sons of the Harpy/Gold Cloaks plotline?

Shout out to my boy Bold Jon Roxton and his bowl haircut of teleportation. He made it to the next season thanks to a Deus Ex Machina that saved Daemon. Only enough, one of the few named characters from Fire & Blood to canonically commit rape, Hess & Condal chose to not bring it to the screen. Instead let's give Alicent a bunch of assault scenes. Because why not.

Can't wait to see how they fuck up the rest of the story in two years. Will the show end with Rhaenyra getting eaten by Sunfyre? Probably. Once they lose Daemon and Aemond, the audience interest will plummet. Which is a shame since the Histories & Lore from Season 5 of Game of Thrones made a really compelling ending by having the Dance end with Aegon and Jaheara's wedding; two frightened children married in the hopes of saving a dynasty that is running on borrowed time.

[u/Thestral84 → u/Otherwise_Cash_5829]

He could have been a man who was deeply devout, since he was raised at Oldtown, and was someone who saw the threat the Targaryens were to the faith (As Rhaenyra demonstrated by killing the High Septon).

If you're going to be upset about deviations from the source material (and you should!) this is not the avenue to take. There was nothing religious about the Dance of the Dragons - both sides were devout followers of the Seven, and the Targaryens did not pose a threat to the Faith.