House of the Dragon episode 3 release date
It will soon be time to watch House of the Dragon episode 3 online. The Game of Thrones prequel is already a big hit for HBO, which has already renewed it for a second season. House of the Dragon will face a new challenge after the premiere of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, but maybe there’s room for two fantasy epics in our queues.
House of the Dragon episode 3 release date and time
House of the Dragon episode 3 airs Sunday, Sept. 4 at 9 p.m. ET on HBO and HBO Max (opens in a new tab).
House of the Dragon episode 3, titled “Second of His Name,” should continue to move around the chess pieces for this game of thrones. Young Rhaenyra Targaryen (Milly Alcock) may have been named heir to her father, King Viserys (Paddy Considine), but her status may change after his decision to remarry.
His second wife, Alicent Hightower (Emily Carey), is likely to give him more children — and possibly the son he has longed for. It’s clear that many lords of Westeros would prefer a male heir. And we wouldn’t put it past the scheming Hand of the King, Otto Hightower (Rhys Ifans), to push for his grandchild to sit on the Iron Throne.
Meanwhile, Prince Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith) has teamed up with Corlys Velaryon (Steve Toussaint) to take out the Crab Feeder, who’s been causing chaos at the Stepstones.
Here is everything you need to watch House of the Dragon episode 3. Plus, check out a sneak peek video:
How to watch House of the Dragon episode 3 in the U.S.
In the U.S., House of the Dragon episode 3 is set to air Sunday, Sept. 4 at 9 p.m. ET on HBO and HBO Max.
Season 1 consists of 10 episodes, coming at a pace of one per week every Sunday.
If you haven’t signed up for HBO Max, what are you waiting for? It’s our top pick among the best streaming services.
HBO Max offers an exceptional library, including all of HBO’s prestige series, like Succession, Game of Thrones, The Sopranos and The Wire. Plus, the service has its own originals like Hacks and The Flight Attendant. HBO Max costs $15 per month (or $10 for the ad-supported tier).
How to watch House of the Dragon episode 3 in Canada
While Canadians don’t have access to HBO or HBO Max, they’re probably going to be able to watch House of the Dragon episode 2 regardless. Crave (opens in a new tab), the usual source for HBO shows in Canada, has the rights.
The streaming service has a seven-day free trial (opens in a new tab). After that, the Movies + HBO package costs $19.98 CAD per month.
If you’re an American traveling abroad and want to access all your paid services, you’ll need to look into the best VPN services, such as Expressvpn.
How to watch House of the Dragon episode 3 online in the UK
Since Brits also don’t get HBO or HBO Max, they will watch House of the Dragon episode 3 on Sky Atlantic and NOW. It will air Monday, Sept. 5 concurrently at 2 a.m. BST and again at the more reasonable time of 9 p.m. BST.
Sky TV packages (opens in a new tab) start at just £25 per month.
Every episode will debut the day after its U.S. airing.
How to watch House of the Dragon episode 3 in Australia
Aussies can stream House of the Dragon episode 2 on Binge (opens in a new tab). It should arrive on Sept. 5.
House of the Dragon episode schedule
House of the Dragon episode 1: August 21 @ 9 p.m. ET
House of the Dragon episode 2: August 28 @ 9 p.m. ET
House of the Dragon episode 3: Sept. 4 @ 9 p.m. ET
House of the Dragon episode 4: Sept. 11 @ 9 p.m. ET
House of the Dragon episode 5: Sept. 18 @ 9 p.m. ET
House of the Dragon episode 6: Sept. 25 @ 9 p.m. ET
House of the Dragon episode 7: Oct. 2 @ 9 p.m. ET
House of the Dragon episode 8: Oct. 9 @ 9 p.m. ET
House of the Dragon episode 9: Oct. 16 @ 9 p.m. ET
House of the Dragon episode 10: Oct. 23 @ 9 p.m. ET
House of the Dragon cast and characters
The House of Dragon cast is a big ensemble, including:
Paddy Considine as King Viserys I: He’s described as being “chosen by the lords of Westeros to succeed the Old King, Jaehaerys Targaryen, at the Great Council at Harrenhal. A warm, kind, and decent man, Viserys only wishes to carry forward his grandfather’s legacy. But good men do not necessarily make for great kings.”
Milly Alcock (later Emma D’Arcy) as Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen, “the king’s first-born child, she is of pure Valyrian blood, and she is a dragonrider. Many would say that Rhaenyra was born with everything… but she was not born a man.”
Matt Smith as Prince Daemon Targaryen, described as “younger brother to King Viserys and heir to the throne. A peerless warrior and a dragonrider, Daemon possesses the true blood of the dragon. But it is said that whenever a Targaryen is born, the gods toss a coin in the air…”
Emily Carey (later Olivia Cooke) as Alicent Hightower, who is “the daughter of Otto Hightower, the Hand of the King, and the most comely woman in the Seven Kingdoms. She was raised in the Red Keep, close to the king and his innermost circle; she possesses both a courtly grace and a keen political acumen.”
Rhys Ifans as Otto Hightower: As Hand of the King, Hightower is protecting the throne loyally, and sees the king’s brother Daemon (Matt Smith) as the biggest threat to the monarch.
Steve Toussaint as Lord Corlys Velaryon aka “The Sea Snake,” who will be the lord of House Velaryon. Their bloodline is old as House Targaryen, and Velaryon earned his nickname for being the most notorious “nautical adventurer in the history of Westeros.”
Eve Best as Princess Rhaenys Velaryon, a dragonrider who is married to Lord Corlys Velaryon. She did not get the throne at the Great Council because — hold your surprise — “the realm favored her cousin, Viserys, simply for being male.”
Fabien Frankel as Ser Criston Cole, a member of King Viserys I Targaryen’s Kingsguard. On his blog (opens in new tab), George R.R. Martin wrote that Ser Criston is “the common-born son of the steward to the Lord of Blackhaven. He has no claim to lands or titles, all he has is his honor and his skill with sword and lance. He is a challenger, a champion, cheered by the commons, beloved of the ladies. He is a lover (or is he?), a seducer (or is he?), a betrayer (or is he?), a breaker of hearts and a maker of kings … Welcome to Westeros, Fabien. And do keep that sword sharp.”
Sonoya Mizuno as Mysaria: A former prostitute who had nothing when she arrived in Westeros. Now, after being “sold more times than she can recall,” she’s actually got the trust of Daemon, the heir to the throne.
And after being spotted in leaked set photos, actor Graham McTavish confirmed he’s part of the cast of House of the Dragon.
I’m really having a lot of fun,” he told U.K. fashion magazine Stylist. “We’ve just started. It’s a very big project, so we’re getting to know each other. They’re lovely people. It’s great, but I can’t tell you too much. I can’t tell you really anything about the story! But it involves a lot of dragons.”
It does not, sadly, seem to involve McTavish’s co-star from Outlander, Sam Heughan. In the same interview, Heughan jokes, “Am I in [House of the Dragon]?” He also revealed he auditioned for Game of Thrones seven times, for roles including Renly Baratheon and Ser Loras Tyrell.
House of the Dragon plot
House of the Dragon is set several hundred years before the events of Game of Thrones. It’s based on Martin’s novel “Fire & Blood,” which chronicles the rule of House Targaryen from the beginning. The story starts with Aegon I Targaryen’s conquest of the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros.
House of the Dragon will focus on a particular part of Targaryen history: The Dance of Dragons. It was a bloody and brutal Targaryen civil war that took place 200 years before the events of Game of Thrones. (That’s a little more than a century after Aegon ‘s conquest.)
Star Olivia Cooke has revealed that House of the Dragon won’t have the gratuitous graphic violence against women that was commonplace on Thrones. She told The Telegraph (opens in new tab) that “I wouldn’t feel comfortable in being a part of anything that has just egregious graphic violence towards women for no reason whatsoever, just because they want it to be tantalizing in a way that gets viewers.”
King Viserys I’s death sets off a struggle for succession between his daughter from his first marriage, Princess Rhaenyra, and his son from his second marriage, Aegon II. Princess Shireen Baratheon recounted this story in a fifth-season episode of Game of Thrones.
“Brothers fought brothers, dragons fought dragons,” she reminded her father, Stannis. “By the time it was over, thousands were dead.”
As Shireen noted, the conflict took its toll on the Targaryens, as almost all of their dragons died in the war. The beasts remained extinct for a century and a half, until Daenerys Targaryen hatched her three dragons in Game of Thrones.
