There Was Only Losers in the Finale of House of the Dragon Season 3

The final episode for House of the Dragon season 3 had a great ending that wasn't exactly a good one for either of the main teams that are pitting war against one another. Rhaenyra had finally embraced her cruel side, and she had sent Daemon to Tumbleton to kill every single Hightower that dares to challenge her, and he brought his entire army to their doorstep. Ormund was prepared for war, because he had purposely captured an entire town to use against Daemon during the fight, but things quickly went wrong on both sides.

Daemon was unaware of Ulf betraying Rhaenyra, and Ormund was angry when he realized that Ulf was nowhere to be found during the fight. He relentlessly searched for him and discovered Ulf dead asleep in an outhouse. He had apparently fallen asleep while taking a dump, and this truly did piss off Ormund. He berates Ulf while beating him, and orders him to get back on his dragon to go burn down Daemon's army.

Ulf does do as he is told, proceeding to go burn down Daemon's army, and he finds out this brutal betrayal when he hears one of Ormund's men appear to praise Ulf coming to save them. But things only get worse from here on out, when Ulf decides to turn against Ormund as well. Ormund had been brutally tortured by one of Daemon's men, named Roddy, that had led the Starks into battle. This dude got one of the worse deaths I have ever seen in Game of Thrones history, and man, it was satisfying to watch this bastard die in such a way.

And what's worse is that he learned of Ulf turning against him in his final moments, when he did not hesitate to burn both Ormund and Roddy, who took his death with gleeful honor. Meanwhile, Daemon is getting his ass beat by Ormund's right hand man, and Ulf's dragon eventually heads in their direction, burning down part of Tumbleton, causing debris to fall between them, saving both men from death.

Daemon awakens to complete misery and death, and for a moment, he appears to hold regret over causing this war. The innocent people that were living in Tumbleton were either suffering or dead, and once Daemon snaps out of it, he proceeds to go ahead and continue his war against the Hightowers. Lord Corlys stops him, and tells him they must leave, because the war is over.

Then the ending of the episode cuts back to Gwayne, who is calling out for Daeron, confused of where he could be, as Ormund's right hand man discovers Ormund's body. The episode ends with Rhaenyra causing a war against the High Septon, demanding to be anointed queen, and she orders his death when he refuses. When she returns back to the castle, she learns of one major death that had taken place. Helaena had ended her life, by jumping out of the window. She had left behind a handmade quilt she had been making, and as Rhaenyra is studying the quilt, she discovers two major clues:

Helaena's foreshadowed death.

And the biggest one: Rhaenyra sitting on a throne with blood dripping from her crown on the Iron Throne, her dragons burning around her. Rhaenyra was lost in thought for a brief moment, and then merely closed the window where her half-sister had jumped from, confirming that she is now too far gone.

Also, Aemond and Aegon are teaming up to go after Rhaenyra, so who knows what kind of chaos is going to take place now?

At this point, it's impossible to root for anyone from either team. They are all evil people that deserve whatever is coming their way, after they brought war to so many innocent people. The only ones that deserve a happy ending is Gwayne and Daeron, who are probably the last good souls left, like Addam Hull.

Whatever is in store for season 4 is going to probably be the darkest season yet, and I can't wait.

Thank you for reading!

Emy Quinn