Spoilers for House of the Dragon season 3 episode 1 ‘Salt and Sea, Fire and Blood‘ ahead!
After a near-two year wait, HBO’s House of the Dragon is finally back for its third season. And the series, which was met with a lukewarm response from audiences last season, kicked off its third outing with a bang in an excellent opener.
It’s clear showrunner Ryan Condal wanted to set the tone early and get apathetic viewers excited for the Game of Thrones universe again. With action galore – including dragons, sea battles, and shocking deaths – this first episode gave fans plenty to look forward to as we get stuck into season 3.
Of course, one of the major problems with modern television is the long wait between seasons. House of the Dragon is no exception. 22 months have passed since the show last graced our screens, and it’s been almost four years since it debuted. This means many viewers will have forgotten key plot points and characters.
So, when the show’s less significant players pop up, it’s unsurprising that audiences are left scratching their heads wondering who they are and how they’re connected to the show’s narrative.
And there was a great example of this in episode 1, when a grizzled northman handed Daemon Targaryen a severed head as a gesture of allegiance. But whose head was it, and did it belong to anyone you should remember?
Explained: Whose head was cut off in House of the Dragon? (Season 3 Episode 1)
The head belonged to Lord Jason Lannister. In House of the Dragon, Jason is head (pardon the pun) of House Lannister, Lord of Casterly Rock and Warden of the West. He has an identical twin brother, Tyland Lannister, who was seen elsewhere in the episode accompanying Sharako Lohar in the attack against the Sea Snake, Corlys Velaryon.
Jason is on the side of the Greens, the faction that support Aegon II Targaryen and are opposed to Rhaenyra Targaryen’s Blacks. At the end of season 2, Jason was on his way to Harrenhal to battle Daemon.
Who killed Jason Lannister?
Jason was beheaded during the battle with Daemon’s army. While keen-eyed viewers will have likely noticed the direwolf banners held by his killers, their exact identities weren’t revealed.
The group of soldiers that killed him are known as the Winter Wolves. Their service was pledged to Jacaerys Velaryon by Cregan Stark in season 2. The warrior who handed Jason’s head to Daemon and declared that they’ve “come to die for the Dragon Queen” was Lord Roderick Dustin, their commander.
This means that the Winter Wolves are fully aligned with Rhaenyra’s cause and will play a key role in the battles to come. Exactly how they’ll factor into the events of season 3 remains to be seen, but we’re excited to see more of them as the season progresses.
What did you think to the first episode of House of the Dragon season 3? Let us know in the comment section below and don’t forget to check out our other Film & TV articles!
