25/06/2026 10:15 - Entretenimiento
House of the Dragon has returned with unprecedented force. The first episode of its third season, titled "Salt and Sea, Fire and Blood", achieved a historic rating of 9.4 out of 10 on IMDb, becoming the highest-rated episode of the entire series alongside Season 2's fourth episode. Critics have also celebrated this return: the season holds a 95% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, the highest score for any installment in the franchise to date.
The episode delivers the long-awaited Battle of the Gullet, an epic sequence combining brutal naval combat, ship boardings, and the decisive intervention of dragons attacking from the skies. Hundreds of vessels clash in a battle that fans are already comparing to the legendary Battle of the Bastards from Game of Thrones.
The episode brings a devastating loss for Rhaenyra's faction: Jacaerys Velaryon (Jace) dies in combat after being knocked off his dragon by enemy naval forces. The character surfaces briefly, only to be struck down by projectiles from opposing ships.
The battle also marks the appearance of Sheepstealer, a recently claimed dragon that intervenes in the conflict, affecting both allies and enemies alike, completely altering the course of the naval confrontation.
James Norton (known from Happy Valley and The Guinness Family) portrays Lord Ormund Hightower, and his arrival in the series has generated enormous anticipation. Showrunner Ryan Condal himself described him as "the equivalent of Tywin Lannister at this point in history".
Ormund is nephew to Otto Hightower and cousin to Queen Alicent. As Lord of Oldtown and head of House Hightower, he commands more than 20,000 soldiers, the largest standing army remaining in Westeros. His position is crucial for the Greens in their war against Rhaenyra's Blacks.
Beyond his lineage, Ormund presents himself as a pragmatic noble, detached from idealism. In his first scene, he receives a forged message supposedly from Aemond Targaryen, and his response reveals his character: "One king is as good as any other". The character even carries a small perfume jar around his neck to mask the unpleasant odors of his messengers, a detail that showcases his aristocratic refinement.
For now, Lord Ormund and his forces remain camped in The Reach, the most fertile region of Westeros, during their march toward King's Landing. His army represents one of the Greens' primary military assets to defend against Rhaenyra's offensive.
For those who want to anticipate what's coming, George R.R. Martin's books reveal Ormund Hightower's fate:
The third season of House of the Dragon continues adapting the Targaryen civil war known as the Dance of the Dragons, the succession conflict between Viserys I's children that devastated Westeros 200 years before the events of Game of Thrones. This is the war that ultimately led to the extinction of dragons and the decline of House Targaryen.
| Faction | Leader | Main Dragon |
|---|---|---|
| The Greens | Aegon II Targaryen | Sunfyre |
| The Blacks | Rhaenyra Targaryen | Syrax |
The third season of House of the Dragon demonstrates that the prequel can uphold Game of Thrones' legacy. With a production that has prioritized epic battles and the development of strategic characters like Ormund Hightower, HBO seems to have found the perfect formula to keep fans hooked week after week.
For those wanting to delve deeper into George R.R. Martin's universe, the book Fire and Blood contains all the details of the Dance of the Dragons, though the series has already demonstrated it will take its own narrative liberties to surprise even the most faithful readers.
Sources: Infobae | 20minutos.es
Alfredo S. Quiroga
