Inside the drama engulfing House Of The Dragon as fans vow to boycott season three and critics reveal show made them ‘physically sick’

There’s not long to go until House Of The Dragon is back on our screens after captivating fans with its first two offerings. 

But as anticipation builds for what may come next, drama is already engulfing the show – which is a prequel to HBO smash-hit Game Of Thrones – before season three even comes out on June 21.

Some fans have vowed to boycott the upcoming episodes, while critics who have had a preview of what’s to come have revealed the fantasy show made them ‘physically sick’. 

Major cast members including Matt Smith, Emma D’Arcy, Olivia Cooke, Steve Toussaint, Rhys Ifans and Fabien Frankel will be back. 

The fantasy series first hit screens back in 2022 and is returning for an eight-episode third season. It launches on HBO Max, with further episodes airing weekly until the finale on August 10.

But one reviewer this week said there was one scene in one of the first four episodes that ‘sickened her’ and made the whole audience ‘gasp in unison’.

Reviewer Sabrina Barr penned in Metro: ‘House Of The Dragon has never been afraid to push the boundaries – the opening episode of season one included a tragic birth scene that’s truly one of the most horrifying sequences I’ve ever watched on TV. 

‘In season two, Daemon Targaryen [Matt Smith] had sex with his own mother in a bizarre Harrenhal-induced dream sequence [Harrenhal is an infamous castle in Westeros]. But this latest vomit-inducing moment might take the biscuit.’

Many had already said that they would boycott the upcoming season after being left severely disappointed by the ending of series two back in August 2024. 

The 70-minute finale – entitled The Queen Who Ever Was – didn’t provide the spectacle that many Game Of Thrones fans had come to expect from season finales.

While it had its share of surprising moments – including a bold gambit by Queen Dowager Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke) and a shockingly unclaimed Iron Throne – many were left disappointed.

‘WHERE IS THE REST OF THE EPISODE????’ tweeted @ashx_s0ul along with a picture of a cat captioned, ‘Sobbing in Valyrian’.

The first season ended with the shocking deal of Rhaenyra Targaryen’s (Emma D’Arcy) son Lucerys Velaryon at the hands of Aemond Targaryen (Ewan Mitchell), which set the stage for the ‘war’ to come.

Still fans didn’t get much in terms of actual battle action in season two, which is a primary reason why many felt underwhelmed.

And now, as a result, some fans are planning to boycott the next series. 

Rounding out the cast are Tom Glynn-Carney, Sonoya Mizuno, Harry Collett, Bethany Antonia, Phoebe Campbell, Phia Saban, Jefferson Hall and Matthew Needham.

New cast members include Annie Shapiro, Tom Cullen, Tommy Flanagan, Dan Fogler, Joplin Sibtain, Barry Sloane and James Norton

Previously, fans shared their excitement as a very violent season three trailer dropped – with warring soldiers butchered and burned alive.

Writing in the YouTube comments section, one fan penned: ‘Now we are talking.’

Another added: ‘This season is dark and full of terrors.’ 

A third shared: ‘My boy, Daemon finally getting the Action he deserves!!’

A fourth chimed in: ‘This series is so dark, so tragic and epic…pure gold.’

While a fifth agreed: ‘This looks better than season 2. Let’s hope it delivers.’

It’s not the first controversy the show has been caught up in.

Back in 2022, an executive on the show had to clarify comments made that the show would ‘depict sexual violence’. 

‘I’d like to clarify that we do not depict sexual violence in the show,’ writer and executive producer Sara Hess told Vanity Fair at the time. ‘We handle one instance off-screen, and instead show the aftermath and impact on the victim and the mother of the perpetrator.

‘I think what our show does, and what I’m proud of, is that we choose to focus on the violence against women that is inherent in a patriarchal system,’ she said in a statement to the publication.

‘There are many “historical” or history-based shows that romanticise powerful men in sexual/marriage relationships with women who were actually not of an age to consent, even if they were “willing,”‘ Sara continued. 

‘We put that onscreen, and we don’t shy away from the fact that our female leads in the first half of the show are coerced and manipulated into doing the will of adult men.

‘This is done not necessarily by those we would define as rapists or abusers, but often by generally well-meaning men who are unable to see that what they are doing is traumatic and oppressive, because the system that they all live in normalizes it. It’s less obvious than rape but just as insidious, though in a different way.’

It came after House Of The Dragon director Miguel Sapochnik discussed how sexual violence against women would be shown on the series.

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Sapochnik said production ‘pulled back’ on how much sex appeared, yet still gave a look into how sex was a casual part of life.

‘Violence against women is still very much part of the world,’ The Hollywood Reporter reported in the story.

Sapochnik said they approached the matter ‘carefully, thoughtfully and [we] don’t shy away from it. If anything, we’re going to shine a light on that aspect. You can’t ignore the violence that was perpetrated on women by men in that time. It shouldn’t be downplayed and it shouldn’t be glorified.’

When the blockbuster fantasy drama Game Of Thrones first aired 15 years ago, it became known almost instantly for its violent bloodlust and frequent, gratuitous nudity.

From the very first episodes of George R. R. Martin’s eight-season epic, there were graphic sex scenes, stories of rape and incest, and even gory depictions of child murder.

And that wasn’t the only controversy at the time.  

Back in 2022, black actor Steve Toussaint, who plays Lord Corlys Velaryo, responded to racist trolls who claimed he didn’t match author George RR Martin’s depiction of his character in the novel the show is based on, pointing out that people are OK with ‘flying dragons’ but not ‘rich black guys’.

Created by Miguel Sapochnik and Ryan Condal, the story is adapted from a portion of Martin’s 2018 book Fire & Blood. 

In the HBO Max series, Toussaint played the leader of the House Velayron, one of the closest allies to House Targaryen and the richest house in Westeros, and a good friend to King Viserys Targaryen (Paddy Constantine).

After, Toussaint responded to the nasty critics, explaining that people of ‘his hue’ were a huge part of history.

‘So many people are basing their idea of the history of this country on a few films and stuff that were made in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, which don’t bear any resemblance to the truth,’ he told Men’s Health at the time.

‘Historically, people of my hue and your hue, we didn’t just turn up here in the 1970s or the 1960s. 

‘There was a point when the ruler of his country, ‘the Caesar,’ was an African man. There are street names that tell you there were people who looked like us in this country even then, but for some reason, it seems to be very hard for people to swallow. 

‘They are happy with a dragon flying. They’re happy with white hair and violet-colored eyes, but a rich black guy? That’s beyond the pale.’

Toussaint reminded people that the show is not intended to be exactly like the book, and he admitted that he didn’t even read it before playing Lord Corlys.

‘George Martin sent us all signed copies of the book. I was going to read it, then I thought, no. What I have to represent is what they’ve written in the script,’ he explained.

‘They’re going to take liberties with it for dramatic purposes. So I didn’t want to read his interpretation or know what happened to my character.’

Season three of House Of The Dragon premieres on June 21 at 9PM ET/ 6PM PT on HBO and HBO Max. 

In the UK, the first episode will be available on June 22 at 2:AM. You can stream it on Sky Atlantic, HBO Max, or NOW TV.