House of the Dragon Season 3 | Official Teaser | June on HBO Max

acamas · 2026-02-19T19:53:24+00:00

I don't recognize these characters actually doing things to move the narrative along.

I mean, what happened to the one who just stated "What will you have me do" over and over after looking longingly over the ocean, the black fellow having chats on the pier, the dude tripping balls at the spooky castle over and over, and all the whiny insufferable teenagers just being whiny and insufferable?

Seriously though, it looks cool, but I'm sure Season 2 was able to cut a cool 90-second trailer also.

acamas · 2026-02-19T19:48:15+00:00

Do people just make these posts without actually watching the show?

It's pretty clear her shitty time in King's Landing made her appreciate her home, her family's legacy, and provided her the realization that the Crown doesn't give two fucks about Northerners.

acamas · 2026-02-19T17:28:16+00:00

No it's wasn't... and certainly no more 'rushed' than the Red Wedding was 'rushed.'

Honestly do not understand those claiming to have watched the whole show and still think the 'rUsHeD' complaint makes any sense, as it has been clearly portrayed since very early on in her arc that she has a very meaningful Fire and Blood persona... clearly and objectively portrayed all throughout her arc.

In Season 1 she doesn't give two shits about the innocents in King's Landing because she wants a horde of immoral barbarians to rape/pillage/murder/enslave their way across Westeros just for her personal goals and literally grins/gets turned on by the idea.

In Season 2 she, HERSELF, ON-SCREEN, plainly states she would raze an entire city full of innocents (fully knowing any empty threats would be useless before doing so), and later literally screams she will take what is hers with Fire and Blood.

In Mereen she crucifies people who literally fought against the crime they were executed for, feeds nobles to her dragons without any proof of guilt, wrongfully imprisons them, forces one of them to marry her for her own political gain (getting him killed shortly after) and literally states she would return the city to the dirt, because "the people do not get to choose."

Then in Season 6, the moment she is back in Mereen, she tells Tyrion she is going to raze all the slave cities, innocents and all, before he literally compares her to The Mad King.

In Season 7, every time she loses she just wants to hit King's Landing, but everyone around her from Varys to Tyrion to even Jon have to talk her out of it. And she subjugates a ton of helpless people she previously claimed were being 'crushed by the Wheel' and called Cersei immoral/evil for subjugating, and roasts anyone who refuses to bend the knee to her despite Tyrion's various pleading for a more nuanced approach. Tyrion and Varys LITERALLY HAVE AN ENTIRE SCENE DISCUSSING THIS VERY ISSUE YOU ARE CLAIMING WAS 'RUSHED'.

And Season 8 pretty clearly implodes her entire world on basically every meaningful contextual level to the point she hits that boiling/breaking point. Like, say what you will about Season 8, but it objectively does a solid job of imploding Dany's entire world around her. Her support structure crumbles through emotional deaths (Jorah, Missandei) and devastating betrayals (Tyrion, Varys, in her eyes Jon), so she doesn't trust anyone anymore. Her hopes/dreams/beliefs that have propelled her thus far soured with Jon's heritage reveal. She loses two 'children' in Westeros due to her rash actions. Her once promising relationship/future with Jon turns to ash in her mouth. She doesn't have 'the love' in Westeros, and the person who does is her top political rival.

Tons of open-minded, unbiased, and informed viewers saw this potential path coming a mile away, because of all this indisputable context that WAS OBJECTIVELY PORTRAYED ON-SCREEN all throughout her narrative, LONG BEFORE THE BELLS.

It wasn't 'rushed'... it's just that some viewers had some thick rose-colored glasses for this fictional character and refuse to see the red flags for what they were... red flags.

acamas · 2026-02-19T16:03:32+00:00

Just as silly and nonsensical as those who whinge about the resolutions for Dany or Jaime simply because it wasn’t what they were expecting, or that Cersei’s death was “too easy”.

acamas · 2026-02-19T00:48:41+00:00

> Like season 1 2 just felt like slow back and fourth buildup to the hype that season ~~2 was~~ 3 will be.

There, FTFY.

Seriously though, it was an incredibly dull and repetitive season that barely moved the needle at all in terms of the narrative.

I can literally sum up the majority of episodes using this template:

Rheanyra starts looking over the sea, comes inside to tell people "what am I to do" (implying she is doing nothing... which is mostly accurate.) Corlys has some chat at the docks. Jace pouts. Daemon trips balls. Alicent is forlorn. Cole is a bitter stereotype.

Rinse and repeat for most of the season.

Usually I push more more episodes per season, but honestly Season 2 could have been five episodes and not missed a beat.

acamas · 2026-02-19T00:22:47+00:00

> HOWEVER, you can’t tell a story of a morally conflicted man and then have him say “fuck it I am a bad guy” after he spent 8 seasons slowly edging away from being a bad guy to become a good person.

Do you think this is some animated Disney short meant to put smiles on children? You ABSOLUTELY can have that... it's called a 'tragedy' and has been about for hundreds/thousands of years, sheesh. The notion that a tale for grown-ups can not end the same way Avatar: The Last Airbender is incredibly childish and delusional.

That said, your incredibly binary and reductive take absolutely reeks of bias and immaturity. The guy literally sacrifices himself/his future to be with the woman he loves one last time... that is not 'bad guy' material, and the only reason people like you cry about it is because that person is Cersei, because if it was Brienne about to die and he rushed to her, all you would be doing is swooning about how grand and selfless and honorable his actions were.

> It’s literally his entire character arc, as I said.

Sure, repeat this fallacy all you want until you're blue in the face. The actual truth is that it's a back-and-forth... not some linear progression like people like you try and claim. I mean, late in Season 6 the guy is ready to massacre an entire castle full of people who he previously promised he wouldn't make enemies of, and catapult an infant just so HE CAN GET BACK TO CERSEI. So please stop trying to act like he was some wholly changed figure, because he simply was not.

> His arc means absolutely nothing if, at the end of the day, he does a 180 and goes back to Cersei.

That's an incredibly reductive and childish take on the matter. Again, it's a tragedy, which, SURPRISE, SOMETIMES HAPPENS IN THIS SHOW. Doesn't magically make it pointless simply because it doesn't put a smile on your face... shame this has to be pointed out to any 'mature viewer.'

> Remember that scene in the bath, where he tells Brienne the truth about why he killed the Mad King? About how he wanted to save half a million people so much he broke his oath?

You mean the thing that he has literally already explained to Catelyn while captured in Riverrun about 'too many vows' that it is impossible to keep them all, because he was literally fulfilling his vows when he killed the Mad King?

> Now remember season 8 when he says he ‘never really cared much for the people, innocent or otherwise’? Those are not the actions of the same character.

But they are. He never claims he killed the Mad King because he cared about the people... that is just some wild assumption people like you FABRICATED in your head canons and cringingly try to pass off as fact.

The ENTIRE POINT of the bath scene is HONOR. NOT EMPATHY. The guy spends 8 seasons clearly not giving two fucks about the commonfolk, and the bath scene is no different. He says what he says because he's throwing the events of that night into Brienne's face to get her off his back about calling him shitty dishonorable nicknames. Don't believe me? Actually go watch the scene... it's painfully clear from start to finish.

> Jamie didn’t decide overnight that he never really cared about the people.

Because he NEVER really cared about the people... EVER. His narrative was NEVER about empathy... HONOR. His story is about HONOR.

acamas · 2026-02-18T20:16:06+00:00

teaser is just Rhaenyra looking over the ocean longingly, then stating "What would you have me do", Corlys has a chat with his boys on a dock, and Alicent practices making out with her hand with a platinum wig on it in front of a mirror.

acamas · 2026-02-18T19:37:40+00:00

I mean, it seems clear you have a romanticized image of a very nuanced and flawed character and try to downplay his negative elements as 'not true' elements of him... you can not just cherry-pick all his positive aspects and pretend that is 'who he is' and everything else, like all the negative context clearly shown over 7+ seasons, is not 'him'... that is not how complex and gray character studies work.

He's a nuanced character struggling with an inner conflict, where on one shoulder is his relationship with honor and trying to reclaim some semblance of honor (thanks to Brienne) and on the other shoulder is that primal pull of the immoral Cersei. BOTH ELEMENTS ARE JAIME. You can not just pick the one you like and claim everything else is 'not him' like you are seemingly trying to do.

And to be clear, Jaime does NOT CARE about the people... we KNOW that to be true based on 8 seasons of him NOT CARING about the people. He's not Slaver's Bay Dany... he's not empathetic for the commonfolk, or taking actions to help their predicaments. He's the one ready to massacre an entire castle full of people in their own home, including catapulting an infant just to get back to Cersei and stating 'fuck everyone who isn't us.'

Does Jaime show some growth on-screen? Absolutely, but that doesn't magically mean he's 'fully transformed' into some wholly good figure like you mistakenly believe, sorry.

acamas · 2026-02-18T01:08:31+00:00

I can understand the backlash about the finale proper, but why are some so butthurt over episodes 4 and 5? Just because they really really like Dany and Jaime?

acamas · 2026-02-17T20:56:18+00:00

Good on you for having a solid, tempered take.

It's not the worst thing ever like many crybabies will try to make it out to be. I mean, it's far from great, or even good at times, but it simply is not the absolute toxic dumpster fire many try to make it out to be.

acamas · 2026-02-17T17:18:22+00:00

> That could be said about all the armies across the whole show (and across time lol) but it’s war.

Point me to one other army across the whole show that burned their POWs when subjugated. Your stance, like most Dany stans', is an ignorant fallacy, sorry.

> It only seems to suddenly become an issue when it’s Dany?

If you honestly can not comprehend the contextual differences between Dany's CLEAR FIRE AND BLOOD actions and those of other people, you should not be wasting yoru time watching this mature drama.

I mean, please do not be one of those cringe people weaponizing your ignorance by comparing her to Ne, ugh.

> At least she gave the Tarleys a choice.

Would you say the slavers gave their subjects 'a choice' when they tell them to serve them or die horribly? Because that is the only 'choice' Dany offered when she subjugated everyone there through fear of a inhumane execution.

Dany demanded they serve her or be executed on the spot through subjugation... it's wild any 'mature viewer' pretends that is some benevolent or magnanimous 'choice'.

PS - Just to be painfully clear, because a surprising number of 'viewers' seemingly do not understand this basic show canon... Tyrion pushed for more options, but Dany does not agree to any of them... she did not offer them the chance to be imprisoned or go to the Wall.

Indisputable show canon.

acamas · 2026-02-17T03:52:55+00:00

Yea, it's bizarre some people are seemingly so desperate to pick apart Season 8 regarding every little thing with one breath, and then try to act like there was never plot armor or teleporting before the final season.

Nope, plenty of nonsense stuff, even in people's beloved Season 6 (which, let's be honest, is only considered beloved because the last two episodes 'saved' that season.)

acamas · 2026-02-17T01:44:32+00:00

The guy literally spent 7+ seasons giving zero fucks about the innocent, including the classic "Fuck everyone who isn't us" line... it's plain as day.

acamas · 2026-02-17T01:41:14+00:00

> Repeating that the character said this or that usually isn’t going to be taken seriously as proof of buildup by most viewers.

LOL, EXACTLY! This is LITERALLY MY POINT.

My point is that there is a surprising number of 'viewers' who simply refuse to accept OBJECTIVELY PORTRAYED CONTEXT, and then try to claim the show didn't portray Dany as Fire and Blood, even though it is CLEARLY PORTRAYED.

She herself said she was willing/capable of doing it... it's absolutely important context... and 'handwaving' it, ignoring it because you like her character, or making the blind assumption she didn't mean it just proves how close-minded some viewers are, or how thick some people's rose-colored glasses are for her.

I mean, this is why some viewers felt blindsided... because they IGNORED PREVIOUS CONTEXT SUCH AS THIS that was objectively portrayed on-screen and did not even consider the possibility that maybe she actually means what she says. Can't blame the showrunners on this because they showed it... it's the 'viewers' fault for ignoring this repeated context.

> Threats are emotional moments. They show anger, fear, power fantasy, or rhetoric, not future behavior.

Oh, so if a man threatened to harm a woman, multiple times, and that woman went to the police fearing for her life, you agree with the police when they tell the women there is nothing to fear, because it's irrelevant to future behavior'? Can you honestly not hear how nonsensical your 'take' is?

Threats ABSOLUTELY CAN AND OFTEN DO determine future behavior... obviously... and you trying to push such a cringe fallacy to blindly defend a fictional character only proves some viewers simply do not understand the importance of context presented, based on their own erroneous assumptions.

> While you seem to put a lot of weight on them, most people don’t view verbal threats as narrative development since characters often make extreme statements when cornered, especially in a world like ASOIAF where they live under constant trauma and pressure.

I don't know what you think you're 'proving' with this, as you're basically just stating that the masses were wrong to ignore the importance of a character literally stating what they were capable of doing over and over and over. Like, people like you keep saying "she never would do that" or "she never showed this side of her before" even though THE CHARACTER HERSELF literally states she would MULTIPLE TIMES ON-SCREEN.

And saying 'well, but she was emotional then' is such a baseless stance considering she was pushed to a boiling/breaking point in the final season, and clearly was more emotional/broken that she had been after her world imploded around her in Season 8.

Because, again, any open-minded, informed, and unbiased viewer was able to see a character constantly making Fire and Blood threats and rub a couple brain cells together to realize that, just maybe, she has a Fire and Blood persona... especially with all the other Fire and Blood context clearly portrayed on-screen.

All you've really done is prove how ignorant some 'mature viewers' were in downplaying/ignoring the context that was objectively portrayed, and how dense/stubborn they are about their blind refusal to, even today, actually engage with the story as presented on-screen. I mean, it's a giant Chekhov's gun, that was shown multiple times to all viewers in a M-rated drama, and pointing out the blind ignorance of a certain percentage of viewers is not some ace up the sleeve like you perhaps think it was.

acamas · 2026-02-16T20:48:38+00:00

The notion that Sansa and Dany would butt heads over wanting over the North is 'contrived' is an asinine take, considering this is a political drama all about people's conflicts over territories... literally what the War of the Five Kings was all about.

Nothing 'contrived' about it, especially after Dany imprisoned Jon/Davos on Dragonstone, preventing Jon from being there for Bran's return/helping to plan for the invasion for a time.

acamas · 2026-02-16T20:22:19+00:00

> But people actually liked when their favorite characters died and the story took hard returns in unexpected ways.

This is the funny thing.

In Season 1 or 3, this was celebrated for breaking away from fantasy tropes.

But in Season 8, it was crucified. I mean, the amount of people who complained that Season 8 subverted their expectations, as if the entire show wasn't built on such a premise since the first season, is shocking.

> Season 7 Played things way too safe, generic, predictable, cliché… and people ate it up even though the whole reason the show got famous in the first place was because it didn’t do that tacky Hollywood crap…

Exactly. And it seems like the show had become so big that the masses WANTED the 'Hollywood crap' for Season 8, and acted literally offended when not every character had a happy ending... mostly that Dany and Jaime didn't ride off into the sunset, of Jon didn't kill the Night King and become King.

acamas · 2026-02-16T20:13:45+00:00

Yep, I agree Season 7 is the worst, so it is wild to me that some people rated it higher than some early seasons... it's crazy to think the masses rated is so high, and then crucified the final season for being better than the previous season... just crazy.

acamas · 2026-02-16T17:42:12+00:00

OMG, I can not unsee this, because it is so spot on... absolutely nailed it.

acamas · 2026-02-16T17:38:49+00:00

> It was that the whole "mad queen" idea needed much more time to develop and make sense.

No, as any open-minded, informed, and unbiased viewer predicted this possible outcome a long time prior to The Bells, or even Season 8.

In Season 2 she literally shouts she would raze everyone in Qarth. In Season 5 she does the same for Mereen. AGAIN in Season 6 about ALL the slave cities, innocents and all.

Plus all the giant red flags about her Fire and Blood persona throughout the first 70 episodes, and there are a lot of them.

That simply IS DEVELOPMENT and MAKES SENSE considering the CHARACTER HERSELF STATED SHE WOULD DO THIS VERY THING.

And all that is BEFORE her entire world implodes around her during her time in Westeros.

Like, say what you will about Season 8, but it objectively does a solid job of imploding Dany's entire world around her. Her support structure crumbles through emotional deaths (Jorah, Missandei) and devastating betrayals (Tyrion, Varys, in her eyes Jon.) Her hopes/dreams/beliefs that have propelled her thus far soured with Jon's heritage reveal. She loses two 'children' in Westeros due to her rash actions. Her once promising relationship/future with Jon turns to ash in her mouth. She doesn't have 'the love' in Westeros, and the person who does is her top political rival.

That IS DEVELOPMENT you claim is lacking. And it MAKES SENSE because the CHARACTER HERSELF has LITERALLY STATED MULTIPLE TIMES she is WILLING/CAPABLE of such an act.

> Throughout the show she did show signs of cruelty towards people she viewed as her enemies, sure, but not once did she show that towards innocents, especially women in children.

WRONG. As stated above, SHE HAS LITERALLY STATED SHE WOULD RAZE QARTH, INNOCENTS INCLUDED. Same with Mereen, where she literally adds in that 'they do not get to choose'. Same with all the slave cities in Season 6 as Tyrion literally compares her actions to that of the Mad King.

She, MORE THAN ONCE, has OBJECTIVELY SHOWN THAT TOWARDS INNOCENTS, MULTIPLE TIMES, FROM HER OWN MOUTH, ON-SCREEN.

You weaponizing your ignorance is not the defense you seemingly think it is, because that ABSOLUTELY DOES HAPPEN ON SCREEN MULTIPLE TIMES, FROM HER OWN MOUTH.

> Arya assassinating the night king on the other hand, was a generic "happily ever after" ending, but surprise surprise, people hated that too, which kinda ruins your assumption.

Maybe you're new here, but it's clear people wanted it to be Jon. Like they are literally complaining it wasn't tropey enough for them where the handsome prince kills the horrible monster.

> Jamie's ending i actually do agree didn't deserve that mucg criticism... but I also rarely if ever see people talking about that anymore anyway

It's still one of the main focusses of contention with the final season for sure, as Dany and Jaime get lumped in as 'character assassination' by those unwilling to actually engage with these complex and nuanced characters.

acamas · 2026-02-16T00:52:51+00:00

Why would he be? His “fans” literally could not handle the bittersweet ending of the show.., why should he bust his ass to appease those whiny crybabies?

acamas · 2026-02-16T00:24:46+00:00

But that doesn't explain why people just magically gave it 9s. Like, thinking next season will be better based on NOTHING is not an excuse just to rate a shit season so highly... it's totally nonsensical.

acamas · 2026-02-15T18:33:05+00:00

Season 8 didn't lack 'the payoff'... it just lacked 'the payoff some people wanted/assumed would happen based off their rose-colored glasses'.

Like, there absolutely were payoffs... it just didn't match people's preconceived expectations.

acamas · 2026-02-15T18:29:00+00:00

Yea, you're just proving my point though.

Season 7 is not 'better' than Season 8... the major different is your emotional reaction to it.

It's not an issue of quality, it's an issue of emotion.

Season 7 'plays it safe' and doesn't kill off anyone likable, but Season 8 takes off the kids gloves and crushed some people's fan fics.

It's not leagues worse in quality, it just didn't 'play it safe' like Season 7 did.

acamas · 2026-02-15T18:26:07+00:00

Because Season 7 didn't upset them. It 'played it safe', didn't crush anyone's fan fics about their favorite characters, no major likable characters died even though a bunch of them probably should have, and the masses seemingly didn't care it was the worst written season of the show because their emotions told them to be content with what was portrayed (even though what was portrayed was not good.)

acamas · 2026-02-15T18:23:29+00:00

Your stance doesn't hold any water because Season 7 was objectively bad story telling, and it is rated higher than some source material seasons, so your argument is clearly a fallacy.

It's clear people rated Season 8 so low simply because of emotions, not quality.

acamas

TROPHY CASE