House of the Dragon has tied up the loose ends from Season 2 and is moving forward with new storylines for Season 3. The Dance of Dragons is as deadly and complicated as ever, rounding out the Game of Thrones canon on the small screen. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms and its smaller-scale story have been put on hold until next year, leaving this summer wide open for all the grizzly and groundbreaking twists and turns of the Targaryen civil war.
If you need a refresher amid all the chaos and lore updates, here is everything you need to know ahead of Season 3 Episode 5:
When does House of the Dragon Season 3 Episode 5 come out?
Season 3 Episode 5 will premiere on HBO at 9 p.m. ET on Sunday, July 19. It will be available to stream on HBO Max at the same time. The episode is expected to have a runtime around 1 hour, but its title remains unknown.
Like Game of Thrones, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms and most other major HBO titles, House of the Dragon is releasing one episode a week – all on Sunday nights. There will be eight episodes in Season 3, as there were in Season 2. After that, HBO has greenlit a fourth and final season with a scheduled release date of 2028.
(Warning: Spoilers for House of the Dragon Season 3 Episode 4, Game of Thrones and A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Season 1 ahead.)
Who will show up this episode?
House of the Dragon took a bit of a break from killing off characters in Episode 3 after knocking off Jacaerys Velaryon, Otto Hightower, Jasper Wylde, Simon Strong and Lorent Marbrand over the prior two weeks. In fact, the ensemble continued to grow by adding Ser Torren Manderly and revealing that we still haven’t met the real Daeron Targaryen. Here is a look at who is likely to show up in Season 3 Episode 5 and beyond:
- Emma D’Arcy as Rhaenyra Targaryen
- Olivia Cooke as Alicent Hightower
- Matt Smith as Daemon Targaryen
- Ewan Mitchell as Aemond Targaryen
- Tom Glynn-Carney as Aegon II Targaryen
- Bethany Antonia as Baela Targaryen
- Phoebe Campbell as Rhaena Targaryen
- Phia Saban as Helaena Targaryen
- Fabien Frankel as Criston Cole
- Steve Toussaint as Corlys Velaryon
- Sonoya Mizuno as Mysaria
- Matthew Needham as Larys Strong
- Jefferson Hall as Tyland Lannister
- Kurt Egyiawan as Orwyle
- Kieran Bew as Hugh Hammer
- Abubakar Salim as Alyn of Hull
- Clinton Liberty as Addam of Hull
- Tom Bennett as Ulf the White
- Ellora Torchia as Kat
- Freddie Fox as Gwayne Hightower
- Gayle Rankin as Alys Rivers
- Phil Daniels as Gerardys
- Nicholas Jones as Bartimos Celtigar
- Vincent Regan as Rickard Thorne
- Archie Barnes as Oscar Tully
- James Norton as Ormund Hightower
- Tommy Flanagan as Roderick Dustin
- Dan Fogler as Torrhen Manderly
- Tom Cullen as Luthor Largent
- Joplin Sibtain as Jon Roxton
- Barry Sloane as Adrian Redfort
- Annie Shapero as Alysanne Blackwood
What to expect in House of the Dragon Season 3 Episode 5
War in the Riverlands
The whereabouts of Prince Aemond are all but uncertain following his swift siege of Harrenhal. Rhaenyra’s dragons have been sent on frequent patrols to locate the gargantuan Vhagar and her rider. However, that hasn’t stopped the leader of the Greens from burning almost everything in sight.
Perhaps nobody is more invested in finding Vhagar than Ser Criston Cole. The king’s hand was expecting battlefield support from the world’s most powerful dragon. Instead, his already depleted army finds itself outnumbered against Daemon’s massive host. Still, that hasn’t stopped Cole from hatching up a scheme to pick off the Blacks. At the end of Episode 4, he divulged his plans to Gwayne: despite lacking manpower, their troops will operate from the shadows. A guerrilla warfare approach is better than simply getting picked off one by one on the battlefield. Eventually, the hope is to link up with Ormund and Daeron marching from the south (more on them later).
Still, there’s no guarantee that Cole’s gambit will prove successful. After all, traveling undetected throughout the Riverlands is no easy task. That’s especially true when multiple dragonriders are on the prowl for enemies big and small. Keep in mind, the local population is firmly for Rhaenyra following Aemond’s pillaging. One false move here from Cole could lead to utter disaster for the Greens.
Chaos in King’s Landing
Speaking of Rhaenyera, she’s dealing with a slew of problems on the Iron Throne: a crippled economy, dissatisfied citizens, and issues winning over the Faith. That’s an unenviable position for anyone, even if she happens to control King’s Landing. Dameon’s grip on the City Watch remains secure, but an irritated populace can only be held down for so long. Eventually, the Blacks need to give the people some reason for optimism.
As if things couldn’t get any more difficult, Corlys is enraged at the Queen. Her inability to legitimize Addam and Alyn has angered the Sea Snake, who now has nobody to pass down his family name. It’s a move that comes with plenty of risk for Rhaenyra; her most experienced council has openly called her children bastards out of spite. Unless she suddenly reverses course (unlikely), there will continue to be major tension between the two. That’s not ideal for a man responsible for the Blacks’ naval dominance in this war. Appeasing Corlys, or going in another direction, feels inevitable.
Find all of Bryan Armetta’s predictions for House of the Dragon Season 3 Episode 5 here.
Here is the trailer for House of the Dragon Season 3 Episode 5:
House of the Dragon FAQs
When does House of the Dragon Season 3 Episode 5 come out?
Season 3 Episode 5 will premiere at 9 p.m. ET on Sunday, July 19. The next three episodes will drop once a week at the same time.
Where can I watch House of the Dragon?
House of the Dragon Season 3 is available to stream on HBO Max. The first two seasons are also available on the streaming service if you are looking to catch up, as are all eight seasons of Game of Thrones and the first season of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.
Will there be another season of House of the Dragon?
HBO confirmed in November that House of the Dragon would return for a fourth and final season in 2028.
When does the next Game of Thrones spinoff come out?
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Season 2, which will adapt The Sworn Sword novella, is scheduled to come out in 2027. The Game of Thrones: Aegon’s Conquest film is in development, although Warner Bros. has yet to lock down a theatrical release date.