House of the Dragon Season 3 starts off with a bang, diving right into the Battle of the Gullet — one of the Dance of the Dragons' bloodiest on-screen battles yet. Warning: SPOILERS ahead for House of the Dragon Season 3, Episode 1. The showdown between the Blacks and the Greens is made more chaotic by the inclusion of the Triarchy, the alliance of Free Cities hellbent on getting revenge on Corlys Velaryon and his crew. The arrival of a rogue dragon doesn't help matters, and it leads to a major death in Season 3's very first episode.
Those who read Fire & Blood knew Jace's death was coming, but HBO's Game of Thrones spinoff makes key changes to the circumstances surrounding it. Jace's fate seems certain to push Rhaenyra to the edge, just as it does in George R.R. Martin's source material. However, the ways the tragedy differs from its on-page counterpart present challenges for House of the Dragon Season 3 going forward.
How 'House of the Dragon' Season 3 Changes Jace's Death From 'Fire & Blood'
House of the Dragon Season 3 kills off Rhaenyra's eldest son at the same time and place as Fire & Blood. However, the show significantly alters the events leading up to his death. For one, Rhaenyra's absence at the Battle of the Gullet isn't really explained in Fire & Blood. She's mourning the loss of her other son, Lucerys, and Jace ends up handling many of Team Black's affairs. He's the one who arranges for his younger brothers to be sent away from Dragonstone, and he plays a larger role in recruiting and training the dragonseeds. He's also in the midst of planning an attack on King's Landing when he gets word of the ships approaching the Gullet.
With Jace taking a leadership role in the book, it's no surprise that he rushes into the thick of things in Fire & Blood. His younger brothers, Aegon III and Viserys II, are also caught up in the Triarchy's attack: they're on a ship taken by the Greens' new allies. Aegon III escapes and warns Jace of their presence, but Viserys II is thought to be in danger. It's a big part of the reason Jace delves headfirst into danger, and it's why he flies so low later on.
None of this happens in House of the Dragon Season 3. Rhaenyra's youngest children aren't involved in the Battle of the Gullet at all, removing Jace's original motivation for joining. In the Season 3 premiere, Rhaenyra decides to fly to the Gullet herself, something Jace is desperate to prevent. Worried he'll lose another family member, he tells Ser Lorent to lock her in her chamber. The knight is initially reluctant to obey, but Jace reasons that protecting the queen is part of his job. He ends up conceding far too easily.
Jace then convinces Baela to fly off and save the day with him, just as eager to prove himself as he is to protect his mother. So, House of the Dragon completely upends how he gets to the Battle of the Gullet in the first place. It also paints him flying too close to the enemy as a tragic mistake. In Fire & Blood, he and Vermax are flying that low because they're looking for his missing brother on the Triarchy's ships.
In House of the Dragon, Jace and Vermax get close enough for the enemy to hit them because they're evading Rhaena and an out-of-control Sheepstealer. Rhaena's arc in itself is a major change to the source material, as she's given a cut character's storyline. The character she replaces (Nettles) and Sheepstealer are present at the Battle of the Gullet, but they don't lose control in a way that results in Jace's demise.
The 'Game of Thrones' Spinoff's Changes Work, but There's a Catch
The changes made to Jace's death in House of the Dragon Season 3 don't hurt the premiere beyond repair, as "Salt and Sea, Fire and Blood" is an undeniably epic episode of television. The emotional blow of Jace's death still lands, and the action leading up to it is every bit as intense and impressive as you'd expect. Yet these changes do open themselves to criticism, and they present challenges going forward.
Perhaps the most perplexing part of House of the Dragon's take on events is that Rhaenyra's Queensguard would obey Jace over her — and so easily, too. It's not the most believable turn of events, and it continues to downplay Rhaenyra's power as queen. That's a consistent issue throughout the show. Sidelining Rhaenyra yet again does nothing to improve her character's passivity. Hopefully, losing Jace will push her closer to becoming the vicious ruler described in Fire & Blood.
The changes also ensure that Rhaenyra can pin the blame for Jace's death on other people, including Ser Lorent, Baela, and Rhaena. Judging by the preview for the rest of Season 3, that's exactly where things are headed. It takes agency away from Jace while setting up unnecessary in-fighting between the Blacks. It's possible the drama that comes after will be worth it, but it may not sell book purists on this iteration of events.
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