House of the Dragon Season 3’s Deaths Expose Its Biggest Problem

House of the Dragon Season 3‘s key deaths expose the HBO show’s biggest problems.

Several key characters in House of the Dragon Season 3 died in the finale. At Tumbleton, Ormund Hightower and Roderick Dustin are fighting atop the city’s walls. Roderick delivers a fatal blow to Ormund, but it’s Ulf and his dragon Silverwing who kill both men. Silverwing burns the men before setting fire to the rest of the city.

Near the end of the episode, the other significant death took place in King’s Landing. Helaena Targaryen jumped out of a window to her death at the Red Keep. Despite being pregnant, Helaena chose to die instead of living as Rhaenyra’s prisoner.

The deaths of Ormund and Helaena should have been a bigger deal. They did not have the same impact as character deaths from Game of Thrones, and that’s becoming one of the show’s fatal flaws.

House of the Dragon Season 3 finale’s deaths never reach the shock value of Game of Thrones

The character development from Game of Thrones to House of the Dragon has been a major downgrade. Fans could build strong relationships with the characters in Game of Thrones because the show allowed for it. Game of Thrones gave strong and deliberate character arcs, even to minor characters. That’s why when a character eventually perished, it had more of an impact on the show’s viewers.

Game of Thrones also had shock value with its deaths. For example, take the Red Wedding, one of the show’s defining moments. The massacre at the Twins was an unpredictable moment that garnered passionate reactions from fans. I cared about Robb and Catelyn Stark after spending time with them for over two seasons and learning about their intentions. The Red Wedding set the tone for the bloodshed that would later come and showed that Game of Thrones was not afraid to kill off major characters.

In comparison, I’m indifferent to the deaths that occurred in the House of the Dragon Season 3 finale. Ormund and Helaena are integral to the story, but their deaths were not surprising. I could sense Ormund’s downfall as soon as Gwayne and Daeron questioned his true motives.

Helaena’s downfall also was unsurprising. Helaena had not been thinking straight all season, and rightfully so, considering she was a prisoner for most of the season. Once Helaena refused to eat, I knew something bad was going to happen to her.

Ultimately, I didn’t spend enough time with Ormund and Helaena to care about their demises. Had I learned more about those characters, I might have been more invested in their arcs. For House of the Dragon Season 4 to end on a high note, it must fix its character development.