House of the Dragon Season 3, Episode 1 Ending & Who Dies Explained

House of the Dragon Season 3 kicks off in style, with an opening episode that blows every other Game of Thrones premiere out of the water. It was no secret that the show’s return would feature the Battle of the Gullet in Episode 1, with major hype for the sequence, but even there was a lot to be impressed by, and some things to be surprised at as well. Warning: SPOILERS ahead for House of the Dragon Season 3, Episode 1.

Even before the battle, this was a strong way to debut. There was some rich drama in King’s Landing (including a disturbing kiss), where Aemond Targaryen sits the Iron Throne in place of his brother, Aegon, who is out struggling for survival alongside Larys Strong. We got the introduction of the Winter Wolves, sent by Lord Cregan Stark of Winterfell and who have “come to die for the dragon Queen.” And in the prelude to the battle, Rhaenyra was locked inside by her own son, which set the stage for Jacaerys Velaryon’s tragic demise, alongside his dragon, Vermax.

The Battle itself, which saw the Velaryon fleet go up against the Triarchy, was spectacular, even before the addition of Jace on Vermax, Baela Targaryen on Moondancer, and eventually, Rhaena Targaryen on Sheepstealer, which took it to a whole other level. It was chaos, it was carnage, and it left several characters dead in the water.

Jacaerys Velaryon’s Death Explained & What It Means For Rhaenyra

Jacaerys has long been itching to properly join in the fight, and so it’s no shock to see him leap into action here: he’s brave, headstrong, and wants to fight not only for this mother’s crown, but his own future as well (not to mention that of the realm, since he knows of Aegon the Conqueror’s dream). Knowing his mother would never allow it, he locks her in on Dragonstone, allowing him to fly off to the Gullet to, he thinks, be the one to save the day. Unfortunately, things don’t go as plan. Although Jace and Baela’s arrival is initially a boost to the Velaryon fleet, things go wrong when Sheepstealer arrives on the scene, and ends up attacking his dragon, Vermax.

Trying to avoid the other dragon means Vermax gets caught by a grappling hook, and pulled down into the water. Though Jace frees himself, he’s shot by several arrows in a way that’s tragically reminiscent of Robb Stark – and yes, in case there was any doubt among viewers, he is absolutely dead. The death serves to strike a major blow to the Blacks, who had looked to be in the far stronger position, and highlights the cruelty and unpredictability of war, especially one involving dragons.

Jace’s death has a devastating impact, including on Baela, to whom he was betrothed and who came agonizingly close to saving him. But it’s even worse for Rhaenyra, who has now lost her third child, following the deaths of Lucerys Velaryon (killed by Vhagar) and Visenya Targaryen (stillborn). Not only that, but it means Team Black has lost one of its dragons in Vermax, a keen political strategist in Jace, and Rhaenyra has also lost her heir, which now means Prince Joffrey Velaryon, her youngest son with Laenor Velaryon, stands to inherit the Iron Throne instead.

Why Did Sheepstealer Attack Jace?

Jacaerys’ plan to join the fighting at the Gullet probably would have been successful, if not for the arrival of Rhaena on Sheepstealer. Her intentions were good, as she only wanted to help her family, but went horribly wrong when she could not control the dragon, despite her best efforts. The main reason for this is that Sheepstealer is a wild dragon: any dragon is difficult to tame and can only be “controlled” to a certain point, especially with an inexperienced rider (as we saw with Aemond when Vhagar ate Lucerys and his dragon, Arrax), but it’s even worse for a wild dragon.

They are not accustomed to having riders, nor are they battle-tested, and that proves to be a dangerous combination when they find two other, much smaller dragons in the sky next to them. Dragons are aggressive, territorial creatures (and a power not to be trifled with), and while this isn’t something that’s taken from the book, there is precedent for it. In George R.R. Martin’s Fire & Blood, there’s a wild dragon named the Cannibal on Dragonstone, who is larger and more ferocious than most. He earns the name because of his tendency to attack and eat smaller dragons, so we do know that dragons will fight and kill other dragons even without prompting from humans.

Is Corlys Velaryon Dead?

Jacaerys isn’t the only Velaryon who finds himself plunged into the water, as Corlys is thrown overboard as a ship breaks apart while he’s fighting against Sharako Lohar. Alyn of Hull yells out for his father, but we never actually get to see what happens to Corlys, meaning his fate is left up in the air. It’d be fair to wonder whether he might’ve died, but it’s always good to assume that, if you don’t see a body, then they probably aren’t dead.

Beyond that, though, we can confidently state that Corlys is still alive in House of the Dragon Season 3. For starters, there are scenes of him in the trailers that have not been shown yet. But it’s also far from the end of his story in Fire & Blood. There’s much more to come with the fallout from the Battle of the Gullet, and to explore with his relationship with his sons, Alyn and Addam, and to Rhaenyra as well.

Who Else Died In The Battle Of The Gullet

Corlys may be alive, but there are still a couple of other notable casualties from the Battle of the Gullet. Tyland Lannister, the king’s Master of Ships, is thrown overboard by Lohar, with his heavy armor dragging him down into the depths of the sea and meaning he has no chance of survival. Given Jason Lannister is killed earlier in the episode, this effectively removes the Lannisters from the story, marking a rather ignominious end after being such a huge part of Game of Thrones. It’s also a notable departure from Fire & Blood, where Tyland isn’t involved in the Gullet, and actually not only lives on, but continues to serve the crown even after the Dance of the Dragons ends.

Lohar herself is then killed by Alyn, following a vicious fight between the pair. Lohar doesn’t die at this point in the book, but does die shortly after as the Triarchy begins tearing itself apart. Again, their role in the story is now done. Meanwhile, a lot of warships are also destroyed in the fighting, and even more by the dragons, so there are at least hundreds of casualties, but the major deaths in the Battle of the Gullet are:

• Jacaerys Velaryon
• Vermax
• Tyland Lannister
• Sharako Lohar

How The Battle Of The Gullet Is Different From The Book

Ultimately, the end result of the Battle of the Gullet – the Triarchy defeated, Jacaerys dead – is the same as Fire & Blood, but there are some major deviations, including in how things get to this point. In the book, a key part of the story is that a ship carrying Rhaenyra’s two youngest children, Aegon and Viserys, to Pentos encounters the Triarchy, and is taken captive. Viserys is captured, but Aegon escapes on his young dragon, Stormcloud, and makes it back to Dragonstone. Though the fighting between the two fleets begins anyway, it’s after that Jacaerys flies into action.

He is also accompanied by different dragons and riders. There is no place for Baela, and instead it is Hugh the Hammer on Vermithor, Ulf the White on Silverwing, and Addam of Hull on Seasmoke who join the fight alongside Jace on Vermax, laying waste to the Triarchy fleet. Also with them is Sheepstealer, but not flown by Rhaena. In the book, the wild dragon is claimed by a bastard girl named Nettles, who has been cut from the show. There is also no record of Sheepstealer attacking Jace and Vermax, making that one of the most significant departures to the source material, and a devastating one at that.

New episodes of House of the Dragon Season 3 release at 9pm ET on Sundays on HBO and HBO Max.

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