India, June 22 -- House of the Dragon returns after nearly two years, and it wastes no time. The season 3 premiere dives straight into the brutal Battle of the Gullet, finally delivering the full-scale dragon warfare the series has been building toward. The episode opens amid the fallout of past betrayals and fragile alliances. The conflict quickly escalates into one of the bloodiest chapters in Westeros history. [Warning: major spoilers for House of the Dragon season 3, episode 1 ahead.]

The Season 2 finale left the realm on the brink of total chaos. In a desperate bid to stop the bloodshed, Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke) made a secret pact to surrender King's Landing to Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D'Arcy). Meanwhile, a severely burned K...