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House of the Dragon’sthird episode has had fans in a chokehold. The episode unraveled every storyline fans were waiting to see unfold, and all was laid bare for the world to see. Every single character was left in a tough spot by the end of its duration, in classicGame of Thronesfashion. However, there seemed to be one scene that left some members of the audience wanting more.
Many fans have complained that the spin-off series has not been as violent as its predecessor, and the opening scene ofThe Burning Millperfectly captures their criticism. However, others argued that the scene was perfect in every way.
House of the Dragon’sMost Bone-Chilling Scene
The third episode ofHouse of the Dragon,The Burning Mill, starts off with a squabble between the heirs of two rival families, the Bracken and the Blackwoods. On top of a dispute concerning land, they argued about who was in the right; the Greens or the Blacks.
Children fighting their parents’ battles is never a good thing, and very quickly, swords and daggers are drawn among the small group. However, rather than showing an elaborate fight sequence, the show does something quite surprising.
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At the very peak of tension, the scene cuts and shifts to a shot of one of the boys, lying dead in water, with a sword in his neck. As the camera pans out, the audience is forced to witness a field full of dead bodies. Not a single blade of grass in sight, and still creatures for as far as the eyes could see.
Not All Battles Need To Be Seen
Many diehard fans of theGame of Thronesfranchise were quite upset with the approach the scene took. Rather than showing the entire battle, they simply cut to the brutal aftermath, not letting the audience quench their hungry appetites for violence. They have been arguing that the show has been shying away from its more violent and bloody roots to focus more on the political aspects of its story.
While the violence in the series is significantly less than that of its predecessor, many fans argue that it is not a bad thing. Elaborate, lengthy, and expensive fight sequences aren’t always needed in a show, and there is no denying that the approach the creators took with the opening of episode three ofHouse of the Dragonwas excellent.
Many fans mentionedhow much the show is saying by the simple shot. A bloodbath and mass casualties, all for the sake of politics. Numerous lives were lost because of petty squabbles. While an elaborate fight sequence could have given the same message, the effect would not have been the same.
Media literacy is required to understand the significance of this scene, something stan accounts tend to lack
— Wyatt Buckingham 🔮 (@BuckinghamWyatt)August 03, 2025
Cannot understand the people complaining about this. It’s a shockingly effective shot.Cutting from some teenagers bickering to this aftermath says far more than a 15-minute battle set piece would.pic.twitter.com/T9NPbOIqfd
— glidus (@NotGlidus)August 23, 2025
“Why didn’t they spend the budget on a battle that involved no main characters and wasn’t elaborated on in the books????”
Would it have been cool? Sure. Is it realistic that they skipped it and just gave us this shot? Of course.
— Halo Plasmaposting (@Plasmaposting)July 20, 2025
Some folks think spectacle = story telling. I think this series, esp this season so far, is some great storytelling but folks have some dopamine issues requiring constant shock and awe.
— Tabb RM (@tabbPlomaritas)August 05, 2025
Honestly this was more impactful than a proper battle would’ve been. The cut made it more dramatic, how a miniscule chest thumping incident lead to a destructive end of such a scale.
— Arun Sharma (@Scientistx619)August 19, 2025
Did people forget that during the peak seasons of GOT (seasons 1-4) there were only two big battles shown and the rest were off screened? There’s definitely going to be more battles shown in HOTD but they simply do not have the budget to show every minor battle of the dance.
— Xian Uzumaki (@UzamakiXian)June 11, 2025
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The opening would have been even more drawn out; focusing on characters we had never met before and did not care about. It would have been unnecessarily expensive for the series, and the direction they did decide to take gave their message in a far more chilling manner.
House of the Dragonis available for streaming on Max.
Ananya Godboley
Senior Writer
Articles Published :2219
Ananya Godboley is a Senior Entertainment Writer at FandomWire, majorly focusing on TV shows, with over 2,000 articles published. She has been an entertainment journalist for the past two years. Currently pursuing an undergraduate degree in psychology from K.R. Mangalam University, Ananya also likes to fangirl as a full-time job. She covers news and analyses on anything from Rick and Morty to Hannibal and even Arcane. In between these lines, she also enjoys superheroes and Taylor Swift.A philosophy enthusiast, Ananya enjoys digging deeper into the media she consumes, trying to understand the root of her favorite characters' behavior.
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House of the Dragon
