The final episode of ‘House of the Dragon 3’ left fans emotionally overwhelmed as they dealt with the death of an important character, Helaena Targaryen. Phia Saban, who played the role in the beloved series, recently opened up about working on the ‘Game of Thrones’ spin-off series and what the entire experience was like for her.
Phia Saban on playing Helaena Targaryen in ‘House of the Dragon 3’
Helaena Targaryen’s death was expected through her visions throughout the third season, along with her distress from being locked in a room away from her daughter, Jaehaera. However, the tragic scene still sent shockwaves amongst the fan base as Queen Rhaenyra finds out about Helaena’s suicide at the end of the episode.Phia Saban, who played Helaena on the hit show, recently opened up about what it was like for her to play the role. While talking to Variety, she further opened up about the tragic end that her character meets, sharing, “It’s a tragedy. That’s definitely the arc of Helaena’s story, but I think, as she says earlier, ‘This is my body, and this is my baby – and both of those things have been forsaken as long as I’ve lived.’”She further added, “She doesn’t want to live the way she’s living anymore, and she feels that she wants to protect the children that she does have. She’s just trying her best.”Helaena’s death is one of the turning points in King’s Landing and the event slated to turn the tide against Queen Rhaenyra. Her cruel reign starts from the moment she overlooks the final piece of tapestry that Helaena had been weaving all through season 3, depicting Rhaenyra impaled on her very own Iron Throne. Rather than showing any emotions, she shuts herself off, and the scene ends with her closing the windows nearby, symbolizing a new and darker chapter in her life that will be explored in the fourth and final season.
Emma D’Arcy talks about how Helaena’s death effects ‘House of the Dragon’ plot
During a press event for the show, D’Arcy called Helaena the “moral heart of the show”, further mentioning how important her death was to the plot. She added, “She’s maybe the only character who has a proximity to power, but remains kind of uncontaminated,” D’Arcy says. “And so, I think her death condemns Rhaenyra to the path she’s chosen. There’s no way back after that. There’s certainly no route back to a more moderate form of leadership. And, I mean, I don’t know where we go from here, but I imagine it’s likely to be impassable in her relationship with Alicent, which I think also means Helaena’s death condemns Rhaenyra to be alone in her pursuit for power.”The final season of ‘House of the Dragon’ will be released sometime in 2028 and will be the final chapter of the series.
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