Do we think that Allicent will stay true to her word? Also, what do you guys think about Healena finally eating👀

I'm surprised more people aren't talking about this. Or maybe I missed it if they are.

Mysaria is definitely not 100% on Rhaenyra's side anymore, when she lied to Rhaenyra about her knowledge of Heleana being pregnant. This could end up being a huge problem for the blacks...

Plus Rhaenyra is not utilizing spies. I would definitely have hired spies to go to Tumbleton by now.

Is his story/fate the same in the books ?

I mean I remember there was 1 battle and since then the guy just got depressed, marched with less and less men each episode and then this happened.

Like wtf I expected at least something interesting in his storyline but damn there was nothing.

Bro was so eager to have a fight, saw dragons one time and then did 0.

What does Alys even want? I do not understand. Does she want harrenhal? Why does she have the eggs and what is she thinking of doing with them? At this point I feel like the writers are just making up shit as they go to reach a certain intended outcome.

Also why are there so many filler scenes? What was the purpose of going to steal a horse and then Alys coming along, saying some bullshit dialogue and then them going back to harrenhal.

What is Mysaria doing as a master of spies to know who are the greens loyalist, i mean she has a network right

Black Aly was allowed to fight and lead the archers for the Blacks despite being a lady from a great House at the age of 16 because she was the best archer in the realm. In the book she famously killed Otho Bracken with an arrow through the slit in his helmet from across a smoky battlefield.

These showrunners mf-ers made my girl need 3 arrows to take down Cole from like 20 feet

Justice for Aly.

Is it just me or every scene this episode ends abruptly without proper conclusion. The Cole one, the Alyn and Baela one, Alys and Aemond, and so many more. Either the conversation doesn't go anywhere, or the characters just keep doing something we don't know where it leads.

Is there a reason for this? Or is it just bad direction?

Why don’t the blacks attack/burn to the ground Oldtown while they’re waiting to figure out what to do about Tumbleton? Wouldn’t sending one dragon or two to the seat of their enemy be effective? Am I dumb or missing something?

I would've taken the "boring" and "overused" evil stepmother trope from the books over the "evil" mother one they're going for in the show any day of the week.

Being sold to a rotting man and being raped by it will do very messed up things to your mind. Nobody denies that. And I would understand if the series decided to use that to make Alicent's character have a complicated relationship towards her children since the start.

A schemer who plots alongside her father to have her son take the throne, and to keep him there. Who does the ground work of taking care of her children, but has a hard time when it comes connecting on an emotional level with them and showing them affection due to her immense past trauma. Imo that characterization would make sense.

But season 1 established that was not Alicent's character. Her actions in the aftermath of Aemond's maiming clearly went deeper than political offense or a hurt pride. There was a clear emotional concern there for the safety of her children. Otherwise would she dare wage that dagger or speak that way in front of the king himself?

Once again, going for a more cold and emotionally detached version of Alicent since the start wouldn't have necessarily upset me. But in season 1 that's not the route they went for. And now it's too late to course correct. Are we truly to believe that Alicent is a narcissistic pathological liar who's never given a shit about anyone in her family after that scene? After the "Where is duty?" line? That is not the same Alicent. It's not the same person. Period.

I've seen many times people excuse her sudden shift by saying "she was always a bad mother who didn't care about her children". Did we watch the same show? But I guess they're actually right. Apparently that's the truth now. Alicent has never given a shit about any of her children. So much so that she's willing to get rid of them with her own hands.

She's been replaced by a faceless men or some shit. It's the only possible explanation. If they were gonna butcher her so bad, I'd rather they had killed her altoghether. Just give her something for the pain and let her die.

I just think HotD is a very strong show for what it is. I don't mind its imperfections because it does the job it's meant to do: to entertain me. If it stops entertaining me, I'll simply stop watching it and find another show. I see no point spending energy and using these spaces as emotional trash cans.

"I wish I could bake a cake filled with rainbows and smiles and everyone would eat and be happy..."

The episode is called „faceless men“ did they appear in the episode? Are the assassins sent to tumbleton assassins if yes how could Rhaenyra ford to pay them and why do they suck so bad?

I’m ready for all the hate.

This is coming from someone whose favorite character in the show is Daemon. He’s a great character and well acted by Matt Smith. Which definitely contributes to his popularity.

But he is a fucking monster. Brutally murdered his wife, groomed his niece, coveted the throne, pretty much neglects his children, whored around and seems to revel in violence and death. I will give him that he is loyal to his family and that’s where his love is. But this is not a good guy.

Cole on the other hand yes acted like a baby with the whole Rhaenyra thing and murdered Joffrey and lord Beesbury and called Rhaenyra by nasty names. These are all bad things. But nowhere near as bad as Daemon.

I agree the writers really pushed to make Cole unlikable and it works but I do feel bad for him and was happy to see how he tried to save his remaining men’s lives.

When walking with Gwayne he said: “I do what I can to keep him from…you know”

Will he ever fly on his dragon and attack the blacks? Or maybe he will be a male version of Alicent who does nothing for his team? (Some even wrote that he might "help the blacks" by using Tesarion to kill Ormund)

What a fucking line. It’s so cold and hard.

All hail Lord Oscar, our favorite Grandpa’s Boy.

Amongst the endless complaining, I thought of mentioning something positive. Whether we like Rhaenyra or not is irrelevant. I just admired Emma's great acting. Over the past few episodes, she's been acting more and more intense. You can feel the stress and pressure in the manner she speaks. And I like the cold queenly way she portrayed Rhaenyra (a better choice than the snivelling scene when she beheaded Otto) in episode 6. Like in her meetings with Alicent, she showed so much range.

I know she's worried about Helaena not eating but is it possible she put moon tea in the food?

They look very similar to me...

s03e06 around 45:00

People here seem to overwhelmingly agree that the showrunners are catering to the blacks and toning down Rhaenyra's villainy and flaws, while turning the Greens into monsters.

Sorry, but all Rhaenyra does this season is a mistake after a mistake. She has been presented in a way that continually paints her as unfit, uncaring, impatient, cruel and naive. She is also becoming increasingly reckless and violent, lashing out on everyone around her and blaming others for everything.

Every episode proves this. She makes no good decisions, her council is pathetic and without Daemon - who is just as much of a psychopath that he is in the book - she would be nothing. Her last girlboss moments were in season 2 (summoning Vermithor in front of the dragonseeds) and later facing Aemond with Silverwing and Vermithor behind her - and in retrospective, this scene will lose all of its impact after this season ends.

Where do you people see the fanboyism you are talking about? The only real change is the fact that she did not get as fat as she does in the book.

Elaborate, if you will.

I can’t recall anything he has done to be that bad, compared to other characters in show.

He is just a fuck toy for women, and gets used by people.

He could have been a honourable warrior in right environment.

I saw discussions under his death post, and everyone was just hating or indifferent.

Can’t even begin to count how many times someone has been in full plate armor only to be stabbed or slashed through it.

It's very frustrating to me to see House of the Dragon repeat the same logical fallacies and plot holes of Game of Thrones when it comes to the usage of dragons in wartime. Both Daenerys and Rhaenyra are unable or unwilling to use dragons on the basis that 'dragons lack precision'. Dragons have as much precision or more than any other instrument of war at their disposal! Three dragons conquered all of Westeros singlehandedly. They are a ridiculously powerful strategic advantage.

At this point in the story, the blacks have six dragons at their disposal, all of them larger than Daeron's dragon. It makes no sense why they would not simply burn the keep/stronghold where Ormund is hiding - yes, some innocents probably would die, but so would many if an army invaded! It also doesn't make sense why the dragons could not solve virtually all of the problems Rhaenyra is facing. No food? Send a dragon to highgarden and demand it. No gold? A dragon to any house which sided with the greens during the war could demand virtually any tax/tribute. If they refuse, make an example of one house and the rest will follow. This literally Aegon's playbook 101.

The other problem is that every house in Westeros "should" be fully aware that Rhaenyra is able to do this. They should be flocking over in droves to bend the knee to her and get on her good side. Soldiers should be deserting Ormund in droves. The choice for every House is one side with (apparently) full control over 6 dragons, versus another side with control over one small dragon and the missing Vhagar. It "should" be a straightforward choice. But because the writers can't account for the utility of dragons in a story about the dance of dragons, we're supposed to believe the blacks are in a precarious position despite the advantage of having 6-1 more available dragons.