House of the Dragon Season 3 Episode 6 Review: Death, Betrayal, and a Queen Losing Control

Critic’s Rating: 3.25 / 5.0

3.25

If there was ever a moment for Rhaenyra to flee King’s Landing, now would probably be the right time.

House of the Dragon Season 3 Episode 6 continued setting up her downfall, showcasing tensions in King’s Landing reaching a fever pitch.

Honestly, there’s only so far this story can go for her, and it’s becoming increasingly evident that being Queen of the Seven Kingdoms is making her question her moral compass.

Given how many people support her, Rhaenyra probably thought her reign would get underway and that those who opposed her would eventually fall in line.

That’s not how the world of Westeros works, and frankly, anyone who thinks like that is probably not fit to be a ruler.

The simmering tensions caused by Ormund’s mercenaries invading King’s Landing and killing any member of the City Watch they could get their hands on indicated that Rhaenyra doesn’t have as much control as she thinks she does.

Daemon posing as a member of the City Watch was necessary for him to come into contact with the people carrying out these brutal slayings, but it’s rare that he’s left speechless.

The man who told him that people will show up in his place and that there are already many people immersed in places nobody would think to look is basically screaming rebellion.

How can Daemon articulate to Rhaenyra that they may be fighting a losing battle? How do we know that more people in her castle aren’t against her? She’s been racking up enemies quicker than I thought humanly possible.

House of the Dragon Has Many Unbearable Characters

Daemon’s verbal beatdown of Ulf in the city hasn’t helped matters either, because everything Rhaenyra and anyone in her orbit does will spread like wildfire.

Ormund’s goons can and will use this against Rhaenyra, which raises the question of whether any of her plight will be worth it in the long term.

I’ve trashed Ulf enough. Just look at my House of the Dragon Season 3 Episode 4 review for reference. He doesn’t feel like a character who belongs in this universe.

He wants to get drunk in taverns and brag about having a dragon. How can that possibly help Rhaenyra’s cause?

Admittedly, after seeing how sour things have become, I’m starting to think it might not be such a bad idea. If Ulf took stories about Rhaenyra to the taverns, maybe people would actually soften towards her.

But the damage already appears to be done as far as Ulf is concerned, and I suspect he’ll be one of the next people to turn on Rhaenyra and feed information to the other side for a big reward.

Speaking of the other side, Ormund is becoming a far more cutthroat Otto Hightower in the way he’s scheming to get Daeron on the throne. But this isn’t something Daeron wants.

It’s refreshing to see a Targaryen male who doesn’t care about getting into power and is far happier with the prospect of merely existing.

Ormund is desperate to fashion Daeron into a King and create an uprising that gets Rhaenyra killed, clearing the way for Daeron to have all the power.

But do we really think Ormund will stop there? If his plan is successful, he’ll want to pull the strings because he thinks he knows better.

Ormund is power-hungry and sees Daeron as an opportunity to gain the influence he never had himself, which is pushing Daeron down a path of questioning his identity.

You could tell from his conversation with his uncle Gwayne that he’s being forced down a path he doesn’t agree with.

Side note: How the hell did the two manage to have that conversation without Ormund hearing about all the finer details? He has the entirety of Tumbleton under his thumb, so it just doesn’t make any sense to me.

While Daeron was questioning his future, his mother was fearful for her life and Helaena’s.

Love her or hate her, Rhaenyra has shown a great deal of restraint when it comes to Alicent. The fact that she initially allowed the mother and daughter to remain together, albeit locked up in the castle, indicates that Rhaenyra wanted to do some things right.

But Alicent trying to escape completely changed that dynamic, and there’s no question that Rhaenyra will trust her again.

Will Rhaenyra’s Plan Be Her Undoing?

Rhaenyra’s master plan of sending Alicent to kill Aemond in Harrenhal came completely out of left field.

Rhaenyra knows exactly what she’s asking Alicent to do, and something tells me this will be yet another decision that comes back to haunt her.

Alicent has made some stupid decisions, but she really has been trying to choose the path of least resistance. I don’t think she’d go through with killing her son, even if he is one of the most wicked men in Westeros.

Aemond has barely been present on House of the Dragon Season 3, but people have been searching for him.

Alys has had this strange presence on the series since House of the Dragon Season 2, so her admission about Rhaena’s collection of dragon eggs felt too little, too late for me to care about it.

I think we’re supposed to assume that she would have given Daemon the eggs if he had actually benefited her cause.

Alys is yet another player who wants power, and now that she’s met Aemond, she believes she can manipulate him into getting her the influence she’s been craving for so long.

I’m surprised we’ve gotten this far without talking about that death. My honest opinion is that the last two seasons have wasted Fabien Frankel.

Criston is one of the most aggravating characters I’ve had the misfortune of watching on my screen in years because it feels like the show had no idea what to do with him.

The only thing surprising about his death is that it happened so early in the episode. He’d become that irrelevant to the show that he didn’t even deserve an episode-ending cliffhanger demise.

The only good that will come of his death is that it will probably force Alicent to rethink some things.

Is all of this loss really worthwhile in the long run?

The episode also wanted us to think that Corlys was killed off, but there was no build-up to it, so my best guess is that he’s been captured because he could be a valuable bargaining chip for anyone out to get Rhaenyra.

All things considered, House of the Dragon Season 3 Episode 6 was a packed episode, but much of what happened focused on the inevitable.

There were some surprises thrown in for good measure, but the series feels very much like a show going through the motions to prepare for its endgame.

And that’s probably my biggest problem with the episode of the HBO hit.

House of the Dragon is at its best when its characters are making terrible, impulsive decisions that feel like they could change the course of the war. Too much of this episode felt like moving pieces into position for the next major event.

Rhaenyra is losing control, Alicent is being pushed toward another impossible choice, Daeron is being molded into a king he doesn’t want to be, and Aemond is finally becoming central to the story again.

The pieces are all on the board. I just wish the show felt more interested in letting them collide.

What are your thoughts on that death and where the series is headed? Are you growing tired of the constant back and forth?

Are you on board with where things are going?

Let’s keep the conversation going — it’s the only way the good stuff survives.
Say something in the comments, share if you’re moved to, and keep reading. Independent voices need readers like you.