Conventional Wisdom Westeros

The Official House of the Dragon Podcast for S03E05.

Jason and Greta sort through the episode and then have a conversation with Ewan Mitchell (Aemond Targaryen) and Gayle Rankin (Alys Rivers).

Behind the scenes for S03E05. Some implied spoilers for that episode.

We get to see how Criston Cole's unit gets bogged down – and not just metaphorically.

The maze-like area under the Red Keep got a haunted house feel.

There's a look at what goes into the prosthetics depicting carnage in some of the scenes.

— Janay Kingsberry, staff writer at The Atlantic.

Season 3 of HotD won't be eligible for the Emmys until 2027. There are usually issues with recency bias with such awards.

Emma D'Arcy takes us on a tour of the Red Keep with set designer Jim Clay and set decorator Claire Richards.

The craftsmanship and attention to detail are remarkable.

James Norton (Ormund Hightower) visits the armory where Ormund's sword Vigilance was made.

In addition to a real sword, several realistic looking rubber versions of Vigilance were built.

Thomas Joseph Taylor b. 16 July 2001 Farnham, Surrey, England, UK

The Official House of the Dragon Podcast for S03E04.

Jason and Greta summarize the episode and offer commentary before speaking with Phoebe Campbell (Rhaena Targaryen). Phoebe sees a resemblance between their dog (Tina) and Sheepstealer.

Daeron Targaryen (Benjamin Evan Ainsworth), ... has reddish-brown hair. It’s worth noting that in Fire & Blood, the character has the signature white hair.

Well, Jace and Luke Velaryon each had somewhat similar ancestry to Daeron's. All three had one Targaryen and one non-Targaryen biological parent. There's also Baelor "Breakspear" Targaryen who had dark hair unlike his brother Maekar. Their mum was Dornish.

But perhaps something else is going on here.

One theory among fans is that Daeron does have white hair, but Ormund Hightower (James Norton) had it dyed brown. After all, we know that Ormund is trying to do everything in his power to keep Daeron by his side because having control over him also means having control over an heir to the Iron Throne and over his dragon, Tessarion. So, why wouldn't he try to hide his biggest advantage? During the third episode of House of the Dragon season 3, we learn that Ormund had a boy dye his hair white to make him pass for Daeron and hand him to Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith). It was a very smart plan, and yet it could be even more elaborate than audiences initially thought. After all, what could've stopped Ormund from also dyeing the real Daeron's white hair brown to keep him hidden from the Blacks? Daeron was sent to Oldtown as a small child, which is why not even his mom, Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke), knows exactly what he looks like now. However, a key trait like his hair color could've been known since his birth (or mere months afterward), which means Rhaenyra must have known about this too. Maybe Ormund banked on the idea that the Blacks know Daeron has white hair to sell the "fake" even more.

Back to genetics...

Another possible explanation behind Daeron's reddish-brown is that genes worked their magic. The Targaryens try to keep their blood as pure as possible, which explains all the incest between them. However, marriage with other houses can change the Targaryens' defining features because their genes have proven to be recessive.

It's apparent that Ormund Hightower doesn't like Targaryens – with the possible exception of his ward Daeron whom he wishes to use as a tool to take power. So perhaps he's compelling Daeron to have dark hair.

An analysis of Tywin's conversation with Tommen after the Purple Wedding.

An excellent interview with HotD showrunner Ryan Condal by Derek Lawrence.

My favorite part was where Condal talks about his relationship with the actors.

Derek Lawrence: How have your conversations with your actors evolved over the years as they’ve come to better understand and inhabit their characters? Ryan Condal: Great showrunners let the show come to them, and that doesn't mean you totally let your audience or collaborators dictate what the show is, but it has to be a two-way street. You have to be open enough to receive sometimes challenging input. These actors I work with are not just brilliant performers, but Emma's this incredibly deep-thinking intellectual storyteller and really does tell their story through Rhaenyra. They keep the whole thing in their head in a really interesting way, and I've gotten tons of feedback from Emma over the seasons about how they see the story when they look solely through Rhaenyra's eyes. And things come out of that for the story at large that I would not necessarily see because I'm seeing it through 19 POVs. I keep an active conversation with all the actors. The wonderful thing about this absolute powerhouse group of British talent is most of them are classically trained, so they are storytellers first, and there's not a lot of ego involved.

It's not exactly Maekar Targaryen meets Tyrion Lannister and Bronn. But the actors who portrayed those characters will be together in Season 2 of Alien: Earth.

The Official House of the Dragon Podcast for S03E03.

Co-Head Writer/Executive Producer Sara Hess and Director/Executive Producer Clare Kilner return to talk with Jason and Greta.

Just a quick post with the basics from 9TO5Mac.

AKot7K has been nominated in these categories...

Outstanding drama series

Outstanding production design for a narrative program (half-hour)

Outstanding cinematography for a series (half-hour)

Outstanding fantasy/sci-fi costumes

Outstanding period or fantasy/sci-fi hairstyling

Outstanding music composition for a series (original dramatic score)

Outstanding Sound Editing For A Comedy Or Drama Series (Half-Hour) And Animation

Outstanding Special Visual Effects In A Single Episode

Outstanding Stunt Performance

The Outstanding Drama nomination is particularly impressive.

The Emmy Awards take place on September 9th – exactly two months from now.

For additional information...

A look behind the scenes at S03E03.

^^^ Ormund Hightower creating a fake Targaryen.