House of the Dragon Season 3, Episode 5 Ending Explained
House of the Dragon (2022) Season 3, Episode 5 shows us what happened to Aemond (Ewan Mitchell), gives Alicent (Olivia Cooke) and Helaena (Phia Saban) something to do and brings back one of the Lannister twins. But the episode, above all things, establishes that Ormund Hightower (James Norton) isn’t just sitting pretty at Tumbleton waiting for Team Black and their dragons to attack him. He’s got a plan, and right now, he’s winning this war of attrition.
The episode also sets up the upcoming Butcher’s Ball, while Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy) and Daemon (Matt Smith) clash as problems mount for the new Queen. It was never going to be easy, of course. Aemond and Aegon still live—and they’re nowhere to be found. And the threat of Ormund and Daeron is also very present. Sure, Team Black might have taken King’s Landing, but the war is nowhere near over.
How Does House of the Dragon Season 3, Episode 5 End?
The episode ends with Daemon and a brutal sight: the City Watch, slain. It’s a scene reminiscent of the Last Supper, with the men sitting at a table, except there’s no food. They’ve all been killed. This follows an episode that saw Daemon discover soldier after soldier murdered in brutal fashion. The culprit? Ormund Hightower, who from Tumbleton has crowned Daeron (Benjamin Evan Ainsworth) king. Yes, another Hightower trying to usurp Rhaenyra’s throne. That makes three.
But Ormund Hightower is, without a doubt, the most formidable foe Rhaenyra and Daemon have right now. He hasn’t just infiltrated King’s Landing; he’s done so to such an extent that he’s managed to dispose of most of Rhaenyra’s security. Let us remember that the City Watch was a big part of the reason she even took the city in the first place, now they’re dead.
At the beginning of the episode Rhaenyra is focused on Aemond and Vhagar, while Daemon is trying to figure out who’s killing the men of the City Watch. The end of the hour makes it clear that Aemond isn’t as pressing a matter as what Ormund is doing now, and even what he’s planning.
Tumbleton will be the climax of this season. Only three more episodes to go after this one. We’re not at the end yet, but the pieces are set. The battles will now start.
Is the Bucher’s Ball Next? What About the Battle of Tumbleton?
Considering where the episode leaves Criston Cole (Fabian Frankel), it’s likely we will indeed see the infamous Butcher’s Ball next. And it’s not just that Cole is now moving through the Riverlands like a man on a mission, and that mission is to “die with honor,” whatever that means at this point for someone who has betrayed his oaths more than once. It’s that even Gwayne Hightower, who is actually related to the people who started this war, is peacing out.
But Cole continues on his mission, not because he believes in Team Green, but because he at this point doesn’t care about anything. Nihilism makes you brave. Cole understands that, at this point, there’s really no future for him. Aemond isn’t coming to help him. King’s Landing is lost. Where can he go? The only thing he can do is die honorably, so that’s what he seeks.
His death won’t help the cause. What Ormund is doing right now is much more helpful, even if it’s basically treason of his older nephews in favor of trying to gain power through the one he can control, Daeron. But at least he has a plan that isn’t just die in a way that makes people sing songs about me. Now, we’ll see if Cole gets his wish with the death and with the songs.
What Can We Expect from House of the Dragon Season 3, Episode 6?
A battle between the Rivermen and Northern forces and Cole and his men, for sure. Or perhaps a massacre. Either way, it’s likely we will bid farewell to Criston Cole sooner rather than later. The question isn’t if, but when. And if the Butcher’s Ball does indeed happen in Episode 6, the question is how the show goes about setting up what’s next.
Ormund now has the upper hand, or seems to have the upper hand, over Daemon and Rhaenyra. But Ormund is still at Tumbleton, and holding out in a small town with your army while the other side has dragons seems unadvisable, to say the least. Neither Rhaenyra nor Daemon are known for their restraint, which means that at some point they’ll decide that attacking Tumbleton and taking out Ormund is their best bet.
That point might come soon considering the loss of the City Watch and the precarious position that leaves Team Black in. Meanwhile, with one Lannister twin (Tyland) very much not death and having joined Aegon and Larys and Aemond more or less recovered and with Alys Rivers now on his side, the question is if the brothers will fight it out for the throne themselves or come together to face Rhaenyra.
Either way, the Targaryens are surely winning the “complicated family dynamics” throne, no matter who ends up winning this Dance of the Dragons.
