Conventional Wisdom Westeros

Conventional wisdom is coming to Westeros (and Essos). We size up who's up, who's down, and who's treading water. 

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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.

This was produced for the journal Architectural Digest.

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James Geoffrey Ian Norton b. 18 July 1985 London, England, UK

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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.

The amount of detail and craftsmanship that went into Vigilance is amazing.

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

Not sure if we'll be seeing Cregan Stark in the rest of HotD Season 3. Though he's almost certain to return in Season 4.

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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.

Separately they speak with writer and exec. producer David Hancock. David talks about Ormond Hightower's character, writing for Rhaenyra, and the learning curve of Aegon.

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Why doesn't Daeron Targaryen have white hair in House of the Dragon?

The Targaryens are known for their silver-white hair, so why is Daeron Targaryen the exception to that rule?

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.

We'll just have to wait and see.

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

A reminder that in the books, Tommen was an 8-year-old at the time this took place. Most of the kids in the books were intentionally aged up in the series.

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Ryan Condal Explains the Biggest 'House of the Dragon' Book Changes

The co-creator of the ‘Game of Thrones’ prequel sits down to discuss the massive challenges of adapting Targaryen history.

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.

As with Game of Thrones, HotD features an astonishingly good cast.

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Game of Thrones universe legends join Peter Dinklage in Alien: Earth season 2

Production is now under way in London.

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 cast of FX’s Alien: Earth season 2 has expanded, with Sam Spruell and Jerome Flynn among the new additions joining the fray. The show, which has begun production on season 2 in London, serves as a prequel to Alien, with the first season set in the year 2120 – two years before the events of the original film. Flynn, who’s best known for playing Bronn in Game of Thrones, and Spruell, who stars as Prince Maekar Targaryen in prequel series A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, will join the cast alongside Tracey Ullman (Tracey Ullman’s Show). Details of the new trio's roles are yet to be confirmed. Flynn and Spruell will also star alongside Game of Thrones alum Peter Dinklage, who was previously announced to be joining the cast of season 2, with the new season functioning as a Westeros reunion of sorts.

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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.

After that we hear from Lord Corlys himself, Steve Toussaint. He talks about the scene where Corlys calls Rhaenyra's three oldest boys "bastards" and references when Vaemond did something similar.

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A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms nominated for 9 Emmys

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...

Home | Television Academy

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A look behind the scenes at S03E03.

Attention to detail was amazing as usual. The roasted fake rats obviously had to be made specifically for the episode.

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^^^ Ormund Hightower creating a fake Targaryen.

From herve_kalonda at Instagram.

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Always be careful what you ask for.

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GRRM's first post since May. And it has nothing to do with HotD.

His feud with showrunner Ryan Condal continues due to changes made in the series. The mostly excellent reviews of Season 3 probably make him more exasperated.

But Not a Blog does have news of a great looking 2027 ASoIaF calendar.

Song of Ice and Fire 2027 Calendar

We’re proud to announce that the new 2027 calendar with art from the most talented Tyler Jacobson will be available for sale on 7/21 and here is a PRE-ORDER LINK Experience the iconic characters of Westeros with artist Tyler Jacobson’s twelve stunning calendar illustrations, plus an exclusive thirteenth bonus fold-out poster.

I like calendars. They are like art that changes every month. And if you are sympathetic to the neo-Luddite movement which is trying to reduce use of smartphones, having a calendar displaying the date on your wall is one less reason to whip out your phone. GRRM should design a wall clock to go with the calendar.

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It was a little surprising to see Ser Simon Strong in S03E02 of HotD. I don't recall seeing actor Sir Simon Russell Beale on the lists of actors returning for Season 3. Indeed, I heard that he was being treated for colon cancer but apparently he's making a full recovery.

Nevertheless, it was good to see him one more time – however briefly it was.

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Eight HotD cast members play what producer BuzzFeed calls "Who's Who". A better description might be "Who's Most Likely To... ".