House of the Dragon 3x06: Daeron's Cousin Is Manipulating Him Into a Puppet King

Daeron isn't just being raised by Ormund Hightower — he's being molded into one. On this episode of Scene N Nerd, Sarah and Will break down HOTD 3x06 ("Faceless Men") from the shocking cold open all the way through the Harrenhal seduction, and there's a lot to get through. We open with Ser Criston Cole's genuinely unceremonious death — ambushed by the "dead" river lords in a moment that plays almost like a Robb Stark callback — before digging into the episode's real gut-punch: Daeron's cousin Ormund grooming him into a puppet king while teaching him to see his own Targaryen blood as the "tainted" half of who he is. We also get his actual uncle, Gwayne, showing up as a completely different kind of family — and a much-needed reality check for both of them. Timestamps: 00:00 – Intro 01:49 – Cold open: Ser Criston Cole's unceremonious death 07:43 – Ormund & Daeron: the abuse subtext nobody's talking about 10:14 – Molding Daeron into the "puppet king" 11:02 – Hightower cousins: the friction behind the throne 12:31 – Does Daeron actually know he's being played? 13:24 – "Closest and farthest thing from a Targaryen" 14:39 – The assassins, the "stink" payoff, and Gwayne's hero moment 18:07 – Corlys, Alyn, and the fight over the Velaryon name 21:45 – Baela, Addam, and the "very dutiful" line 25:12 – Aegon & Larys: a villain with humor, finally hearing the truth 27:48 – Team Alicent: caught, punished, and the pregnancy reveal 29:48 – Helena's visions pay off — Aemond found at Harrenhal 34:33 – Team "Cursed": Alys Rivers, dragon eggs, and Harrenhal's history 37:25 – Hugh's disguised visit to his wife in Tumbleton 39:45 – Alyn, Hugh, and Team Black's shaky dragonriders 41:48 – Rhaenyra, the throne, and the self-inflicted theme 43:53 – Daemon's indigestion joke and his impulsive streak in King's Landing 45:37 – Closing out: the Valyrian bloodline and the family tree jokes. Follow Sarah on social media at **@sjbelmont** and Will at **@willmpolk**. Follow Scene N Nerd on X, Blue Sky, Facebook, Instagram, and Threads, and visit **SceneNNerdPodcast.com**. Rate, follow, and leave a comment on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you listen to podcasts.