House of the Dragon’s third season fired on all cylinders July 26 when episode 6, “Faceless Men,” delivered the kind of shocking moments fans had been waiting for since the show began. The episode brought swift conclusions to some storylines while creating tension that will carry viewers into the season finale on August 9.
The biggest moment came within minutes of the episode starting. Criston Cole, the commander leading the Green forces’ military campaign, died a death far less glorious than he would have wanted. The scene unfolded during a battle known as the Butcher’s Ball in the Riverlands. Cole’s army faced off against young Lord Oscar Tully and Lord Roderick Dustin, who set a trap the seasoned commander didn’t see coming.
The strategy was deceptively simple. Rivermen troops pretended to be killed or defeated, luring Cole’s forces into what looked like an easy victory. When the Greens committed fully to their attack, the full Black army surrounded them from all sides. Cole’s soldiers found themselves caught between escape and massacre. As Cole tried to negotiate or offer single combat to escape with his life, enemy archers cut him down with arrows to the side, gut, and cheek. The scene didn’t glorify his death in song or legend. Instead, it showed him bleeding out on the ground after his army was slaughtered by cavalry forces.
This ending felt fitting to many viewers who had watched Cole throughout the series. He was a vain, unpredictable military leader whose ambitions often outpaced his judgment. Fans had made him one of the most hated characters on the show. His unceremonious death, while he desperately wanted to be remembered as a legendary warrior, became a perfect contradiction to his own pride.
The battle marked a turning point in the Targaryen civil war. For much of the season, the Green forces had been on solid footing. That changed fast. The episode also showed Queen Alicent leaving King’s Landing to travel toward Harrenhal, suggesting she might switch sides. That move alone signaled how fragmented the Green team had become.
But the real shock came at episode’s end. Corlys Velaryon, the powerful leader of House Velaryon who had just pledged his forces to Rhaenyra’s Black faction, was ambushed and captured by forces loyal to Lord Ormund Hightower. Corlys served as Rhaenyra’s Hand, meaning she just lost one of her most important allies at the moment of seeming advantage. The cliffhanger left viewers wondering how Rhaenyra would respond and what Corlys’s capture meant for her war effort moving forward.
The episode also continued Prince Aemond Targaryen’s storyline. He remained trapped in Harrenhal under the influence of Alys Rivers, the mysterious woman keeping him isolated from his supporters. Meanwhile, fans got a twist involving Daeron that was widely praised as brilliant in how it was executed.
Season 3 has moved at breakneck speed compared to season 2. The showrunner has described it as “the biggest season we have made by a huge margin,” and the pacing shows it. Multiple major plot developments arrive in single episodes. Some viewers felt storylines moved too fast, but the shocking moments kept audiences engaged as the season races toward its finale.
The episode delivered exactly what viewers expected from a show based on George R.R. Martin’s dragon-filled fantasy universe. Major characters face sudden ends. Alliances shift without warning. War brings both triumph and devastating loss in quick succession.