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It’s finally here: the long-awaited Casa Amor episode of Love Island USA just aired in Season 8, Episode 17, and the internet is going crazy for the drama.

SEE ALSO: Why Millie dumping Charlie on ‘Love Island: All Stars' is actually iconic

Casa Amor takes place around the halfway mark of each season of Love Island, and, as its name implies, puts the Islanders to the ultimate test of temptation. Either the boys’ section or the girls’ section of the villa are told to pack their bags and head to Casa Amor, where they will meet and mingle with a new set of bombshells of the other gender.

However, this season of Casa Amor looked a little different. This time, the girls (Aniya, Jen, Kayda, Kenzie, Melanie, and Trinity) were able to watch the boys (KC, Caleb, Zach, Corbin, and Bryce) meet the new bombshells at Casa Amor through a flatscreen TV. It was chaotic, juicy, and at times hard to watch — and social media users were here for the drama.

People said that the girls being able to watch the boys was not only a much-needed boost for an otherwise quiet season of Love Island USA, but also something that the girls needed to see to test their connections.

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Unsurprisingly, connections were immediately put to the test, with the boys receiving lap dances and kisses from the six new bombshells (Amora, Parmida, Jaiden, Tierra, Alannah, and Sydney). The girls who remained back at the villa were rethinking their current connections — and so were viewers after watching the boys at Casa Amor.

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The boys who stirred the most drama were KC, who is coupled with Aniya, and Corbin, who is coupled with Kenzie. 

While some people were fuming for Aniya after watching how enthusiastic KC was with the new bombshells, others were also glad that she was able to rethink her connection.

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As for Corbin, he left Kenzie (and the rest of us) stunned when he turned to one of the guys and said that he was going back to the villa with "somebody different." Kenzie and Corbin had just recoupled after writing love letters to each other in Season 8, Episode 13, so the comment felt especially out-of-pocket.

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Melanie was left rethinking her connection with Sincere, who she had also just recoupled with in Season 8, Episode 13. Prior to Casa Amor, she was just telling Aniya how much she liked Sincere and that she thought they were headed towards closing off their connection to others. 

People are anticipating that she might act differently towards Sincere once he’s back from Casa Amor…

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However, it doesn’t look like all is hope is lost for our girls back at the villa. A preview for the next episode revealed that while KC, Caleb, Zach, Corbin, and Bryce would be getting to know the new bombshells at Casa Amor for the next few days, Aniya, Jen, Kayda, Kenzie, Melanie, and Trinity would be meeting not one, not two, but 12 new bombshells.

There might be trouble in paradise, but at least we can expect some new romance (and potentially new connections) on the island soon.

New episodes premiere daily except Wednesdays at 9:00 p.m. ET / 6:00 p.m. PT on Peacock.

If you like playing daily word games like Wordle, then Hurdle is a great game to add to your routine.

There are five rounds to the game. The first round sees you trying to guess the word, with correct, misplaced, and incorrect letters shown in each guess. If you guess the correct answer, it'll take you to the next hurdle, providing the answer to the last hurdle as your first guess. This can give you several clues or none, depending on the words. For the final hurdle, every correct answer from previous hurdles is shown, with correct and misplaced letters clearly shown.

An important note is that the number of times a letter is highlighted from previous guesses does necessarily indicate the number of times that letter appears in the final hurdle.

Mashable 101 Fan Fave: Nominate your favorite creators today

If you find yourself stuck at any step of today's Hurdle, don't worry! We have you covered.

SEE ALSO: Hurdle: Everything you need to know to find the answers Hurdle Word 1 hint

To pull.

SEE ALSO: Apple’s new M3 MacBook Air is $300 off at Amazon. And yes, I’m tempted. Hurdle Word 1 answer

WREST

Hurdle Word 2 hint

A crystal.

SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for June 22, 2026 Hurdle Word 2 Answer

TOPAZ

Mashable 101 Fan Fave: Nominate your favorite creators today

Hurdle Word 3 hint

Intoxicated.

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for June 22 SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for June 22, 2026 Hurdle Word 3 answer

DRUNK

Hurdle Word 4 hint

Shine.

Hurdle Word 4 answer

GLEAN

Final Hurdle hint

To write.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Games available on Mashable Hurdle Word 5 answer

PRINT

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Now that the First Quarter has passed, the Moon is more than half illuminated and will continue to grow brighter each night. This will happen until we reach the Full Moon.

What is today’s Moon phase?

As of Sunday, June 21, the Moon phase is Waxing Gibbous. Tonight, 64%% of the moon will be be lit up, according to NASA's Daily Moon Guide.

With just your naked eye, tonight you'll be able to see the Mares Fecunditatis, Serenitatis and Tranquillitatis. With binoculars, you'll also catch a glimpse of the Archimedes Crater, Posidonius Crater, and the Mare Nectaris. If you have a telescope, this will help you see all this plus the Caucasus Mountains, the Descartes Highlands, and the Rima Hyginus.

When is the next Full Moon?

The next Full Moon will take place on June 29.

What are Moon phases?

According to NASA, the Moon completes one orbit around Earth in about 29.5 days, moving through eight recognised phases along the way. While the same side of the Moon always faces our planet, the amount of its surface lit by the Sun changes as it travels around Earth. As a result, we see the Moon appear in different shapes over the course of a month, from slender crescents and half moons to a bright Full Moon. This repeating sequence of phases is known as the lunar cycle.

New Moon - The Moon is between Earth and the sun, so the side we see is dark (in other words, it's invisible to the eye).

Waxing Crescent - A small sliver of light appears on the right side (Northern Hemisphere).

First Quarter - Half of the Moon is lit on the right side. It looks like a half-Moon.

Waxing Gibbous - More than half is lit up, but it’s not quite full yet.

Full Moon - The whole face of the Moon is illuminated and fully visible.

Waning Gibbous - The Moon starts losing light on the right side. (Northern Hemisphere)

Third Quarter (or Last Quarter) - Another half-Moon, but now the left side is lit.

Waning Crescent - A thin sliver of light remains on the left side before going dark again.

House of the Dragon left us on a brutal cliffhanger at the end of Season 2, but Season 3 has quickly made up for that with a big battle and a mountain of bodies.

So many bodies, in fact, that it's probably worth a recap. Who are all the named characters that have died so far in the first episode of Season 3?

SEE ALSO: 'House of the Dragon' review: Season 3 atones for the sins of Season 2 Ser Tyland Lannister Credit: Ollie Upton / HBO

Poor old Ser Tyland Lannister (Jefferson Hall) has been out of his depth ever since he met with Triarchy captain Admiral Lohar (Abigail Thorn) back in Season 2. He looks particularly out of his depth on her ship cruising into the Battle of the Gullet, but he manages to hold his own up to a point — that point being when Lohar unceremoniously tosses him over the side to stop him weighing her boat down.

Ser Jason Lannister Credit: Theo Whiteman / HBO

The Lannisters have a rough time of it in episode 1, with not one but two key members of the house slain. The other victim? Head of Casterly Rock and twin brother to Tyland, Jason Lannister, who is killed off-screen and has his severed head presented to Daemon (Matt Smith) on the battlefield. Still, it does give Jefferson Hall the impressive accolade of getting to die twice in one episode.

Featured Video For You 'House of the Dragon': Everything you need to remember about Season 2 in 60 seconds Admiral Lohar Credit: Ollie Upton / HBO

For a character that was only in a few episodes, Admiral Lohar (Abigail Thorn) certainly makes a big impression. She racks up an impressive body count in episode 1 — possibly including her sworn nemesis, Lord Corlys (more on that later) — before ultimately meeting her match in Corlys' bastard son, Alyn. Their sword fight is bloody and brutal, ending overboard in the water, where Lohar ultimately meets her maker.

Jacaerys Velaryon Credit: Ollie Upton / HBO

Oh dear. Jace (Harry Collett) makes the questionable decision to lock his mother up so that he can go to battle in her place, presumably thinking he'll be relatively safe on Vermax's scaly back. Unfortunately, what he doesn't account for is the anti-dragon weaponry aboard the Triarchy's ships. Baela (Bethany Antonia) manages to save him the first time he gets snared, but the second time she's too late. Jace gets dragged underwater, resurfaces, then gets multiple arrows in the neck.

Lord Corlys Velaryon? Credit: Ollie Upton / HBO

There's a question mark over this one because we don't know for certain whether Lord Corlys (Steve Toussaint) is dead or not. He goes over the side of the ship while fighting Lohar and doesn't appear to resurface, but that doesn't mean we can count out the Velaryon lord just yet.

House of the Dragon Season 3 premieres June 21 at 9 p.m. ET on HBO and HBO Max, with a new episode every Sunday.

In House of the Dragon's Season 2 finale, Lysene Admiral Sharako Lohar (Abigail Thorn) declared that the Triarchy's fleet was headed to the Gullet, a stretch of water blockaded by Corlys Velaryon's (Steve Toussaint) forces, "on the morrow."

Well, "the morrow" stretched into a two-year wait for House of the Dragon viewers, but in the show's Season 3 premiere, that fated day finally comes. And with the morrow comes the incredible set piece that is the Battle of the Gullet.

SEE ALSO: 'House of the Dragon' review: Season 3 atones for the sins of Season 2

In both House of the Dragon and its source material, George R.R. Martin's Targaryen history Fire and Blood, the Battle of the Gullet marks a huge turning point in the Dance of the Dragons. It annihilates Team Green's attempted power move with the Triarchy, and it also sees the death of Prince Jacaerys Velaryon (Harry Collett). Both of these key events carry over from the book to the show, which follows the Battle of the Gullet's broad strokes. However, the show also changes several key aspects of how the Battle of the Gullet plays out.

From a Sheepstealer surprise to Lohar's demise, here are all the biggest differences between House of the Dragon and Fire and Blood's Battle of the Gullet.

House of the Dragon's Battle of the Gullet leaves out a subplot about Rhaenyra's sons Viserys and Aegon. Abubakar Salim in "House of the Dragon." Credit: Ollie Upton / HBO

In Fire and Blood, Jace isn't the only one of Queen Rhaenyra's (Emma D'Arcy) sons in mortal peril at the Battle of the Gullet. Her two youngest sons with Daemon (Matt Smith), Aegon and Viserys, are also present. They're onboard the Gay Abandon, a cog taking them to Pentos for safety. Unfortunately, safety is the complete opposite of what they find, as they get caught up in the naval clash. Aegon escapes on his young dragon Stormcloud. He makes it back to Dragonstone, but Stormcloud is fatally wounded in the process. Meanwhile, Viserys hides his own dragon egg and disguises himself as a ship boy onboard in a Lysene crew. He's soon discovered and becomes the captive of Lohar.

None of this happens in House of the Dragon. Strangely, Season 2 did hint at the boys' upcoming involvement in the battle, with Lady Jeyne Arryn (Amanda Collin) namedropping the Gay Abandon as she sent the boys off to Pentos.

The show not adapting Aegon and especially Viserys' storylines has broader implications for the future of Westeros. However, House of the Dragon most likely isn't progressing that far into Targaryen history, so leaving out the the brothers' horrible jaunt at sea helps streamline the battle.

Jace goes rogue in House of the Dragon, but not Fire and Blood. Bethany Antonia and Harry Collett in "House of the Dragon." Credit: Ollie Upton / HBO

Throughout Season 2, Jace challenged Rhaenyra's decisions, especially her plan to recruit the dragonseeds. (In the book, it was his idea.) However, in the Season 3 premiere, he defies her outright, locking her in Dragonstone to prevent her from flying out to the Battle of the Gullet herself. He claims it's a protective move, but there's a bit of a glory-hunting streak in there as well. He tells Baela (Bethany Antonia) that it's their purpose to win the war for Rhaenyra. But maybe they could do that without being reckless teenagers, right?

SEE ALSO: The ickiest moment from 'House of the Dragon's Season 3 premiere isn't even in the book

Jace's move against his mother is a new addition to the show, but it does provide an interesting justification as to why Rhaenyra doesn't fly to the Gullet herself in Fire and Blood. In Martin's work, Rhaenyra doesn't actually engage in combat much, instead commanding from Dragonstone. But the show's version of her wants desperately to be in the field, meaning they have to keep coming up with new ways to keep her away. Jace's defiance is the culmination of the tension between the two, and it also makes his death that much more painful for Rhaenyra. The last interaction she ever had with her eldest son was him keeping her from protecting him.

Did somebody order a beef between Lohar and Corlys? Steve Toussaint in "House of the Dragon." Credit: Ollie Upton / HBO

Fire and Blood is written like a historical text, so some characters are fairly flat on the page. One such character is Sharako Lohar. We know he's a formidable admiral, and not too much else.

House of the Dragon seeks to flesh Lohar out further, with both the gender-bending established in the Season 2 finale, as well as her hatred of Corlys Velaryon, revealed in the Season 3 premiere to be the true reason she signed a contract with Tyland Lannister (Jefferson Hall). That motivation brings an extra layer of vitriol to Lohar's decision to sack High Tide. Plus, it leads to that incredibly suspenseful ship chase through a narrow pass, so I'm not complaining.

Tyland Lannister's death is an anti-armor PSA — and new to House of the Dragon. Jefferson Hall in "House of the Dragon." Credit: Ollie Upton / HBO

RIP Tyland Lannister, who does not die in the Battle of the Gullet in Fire and Blood. By this point in the book, he's still abroad in Myr. House of the Dragon won't be adapting far enough into Fire and Blood for his return to Westeros to be relevant, so he's perfect cannon fodder for the Gullet. And what a way to go, shoved overboard by Lohar to lighten her ship's load. Sorry Tyland, but let this be a lesson to all other sailors that you should always choose a life vest over armor.

SEE ALSO: 'House of the Dragon' Season 3, episode 1: Is Lord Corlys dead? Which dragons are involved in the Battle of the Gullet? Harry Collett in "House of the Dragon." Credit: HBO

The Battle of the Gullet is the unholy lovechild of naval warfare and dragon warfare, but the particular dragons vary between Fire and Blood and House of the Dragon.

In Fire and Blood, Jace leads the attack on the Triarchy fleet with his dragon Vermax. He's joined by the dragonseeds and their dragons: Ulf the White (Tom Bennett) on Silverwing, Addam of Hull (Clinton Liberty) on Seasmoke, Hugh Hammer (Kieran Bew) on Vermithor, and lowborn Driftmark resident Nettles on Sheepstealer.

House of the Dragon makes several switches to this lineup. In: Baela on Moondancer. Out: the three male dragonseeds, who are camping out near Harrenhal until further notice. Nettles has also been cut from House of the Dragon entirely. Her storyline has been looped in with Rhaena's (Phoebe Campbell), who takes control of Sheepstealer. Speaking of...

Rhaena doesn't crash the Battle of the Gullet in Fire and Blood. Phoebe Campbell in "House of the Dragon." Credit: Theo Whiteman / HBO

Rhaena claiming Sheepstealer in the Season 3 premiere is already a massive deviation from Fire and Blood. (RIP Nettles, we never knew you.) But what happens next is even more of a deviation. Instead of aiding Rhaenyra's side, Sheepstealer unleashes friendly dragon fire on the Velaryon ships and attacks Vermax and Moondancer. That's not quite how you train your wild dragon, Rhaena.

Rhaena's unwitting involvement in Jace's demise sets up a remix of a key arc in Fire and Blood: Rhaenyra's hatred of Sheepstealer's rider. Obviously, there's no Nettles to hate in the show, so House of the Dragon is retooling. Instead of Rhaenyra despising Nettles for her closeness to Daemon, she'll likely wind up hating Rhaena for the role she played in Jace's death. Yet another Targaryen family tragedy to add to the tally.

Sharako Lohar dies in House of the Dragon, but lives on in Fire and Blood. Abigail Thorn in "House of the Dragon." Credit: Ollie Upton / HBO

Sharako Lohar joins Jace, Tyland, and Rhaena's mental health as a casualty of the Battle of the Gullet. Corlys' bastard son Alyn of Hull (Abubakar Salim) has the honor of taking her out in a brutal one-on-one brawl.

However, Sharako lives well past the Battle of the Gullet in Fire and Blood. He remains the captor of young Prince Viserys, eventually selling him off. His murder down the line sparks a larger war within the destabilized Triarchy. Again, since House of the Dragon won't adapt that far into the future, killing Lohar off is another streamlining move. We'll always have "to the Gullet on the morrow," though, even if that morrow has finally passed.

House of the Dragon Season 3 is now streaming on HBO Max, with new episodes premiering Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on HBO and HBO Max.

After a slightly frustrating end to Season 2, Season 3 of House of the Dragon has come out swinging.

Episode 1 finally saw the long-awaited Battle of the Gullet, with Lord Corlys (Steve Toussaint) and Team Black facing off against Triarchy captain Admiral Lohar (Abigail Thorn) and a nervous Ser Tyland Lannister (Jefferson Hall).

It was an episode with a pretty high body count, even by Game of Thrones standards — but was Corlys himself among them? Is the Velaryon lord dead, or will we be seeing him again?

SEE ALSO: 'House of the Dragon' review: Season 3 atones for the sins of Season 2 What happens with Lord Corlys in episode 1?

Lord Corlys and his bastard son, Alyn (Abubakar Salim), are up against it in this episode. Outnumbered by the Triarchy, Corlys decides to lead Admiral Lohar through a narrow gully in an attempt to let the rocks do his dirty work for him. It almost works. Though two of Lohar's ships capsize, she manages to make it through and give chase, ramming his boat and jumping aboard for a good old-fashioned sword fight.

The ensuing matchup is violent and bloody, with injuries on both sides. But just as Lord Corlys is about to strike the killing blow, the ship lurches in the waves, and he's thrown overboard. Alyn looks over the side, but there's no sign of him. We don't see him again.

Is Lord Corlys dead?

Well, it's not exactly looking good, is it? Corlys is thrown overboard in a full suit of armour, which — as we know from Lohar's decision to yeet Ser Tyland over the side earlier on — is pretty heavy. Someone decked out in metal tends to sink rather than float.

On the other hand, it's important to remember that characters in the GoT universe are never dead until we've seen a body (and in some cases they're not dead, even then). When Corlys goes overboard, he's close to the rocks, which could be a bad thing, but it also means dry land may be in reach for him. Going overboard in armour isn't necessarily a death sentence, either. Minutes before Corlys goes in, we see his son Alyn do the same, and he still manages to fight someone off and clamber to safety.

In a nutshell, the jury is still out. Corlys' fate, like his life, will be determined by the fortune of the tides.

House of the Dragon Season 3 premieres June 21 at 9 p.m. ET on HBO and HBO Max, with a new episode every Sunday.

Major spoilers for House of the Dragon Season 3, episode 1. Beware.

As Lord Corlys Velaryon says, "Rough seas lie ahead," especially for the major players in House of the Dragon's long-awaited, colossal naval contest, the Battle of the Gullet.

We've known this was coming for two seasons, with the all-important blockade omnipresent in civil war strategy meetings on both sides of Team Black and Team Green. And in Season 3, episode 1, the Triarchy finally takes on the mighty Sea Serpent's fleet in one of the most bloody, shocking, devastating, and nail-biting sequences in the series yet.

Mashable unpacked the House of the Dragon battle with cast members Steve Toussaint, Abubakar Salim, Abigail Thorn, Bethany Antonia, Phoebe Campbell, and Harry Collett.

SEE ALSO: 'House of the Dragon' review: Season 3 atones for the sins of Season 2

Shot over several months in a massive Warner Bros. Studios set in Leavesden, England, the battle is a major turning point, particularly for Corlys Velaryon (Toussaint) and his son Alyn of Hull (Salim).

"The important thing about the whole battle is just the sheer violence of it," Salim tells Mashable in the video above. "That is mainly seen, obviously, through the actual physical nature of it, but also through the people participating in it. That was something that was really important to tell this story of the Gullet, just like, how terrifying and violent it was."

It's a rare moment for Corlys, commanding his fleet in full Sea Snake mode.

"It was a joy, because in a way I've been waiting to show that side of him," said Toussaint. "Other than the Battle of the Stepstones in Season 1, we've not always seen him in action. Most of Season 2 is like, 'My wife's dead and my son doesn't love me.'"

"Other than the Battle of the Stepstones in Season 1, we've not always seen him in action." - Steve Toussaint on Corlys "Sea Snake" Velaryon.

In the other corner, the relentless Sharako Lohar (Thorn), the rugged Triarchy admiral, who Thorn based on Captain Ahab.

"She's a pirate, and historically, in real life, pirates were pretty democratic, and I think she definitely has the inspiration of all her men," said Thorn. "There's a pivotal moment in the script, just after something big happens, where she swears at her men for the first time, and we start to see that style of egalitarian command giving way to something more authoritarian. She starts getting more cavalier about throwing their lives away."

As for the major aerial combat players in the battle? The wild card of the Gullet, undeniably, is Rhaena Targaryen (Phoebe Campbell), whose first run on her dragon Sheepstealer does not go to plan — especially when she comes way too close to her also-flying sister, Baela Targaryen (Bethany Antonia), and spirals out of control in the air.

"Hard relate, you know? Where I go into things thinking I've got this and just... so it wasn't an unfamiliar feeling," said Campbell. "But yeah, that realisation of 'I have no control over this, there's nothing I can do,' I think we can all relate to that in some way."

And then there's Jacaerys Velaryon (Harry Collett), the young prince and Queen Rhaenyra's (Emma D'Arcy) heir, whose moment of misguided heroism becomes the climactic moment of the episode.

"I had loads of meetings with Loni [Peristere], the director of the episode, and Ryan [Condal, creator and showrunner] just talking about how I can portray feelings while being up in the air and having all this stuff going on around me," Collett said. "We would make up scenarios that would happen with Jace that didn't happen in the show, which really helped me get into character...It was really fun this time around, because I finally get to get out the offices."

That sure is one hell of an off-site. You can watch the whole House of the Dragon cast interview in video above.

House of the Dragon Season 3 is now streaming on HBO Max, with new episodes every Sunday at 9 p.m. ET on HBO and HBO Max.

Gone but not forgotten, Claudia comes back in the third episode of The Vampire Lestat, "Toronto." The vicious daughter who took after her maker, Lestat, is remembered in echoes of the past and a doppelgänger in the present. So, what does Sam Reid, who plays Lestat, have to say about how "Toronto" adds a new layer to what father and daughter have in common?

In an interview for Mashable's Say More series, Reid reflected, "They have a mutual understanding, Claudia and Lestat, where, yeah, they're at loggerheads. They sort of hate each other, but they have a lot of mutual respect between the two of them." He noted, "The writers never shy away from making these issues as complex and as truthful as possible."

The complex new truth revealed in "Toronto" is that Claudia and Lestat have both endured brutal violation at the hands of a vampire. In this episode, while Lestat is forced to face his own violent vampire origins at the hands of his maker, Magnus, Louis seeks vengeance on Bruce, the motorcycling bloodsucker who'd preyed on Claudia in Season 1, while she was out on her own.

"They are similar," Reid said in his interview with Mashable Entertainment Editor Kristy Puchko. "They have a shared experience."

Jacob Anderson is Louis in "The Vampire Lestat." Credit: AMC+

To drive this parallel home, The Vampire Lestat shows Louis read the missing pages of Claudia's diary aloud to her abuser, Bruce (before burning him alive undead). But rather than flashbacks of Bruce's assaults on Claudia, "Toronto" cuts to flashbacks of Magnus' assault on Lestat, which turned him into an immortal. Where Claudia expressed her feelings in her diary, Lestat offers his songs, including "Your Biggest Fan." Reid explained to Mashable, this early in the season, Lestat is more interesting in presenting a version of himself he prefers than actually interrogating his life. But maybe Claudia took after him here too.

Of all the things Lestat says Louis and Daniel got wrong in their book, Interview with the Vampire, he's most affronted by the claim that he'd gotten Claudia to come back to their Louisiana home by threatening to rape her on that train out of town. "Never fucking happened," he wrote on the pages, a reaction which caused Daniel to chuckle in episode two.

Reid says of Claudia's account of the train scene, "He's blindsided by that. I think it's a very painful thing." He then teased we'll see Lestat's version of the train scene before the end of the season, saying, "You understand why it's there in the book later on. But he's blindsided about it, because he actually wouldn't do that."

For more from Mashable's interview with Sam Reid, look for our new Say More episode on Friday, June 19.

The Vampire Lestat streams on AMC+, with new episodes weekly.

With "Toronto," the third episode of The Vampire Lestat, the titular bloodsucker reveals how he got the dark gift through a lusty music video. But of course, that's not all there is to that story. So, who better to ask about Lestat as an unreliable narrator than Sam Reid, the critically heralded actor who's brought the Brat Prince to life onscreen and on stage (for one night only)? 

Mashable Entertainment Editor Kristy Puchko sat down with Reid in our Say More studio to dig into "Toronto," and in particular the bad romance ballad that is "Your Biggest Fan."

 "Your Biggest Fan" is about Lestat's maker, Magnus.  Sam Reid plays Lestat de Lioncourt in "The Vampire Lestat." Credit: AMC+

In "Toronto," Lestat's initial telling of how he became a vampire plays out in the music video for "Your Biggest Fan," which echoes the romance and drama of Meatloaf's 1993 music video "I Would Do Anything For Love (But I Won't Do That)." Here, he is a flawless star on stage performing Lélio (not harlequin!), while a greasy, pale ghoul looks on in awe. This is Magnus, a deranged vampire in search of the perfect fledgling. And Lestat, abducted from his bed, smiles as he's forced to a dirty cavern floor and bitten by Magnus without warning. 

"He's got a lot of unpacked baggage," Reid said of Lestat's transformation trauma, "and so the way that he chooses to talk about it in the real world is, 'This guy was obsessed with me, and he's a loser, and here's his little fun ballad, like a Taylor Swift kind of pop song.'" 

SEE ALSO: 'The Vampire Lestat' reveals the Brat Prince's beef with Louis' version of things, as laid out in 'Interview with the Vampire'

Reid continued, "Obviously, the reality of [their relationship] is not a simple at-your-window ballad. It's much more complex... But he's trying to control his narrative at any point in time."

Reid went on to explain,"He very rightfully says to Molloy, like, 'Who wants another sob story?' Like, I'm not going to present you my life as some big abuse narrative. I'm not going to sit here and wallow like Louis did, and just talk about how painful my existence is, and suffer when there are so many positive things about the situation that I'm in." 

So, instead Lestat offers a version that Reid described as, "[Magnus] liberated me, he made me who I am, and look how fantastic I am." 

Of course, with Lestat's muses unleashed, this pretty lie won't keep the ghosts of his past at bay. 

SEE ALSO: 'The Vampire Lestat': Meet the new vamps, bandmates, and Baby Jenks How does Lestat's story of Magnus differ from Louis'?  Sam Reid plays Lestat de Lioncourt in "The Vampire Lestat." Credit: AMC+

At first, it seems Lestat relished being ripped out of his bed, away from his boyfriend Nicky, and made into an immortal. But in the climax of "Toronto," Magnus appears in Lestat's car, and with his arrival come a flood of more gruesome flashbacks that reveal the terror, pain, and lack of consent of this pivotal moment. 

Asked about this, Reid compared Lestat's look back at his life to Louis' in Season 1 and 2, saying, "Louis is actually actively seeking to get to the center himself [through the recounting of his story]. And Lestat is actively trying to obfuscate the situation and not expose himself. But he has no choice. It's constantly being thrown back in his face, until he's forced to deal with it."

Reid teased this processing will get harder before it gets any easier, not just this season but in seasons beyond. "That's what The Failures is," he said of Lestat's in-show album. "We're now seeing somebody go through something that actually leads us through to future seasons. But when he's had time to process, that's when he can have some more self-reflection, whereas where he is in the story, he doesn't want to have any self-reflection." 

"But actually, he does have a lot of darkness," Reid acknowledged, adding, "He's got two makers. He's got his mother [Gabriella], and he's got Magnus. And both of those figures are very, very influential in what forms him as a character, and [both] are abusive." 

From there, Reid connected Lestat's sultry exhibitionism to what his mother and Magnus valued. "He's a highly sexualized character," Reid said, "because he's been sexualized from the beginning, from whether it's his mother wanting to love him to the point of being with him, because she wants to live vicariously through him, or whether it's his maker wanting that, that he sees on stage, that kind of, that performer, that spark, and kind of eroticizing him and making him this kind of perfect immortal being. It's then all he knows; the only way he knows how to express himself is by thrusting around on stage and writhing around. So we do ask, we ask the audience to come with him on the journey — maybe don't understand it at first, but it's a slow unraveling that he begins to unravel too."

For more from Mashable's interview with Sam Reid, look for our new Say More episode on Friday, June 19.

The Vampire Lestat streams on AMC+, with new episodes weekly.

In Westeros, nothing can be said to be certain except death, Targaryen incest, and weird things happening around Harrenhal.

SEE ALSO: 'House of the Dragon' review: Season 3 atones for the sins of Season 2

The Seven Kingdoms' most haunted castle and its de facto guardian, witch Alys Rivers (Gayle Rankin), treated Daemon (Matt Smith) to a barrage of unsettling visions in House of the Dragon Season 2. That strangeness keeps coming in House of the Dragon's Season 3 premiere, but this time, Alys finds a new target: dragonseeds Addam of Hull (Clinton Liberty), Ulf the White (Tom Bennett), and Hugh Hammer (Kieran Bew).

The trio have been stationed near Harrenhal on Rhaenyra's (Emma D'Arcy) orders. They've made their camp on the edge of the Gods Eye, the largest lake in the Seven Kingdoms. After several days away from the action and unsure of their next moves, the dragonseeds are antsy. It doesn't help that Alys crashes their party with a haunted goat and a large man who appears to have antlers. We only see him for a second, but his identity is connected to the ancient history of Westeros.

The dragonseeds spot one of the Green Men of Westeros.

The antlered man is one of the Green Men, a group that guards the Isle of Faces in the middle of the Gods Eye. Their order was founded 10,000 years before Aegon's conquest of Westeros, when the First Men warred with the magical Children of the Forest.

SEE ALSO: 'House of the Dragon' may be hiding Daeron Targaryen in plain sight

The two sides sued for peace on the Isle of Faces, where they signed the pact that decreed that the First Men could control the open lands of Westeros, while the Children could keep the deep forests. Those present carved faces in all the Isle of Faces' trees as a way for the gods to witness the pact, thus giving the island its name. The Green Men were charged with protecting the sacred place. Accounts vary on their appearances: Old tales claim they have green skin and horns, while maesters believe they simply wear green clothing and antler headdresses. House of the Dragon appears to eschew the green clothing and skin visuals in favor of animal pelts.

Are the Green Men in Fire and Blood? Matt Smith in "House of the Dragon." Credit: Ollie Upton / HBO

The dragonseeds' sighting of a Green Man isn't the first time we've glimpsed this order in House of the Dragon. Daemon also saw one by Harrenhal's weirwood in the Season 2 finale, as a part of his vision quest.

However, these Green Men moments aren't in George R.R. Martin's Fire and Blood. The only time they are mentioned is a brief section when Addam of Hull visits them on the Isle of Faces for advice. Perhaps these sightings are building towards that meeting, or perhaps House of the Dragon is hoping to flesh out the Green Men's involvement in the Dance of the Dragons in a larger way. After all, the series has shown them venturing further afield than the Isle of Faces, and both times they've popped up, Alys has been present. Has she partnered with them in some way? And if so, what are their next plans for Harrenhal and the surrounding lands? When Aemond arrives there, he may find himself facing down more magic than he'd bargained for.

House of the Dragon Season 3 is now streaming on HBO Max, with new episodes premiering Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on HBO and HBO Max.

If there's one character in House of the Dragon Season 3 that gets the lion's share of the best lines, it's Sharako Lohar.

Played to perfection by Abigail Thorn, the rugged Triarchy admiral drops one-liner after one-liner in the heart of episode 1's colossal Battle of the Gullet. Each commanding moment seems made for an action trailer, as Lohar finds vengeance in her grasp.

"She's got all the best lines!" Thorn told Mashable, when we asked her about jaw-dropping dialogue moments like: "Hold the course and f***ing row!"

SEE ALSO: 'House of the Dragon' review: Season 3 atones for the sins of Season 2

On her ship, the Bitchfist (seriously, bring me a better name for a boat), Lohar is a tenacious commander who spends her life obsessively seeking one elusive target across the seas. And if that sounds familiar, Thorn said her Lohar draws from the iconic Captain Ahab from Herman Melville's 1851 novel Moby Dick.

Abigail Thorn as Sharako Lohar in "House of the Dragon." Credit: Ollie Upton / HBO

"Captain Ahab in Moby Dick, he inspires his men. Everyone loves Captain Ahab until they realise he's going to drag us all down on this mission, isn't he? And it's the same with Lohar," said Thorn, who did a vast amount of research into the classic character.

"I read the novel, and I watched every adaptation I could get my hands on, like the Gregory Peck Moby Dick," she said. "And also Ricardo Montalbán's performance in Star Trek II, which is very inspired by Moby Dick — Khan is Ahab in that movie, and there's a fair bit of that in Lohar too."

Featured Video For You 'House of the Dragon': Everything you need to remember about Season 2 in 60 seconds

There's even a moment in the epic fight between Lohar and Corlys Velaryon (Steve Toussaint) that Thorn and House of the Dragon director Loni Peristere referred to quite literally as "the Captain Ahab moment."

"She's up on the rails, she hits Steve and gets him away, and she lunges towards him with the axe," says Thorn. "There's no way that move is going to succeed, and it's really, if this doesn't hit his head and kill him, she's dead. She knows it, because she's overextended. In that moment, she knows that she's risking it all, and so we have that Captain Ahab moment. It's that 'from hell's heart I stab at thee; for hate's sake, I spit my last breath,' and she really, she really goes for it."

Here's our favourite Lohar lines from House of the Dragon Season 3, episode 1, ranked.

7. "Did you think I sailed across the Narrow Sea to win your king's war for him?"

Uh, yeah. That's exactly what Tyland Lannister (Jefferson Hall) thought Lohar was doing. Right up until you chuckled like that...

6. "You'll ruin all this kit if you wind up in the drink."

Foreshadowing. We love it.

5. "What do you weigh in that armor?"

Watching Tyland Lannister getting suddenly tossed overboard made me spit out my drink.

4. "Here she comes, lads, our jewel in the rough!"

I'm about to use this line every time I spot the perfect free table in a beer garden, a Lime bike with pedals and full charge, or stranger's dog that's making it perfectly clear I have been chosen.

3. "Tonight, we will walk in the ashes of High Tide. You'll all join me as I sit on the Driftwood throne and dine on the Sea Snake's ears!"

Ears? Ears!

2. "Call me Lohar, Dragonslayer."

Did someone just bring a ballista to a dragon fight? The Triarchy came prepared for aerial warfare, as Lohar unveils the giant weapon, equipped with grapnel, on board her flagship. We hate to see precious dragons attacked, but this line is pure history.

"The moment where they set the grapnel up, there's no line in the script for this, but I just look at Steve, and in my head you could see me thinking, 'Check this shit out, playboy,' because he doesn't know what the big dragon-killing gun is," says Thorn. "I love that they kept it in, just me being like, 'Hehehehehehe.'"

We hate to see precious dragons attacked, but this line is pure history. Credit: Ollie Upton / HBO 1. "Hold the course and f***ing row!"

How could this not be the ultimate Lohar line? Having dodged Dragonstone Pass and chased the Sea Snake into open water, the Triarchy close in on their target. With Lohar's aim true, she gives the final command to her crew and gets set to ram. It's pure cinema.

House of the Dragon Season 3 is now streaming on HBO Max, with new episodes every Sunday at 9 p.m. ET on HBO and HBO Max.

The NYT Connections puzzle today is not too difficult if you're good at math.

Connections is the one of the most popular New York Times word games that's captured the public's attention. The game is all about finding the "common threads between words." And just like Wordle, Connections resets after midnight and each new set of words gets trickier and trickier—so we've served up some hints and tips to get you over the hurdle.

If you just want to be told today's puzzle, you can jump to the end of this article for today's Connections solution. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable What is Connections?

The NYT's latest daily word game has become a social media hit. The Times credits associate puzzle editor Wyna Liu with helping to create the new word game and bringing it to the publications' Games section. Connections can be played on both web browsers and mobile devices and require players to group four words that share something in common.

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Each puzzle features 16 words and each grouping of words is split into four categories. These sets could comprise of anything from book titles, software, country names, etc. Even though multiple words will seem like they fit together, there's only one correct answer.

If a player gets all four words in a set correct, those words are removed from the board. Guess wrong and it counts as a mistake—players get up to four mistakes until the game ends.

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Players can also rearrange and shuffle the board to make spotting connections easier. Additionally, each group is color-coded with yellow being the easiest, followed by green, blue, and purple. Like Wordle, you can share the results with your friends on social media.

SEE ALSO: NYT Pips hints, answers for June 22, 2026 Here's a hint for today's Connections categories

Want a hint about the categories without being told the categories? Then give these a try:

• Yellow: In charge

• Green: Math terms

• Blue: Linguistics

• Purple: Ferocious

Meet The Mashable 101: Our list of the content creators shaping the internet today

Here are today's Connections categories

Need a little extra help? Today's connections fall into the following categories:

• Yellow: Dominant

• Green: Multiplication indicators

• Blue: Pronunciation descriptors

• Purple: Starting with explosive onomatopoeia

Looking for Wordle today? Here's the answer to today's Wordle.

Ready for the answers? This is your last chance to turn back and solve today's puzzle before we reveal the solutions.

Drumroll, please!

The solution to today's Connections #1107 is...

What is the answer to Connections today

• Dominant: ALPHA, HEAD, LEAD, PRIMARY

• Multiplication indicators: BY, TIMES, X, •

• Pronunciation descriptors: SHORT, SILENT, SOFT, STRESSED

• Starting with explosive onomatopoeia: BANGKOK, BOOMER, POPSICLE, POWDER

Don't feel down if you didn't manage to guess it this time. There will be new Connections for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we'll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for June 22, 2026

Are you also playing NYT Strands? Get all the Strands hints you need for today's puzzle.

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to yesterday's Connections.

Today's NYT Strands hints are easy if you're easily frightened.

Strands, the New York Times' elevated word-search game, requires the player to perform a twist on the classic word search. Words can be made from linked letters — up, down, left, right, or diagonal, but words can also change direction, resulting in quirky shapes and patterns. Every single letter in the grid will be part of an answer. There's always a theme linking every solution, along with the "spangram," a special, word or phrase that sums up that day's theme, and spans the entire grid horizontally or vertically.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable

By providing an opaque hint and not providing the word list, Strands creates a brain-teasing game that takes a little longer to play than its other games, like Wordle and Connections.

If you're feeling stuck or just don't have 10 or more minutes to figure out today's puzzle, we've got all the NYT Strands hints for today's puzzle you need to progress at your preferred pace.

SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for June 22, 2026 NYT Strands hint for today’s theme: Heebie-jeebies

The words are related to being scared.

Today’s NYT Strands theme plainly explained

These words describe bodily reactions.

NYT Strands spangram hint: Is it vertical or horizontal?

Today's NYT Strands spangram is horizontal.

Meet The Mashable 101: Our list of the content creators shaping the internet today

NYT Strands spangram answer today

Today's spangram is Goosebumps.

NYT Strands word list for June 22

• Willies

• Butterflies

• Jitters

• Goosebumps

• Creeps

• Shivers

Looking for other daily online games? Mashable's Games page has more hints, and if you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now!

Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to yesterday's Strands.

Are you ready to meet even more Targaryens in House of the Dragon? Your answer had better be yes, because the show is about to introduce yet another member of Westeros' most messed-up family.

SEE ALSO: 'House of the Dragon' review: Season 3 atones for the sins of Season 2

That extra Targaryen is Prince Daeron, the youngest son of Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke) and King Viserys Targaryen (Paddy Considine). He's been off in Oldtown for the entirety of the show so far, where he lives as the ward of House Hightower. However, as House Hightower's army marches towards King's Landing, House of the Dragon has been mentioning Daeron (along with his dragon, Tessarion) more and more. That can only mean one thing: His debut is imminent.

Or has it already arrived?

Is Daeron Targaryen in the Season 3 premiere of House of the Dragon?

In George R.R. Martin's Fire and Blood, Daeron serves as a squire to Alicent's cousin, Lord Ormund Hightower (James Norton). We meet Ormund for the very first time in House of the Dragon's Season 3 premiere, at the Hightower army's camp. There, he greets Alicent's messenger from King's Landing. He's joined by Ser Jon Roxton (Joplin Sibtain) and an unnamed boy (Benjamin Evan Ainsworth) dressed in Hightower green.

Ormund orders the boy to draw the messenger a bath and bring him to a tent. The command, as well as the boy's proximity to Ormund, suggest that he's his squire. That would make him none other than Daeron Targaryen, whom we already know is at camp thanks to Tessarion's presence.

Of course, there's one big sign that the boy isn't Daeron: He's missing the Targaryens' signature silver hair. However, his auburn hair does bear a striking resemblance to Alicent's. If this boy really is Daeron, does he simply take after his mother? Or did Ormund encourage him to dye his hair in order to hide in plain sight?

HBO has yet to confirm Daeron's casting, but showrunner Ryan Condal did confirm in an interview with Entertainment Weekly that Daeron would play a large role this season. Perhaps that role begins with the simple act of drawing a bath.

House of the Dragon Season 3 is now streaming on HBO Max, with new episodes premiering Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on HBO and HBO Max.

Today's Wordle answer should be easy to solve if you're a shapeshifter.

If you just want to be told today's word, you can jump to the bottom of this article for today's Wordle solution revealed. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for June 22, 2026 Where did Wordle come from?

Originally created by engineer Josh Wardle as a gift for his partner, Wordle rapidly spread to become an international phenomenon, with thousands of people around the globe playing every day. Alternate Wordle versions created by fans also sprang up, including battle royale Squabble, music identification game Heardle, and variations like Dordle and Quordle that make you guess multiple words at once. 

Wordle eventually became so popular that it was purchased by the New York Times, and TikTok creators even livestream themselves playing.

What's the best Wordle starting word?

The best Wordle starting word is the one that speaks to you. But if you prefer to be strategic in your approach, we have a few ideas to help you pick a word that might help you find the solution faster. One tip is to select a word that includes at least two different vowels, plus some common consonants like S, T, R, or N.

What happened to the Wordle archive?

The entire archive of past Wordle puzzles was originally available for anyone to enjoy whenever they felt like it, but it was later taken down, with the website's creator stating it was done at the request of the New York Times. However, the New York Times then rolled out its own Wordle Archive, available only to NYT Games subscribers.

Is Wordle getting harder?

It might feel like Wordle is getting harder, but it actually isn't any more difficult than when it first began. You can turn on Wordle's Hard Mode if you're after more of a challenge, though.

SEE ALSO: NYT Pips hints, answers for June 22, 2026 Here's a subtle hint for today's Wordle answer:

Egg-shaped.

Does today's Wordle answer have a double letter?

There are no recurring letters.

Meet The Mashable 101: Our list of the content creators shaping the internet today

Today's Wordle is a 5-letter word that starts with...

Today's Wordle starts with the letter O.

SEE ALSO: Wordle-obsessed? These are the best word games to play IRL. The Wordle answer today is...

Get your last guesses in now, because it's your final chance to solve today's Wordle before we reveal the solution.

Drumroll please!

The solution to today's Wordle is...

OVATE

Don't feel down if you didn't manage to guess it this time. There will be a new Wordle for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we'll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints. Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today's Strands.

Reporting by Chance Townsend, Caitlin Welsh, Sam Haysom, Amanda Yeo, Shannon Connellan, Cecily Mauran, Mike Pearl, and Adam Rosenberg contributed to this article.

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to yesterday's Wordle.

There's a moment in House of the Dragon Season 3, episode 1, when I wanted the cutscene to end so I could take the helm.

Right in the middle of the long-awaited Ballet of the Gullet, we see the mighty Lord Corlys Velaryon (Steve Toussaint) in full evasive maneuvering mode. Here, the Sea Snake's skills are on full display. And it's absolutely made to be a video game level.

SEE ALSO: 'House of the Dragon' review: Season 3 atones for the sins of Season 2

In the third act of the episode, as one of the most important battles in the Dance of the Dragons rages on, the vengeful Triarchy admiral, Sharako Lohar (Abigail Thorn), spots her prey in the Velaryon leader. To minimise losses and evade Lohar's rogue assault, Corlys commands his ship into Dragonstone Pass, a narrow, perilous marine path where one millimetre could mean the difference between sailing and sinking.

"In a way I've been waiting to show that side of him," Toussaint told Mashable. "Because, of course, other than the Battle of the Stepstones in Season 1, we've not always seen him in action. Most of Season 2 is like, 'My wife's dead and my son doesn't love me.'

"So it was nice to show, 'Oh yes, that's right, that's what he's good at.' This is why he runs away to sea whenever there's a problem, because he's good at it, and he feels comfortable there. So, doing those scenes, putting yourself in that position where you're the guy, was joyous."

Watching Corlys command his crew to "ease the sheets and pull out the oars," then gently take the helm to navigate these treacherous waters like a pro is the stuff of gaming dreams — the steering mechanism even looks like a wooden joystick in this scene. It's spatial awareness competency porn, and I love it.

Featured Video For You 'House of the Dragon': Everything you need to remember about Season 2 in 60 seconds

Corlys' Dragonstone Pass prowess brings to mind notorious moments in racing games like 1999's Star Wars Episode I: Racer and the dastardly move needed to complete the Boonta Training Course on Tattoine. Remember?! For the most part, if you didn't flip that pod right through the crack you'd never make it into the Hutt Flats. It's giving Mario Kart's Rainbow Road shortcut, Gran Turismo's hairpins, even the ever-present Corkscrew, which turns up everywhere.

It's not the only video game-like moment in the Battle of the Gullet, either, especially when it comes to Lohar. The admiral's "Stay the course and f***ing row!" moment, ramming her ship right into Corlys', is a maritime move worthy of Assassin's Creed Odyssey, while her dragon-hunting ballista skills are right out of Dragon's Dogma 2.

There are, in fact, plenty of video games set in the world of Westeros, from the microtransaction-plagued Game of Thrones: Kingsroad to the upcoming real-time strategy game Game of Thrones: War for Westeros. But there are none that allow me to traverse the Dragonstone Pass. Let me be the Sea Snake.

House of the Dragon Season 3 is now streaming on HBO Max, with new episodes every Sunday at 9 p.m. ET on HBO and HBO Max.

For two seasons of House of the Dragon, patriarchal Westeros has tried to quash its women leaders. And in Season 3, we see Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D'Arcy) literally shredding her gown in frustration, in one of the defining moments of episode 1.

Despite the fact that no queen had ever sat on the Iron Throne, Rhaenyra Targaryen (then played by Milly Alcock) was named heir of King Viserys (Paddy Considine) in Season 1, though it came with sexist doubts and death bed confusion. "Men would sooner put the realm to the torch than see a woman ascend the Iron Throne," Rhaenys Targaryen (Eve Best) told a young Rhaenyra, having experienced such bigotry herself.

SEE ALSO: 'House of the Dragon' review: Season 3 atones for the sins of Season 2

By Season 3, Rhaenyra's since been usurped by Aegon II (Tom Glynn-Carney) and entered into civil war for her own birthright. She's constantly interrupted and mansplained by her councillors on Dragonstone; she's competed with her husband Daemon for influence (he's all good now); and she has had just about enough of this sexist shit.

"For two seasons we've seen Rhaenyra restrained from action, often by her male council," D'Arcy tells Mashable. "And at the start of Season 3, there's finally huge momentum in her campaign, and she is poised to move into action. That momentum hits a very sudden brick wall — or locked door."

Without spoiling anything, this locked door, though noble in intention, represents the ultimate male defiance for Rhaenyra in the opening episode. In utter frustration within her prison, the queen (who is dressed in her riding leathers, ready for battle) seizes her court gown — another elaborate masterpiece from House of the Dragon costume designer Caroline McCall — and tears it to pieces. And here, she utters one of Rhaenyra's most unfiltered lines:

"I may appear to have the weak and feeble body of a woman, but I possess the heart and spirit of a king."

Featured Video For You 'House of the Dragon': Everything you need to remember about Season 2 in 60 seconds

Viewers who've seen Rhaenyra go through extreme resilience in body and mind over the last two seasons, and who know the staggering might and power of women's bodies in general, will probably bristle at the beginning of this line — and in reality, it could be seen as indicative of Rhaenyra's internalised misogyny, the result of being raised in a patriarchal kingdom. However, it's the second half that truly hits home for the usurped queen, who finds herself yet again undermined by a man, even in a moment of heroism.

"Rhaenyra has become very familiar with the ways in which patriarchy looks to consolidate male power, and there's something interesting going on here, where something that's framed as protection or care is actually an arm of control. I think that's a strong tool within the toolkit of patriarchy," says D'Arcy.

"Rhaenyra has become very familiar with the ways in which patriarchy looks to consolidate male power." - Emma D'Arcy

"When Rhaenyra destroys the dress, I think it's about destroying an image that has suffered so much criticism or skepticism, I suppose. And taking up the mantle of a king, again, is about trying to take on the machinery of othering and say no, I'm the same, with the same facility for leadership as you, as my male colleagues."

Dress plays an enormously important part in House of the Dragon, as we've seen in previous seasons. Costume in court can show more power than armor on a battlefield, with women characters including Rhaenyra and notably, Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke), wielding dress as a political tool. For some in Westeros, gowns represent oppression; for others, agency.

House of the Dragon Season 3 is now streaming on HBO Max, with new episodes every Sunday at 9 p.m. ET on HBO and HBO Max.

In its Season 3 premiere, House of the Dragon does the impossible. It somehow adds incest to a Targaryen story.

SEE ALSO: 'House of the Dragon' review: Season 3 atones for the sins of Season 2

The extra dose of incest comes in a scene between Dowager Queen Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke) and her son, Prince Regent Aemond Targaryen (Ewan Mitchell). As Alicent tries to persuade Aemond to head to Harrenhal, which would free up King's Landing to Queen Rhaenyra's (Emma D'Arcy) incoming invasion, he leans in and gives her a long kiss. Horrified, Alicent freezes, not reciprocating but unable to retaliate against her son's sudden advance.

"He's very dangerous, and she can't reject him," Cooke told Mashable during a junket interview.

It's a shocking moment, which is saying something, given that House of the Dragon features a marriage between a brother and sister, as well as one between an uncle and niece. The show has dabbled in mother-son incest before, during one of Daemon's (Matt Smith) Harrenhal visions, but that was a dream. Aemond's kiss is a reality — one that doesn't appear at all in George R.R. Martin's Fire and Blood. (Neither does Daemon's dream of his mother.)

SEE ALSO: 'House of the Dragon': Everything you need to remember about Season 2 in 60 seconds

House of the Dragon has hinted at Aemond's Oedipal feelings towards Alicent before. In his interactions with brothel owner and sex worker Sylvi (Michelle Bonnard), he seems to be looking for motherly nurturing. For Mitchell, Aemond's charged interaction with Alicent stems from his issues with affection, dating all the way back to childhood.

"He never felt like he had sufficient love as a child, and kids need that unconditional love to develop a balanced view of themselves," Mitchell told Mashable during a junket interview. "And Aemond, he felt like he was lacking in that department, and so he has a very skewed sense of how to show affection. His perception of it is very flawed."

However, in his attempt to show affection toward his mother, who already fears him, Aemond has worsened that relationship.

"He might have burnt bridges with his mum after that moment, because it's singularly just one of the creepiest actions that he's done — and shocking as well," Mitchell said. "It's in Aemond's DNA to be shocking, and he does it there, he shocks the audience, just in a way that you don't expect."

For Alicent, the kiss is the latest in a series of unwanted advances that have come to define her time in the Red Keep. From her marital rape at the hands of Viserys (Paddy Considine) to Larys Strong (Matthew Needham) fetishizing her feet, Alicent has long been fighting for power in a cage where the men around her only see value in her body: how it can make them feel, or whether it can produce heirs. Now even her own son seems to feel the same way, a realization that becomes another reason why Alicent needs to escape the prison that is the Red Keep. That it's Aemond, her least controllable child, adds an extra layer of worry for Alicent, as well as an extra layer for Cooke to play.

"[Ewan and I] didn't need to do much, because it's such a shocking thing that we had to do," Cooke said. "It felt quite explicit on the page, and I really like working with Ewan. The way he plays Aemond is so different to any other character on the show, and it's so strange that I think Alicent always feels like she's on the back foot with him anyway. So that's all I really had to do, and then just let the shock of that speak for itself."

Mashable Senior Editor Shannon Connellan contributed to reporting to this piece.

House of the Dragon Season 3 is now streaming on HBO Max, with new episodes every Sunday at 9 p.m. ET on HBO and HBO Max.

A new season of House of the Dragon brings back many familiar faces, but in Season 3, episode 1 we also seen some new players enter the mix.

Perhaps the most famous of these is Happy Valley star James Norton, who strikes an imposing, armour-clad figure as Lord Ormund Hightower. But who exactly is this new Hightower, and what role might he play in the action going forward?

We've broken down everything we know so far.

SEE ALSO: 'House of the Dragon' review: Season 3 atones for the sins of Season 2 What happens with Ormund Hightower in episode 1?

Midway through episode 1, we get a drone shot showing what appears to be hundreds of green tents set up around a river. We go in closer and see a dragon in the ranks, growling as a messenger on horseback thunders past.

The man waiting to meet said messenger is Lord Ormund Hightower (Norton), flanked by a younger boy and a burly, no-nonsense looking soldier who appears to be his right-hand man. Hightower receives the parchment from the (fairly mud-spattered) messenger, wrinkles his nose in apparent disgust at the man's smell, and then breaks the seal to read it.

"Aemond says we are to make camp here and await further word. He shall join us in three days time," Hightower reads.

Featured Video For You 'House of the Dragon': Everything you need to remember about Season 2 in 60 seconds

"So, Aegon's dead then?" grunts his henchman.

"One king is as good as another," smiles Hightower.

He tells the boy next to him to see the messenger has a bath and bed, then turns on his heel and walks back to his tent.

So, who is Ormund Hightower, anyway?

Okay, so we don't have much to go on so far. But we already know a little about Ormund from previous seasons, so let's recap.

First of all, how is he related to the currently AWOL Otto Hightower (Rhys Ifans) and his daughter, Alicent (Olivia Cooke)? Well, put simply, he's Otto's nephew and Alicent's cousin. Ormund is the son of Hobert Hightower (Steffan Rhodri), who popped up back in the first half of Season 1. By Season 2 he's dead, though, and his son Ormund has taken his place as head of the Hightower household.

Now, as we see from his brief appearance, he commands a very large army that includes a dragon (this belongs not to him, but to his ward, Daeron Targaryen) — and he appears to be loyal to the cause of Team Green.

Aemond (Ewan Mitchell) may be struggling to figure out what to do with himself in King's Landing, but he does still have a powerful ally marching to meet him.

House of the Dragon Season 3 premieres June 21 at 9 p.m. ET on HBO and HBO Max, with a new episode every Sunday.

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