House of the Dragon S3E5 Ends in Carnage — the Killer’s Still on the Loose

If you thought House of the Dragon was running low on shock value, Episode 5 of the third season has politely laughed in your face. The showrunners have just put Daemon Targaryen through probably his roughest morning yet – and, frankly, it’s a proper horror show, even by Westeros standards.

Dead Men at the Table

The episode's big gut punch is Daemon strolling into the City Watch barracks to an absolute bloodbath. We're talking bodies of his own Gold Cloaks – men loyal to him for years – slumped around a table, each with their eyes gouged out. Sitting amongst them is Ser Luthor Largent, head honcho of the Watch. On the wall, just in case Daemon missed the message, someone’s scrawled in blood: 'A Feast for Traitors'. Subtle.

This isn't a one-off either. There’s been a string of Gold Cloak killings all season, and this is the ugliest crescendo yet. Earlier in the episode, Daemon swears to his men that every drop they've spilled will be avenged 'twice over', which, to be honest, is a bit rich coming from a guy who’s now fresh out of Gold Cloaks.

Who's Behind It All? Not Who You Think

The most interesting twist comes during a particularly nasty bit where Daemon is interrogating – well, torturing – some graffiti artist who’s been daubing seditious slogans around the capital. After some persuasion, the bloke admits he’s working for 'the King.' Here’s where things get murky: it’s not Aegon II he means, but Daeron Targaryen, the youngest son of Alicent and Viserys.

The Coin Dropping (Literally)

The writers drive the point home with a coin found at the scene, minted with Daeron’s face on it. This traces the killings all the way back to Ormund Hightower, who's currently holed up in Tumbleton and seemingly running a very efficient sabotage campaign from miles away. Instead of getting his hands dirty, he reads about the fresh murders like he’s checking his accounts book. The plan? Cause chaos in King’s Landing, weaken Rhaenyra’s grip, and let the infighting do the heavy lifting.

Daemon, with all the grace of a man who’s definitely just had his day ruined, drops the coin onto Rhaenyra’s book and breaks the news to her about her half-brother’s involvement. Daemon sums up the mood perfectly: 'We should have burned them when we had the chance,' before storming off. For context, Rhaenyra had actually felt something was “crouched, something formless” plotting against her earlier – but Daemon dismissed it as exhaustion at the time. Turns out, she was bang on.

Major Detour from the Source Material

If you’re a book purist, here’s your raised eyebrow moment: Ser Luthor Largent’s death is entirely new. In George R.R. Martin’s Fire & Blood, Luthor is killed during the King’s Landing riots, not as part of a premeditated hit. By switching things up and making it a personal attack tied to Ormund Hightower’s campaign, the writers are definitely upping the stakes for Daemon, who’s got quite a history with the City Watch himself.

• Main twists: Grisly murders of City Watch – eyes ripped out, threatening message in blood
• Puppetmaster revealed: Ormund Hightower pulling the strings from a distance
• Daeron Targaryen: Dragged in as the king the graffiti artist references
• Ser Luthor Largent: Dead – a huge deviation from the book plot
• Rhaenyra: Realises (the hard way) there’s a hidden threat against her

House of the Dragon Season 3, Episode 6 lands next Sunday on HBO Max.