‘House of the Dragon’ Season 3, episode 6 ending explained: Is Lord Corlys dead?

Another House of the Dragon episode, another possible death for Lord Corlys Velaryon (Steve Toussaint).

The Lord of the Tides had a brush with fate in Season 3, episode 1, during the Battle of the Gullet, but even going overboard in full armour wasn’t enough to stop him from washing up on the beach relatively unharmed.

The question is, has his luck finally ran out?

What happens at the end of House of the Dragon Season 3, episode 6?

After absolutely laying into Queen Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy) when she refuses to legitimise his sons, Corlys goes a bit AWOL. He’s found by his son Alyn (Abubakar Salim) out in the woods, casually butchering members of the Triarchy who have apparently been carrying out raids on Driftmark.

Alyn tells Corlys that he’s needed back in King’s Landing, but he initially seems reluctant — at least until the episode’s end. In the final scene of episode 6, we hear him giving a speech to his men, telling them they’re needed back in the city. As he stares at the hanged bodies, though, Lord Ormund‘s righthand man, Bold Jon Roxton (Joplin Sibtain) appears behind him with men of his own.

“Who are you?” says Corlys. “What’s your errand?”

Realising Ser Jon doesn’t mean well, Corlys draws his blade — but it’s too late. A man jumps on him from behind and wraps something around his neck.

Is Lord Corlys actually dead this time?

Surely Lord Corlys can’t come back from the dead twice, can he? Well, even though we don’t see exactly what happens to him, we do have a few clues to work from. First, after the man jumps on him, there’s another distant shot of him struggling. We see a second man approach, but the camera cuts away before we can tell exactly what Corlys’ attackers are up to. Crucially, though, Corlys is still moving when we last see him. He’s not dead yet.

Second, we have to think about Ormund’s motivation here. Obviously, he’s sent Bold Jon to attack Corlys, but would the Velaryon lord be worth more to him dead or alive? Killing Corlys would certainly weaken Rhaenyra’s position further, but taking him hostage could be even more powerful — not only does it deprive Rhaenyra of her re-enforcements, but it also gives Team Green a pretty big bargaining chip.

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.