Inverse⁠55%

Has Ormund Sabotaged Rhaenyra's Reign? 'House of the Dragon' Season 3 Episode 3 Power Rankings ⁠71%

By Dais Johnston⁠61%

7/7/2026, 1:00:25 PM

BS Summary: This article contains 34 faulty reasoning types, including Negativity Bias, Hindsight Bias, and Post Hoc (False Cause), with Biased Writer Voice as the most egregious example at 90.7% saturation with 812 hits. Analysis detected 2,920 faulty-reasoning hits from 895 analyzed words, generating a BS Score of 63.5% and a BS Rank of ⁠71% (6,289 of 21,198 articles). This article is worse (more manipulative) than 70.30% of the article peer group.

In the world of House of the Dragon, everything can change in a single episode. 
Last week, we saw King’s Landing fall (relatively) peacefully to Rhaenyra, and this week, in Episode 3, we see her realize that you should be careful what you wish for. 
She may have the Iron Throne, but now she has to actually rule and deal with complaining commonfolk, economic issues, and entitled lords. 
Most importantly, what was supposed to be her big bargaining chip turns out to be absolutely nothing, and that turns the tide on everything after the latest episode. 
Here’s where everyone stands after this latest episode. 
Warning! 
Spoilers for House of the Dragon Season 3 Episode 3, “Rhaenyra Triumphant,” ahead! 
1. 
Ormund Hightower 
Rhaenyra may technically be queen at this point, but she’s being fooled from the get-go. 
Ormund Hightower accepts defeat graciously at the beginning of the episode, but it’s almost too gracious. 
This is a man who has something up his heavily-armored sleeve, and sure enough, the last few minutes of this episode reveal that while he let (who Daemon assumes is) Daeron Targaryen be taken as a prisoner, he had bigger plans to sack Tumbleton right underneath Rhaenyra’s nose. 
2. 
Rhaenyra Targaryen 
Rhaenyra is having a no-good, very bad day. 
The High Septon doesn’t want to crown her; her people are unhappy, and on top of it all, she gets her period at the worst possible time. 
Nonetheless, she manages to pull it all together by arranging a banquet that manages to address the rat problem and make quite a statement to the nobles. 
Even if she discovered that “Daeron” isn’t really Daeron, she had the foresight to figure that out early instead of later, when the repercussions could be even worse. 
3. 
Alicent Hightower 
Alicent deserves a lot of credit if only for not saying “I told you so” to her former best friend/stepdaughter. 
She’s still making the best of her bad situation. 
Of all the people, it’s her that Rhaenyra looks to for advice. 
Sure, her son may be captured, but she was granted the mercy of having Daeron take the black and join the Night’s Watch instead of “having his head,” and that’s not nothing. 
At this point, she’s the only one in King’s Landing with actual ruling experience, and Rhaenyra would be wise not to forget that. 
4. 
Daemon Targaryen 
Oh Daemon. 
So skilled on the battlefield, so happy to be singing and drinking with his friends, but so, so, bad at diplomacy. 
He never considered why Ormund was so happy to hand over his young cousin, and he encouraged Rhaenyra to have him murdered. 
He could have stepped up and caught that trap before it was sprung, but alas, he’s now left playing catch-up at Tumbleton. 
5. 
Sylvi 
Remember Sylvi, the madame who became Aemond’s cuddle buddy/therapist in Season 2? 
She reappears in this episode as the representative of the smallfolk who pleads with Rhaenyra to address the nobles for hoarding supplies. 
She may not have as much literal power as some others further down this list, but she was able to get Rhaenyra to actually act and make something right with everything going on — that’s more than her own father-in-law could do. 
6. 
Ser Torrhen Manderley 
Speaking of the nobles, they surely got what was coming to them. 
We finally saw the introduction of Ser Torrhen Manderley, who will become a major player in the future. 
He’s all too happy to swear fealty to Rhaenyra, something that will hopefully play to her advantage in future episodes. 
7. 
Daeron Targaryen 
We still haven’t (officially) seen Daeron Targaryen, but that very fact gives him more power than most. 
He’s somewhere — and more importantly, his dragon Tessarion is somewhere — and that should be at the top of Rhaenyra’s mind. 
As soon as he does something important enough to be shown on screen, he’ll probably rocket up to the top of this list. 
8. 
Mysaria 
Mysaria’s job so far has been to speak in an inscrutable accent and make sure Rhaenyra believes in herself, but she’s now Mistress of Whispers. 
She may not be the Queen’s sole advisor anymore, but we now have a character whose whole deal is gossip and secrets. 
RIP Varys, you would have loved her. 
9. 
Ulf the White and Hugh Hammer 
The Dragonseeds are finally starting to see rewards for their labors, but they’re not coming as quickly as they’d like. 
Ulf has the gall to ask if he could use the name Targaryen, and Hugh says he’s looking for his wife in Tumbleton — the town that’s sacked in the final scenes. 
They’ve risked their lives for Rhaenyra and the Blacks, but they seem to be getting less than what they were promised. 
Surely that won’t backfire, right? 
10. 
Corlys Velaryon 
The Sea Snake may have won against Sharako Lohar, but he’s definitely bested by Rhaenyra when he asks her to legitimize his sons, Addam and Alyn. 
He doesn’t take her refusal well at all, instead throwing her own illegitimate children back in her face. 
That certainly didn’t do him any favors, and it’ll be interesting to see how he gets back into her good graces. 
House of the Dragon Season 3 is now streaming on HBO Max. 
Article reasoning-pattern comparisonThis article: 12.1%Dais Johnston: 4.4%Inverse: 4.0%Confirmation Bias12.1%This article: 2.8%Dais Johnston: 0.6%Inverse: 0.8%Anchoring Bias2.8%This article: 10.1%Dais Johnston: 3.6%Inverse: 3.6%Availability Heuristic10.1%This article: 3.8%Dais Johnston: 1.4%Inverse: 1.5%Representativeness Heuristic3.8%This article: 17.4%Dais Johnston: 2.5%Inverse: 2.2%Hindsight Bias17.4%This article: 7.7%Dais Johnston: 3.6%Inverse: 2.9%Overconfidence Bias7.7%This article: 5.6%Dais Johnston: 5.1%Inverse: 4.7%Framing Effect5.6%This article: 5.9%Dais Johnston: 0.7%Inverse: 0.6%Loss Aversion5.9%This article: 2.6%Dais Johnston: 0.6%Inverse: 0.7%Status Quo Bias2.6%This article: 2.3%Dais Johnston: 0.3%Inverse: 0.5%Sunk Cost Effect2.3%This article: 7.9%Dais Johnston: 5.9%Inverse: 3.8%Optimism Bias7.9%This article: 3.6%Dais Johnston: 1.9%Inverse: 2.1%Pessimism Bias3.6%This article: 39.7%Dais Johnston: 6.5%Inverse: 8.5%Negativity Bias39.7%This article: 0.0%Dais Johnston: 0.2%Inverse: 0.6%Self-Serving Bias0.0%This article: 2.5%Dais Johnston: 0.9%Inverse: 1.1%Fundamental Attribution Error2.5%This article: 2.0%Dais Johnston: 0.0%Inverse: 0.2%Actor-Observer Bias2.0%This article: 0.0%Dais Johnston: 0.2%Inverse: 0.8%In-Group Bias0.0%This article: 0.0%Dais Johnston: 0.1%Inverse: 0.2%Out-Group Homogeneity Bias0.0%This article: 12.1%Dais Johnston: 6.0%Inverse: 5.4%Halo Effect12.1%This article: 0.0%Dais Johnston: 0.7%Inverse: 0.2%Horn Effect0.0%This article: 0.0%Dais Johnston: 0.0%Inverse: 0.0%Dunning-Kruger Effect0.0%This article: 10.7%Dais Johnston: 2.2%Inverse: 1.9%Recency Bias10.7%This article: 3.4%Dais Johnston: 1.0%Inverse: 0.8%Primacy Effect3.4%This article: 0.0%Dais Johnston: 0.1%Inverse: 0.1%Blind-Spot Bias0.0%This article: 6.0%Dais Johnston: 0.6%Inverse: 0.4%Ad Hominem6.0%This article: 0.0%Dais Johnston: 0.1%Inverse: 0.2%Straw Man0.0%This article: 0.0%Dais Johnston: 4.6%Inverse: 2.7%Appeal to Authority0.0%This article: 9.1%Dais Johnston: 2.2%Inverse: 2.1%False Dilemma9.1%This article: 0.0%Dais Johnston: 0.3%Inverse: 0.6%Slippery Slope0.0%This article: 0.0%Dais Johnston: 0.7%Inverse: 0.5%Circular Reasoning0.0%This article: 15.3%Dais Johnston: 7.8%Inverse: 8.0%Hasty Generalization15.3%This article: 0.0%Dais Johnston: 0.1%Inverse: 0.1%Red Herring0.0%This article: 0.0%Dais Johnston: 0.7%Inverse: 0.8%Bandwagon0.0%This article: 6.7%Dais Johnston: 5.3%Inverse: 4.2%Appeal to Emotion6.7%This article: 3.1%Dais Johnston: 1.3%Inverse: 1.1%Begging the Question3.1%This article: 15.6%Dais Johnston: 2.8%Inverse: 3.5%Post Hoc (False Cause)15.6%This article: 0.0%Dais Johnston: 0.1%Inverse: 0.0%Tu Quoque0.0%This article: 0.0%Dais Johnston: 0.4%Inverse: 0.4%Burden of Proof0.0%This article: 1.9%Dais Johnston: 0.1%Inverse: 0.1%Appeal to Nature1.9%This article: 2.5%Dais Johnston: 0.7%Inverse: 0.6%Composition/Division2.5%This article: 3.1%Dais Johnston: 1.5%Inverse: 1.3%Anecdotal3.1%This article: 1.3%Dais Johnston: 0.1%Inverse: 0.2%No True Scotsman1.3%This article: 2.3%Dais Johnston: 2.0%Inverse: 2.6%Ambiguity (Equivocation)2.3%This article: 0.0%Dais Johnston: 0.0%Inverse: 0.0%Gambler’s Fallacy0.0%This article: 2.2%Dais Johnston: 0.2%Inverse: 0.3%Middle Ground2.2%This article: 0.0%Dais Johnston: 0.0%Inverse: 0.1%Personal Incredulity0.0%This article: 0.0%Dais Johnston: 0.2%Inverse: 0.1%Special Pleading0.0%This article: 0.0%Dais Johnston: 0.0%Inverse: 0.1%Genetic Fallacy0.0%This article: 7.8%Dais Johnston: 2.0%Inverse: 1.6%Unattributed Quote7.8%This article: 0.0%Dais Johnston: 1.0%Inverse: 0.5%Quote-first Misdirection0.0%This article: 90.7%Dais Johnston: 20.4%Inverse: 21.2%Biased Writer Voice90.7%This article: 5.0%Dais Johnston: 1.0%Inverse: 1.4%Indoctrination5.0%This article: 0.0%Dais Johnston: 0.1%Inverse: 0.2%Politically Left Leaning Bias0.0%This article: 0.0%Dais Johnston: 0.0%Inverse: 0.0%Politically Right Leaning Bias0.0%This article: 1.3%Dais Johnston: 3.3%Inverse: 2.0%Attempt to Sell a Product or S…1.3%

895 words analyzed.

Speakers

11speakers3.9%attributed speech860writer words
Voice mapSelect a segment to jump to its words
Writer's voice • 5 words • 100.0% coverageWriter's voice • 10 words • 100.0% coverageWriter's voice • 15 words • 100.0% coverageWriter's voice • 30 words • 100.0% coverageWriter's voice • 23 words • 100.0% coverageWriter's voice • 28 words • 100.0% coverageWriter's voice • 8 words • 100.0% coverageWriter's voice • 1 words • 0.0% coverageWriter's voice • 13 words • 0.0% coverageWriter's voice • 1 words • 0.0% coverageOrmund Hightower • 2 words • 0.0% coverageWriter's voice • 15 words • 100.0% coverageWriter's voice • 16 words • 100.0% coverageWriter's voice • 48 words • 100.0% coverageWriter's voice • 1 words • 0.0% coverageRhaenyra Targaryen • 2 words • 0.0% coverageWriter's voice • 8 words • 100.0% coverageWriter's voice • 27 words • 100.0% coverageWriter's voice • 27 words • 100.0% coverageWriter's voice • 28 words • 100.0% coverageWriter's voice • 1 words • 0.0% coverageAlicent Hightower • 2 words • 0.0% coverageWriter's voice • 20 words • 100.0% coverageWriter's voice • 9 words • 100.0% coverageWriter's voice • 12 words • 100.0% coverageWriter's voice • 32 words • 100.0% coverageWriter's voice • 23 words • 100.0% coverageWriter's voice • 1 words • 0.0% coverageDaemon Targaryen • 2 words • 0.0% coverageWriter's voice • 2 words • 0.0% coverageWriter's voice • 21 words • 100.0% coverageWriter's voice • 22 words • 100.0% coverageWriter's voice • 22 words • 100.0% coverageWriter's voice • 1 words • 0.0% coverageSylvi • 1 words • 0.0% coverageWriter's voice • 12 words • 100.0% coverageWriter's voice • 22 words • 100.0% coverageWriter's voice • 42 words • 100.0% coverageWriter's voice • 1 words • 0.0% coverageSer Torrhen Manderley • 3 words • 0.0% coverageWriter's voice • 12 words • 100.0% coverageWriter's voice • 18 words • 100.0% coverageWriter's voice • 20 words • 100.0% coverageWriter's voice • 1 words • 0.0% coverageDaeron Targaryen • 2 words • 0.0% coverageWriter's voice • 17 words • 100.0% coverageWriter's voice • 22 words • 100.0% coverageWriter's voice • 23 words • 100.0% coverageWriter's voice • 1 words • 0.0% coverageMysaria • 1 words • 0.0% coverageWriter's voice • 25 words • 100.0% coverageWriter's voice • 22 words • 100.0% coverageWriter's voice • 7 words • 100.0% coverageWriter's voice • 1 words • 0.0% coverageUlf the White and Hugh Hammer • 6 words • 0.0% coverageWriter's voice • 20 words • 100.0% coverageWriter's voice • 32 words • 100.0% coverageWriter's voice • 21 words • 100.0% coverageWriter's voice • 5 words • 100.0% coverageWriter's voice • 1 words • 0.0% coverageCorlys Velaryon • 2 words • 0.0% coverageWriter's voice • 26 words • 100.0% coverageWriter's voice • 18 words • 100.0% coverageWriter's voice • 21 words • 100.0% coverageHBO Max • 12 words • 100.0% coverage
Selected voice

HBO Max

100%flagged-word coverage
12 attributed words34% of attributed speech97% writer coverage
0%50.0%100.0%Attempt to Sell a Product +100.0 ptsWriter: 0.0%HBO Max: 100.0%100.0%Biased Writer Voice-94.4 ptsWriter: 94.4%HBO Max: 0.0%0.0%Unattributed Quote-8.1 ptsWriter: 8.1%HBO Max: 0.0%0.0%Indoctrination-5.2 ptsWriter: 5.2%HBO Max: 0.0%0.0%

Attribution is sentence-level. Pattern percentages are calculated only from words assigned to that voice.

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Analysis

Hover over highlighted words in the article to view the associated bias or fallacy analysis.