Month: July 2024

Alicent Hightower goes for a swim in “House of the Dragon” Season 2, episode 7. But what does it mean in the larger context of the show?

Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke) is having the worst time.

Her daughter Helaena (Phia Saban) is traumatized from Jaehaerys’ death. Her son Aegon (Tom Glynn-Carney) nearly died because of her other son Aemond’s (Ewan Mitchell) fratricidal urges. She’s fled a life-threatening riot, been undermined at and kicked out of the Small Council, and even started a disastrous situationship with Ser Criston Cole (Fabien Frankel). Oh, and she learned that all of these tragedies happened because she misunderstood Viserys’ (Paddy Considine) dying words.

In House of the Dragon Season 2, episode 7, the cumulative weight of these events finally proves too much to bear for Alicent, and she decides to take a trip to the Kingswood. This excursion marks the first time we’ve seen Alicent leave King’s Landing since Viserys’ hunt in Season 1, episode 3. Here, though, there is no great retinue tending to the Dowager Queen. By her request, she’s only accompanied by Ser Rickard Thorne (Vincent Regan), and she even rejects his company after a time.

Alicent’s solo wandering through the Kingswood brings her to a lake. She wades in and floats in the water for an extended period of time. It’s a rare moment of peace for Alicent — and for House of the Dragon in general — and it could hint at a huge change ahead for her.

What does Alicent’s lake scene mean?

Before leaving King’s Landing in episode 7, Alicent laments, “Nothing is clean here.” The water of the lake, then, offers an opportunity for cleansing — and for rebirth. As she floats, she’s washed clean of all the pain she bears. You can almost see that worry and anguish from her time in the Red Keep seep from her face the longer she stays in the lake.

But Alicent’s time in the water isn’t the only aspect of the lake scene that creates a sense of rebirth. In her walk down to the lake, she sheds her green cloak and dress until she’s wearing only a simple white shift. Just like this is Alicent’s first time out of King’s Landing in over a season, this is also the first time we see her wearing a color other than green since she adopted it in Season 1, episode 5. The effect is destabilizing: This is Alicent without any of the iconography we associate her with. No green gowns, no symbols of the Faith of the Seven on her person, no members of the Kingsguard shadowing her. It’s as if we’re seeing Alicent in her simplest, purest state, an idea elevated by the white dress, which calls to mind a blank canvas, a new start.

The loss of Alicent’s green clothing is also notable in the context of the show. By this point, Aemond has booted Alicent from the Small Council. She has lost any of the power she fought so hard to gain and maintain. Every sacrifice she made, every time she stuck steadfastly to her duty — was it all for nothing?

Alicent certainly seems to think so, telling Grand Maester Orwyle (Kurt Egyiawan), “All my life I have endeavored to serve both my house and the realm, and somehow none of it matters. We are cast aside. Or hated.” Now that she’s been cast aside by her own son, and now that she knows Aegon’s claim to the Iron Throne is all based on lies, what is tethering her to their cause anymore?

With this in mind, Alicent leaving her green clothing behind suggests a loss of allegiance to Team Green. Even the colors of the Kingswood point to Alicent ditching her family. She abandons the lush greenery of the forest in favor of the water. She may still be surrounded by green on all sides, but in the lake, she is far apart from it.

The sense of freedom from the Greens persists during Alicent’s time in the lake. We see her stare up at a bird wheeling alone through the sky. In the water, she is its mirror image, flapping her arms just enough to keep her afloat. Perhaps, for the first time, she feels as if she really could be free as a bird and escape the systems of power that have held her down for so long. When she turns and keeps swimming away from the shore, there’s a real possibility that she won’t be coming back to Ser Rickard, that she plans to run as far from King’s Landing as she can.

So does this scene mean that Alicent will immediately pledge herself to Rhaenyra in the Season 2 finale? Not completely. Aside from being a huge change from George R.R. Martin’s Fire & Blood, an immediate alliance might not ring true after years of infighting and the deaths of family members. There remains so much to reconcile between the two of them, and even though their brief reunion in episode 3 proves they have love for each other, the road to forgiveness and trust may be long and winding — thought not impossible.

The finale of House of the Dragon Season 2 airs Aug. 4 at 9 p.m. ET on HBO and Max.

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Abubakar Salim talks Alyn of Hull’s mixed feelings about Corlys Velaryon, links to “Tales of Kenzera: Zau,” and episode 6’s tricky shaving scene. Interview.

Fatherhood has played a large role in Abubakar Salim’s work over the past few years.

From 2020 to 2022, the actor and game developer starred in Raised by Wolves as Father, an android raising human children on planet Kepler-22b. In 2024, his video game studio Surgent Studios released Tales of Kenzera: Zau, a side-scroller about a shaman on a quest to revive his father. As creative lead on Zau, Salim drew on his grief for his own late father, describing the game as “a piece of art that honored him” at the 2023 Game Awards.

Now, Salim tackles a very different kind of father-son relationship in House of the Dragon. He plays Alyn of Hull, bastard child of Corlys Velaryon (Steve Toussaint) and brother to newly minted dragonrider Addam (Clinton Liberty). At the start of Season 2, Corlys and Alyn’s relationship is distant, more that between a boss and an employee. But since Alyn saved Corlys’ life offscreen during the events of Season 1, Corlys has begun paying more attention to him. In episode 6, he makes Alyn his first mate. In episode 7, he tasks him with recruiting bastard Targaryens in King’s Landing to be new dragonriders for Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy). Ever so slowly, Corlys is bringing Alyn into the light — but is it too little, too late?

In an interview with Mashable, Salim discussed the similarities between Zau and House of the Dragon, Alyn’s complicated relationship with Corlys, and the surprisingly complicated shaving scene from episode 6.

The following interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

Mashable: To start, I saw you tweet that there was a line you liked so much in episode 6 that you “borrowed” it and put it in Zau. What was the line, and what was it about it that resonated with you enough that you brought it to your game?

It was “You make an art of provoking me,” [which Alyn says to Addam]. I remember reading it and being like, “Oh, that is the story of my life.” It’s almost like you’re enjoying the fact that someone is provoking you, even though they are pushing your buttons. It was just a really powerful line that carries this element of, “I can respect it, but at the same time I’m really annoyed by it.”

You were directing Zau at the same time that you were shooting House of the Dragon. Both projects have interesting links to fatherhood. Did you ever find your work on one project influencing the other?

Absolutely. Both deal with absent fathers, and they come in all kinds of forms. In Zau, you have a father who was loved dearly and passed away too soon. In House of the Dragon, you have a father who almost passed away without any sense of acknowledgment. But the ghost of them still haunts you. It was really interesting that I was directing this game about my relationship with my father to a degree, and also having a very different relationship with the father on set of House of the Dragon. They both really sung with one another.

I think that’s why the line “You make an art of provoking me” really stuck with me. Because who else knows how better to annoy you than your own father, you know? I deliver the line to Addam, but it applies to all your kin.

Tell me about building that family relationship with Alyn and Corlys and Addam.

When Alyn looks at Corlys, there’s a haunting element of, “No, his father is dead.” His father doesn’t exist in his eyes, but he’s haunted by him. He just follows orders for his boss, who happens to also be his father.

I’ve read the books and did a lot of thinking about how Alyn is supposed to be 15. He’s supposed to be young, boisterous — a different guy to the guy that I’m playing on-screen. That, to me, is interesting, because it means that he’s had to live with all of this baggage for so many years. The whole relationship with Corlys is supposed to be transactional, but there is this deep yearning for love that, although it’s buried deep, still exists.

Alyn puts that love and that kind of importance on Addam. He loves his brother dearly, cares for him, and doesn’t want him to to be in any form of danger. Hell, now he’s on a dragon. [Laughs] It’s, like, the most dangerous thing.

You mentioned the sense of baggage, and there’s so much left unsaid between Alyn and Corlys. When you were first approaching the character of Alyn, how were you envisioning and developing his backstory?

I saw him as always working at the shipyard before Addam was born, kind of keeping to himself. I think he was very much an Addam type of character, wanting and yearning for great, big things and thinking that his life would change. He probably never wanted to cut his hair, even though his mother probably forced him to do so, because the threat on your life is much bigger when you are a bastard. There’s also a sense of waiting for his father to come back and take him and his mother away from the shitty life that they had. But that never happened, so he threw himself into work.

Then, once Addam came into play, that implies that Corlys came back, only to abandon them again. I think that was the killer. That’s where his heart broke.

Funnily enough, there was a similar thing that happened to me when my father passed, the idea of being like, “Okay, I’ve got to be the man of the house now. I’ve got to make sure that everyone’s fine; I’ve got to make the money, got to do everything, and keep everyone happy.” That’s essentially the role that Alyn took, and he was going to be the anchor of the space.

What does it mean for him, after all that, hearing from Corlys that Addam is a dragonrider now?

It’s frightening, because it’s such a change. It’s the opposite of what he was prepared for. He’s just heard of Princess Rhaenys’ dragon Meleys dying, so there’s the mentality that they are not gods, they’re mortals. And if the Greens can do that to Rhaenys, what are they going to do to Addam?

So when Corlys tells Alyn, “Maybe you should have a look and give claiming a dragon a try,” I think 15-year-old Alyn would have, whereas right now, Alyn couldn’t think of anything worse.

Rhaenys is a complicated figure in Alyn’s life. How does Alyn feel about her passing?

Death is always hard and saddening, but it’s also just a part of life. With Rhaenys, it’s almost like hearing of a neighbor passing, in a way. Even politically, I think Alyn thinks that the whole war is a bit silly and stupid, to be honest. He’s very aware that it’s not the lives of those higher up that are at stake. It’s the lowborn people who are going to be sacrificing themselves for a petty family squabble.

Now that his brother’s in the mix of it, it’s even worse. It’s even more frightening. That doesn’t mean that Alyn doesn’t want to engage in the war. He has a feeling of loyalty to Corlys, and to the sea, essentially. But he doesn’t want his brother to be a part of that.

In episode 7, we finally get the Sowing of the Seeds, and Alyn plays a bit of a role as the recruiter of the Targaryen bastards in King’s Landing. What is going through his head when he gets this request from Corlys, as a bastard himself?

He’s just like, “Yeah, sure, I’ll do it. Whatever. As long as you pay me, I’ll do it.” I don’t think he cares much for it. He does what he’s told to do… His most powerful yet weakest trait is his loyalty, which, if you’ve read Fire & Blood —

I was going to say, “Oh no!”

[Laughs] Yeah. But with Corlys’ request, his response comes from whatever will keep Addam safe. Think about it: If we get more dragons on our side, that means that Addam is less likely to die. Fantastic! He’s always acting with the thought of, “How should I keep my brother safe and not involved in this madness as much as possible?”

I love that brotherly bond that Alyn and Addam share. Since both you and Clinton Liberty are coming onto this big ensemble show as new characters, what was it like working together and creating this relationship?

Oh, brilliant. I love Clinton. There is a such a love and beautiful adoration for the art that I see in Clinton that really reminds me of how great everything is, and how good this stuff is. We are playing at the end of the day. We’re kids, you know, playing Dungeons and Dragons, basically. And Clinton is such a force, just such a brilliant, brilliant human being. Forging the relationship between us was so easy.

And what was it like working with Steve Toussaint, as someone who is a veteran of the show already?

I was frightened, man. You see him on-screen, you’re like, “This guy’s a force. Like an actual unit.” But what’s great is he’s actually the most welcoming, grounded human being you will ever meet. He just does his thing. And working with Steve, I learned a hell of a lot. I learned to just enjoy the scene, enjoy the time.

There’s always a fear as an actor of coming into a show when the whole team is there, because then you feel a bit like the outsider. But everyone has been so welcoming and made us feel as if we’ve been there from the get-go.

You were also in Raised by Wolves, another big genre show. What was something you learned from that set that you brought to House of the Dragon’s?

What I’ve taken from it is the passion and love from all departments on a project. We’re all a team here, right? No one’s special. You can really feel that.

On Raised by Wolves, you’ve got Ridley Scott, who’s given me and Amanda [Collin] — I’m not necessarily saying that we’re unknowns, but we weren’t really known — a chance. But there was no sense of, “Why should we lead a show?” We were all just aiming for the same thing, which is telling a story. That reflects and resonates with House of the Dragon as well. We’re not here to be stars or be special; we just want to enjoy and do our jobs. So I’d say carrying that mentality of not trying to take the limelight and being a team player has been a lovely tip.

Did you and Amanda, who plays Jeyne Arryn on House of the Dragon, get a chance to reunite at all on the set?

We definitely crossed paths, which was really lovely. We were really hoping for scenes together. It would have been so great, because she’s so great to work opposite with. When I was watching the episodes and listening to her, the first thing I did was message her [to say], “Your accent is amazing!”

I saw in the behind-the-scenes video for episode 6 that the scene where you shave your head was very technically demanding. When you’re joining a show of this scale, did you ever think, “Shaving is going to be the toughest thing for me to deal with”?

No, not at all! But to be honest, it’s great. It’s so funny, after Raised by Wolves, they can throw anything at me, and I love it. In that show, I had to have makeup, painted contacts, dyed ginger hair, and the silver bloody suit. So me putting glue on my head and shaving was like a dream. I was questioning how the hell they were going to pull off the shaving, but that’s the power of an amazing crew: They will figure it out.

Any shot that you have my face in, I have glue on my head with sprinkles of the Velaryon blonde hair. I’d be shaving it, and the water would essentially wipe the glue off. But any close up with the actual sharp blade was someone else’s head, and my barber’s hands are cutting it. They brought in the barber I always go to, and he coached me on how to shave. He made it look like this is something that I do all the time.

That’s incredible. And finally, can you tease anything for what the Season 2 finale might hold for Alyn?

You’re definitely going to see something different.

There’s a shot of him in the trailer, where he’s in armor and on a boat. And every week, I’m like, “Where is it?”

I remember seeing that in the trailer and being like, “Guys, come on. Everyone’s gonna be looking for that.” You’ll just have to wait and see, but it’s one of my favorite scenes throughout the show.

The season finale of House of the Dragon airs Aug. 4 at 9 p.m. ET on HBO and Max.

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Here’s the answer for “Wordle” #1136 on July 29, as well as a few hints, tips, and clues to help you solve it yourself.

Oh hey there! If you’re here, it must be time for Wordle. As always, we’re serving up our daily hints and tips to help you figure out today’s answer.

If you just want to be told today’s word, you can jump to the bottom of this article for July 29’s Wordle solution revealed. But if you’d rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.

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.

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

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 used to be available for anyone to enjoy whenever they felt like it. Unfortunately, it has since been taken down, with the website’s creator stating it was done at the request of the New York Times.

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.

Here’s a subtle hint for today’s Wordle answer:

It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s….

Does today’s Wordle answer have a double letter?

There are no recurring letters.

Today’s Wordle is a 5-letter word that starts with…

Today’s Wordle starts with the letter S.

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…

SUPER.

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

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Connections is a New York Times word game that’s all about finding the “common threads between words.” How to solve the puzzle.

Connections is the latest New York Times word game 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 July 29’s Connections solution. But if you’d rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.

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.

Here’s a hint for today’s Connections categories

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

Yellow: Large sports venues

Green: Streets

Blue: Scale-related

Purple: Things that pour out of a long tube

Here are today’s Connections categories

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

Yellow: Stadiums

Green: Street Suffixes

Blue: Associated with Scales

Purple: Things with Spouts

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 #414 is…

What is the answer to Connections today

Stadiums: ARENA, BOWL, COLISEUM, DOME

Street Suffixes: ALLEY, COURT, DRIVE, LANE

Associated with Scales: FISH, JUSTICE, LIBRA, SOLFEGE

Things with Spouts: FOUNTAIN, GUTTER, TEAPOT, WHALE

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.

Is this not the Connections game you were looking for? Here are the hints and answers to yesterday’s Connections.

Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today’s Strands.

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