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“House of the Dragon” Season 2, episode 6 ends with the revelation that the dragon Seasmoke has a new rider. Who is he?

A new dragonrider has entered the fray on House of the Dragon — and it’s not anyone Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D’Arcy) expected.

Season 2, episode 6 of House of the Dragon sees Rhaenyra put a bold dragonrider recruitment plan into action. With the help of the Targaryen family records, she seeks out members of other houses with Targaryen ancestors. The hope is that their weaker Targaryen lineage will still be enough for them to claim the riderless dragons residing on Dragonstone: Vermithor, Silverwing, and Seasmoke, the former dragon of Laenor Velaryon (John Macmillan).

However, that plan disappears in a puff of (Sea)smoke when the first dragonriding attempt goes disastrously awry. Turns out Seasmoke is simply more interested in barbecuing Ser Steffon Darklyn (Anthony Flanagan) than in bonding with him. Hey, that’s just the risk you take when you try to claim a dragon.

Steffon’s death forces Rhaenyra to abandon her plan, yet the episode ends on some intriguing news. Seasmoke has been spotted flying over Spicetown with a new, unknown rider. While Rhaenyra suspects this new dragonrider to be a member of Team Green, episode 6 has already given us his identity — and it could be a game changer for Team Black.

Who is Seasmoke’s new rider?

Seasmoke’s new rider is none other than Addam of Hull (Clinton Liberty), the brother of Alyn of Hull (Abubakar Salim). The two are the bastard sons of Corlys Velaryon (Steve Toussaint). But while Corlys acknowledges Alyn, elevating him to the status of first mate, he has yet to say anything to Addam. You can bet that will change once he learns that Addam claimed his trueborn son’s dragon.

While we don’t see Addam actually getting on dragonback, we see everything else leading up to it. Seasmoke pursues Addam along the beaches of Driftmark, eventually cornering him. However, instead of burning Addam to a crisp like he did Steffon, Seasmoke approaches him with a soft curiosity. House of the Dragon cuts away before Addam can actually seal the bond, but since we hear about Seasmoke’s new rider soon after, you can consider these dragonriding dots connected.

How can Addam of Hull be a dragonrider?

Addam being a dragonrider throws a bit of a wrench in Rhaenyra’s initial plan, as he’s not a Targaryen by blood. Instead, he’s a Velaryon through Corlys.

Like the Targaryens, the Velaryons are a great family from Old Valyria, meaning Addam has Valyrian blood. Unlike Targaryens, the Velaryons were not dragonlords, so based on tradition and history, Addam shouldn’t be a dragonrider either. Sure, there’s a high chance Corlys Velaryon has a smidge of Targaryen blood due to some long-ago Targaryen-Velaryon marriage, or that Addam and Alyn’s mother has some Targaryen ancestry. But there are other, more interesting explanations for Addam’s new dragonrider status.

First, Rhaenyra believes that Seasmoke misses his bond with Laenor. What better way for him to replicate that bond than with another one of Corlys’s sons? Remember, we’ve already seen Seasmoke circling over Addam’s head in episode 2, so perhaps he already sensed the similarities to Laenor. Maybe Steffon’s attempted claiming was the last push Seasmoke needed to seek Addam out, a draconic “screw it, I’ll find my preferred rider myself” kind of moment.

Then, there’s the simple possibility that Targaryen blood may not be the true key to riding a dragon. As Jacaerys (Harry Collett) tells Rhaenyra in episode 5, the Old Valyrian histories that highlight the importance of dragonlord blood were “written to gild [dragonlords] in glory.” If the “dragonlord blood” narrative is just a tool to uphold Targaryen supremacy, could anyone try to be a dragonrider? Could Rhaenyra widen her pool of recruit candidates? (Might I suggest seeking out the Targaryen bastards we know are out there?)

Or, could it be the Targaryens aren’t as powerful as they thought?

New episodes of House of the Dragon air Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on HBO and Max.

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Episode 6 cinematographer Vanja Černjul breaks down the King’s Landing riot, Aemond’s Small Council meeting, and a dragon chase scene.

Cinematographers on House of the Dragon face a tall order each episode, working on everything from massive crowd scenes to draconic set pieces to hushed Small Council sessions.

Season 2, episode 6 features several such standout moments, all with their distinct sense of rhythm and movement from behind the camera. In an interview with Mashable, cinematographer Vanja Černjul broke down how he shot three key sequences, along with classic film influences and drawing on Succession for inspiration.

The riot in King’s Landing

While episode 6 features two extended dragon set pieces — both of which required extensive collaboration with House of the Dragon‘s VFX team — the most planning on Černjul’s end went into the King’s Landing riot. Here, an angry mob surprises Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke) and her daughter Helaena (Phia Saban), and the two must fight their way through the crowds to escape in their carriage.

“We must have had 300 extras, and we had two days to shoot it,” said Černjul on preparing for the scene.

Shooting on location added further complications: “With medieval architecture, it was a very challenging place to move the camera, because first, [Alicent and Helaena] run down very steep stairs, and then they [go] through the square, and then they hop into the carriage, all while being chased by a huge crowd of smallfolk,” Černjul said. “We wanted [the scene] to have flow, so we shot it in order, and as much as possible consecutively.”

The riot sequence locks us into Alicent’s point of view until she and Helaena get in the carriage. A remotely operated camera awaited their arrival in the carriage to provide coverage for the interior section, keeping us trained on their anxiety as they departed the scene.

Aemond’s Small Council meeting

Small Council meetings are a staple of House of the Dragon, with episodes often showing the fraught Council sessions from both Team Black and Team Green. Černjul relished these kinds of scenes in particular, saying, “The most special scenes in that episode were scenes that only included a couple of characters in the room, talking and discussing how this war is going to unfold.”

For these scenes, including a meeting of Aemond’s (Ewan Mitchell) Small Council, House of the Dragon drew on another HBO heavy hitter for inspiration: Succession. Episode 6 director Andrij Parekh — who Černjul attended film school with — directed several episodes of Succession, even serving as cinematographer for the pilot.

“Andrij brought his experience from his previous projects of shooting these rooms where powerful people discuss the fate of other people,” Černjul said. “He had a very good sense for developing a camera behavior that gives you a seat at the table, basically a fly-on-the-wall approach, where the camera also becomes a character that is subjectively reacting to whatever is happening.”

In the Greens’ Small Council meeting, that often meant the camera reacting to Aemond as he prowls around the room. “We wanted to shoot the scene in that observational style, but we also wanted Aemond to be at the center, so we granted him the power to move the camera in the scene,” Černjul explained. “We designed blocking where Aemond was walking around the table throughout the scene while addressing the council. Two cameras were following him all the time, circling around the table on a so-called “dance floor,” but then they would react to whoever Aemond was addressing. The camera movement appeared more observational, which worked well in contrast to House of the Dragon‘s overall style, which has a more intentional and designed feel.”

Seasmoke chases down Addam of Hull

It wouldn’t be House of the Dragon without any dragons, and episode 6 features a first for the show: Seasmoke, a riderless dragon, chasing down a prospective rider in Addam of Hull (Clinton Liberty). The scene plays out with a fair bit of suspense, as Addam tries desperately to escape. It makes sense, then, that Černjul and Parekh drew on the work of the Master of Suspense himself, Alfred Hitchcock.

“To jumpstart the process of shot listing, we would use references from classical cinema, just to get us going,” Černjul explained. “For that particular scene, we wanted to look at the famous scene from North by Northwest, where Cary Grant’s character [Roger Thornhill] is being chased by the cropduster. We thought, ‘It’s just like the dragon in our scene, this plane.'”

The similarities extend to Roger and Addam as well. “[Roger] doesn’t understand what’s going on or why he is being chased. Same with Addam,” said Černjul.

While the North by Northwest cropduster scene served as a jumping-off point, the Addam and Seasmoke scene grew into its own once Černjul and Parekh began developing it for its specific shooting location in Anglesey, Wales. However, they still wanted to maintain the cropduster scene’s “kinetic energy,” as Černjul said. Different shooting techniques proved key here.

“In that scene, we moved the camera in every possible way,” Černjul said. “We shot handheld, we were on a dolly, we had a techno crane moving from an extreme high angle to an extreme low angle, a drone. We were moving the camera to match the energy of the scene.”

New episodes of House of the Dragon air Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on HBO and Max.

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The King’s Landing riot scene in “House of the Dragon” Season 2 hints at a character known as the Shepherd in “Fire & Blood.”

There’s panic on the streets of King’s Landing in House of the Dragon Season 2, episode 6.

The blockade of the Gullet by Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy) and Corlys (Steve Toussaint) has rendered food scarce for the smallfolk, while the city’s nobles and rulers gorge themselves night after night. All it takes is a whisper campaign engineered by Mysaria (Sonoya Mizuno) and some small boats full of food sent from Dragonstone to whip the smallfolk into a riotous frenzy.

As the starving mobs chase down Alicent (Olivia Cooke) and Helaena (Phia Saban), an overzealous Kingsguard knight lops off a man’s hand in an effort to defend his queens. Not only does this act mark a violent turning point for the riot, it could also be our introduction to a key character from George R.R. Martin’s Fire & Blood.

Who is the man without a hand in House of the Dragon?

Much later on in the Dance of the Dragons, Martin introduces a character known simply as “the Shepherd.” Think of him as a precursor to Game of Thrones‘ High Sparrow (Jonathan Pryce). Like the High Sparrow, the Shepherd is a devout follower of the Seven who draws a large following. He preaches against Rhaenyra and the Targaryens, declaring dragons to be “unnatural” and Valyria a “vile cesspit.”

Notably, the Shepherd is one-handed.

Fire & Blood suggests that the Shepherd lost his hand as a punishment for thievery. But what if House of the Dragon‘s version of the character — who is unlikely to be officially introduced until further down the line — lost it in the episode 6 riot? What if he was the victim of Kingsguard violence?

That potential change might add an interesting twist to the Shepherd’s character, whose backstory is left fairly ambiguous in Fire & Blood. Losing his hand in this riot would absolutely aggravate his hatred for the Targaryens, to the point of starting a movement against them. And while the anger during the riots was primarily directed at the currently ruling Targaryens, like Aegon (Tom Glynn-Carney) and Aemond (Ewan Mitchell), Rhaenyra’s involvement in the blockade certainly wouldn’t endear her to him. Plus, the Shepherd hates all Targaryens, no matter if they’re Team Green or Team Black.

Finally, the Shepherd’s presence at this riot would create a full circle moment for one of his most impactful scenes in Fire & Blood. As he gains influence, his words incite a mob of his own, which storms the Targaryen dragonpit — with disastrous consequences.

Of course, there’s a high likelihood that this man in episode 6 is not going to go on to become House of the Dragon‘s Shepherd. The Kingsguard or City Watch probably cut off citizens’ hands every day. No wonder the smallfolk are so mad! However, the series still lingers on this man and his very specific punishment long enough to plant the idea of the Shepherd in the minds of Fire & Blood fans. The Shepherd is coming, and he’s going to be a big obstacle for Rhaenyra when he arrives.

New episodes of House of the Dragon air Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on HBO and Max.

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The NYT Strands hints and answers you need to make the most of your puzzling experience.

If you’re reading this, you’re looking for a little help playing Strands, the New York Times‘ elevated word-search game.

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.

NYT Strands hint for today’s theme: Make waves

The hint refers to a buoyant list of words.

Today’s NYT Strands theme plainly explained

The hint refers to types of boats.

NYT Strands spangram hint: Is it vertical or horizontal?

Today’s NYT Strands spangram is vertical.

NYT Strands spangram answer today:

Today’s spangram is Watercraft.

NYT Strands word list for July 22

Kayak

Paddleboard

Canoe

Watercraft

Dory

Dinghy

Gondola

Looking for other daily online games? Find one you might like – or hints for another game you’re already playing – on Mashable’s Games page.

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Here’s the answer for “Wordle” #1129 on July 22, 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 22’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:

A military trainee.

Does today’s Wordle answer have a double letter?

There are no letters that appear twice.

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

Today’s Wordle starts with the letter C.

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…

CADET.

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 22’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: Expert

Green: Used to make music

Blue: Things you see in a traffic jam

Purple: Food-related objects and theories

Here are today’s Connections categories

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

Yellow: Realm of Expertise

Green: Musical Instruments

Blue: Used to Redirect Traffic

Purple: Food____

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 #407 is…

What is the answer to Connections today

Realm of Expertise: AREA, DOMAIN, FIELD, SPHERE

Musical Instruments: FIDDLE, HORN, RECORDER, TRIANGLE

Used to Redirect Traffic: BARRIER, CONE, FLAG, FLARE

Food____: CHAIN, FIGHT, PROCESSOR, PYRAMID

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.

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

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

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Summer box office hit “Twisters” has smashed expectations by bringing in $80.5 million in its opening weekend.

“Twisters” has twirled its way to a huge opening weekend, smashing expectations by bringing in $80.5 million. For context, Oppenheimer brought in $80.5 million when it opened on the same weekend in 2023.

The stellar performance of the film, a sequel to the 1996 disaster epic “Twister,” may be due to the fact that it appears to be genuinely well-liked by audiences; as of publishing, the film has a 92 percent audience score on Rotten Tomatoes.

However, while a review of the movie by the The Atlantic begged readers to “Please See Twisters in Theaters,” Mashable’s own Kristy Puchko was less than impressed with the flick, calling it “a wobbly ride that leaves disappointment in its wake.”

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The surprise success of “Twisters,” which was only projected to generate up to $55 million on opening weekend, was also likely buoyed by the appeal of its rising stars Glen Powell and Daisy Edgar-Jones. The duo have powered through impressive press tour to promote the movie, including going head-to-head in a Hot Ones match up.

The $80.5 million opening of “Twisters” is the third-biggest opening weekend of the year behind “Inside Out 2” ($154 million) and “Dune: Part Two” ($82 million).

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Answers to each clue for the July 21, 2024 edition of NYT’s The Mini crossword puzzle.

The Mini is a bite-sized version of The New York Times‘ revered daily crossword. While the crossword is a lengthier experience that requires both knowledge and patience to complete, The Mini is an entirely different vibe.

With only a handful of clues to answer, the daily puzzle doubles as a speed-running test for many who play it.

So, when a tricky clue disrupts a player’s flow, it can be frustrating! If you find yourself stumped playing The Mini — much like with Wordle and Connections — we have you covered.

Here are the clues and answers to NYT’s The Mini for Sunday, July 21, 2024:

Across

Space between two teeth

The answer is Gap.

Rural waterway … which sounds like a haunted house noise?

The answer is Creek.

Wind-___ (carried by the wind)

The answer is Borne.

Golf lesson topic

The answer is Swing.

French word before a maiden name

The answer is Nee.

Down

Fully adult … which sounds like a haunted house noise?

The answer is Grown.

Lingerie and loungewear brand from American Eagle

The answer is Aerie.

Slender pasta tubes

The answer is Penne.

Network with an eye logo

The answer is CBS.

The beer is here

The answer is Keg.

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

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Get a lifetime subscription to documentary streaming service Curiosity Stream on sale for $159.97 through July 21.

TL;DR: Wave goodbye to recurring fees with lifetime access to Curiosity Stream on sale for $159.97 (reg. $399) through July 21.

When every show you want to watch is available on a different streaming platform, you end up shelling out way more money than you want to. But if you’re someone who’s into documentaries, there’s a place where all of them live — and the best part is, you only have to pay once to watch them all.

Curiosity Stream was built for docu-buffs who need a break from those pesky subscription costs and pay just once for a lifetime of science, history, art, and so much more. Act fast and grab this lifetime deal for just $159.97 (reg. $399) through July 21. 

Created by the founder of Discovery Communications, John Hendricks, this all-encompassing streaming service provides unlimited access to over 3,000 documentaries and nonfiction titles on a vast array of topics, including science, history, technology, and nature. With content from award-winning filmmakers and leading experts, Curiosity Stream is perfect for lifelong learners and those with a thirst for knowledge!

Enjoy high-definition (1920 x 1080 pixels) streaming with new content added regularly, ensuring you always have fresh material to explore. Curiosity Stream offers exclusive series and in-depth explorations that you won’t find anywhere else.

The lifetime subscription guarantees uninterrupted access to this ever-growing library on multiple devices — smart TVs, iPhone, Apple TV, Android and Android TV, XBox One, and more — making it a valuable investment for curious minds of all ages. Delve into the wonders of the universe, uncover ancient civilizations, and stay up-to-date with the latest scientific breakthroughs, all from the comfort of your home.

Only pay once for this lifetime subscription to Curiosity Stream, available until July 21 at 11:59 p.m. for $159.97.

StackSocial prices subject to change.

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The NYT Strands hints and answers you need to make the most of your puzzling experience.

If you’re reading this, you’re looking for a little help playing Strands, the New York Times‘ elevated word-search game.

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.

NYT Strands hint for today’s theme: S-words? (a cutting-edge theme!)

The hint really gets to the point.

Today’s NYT Strands theme plainly explained

The clue refers to types of swords.

NYT Strands spangram hint: Is it vertical or horizontal?

Today’s NYT Strands spangram is horizontal.

NYT Strands spangram answer today:

Today’s spangram is Blades.

NYT Strands word list for July 21

Claymore

Scimitar

Katana

Cutlass

Blades

Rapier

Machete

Looking for other daily online games? Find one you might like – or hints for another game you’re already playing – on Mashable’s Games page.

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