RECAP: ‘House Of The Dragon’ Season 3 Episode 7 — “The Dragon In Winter”

House of the Dragon Season 3 Episode 7, “The Dragon in Winter,” had to deal with a lot. The third season is nearing its end, and some of the series’ characters who have been here from the beginning have been killed or are nearing their end. 

Ser Criston Cole (Fabien Frankel) is dead, Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D’Arcy) has taken a shot at Tumbleton, Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith) is struggling to maintain the City Watch in the light of assassinations, and the Dragonseeds are struggling to adapt to their new life. And all of this happens as former King Aegon Targaryen (Tom Glynn-Carney), Lord Larys Strong (Matthew Needham), and Ser Tyland Lannister (Jefferson Hall) make their way to Essos, and Aemond Targaryen (Ewan Mitchell) is embraced by Alys Rivers and her magic. 

There is much wrong in “The Dragon in Winter,” and the chaos of the season continues. While House of the Dragon Season 3 may have fallen back onto the elements of overstuffed narrative and a large ensemble cast that has given it speed bumps in pacing since its premiere season, there is enough here to still admire. There is enough intrigue, and Emma D’Arcy‘s performance as Rhaenyra makes it difficult to disconnect, even when the series can feel like it’s stalling. 

Helaena finally has a spotlight on her in House of the Dragon Season 3 Episode 7.

Dreaming is central to House of the Dragon Season 3 Episode 7, by which I mean the gift of foreshadowing that Helaena Targaryen (Phia Saban) and Alys Rivers (Gayle Rankin) experience, similar to what Bran experienced in Game of Thrones. It’s also central to what moves the series’ main characters.

Alys’ premonition of Daenerys that has morphed into a view of Rhaenyra is why she still fights to be queen and the only reason why Daemon has backed her. While Dreaming has been used multiple times throughout the season, it’s only now being given the spotlight. 

For most of her time on House of the Dragon, Helaena has been a pawn. She’s been a tragic character who was forced to marry her evil brother, who has had her autonomy stolen from her, whether that be in love or life, and now she is Rhaenyra’s prisoner and forced to rot in a room. She is one of the series’ most prominent set-dressings, and in House of the Dragon Season 3 Episode 7, she finally begins to get her due, rather than merely serving as narrative propulsion thanks to her gift. 

House of the Dragon Season 3 Episode 7 begins with a dream. Helaena is stroking her horse, looking up at the sky in a yellow-hued vision, only to be interrupted by Rhaenyra’s voice. When she awakes, she has a conversation with her sister and Queen. Rhaenyra asks Helaena about her visions, and pries to find out answers to things that trouble her. While Helaena recounts her dreams, Rhaenyra’s lack of composure is evident as she tries to force her frail sister to answer questions about her future. 

Will she win back Tumbleton? Will she prevail and remain queen? Rhaenyra pours out all of her anxiety in these questions, grabbing Helaena’s arms. The reality that we’ve known since Episode 3 is that Rhaenyra’s composure was shaken by Jace’s death, and it has not returned. There is a panic to everything we see Rhaenyra do, and the House of the Dragon Season 3 Episode 7’s score reflects that. 

But while Helaena remains in Rhaenyra’s “care,” her mother, Alicent Hightower, has fled to Harrenhal. The last time that Alicent saw her son Aemond, he kissed her, and Alicent then acted as if he had died to her. She has been willing to sacrifice both of her sons, the ones who turned into monsters once she led their grandfather Otto Hightower to take charge of their destinies.

Given how Rhaenyra has collapsed under the weight of the crown and her refusal to acknowledge it, Alicent has been pushed to her children once again. For Helaena to be saved, Alicent may need the monsters she birthed. 

“My best and truest son,” is how Alicent greets the son she was ready to serve to the Black banners for peace. There is no mention of anything beyond the fact that Helaena is a prisoner, that Aegon is probably dead, and that she is now turning to Aemond. The exchange is calculated and extremely uncomfortable to watch, as the two begin to have sex, only for Alicent to morph into Alys Rivers. 

Aemond and Alys have taken Harrenhall; “The Dragon in Winter” goes all in on their relationship. 

Aemond was never entirely mentally healthy, and we saw that throughout his growth and as he headed to Fleabottom’s brothels. But now, he’s confronted with that. Alys Rivers gave him what he wanted, and what he wanted was his mother. It’s unnerving to see it play out, only for Aemond to leave Alys and walk out to see his mother standing on one of Harrenhal’s walls. 

Alicent recounts how she made it to Harrenhal, and this time you can tell it’s real because of the way she approaches her son. While Alys pretended to be Alicent, she remains unsettled, and yet still says that Aemond is all that she has left. Ser Adrian brought Alicent to Harrenhal, and her son swiftly killed him to keep all his secrets. Much like we saw with Daemon, there is something unhinged happening in the walls. 

As the three of them eat, Alicent is angered by Alys. She doesn’t know who she is, who she serves, and she questions it all. Especially since Aemond has decided that Harrenhall will be his seat of power. For him, Rhaenyra may sit in King’s Landing, but he thinks nothing of her dragonriders, and has given everything to Alys, her dreams, and the promise that Rhaenyra will fall. 

The awkwardness at the table grows when Aemond demands that Alicent stay. She is his mother, and his desire, and Alys knows it. She knows that his mother means him harm, but Aemond wants her; he wants his blood, even if Alys tries to warn him. He wants to play house with both of them, and in this one push, he rejects both Alicent’s need to leave and Alys’s assertion that her staying will only bring him pain. 

Still, the witch Alys Rivers got her title from what she sees, and her intuition doesn’t lie. When Alicent confronts her son, it’s a somber moment that is looking to preserve their bond, one that has been utterly changed by his attempt to kiss her. But she tries nonetheless, only to turn her back when the truth is shared. 

Part of Alicent Hightower had to have been holding on to hope that her son could be saved. I don’t know what or how, but the audience is given a look at the pain Alicent feels in House of the Dragon Season 3 Episode 7. When she asks Aemond who he trusts, between her and Alys, he responds by telling her that he tried to kill Aegon. And that is enough. 

When she utters “foolish boy” to Aemond, the death of her child is visible. While that started episodes ago when they kissed, this solidifies it; even if she knew before, hearing from Aemond himself reinforces the thought. As she flees Harrenhal alone, Aemond stumbles to Alys. Once again, Alys was right, and once again, she is in complete control of a Targaryen prince. 

Alicent is finally, and truly alone, in House of the Dragon Season 3 Episode 7. 

But where Alys’ dreams drive Aemond as much as his desire for his mother. Dreams are the focus in House of the Dragon Season 3 Episode 7, especially as the episode continues and Rhaenyra’s weakness is now on full display with a Hightower pressing into the cracks that she has caused. The only child that Alicent still cares for, Helaena, is dreaming. And with her dreams, she sees a world that is emotionally overwhelming.

She dreams of giving birth and sees what will happen when she gives birth to her child, whose first touch will be that of the cold metal of the Queen’s Guard if born in captivity. But it’s not only that; Heleana also dreams of herself on the back of her dragon, and then with her children on the farm she spoke about with her mother.

Then darkness settles, and while Winter has been a theme throughout “The Dragon of Winter” as well, the reality is that the snowfall may just be ash from dragons, as Lord Ormund Hightower (James Norton) seems to be amassing his own. Like the other series before it, the Targaryen civil war depicted in House of the Dragon Season 3 Episode 7 is only going to get bloodier as the dragons’ fire starts to burn all and not be held back. 

House of the Dragon Season 3 Episode 7 also takes us to Tumbleton, though the scenes with Ormund, Daeryn, and Gwayne are sparse compared to the rest of the episode’s structure. While their very existence is causing issues for Rhaenyra and King’s Landing, Ormund’s control of the situation is growing thin, with both Gwayne and Daeryn worried about their cousin’s rising madness. 

After the Winter Wolves led by Lord Rickon Stark (David Hounslow) killed Cole (and put his head on a pike) and whatever remains of his army, it’s clear that the Wolves and the Rivermen will make their way with no issue. Rhaenyra has her army and he dragons, but she does not have her Hand of the Queen, Corlys Velaryon (Steve Toussaint). 

While I let out a sigh of relief when they revealed Corlys sitting at the Hightower dining table, having been abducted rather than killed at the end of the last episode, he isn’t safe. Having already said that Corlys was the smartest decision that Rhaenyra has made, Ormund views Corlys differently than other people he interacts with. He gives Corlys a level of respect, at least for a little while. 

Ormund Hightower’s support is shaking in Tumbleton, but he is unbothered.

By keeping Corlys, Driftmark’s men may choose to stay behind to protect the castle that is now forfeit with Corlys’ capture. Calm under the pressure and more angry than anything else, there isn’t much that Corlys can do. 

Ultimately, the most important part of this sequence is when Daeryn and Gwayne leave the room. They know that all of this is a push for Ormund to take power, and in that, he’s become crazed, to say the least, especially after the assassins were sent.

Daeryn Targaryen may be king in name, but he is not in power. That belongs to Ormund, who does not care about the death that this will bring to their armies or their people. But Daeryn does, and so does the morally resolute Ser Gwayne. Only, there is no way to stop the train they’re on, even if it slams headfirst into a wall. 

But Ormund’s threat may soon take hold even more deeply than the fear already running through the streets of King’s Landing. With the threats on Gold Cloaks and the resignation of others who haven’t been killed (or paid), Arryn of Hull has found himself rounding up Hightower Loyalists. And then he receives a package with his father’s finger and signet ring to prove it’s his.

Ormund Hightower isn’t the only thing worrying Rhaenyra and her throne; the head Daemon brought back is a lie. And, as we saw last episode, Rhaena isn’t remaining in place. She hasn’t taken to her exile well, even with a promise to her father. Rhaena is looking to absolve herself of responsibility for Jace’s death, which means she has to find Vhagar. 

Our time in The Vale is slim in House of the Dragon Season 3 Episode 7, but the fallout is large. Daemon arrives to scold Lady Jeyne Arryn (Amanda Collin) for not keeping Rhaena hidden. Still, it’s not her fault. After she confronted Rhaena last episode, asking her to remain out of sight, Sheepstealer was still seen flying.

Instead of remaining hidden and shielding herself and Lady Arryn from Rhaenyra’s wrath, Rhaena is flying constantly. She has inspired talks across the Vale of a wild girl living amongst nettles (an homage to the original character Rhaena has replaced) with her dragon. 

But the issue is not just that Rhaena is flying, but that Daemon lied to the Queen, saying that the rider had been killed. As Lady Jeyne aims to tell Rhaenyra to save herself, that Rhaena is the rider, Daemon pushes back. That is his daughter, and at this point, with the Targaryen children falling, she is one of the last. While Daemon’s callous nature has made Matt Smith’s performances stand out, the times when he shows love have made him a fan favorite. And so, he takes a day to find his child before blunting Rhaenyra’s wrath. 

Daemon’s approach to Rhaena is a highlight of House of the Dragon Season 3 Episode 7. 

We haven’t gotten many chances to meet Daemon as a father, but “The Dragon of Winter” gives us that. His need to lie to Rhaenyra is driven solely by his desire to protect his daughter. But that doesn’t translate as Baela Targaryen and Addam of Hull (Clinton Liberty) continue to try and find Vhagar. Only they don’t find the giant ancient dragon; they find Sheepstealer flying through the skies, with a rider. 

While we do get some time with them in House of the Dragon Season 3 Episode 7, talking about something that isn’t their task, it’s hard to see them as more than just tools for the narrative and for Rhaenyra. “The Dragon in Winter” isn’t about them, but as the story has deepened, I keep asking myself when it will be. 

They briefly discuss Addam and Alyn’s push for legitimacy; we don’t get much else. But we do start to see them question their trust in Rhaenyra. Not just because she has blocked Addam and Alyn from taking the Velaryion name, but because Baela knows that her own role in the family has changed after Jace’s death. Baela has become a tool for the Queen, and so are the other dragonriders. Trust has eroded both ways, and the chaos of Rhaenyra’s time on the Iron Throne continues. 

When House of the Dragon Season 3 Episode 7 takes us into King’s Landing,  it does so by showing us more of Rhaenyra’s splintering power. The Small Council is struggling to move as one; the Master of Coin, Ser Torrhen Manderly (Dan Fogler), is being attacked from every angle as the Queen’s scapegoat; there is no accountability; and Rhaenyra has just given Lady Sabitha Frey Harrenhal to keep her from stirring up trouble. 

Still, there is nothing to hold onto now. There is no gold. There are no guards in the city. There is nothing left for Rhaenyra to grasp outside of her husband, Mysaria (Sonoya Mizuno), and her father’s legacy. And it only gets worse when Baela and Addam report that Sheepstealer is in the Riverlands and that he has a rider. 

It’s here that Daemon’s duplicitousness is shown and up for debate in House of the Dragon Season 3 Episode 7. Only, the context is that he is between his daughter and his wife. Still, Mysaria gives counsel to Rhaenyra to question everything that he does, and the already buckling load-bearing pillars of  Rhaenyra’s claim to the throne are starting to crumble. Does she hold onto her lover and chief counsel? Or does she hold to her husband? 

Last episode, Mysaria highlighted that she was looking out for herself when she held Alicent’s secret. But now, she is confronted with how she has changed. When she talks with a friend about becoming the mouthpiece for the Queen, receiving people’s problems and then telling the Queen the ones that will work out, she is met with disdain. 

As King’s Landing still struggles, Mysaria makes a bid for power. While she sees herself as a champion of the downtrodden, her new station and fine silks hold her away from them. She is the woman she has avoided and hated; she exists to cajole and flatter Rhaenyra, and in House of the Dragon Season 3 Episode 7, she has to confront how she has changed. As does her Queen. 

Mysaria’s past will always wound her, and “The Dragon in Winter” makes that clear.

“The Dragon in Winter” is an apt title given how much of the Dragons we see in House of the Dragon Season 3 Episode 7. We don’t see them as beasts in the sky, but rather giants on the ground when Rhaena and Daemon finally meet each other. “I will die absolved,” is Rhaena’s cry, and the reason she has tried to find Vhagar. If she can bring her down, she can avenge Jace, and if she dies, she can atone for her transgression. 

It’s a hard reality, and one that Daemon navigates as a father, not a prince. As he talks with his daughter, he empathizes with her and admits just how much he has left her all alone. When he promises to join her and take on Vhagar, it’s just too late. 

Baela, Rhaenyra, and Addam have found Sheepstealer, and Daemon tells Rhaena to run, still protecting his daughter. When the Queen sees her step-daughter, it’s clear that there is nothing that she is carrying that isn’t anger. She is angry at Daemon for lying; she is betrayed by Rhaena for killing her son, and still, as they yell, their dragons are getting ready to fight. 

Addam has Rhaena, and the confrontation starts to spiral. There is too much pain in this family to make anything said matter. Rhaenyra wants vengeance for her son, and now she has a face to put to it, be it Rhaena or her dragon. The only problem is that Rhaena can not control the wild Sheepstealer, even if he allows her to ride him.

Syrax, Caraxes, Seasmoke, and Moondancer all surround Sheepstealer. In terms of the most dragons on screen at one time, this scene takes it, with only Vermithor (Ser Hugh the Hammer’s dragon) and Silverwing (Ulf the White’s dragon) not present. The tension is thick, and for once, we get to see the dragons in all of their glory in the daylight, after having been limited to badly lit night sequences for some time. Here, we see them all. 

What happens next is an all-out fight on the ground. As everyone tries to escape, Daemon gives Caraxes the command to kill Sheepstealer. Helped by Rhaenyra’s Syrax, they subdue Sheepstealer, even if Syrax has sustained substantial injuries in the process. As they fight, claw, and bite each other, Sheepstealer is wounded, limping away, unable to fly.

Rhaenyra’s rage is now something everyone around her fears.

It’s a sad end that feels more like an encapsulation of the Targaryen fight for power than anything else we have seen. And for his part, as the last remaining person there, Daemon doesn’t look proud of this moment. He doesn’t look proud of having won; he looks hurt. He watches the dragon move, and he knows that he has clipped his daughter’s wings, both by killing her dragon and also by sending her with Rhaenyra to be held in a room in the Red Keep. 

The fallout from Daemon’s lie is that Rhaenyra’s anger has to give way to love. Not hers for him or her stepdaughters, but rather to his. Daemon doesn’t abandon his daughter in this moment. He stands by her, defending her against Rhaenyra’s rage. And his Queen responds, “What do you think of me?” 

Rhaenyra has had to grapple with who she will become while sitting on the throne. Will she kill people, innocents, to protect her power? Will she wield her emotions like a blade striking down people? Will she bring fire and blood, or will she bring peace? This is her breaking point. The moment where she realizes how everyone sees her. 

When Daemon responds that he sees her as his wife, he also adds that Rhaena is his daughter, and one that he has neglected. Inherently, Daemon knows of Rhaenyra’s anger, and in many ways throughout their time together he has stoked it. Ultimately, this isn’t an issue of distrust; it’s an understanding, as Alicent pointed out in Episode 3, that Rhaenyra is no longer a Princess; she is a Queen.

Daemon knows that and has advocated for violence as a show of power. It’s what led to Otto Hightower’s execution by her hand, and it’s what led to the murder of Helaena’s first son. Daemon does not chide Rhaenyra for it, but he knows what she has become, and what she needs to be. But he will still be a father, especially after not being one for so long. 

As Rhaenyra and Daemon talk, because this isn’t a fight so much as a confession and confrontation of Rhaenyra’s grief and anger, Rhaena and Baela are finally reunited. While both young women have been props for their family, they haven’t had time with each other to work through it. With Rhaena held captive in one of the Red Keep’s rooms, Baela visits her. 

Baela and Rhaena deserve more from House of the Dragon. 

It’s a somber meeting, and one that brings an apology between the sisters. Rhaena apologizes, saying that she ruined Baela’s future, her path to be a Queen, by marrying Jace. But the title doesn’t matter to Baela; only her sister does. As she consoles Rhaena, Baela tells her that they will start anew, and it’s the one moment of hope in House of the Dragon Season 3 Episode 7. Still, it’s one that is sure to be stamped out. 

We have spent so little time with Daemon’s daughters, and that rings out loud from the scene. The story’s narrative has given us characters that have awoken to how much their Queens and Kings have used them in their push for power. Rhaena is fully aware that Rhaenyra uses her as a tool, as Rhaenyra explained in this episode to Addam. And, at the episode’s end, Ormund also denotes something similar to Ulf. 

Rhaenyra’s support is cracking because peace and kindness are an illusion, and power and sovereignty have been her real focus. House of the Dragon Season 3 has begun to grapple with this, and slowly we’ve seen Rhaenyra realize who she really is and what she really wants. While she has held onto her father’s ideals, they’re slipping away now. 

Now that she is Queen, Rhaenyra’s goal of ruling as he did is revealing itself to be a fantasy, and one that everyone told her about, even if she refused to listen. Viserys Targaryen was a fool because he refused to see the harsh choices he had to make, and now Rhaenyra has to reckon with it. 

When we return to see Rhaenyra after her talk with Daemon, Rhaenyra connects the dots through dialogue that was laid out earlier in House of the Dragon Season 3 Episode 7. As she speaks with Mysaria, Rhaenyra accuses her most trusted advisor of poisoning her against her husband. And while the audience knows why, Rhaenyra does not. 

The frustration with Mysaria doesn’t continue indefinitely as the topic switches away from Daemon and to the Queen that Rhaenyra wants to be. As the two argue, Rhaenyra can’t hide from the problems of her reign, and she asserts that her father was not a dreamer, but that “his whole life was a dream.” It’s the first time that we see Rhaenyra stop defending and idolizing her father’s legacy. Now, she sounds like Daemon. 

A moment of crisis, Rhaenyra begs Mysaria to comfort her. It’s a moment of pathetic realization for a woman who has been so stalwart in her identity. The cracks that started forming when she took the throne are deepening now. The Queen asks whether she will win, whether she will survive, whether she will rule, but ultimately if she is “worthy.” It’s close to the same line of questioning that she asked Helaena in the beginning of “The Dragon of Winter.”

House of the Dragon Season 3 Episode 7 shows just how much power Rhaenyra has lost this season. 

But Mysaria doesn’t Dream like Helaena. Still, she does what she is meant to do: flatter and cajole. She tells her Queen that she is on “the precipice of a great victory” and that the “uncertainties will be dissolved.” And it’s one of the first times that the audience knows without a doubt that Mysaria is lying. The hesitation in her voice and the shift toward physical intimacy mask the uncertainty. Still, we, the audience, know.

Mysaria’s confrontation in the throne room earlier, and her treatment throughout the Small Council, come to a head here. Their intimacy can be seen as love, and it was at Dragonstone. But here? Now? It seems that Mysaria has come to understand that Rhaenyra may respect her advice, but she ultimately wants one thing from her. Adoration.

Rhaenyra wants the comfort that comes from the White Worm’s whispers without actually seeking to make the advice real. This takes away the emotional weight that their intimacy and trust once had, and leaves behind a question. Does Rhaenyra see Mysaria as more than her past? It used to be that we did see it this way, and so did Mysaria.

Now, after what has passed, House of the Dragon Season 3 Episode 7 is a moment where Mysaria seems to understand that Rhaenyra may never see her as more than just a commoner, and her body is to be used like it was by any Prince before her. 

On the road to the port to reach Braavos in Essos, Aegon, Lord Larys Strong, and Ser Tyland Lannister are stopped by a crowd heading the opposite way because of Rhaenyra’s Mooton army moving toward Rook’s Rest. While they don’t know for sure if Aegon has been found out, they have to tread carefully. Aegon may be disfigured and declared dead, but they have to worry. There is nowhere safe, but Rook’s Rest is the only place where they may eke out some safety. 

The last few episodes have shown Aegon how the world views him. To them, Aegon is a petulant king who pissed away the privilege of being chosen to rule. He died to his brother, and now he flees. To him, being written in the histories as having been slain “in ignominy” by his own brother speaks volumes to the way that he has changed since he fell from the sky in dragonfire. 

Aegon does not want to be a disgrace. He does not want to be the king who ran. The Mooton army that is set to crash against their party is a way to leave that, even if he is killed or captured. It is the one truly noble thing that Aegon has done, but it also means that both his companions will need to risk their lives too, lest they choose to flee. Of course, they choose to stay, especially since the army is meant for Tyland, not the Targaryen King. 

Unsurprisingly, much like the Littlefinger archetype he is meant to represent in House of the Dragon, Larys leaves them. He is disabled and can not fight. More importantly, it’s clear to the audience that he does not want to. The selfishness he has is something that he won’t change for anyone. 

Aegon’s growth this season hits its apex in House of the Dragon Season 3 Episode 7.

Now separated from Larys, Aegon and Tyland stand alone as the Mooton Army approaches them. They have swords drawn as the army claims the land for Rhaenyra; they are asked to show fealty. Tyland asks if they will flee after all. Aegon looked death in the face and had a choice to make. He chooses not to surrender to the false Queen, with Tyland by his side. 

Then, Aegon reveals himself. Having been given yet another chance to run away, he doesn’t take it. As he strokes his ego and yells out to the Mootons about his lineage and his power, the score for the scene grows louder. Only it’s not an orchestra; it’s the breathing and snarls of a dragon. 

For a moment, it’s easy to think that it’s Vaghar. Still, as the rumble of the dragon’s breath grows louder, the camera pans to the dragon’s scarred, yellow face; it’s Sunfyre. Having been found in the woods, almost desiccated, and looking like a ruin, Aegon and the audience thought that Sunfyre was dead. Only when Aegon says “dracarys” is it shown that Sunfyre is alive and well. Scarred but a survivor, the same as Aegon.  

The moment highlights something known in the broader lore of G.R.R. Martin’s universe: killing a dragon is difficult. Ultimately, after great injury, a dragon can enter a restorative sleep to heal itself. As Sunfyre lights the Mooton Army ablaze, Aegon’s face lines up with hers. He screams, she breathes fire, they’re both a reflection of each other, and it calls out to just how much the Targaryens and their dragons are bound together. 

To close out the episode, we head to a campsite with a man who hates dragons, Ormund Hightower, and a man whose life has been changed by dragons, Ser Ulf the White (Tom Bennett). Sitting by a fire, drinking, presumably outside of Tumbleton, it’s clear that the highborn’s treatment of Ulf has stuck more than any allegiance to the people who gave him a dragon. 

A dragon and knighthood were supposed to change Ulf’s life. Last episode, we saw how it changed Hugh the Hammer’s (Kieran Bew) life for the worse. It’s splintered his family; it’s isolated him. And for Ulf, it’s taken what little freedom he had as smallfolk. Rhaenyra has yelled at him and demanded that he stay away from the tavern in Fleabottom. The Queen’s court has belittled him, laughed at him, and Daemon, as Ormund has pointed out, slapped Ulf in the middle of everyone.  

As a mirror to Mysaria, who will always be a whore to the highborn people of the Small Council, and to her Queen (which brings into question their intimacy), Ulf will always be the drunkard from Fleabottom no matter how high he flies his dragon. Much like the people around Mysaria wouldn’t let her forget, not a single person in Rhaenyra’s court has allowed Ulf to forget it either. 

House of the Dragon Season 3’s finale is bringing a purpose ot the chaos of the season. 

Ulf is a tool to be used and reprimanded to the Blacks, and for the Greens, he is a pawn to appeal to Ormund’s vanity. Still, in support of Rhaenyra, he has gotten nothing. As a supporter of Ormund, he will get a lordship and a castle; only that castle is Driftmark. Still, while we see the promises and Ulf’s anger, we also don’t know much about this arrangement. 

We don’t know if Ulf is responsible for the murder of the Gold Cloaks; we don’t know if he has been sowing dissent in King’s Landing, and ultimately, we have never seen him fight on his dragon, one of the largest of the remaining dragons. Still, the closing of the episode shows the splinters in House Targaryen, and Ormund takes advantage of every single one of them.

House of the Dragon Season 3 Episode 7 is a frustrating cocktail for anyone who has backed Rhaenyra and her claim to the throne, both in the series and in the audience. Still, as the finale approaches, the season has finally taken a large ensemble and strung it all together cohesively.

While bloated scripting has led to the season’s issues,  “The Dragon in Winter” has brought it home. While this episode has set the stage for major changes to the source material, seeing how it all comes to fruition in the finale and Season 4 is all I can think about.  House of the Dragon Season 3 Episode 7 shows that the series has its footing again, but I’m still stuck asking for how long. 

House of the Dragon Season 3 Episode 7 is streaming now on HBO MAX. 

Previous Episode | Next Episode