Rhaenyra, look out, girl! Things are about to come crumbling down fast for our queen in the House of the Dragon season 3 finale, and I’m already bracing myself for impact.
HBO just dropped House of the Dragon season 3 episode 7, marking this installment’s penultimate episode, and it’s full of very important moments. Not only does Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke) poison her own son, Aemond Targaryen (Ewan Mitchell), but her other son, Aegon Targaryen (Tom Glynn-Carney), reunites with his newly-resurrected dragon, and her daughter Helaena Targaryen (Phia Saban) is seemingly inching towards her death. As for Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D’Arcy), things are happening behind her back, leaving her in a very vulnerable position come the season finale.
Ulf’s betrayal of Rhaenyra in House of the Dragon
Tonight’s episode concludes on a huge tease, setting up another impending issue for Rhaenyra. In the closing moments, we see Ulf White (Tom Bennett) having a meeting with Ormund Hightower (James Norton), and it becomes evident they’ve met before. As Ulf enjoys an ale brought to him from Ormund, he gradually loses his loyalty to Rhaenyra, being very heavily persuaded by her enemy.
Ormund says all the right things to Ulf, who’s already feeling unappreciated by Rhaenyra. From telling Ulf that Rhaenyra only sees him as a “tool” to promising him lordship and a castle, it’s a tempting offer to switch sides. But it’s not until Ormund suggests that Driftmark can be his does Ulf fully commit to his betrayal. As Ormund teases the title “Lord of the Tides,” you can see a change in Ulf’s face. The pair cheers their drinks and the episode ends on a chilling note. When Ormund suggests the Blacks will finally see Ulf for who he is, Ulf one-ups him: “No, they will burn,” he eerily states with a smile.
The screen cuts to black then, and wow! What a way to end the penultimate episode. It’s such a great, quick scene that sets up so much to come in the season 3 finale. Of course, Fire & Blood readers have been anticipating a betrayal from Ulf (and another), but I’m sure this was a big shock for casual viewers.
So, what happens next? Well, the show has taken plenty of creative liberties to the point that I can confidently say I don’t 100% know! However, we can look to source material to get hints of what might happen. WARNING: Major spoilers for Fire & Blood are below.
What happens to the dragonseeds in Fire & Blood
In George R.R. Martin’s Fire & Blood, the dragonseeds play a key role in the Dance of the Dragons. Like the show, they consist of Ulf White, Hugh Hammer, and Addam of Hull, but there’s one more character who’s been removed from House of the Dragon: Nettles. All four smallfolk are able to claim dragons, and they fight for Rhaenyra’s side in the war. However, there is a big betrayal in the book, as we’re anticipating will go down in the season 3 finale.
Fire & Blood sees both Ulf and Hugh turn sides, fighting instead for the Greens in the First Battle of Tumbleton. They have a big impact in this battle, as expected with two dragons. In the aftermath, Addam’s loyalty is questioned. In response, Addam serves a big role in the Second Battle of Tumbleton, but sadly, loses his life in the process. As for Nettles, her storyline gets a bit more chaotic, as it’s rumored she has a romantic relationship with Daemon Targaryen, who helps her flee before Rhaenyra can carry out punishment against her.
Of course, Nettles is not part of House of the Dragon, and the show has instead used Daemon’s daughter Rhaena Targaryen (Phoebe Campbell) as the catalyst for conflict between the married couple.
House of the Dragon has very clearly set up Ulf as a turncloak, but they’ve planted the seeds for Hugh as well. In last week’s episode, he is able to sneak into Tumbleton to find his wife Kat (Ellora Torchia), but she’s not as excited to see him as he her. Instead, he learns how miserable her life has become since he left her, and realizes he wasn’t there when she desperately needed him.
I don’t know about you, but I think that’s enough to make a major change to help his family. I’m not sure how betraying Rhaenyra would directly help, but Hugh’s got to come up with some kind of plan if he wants to save his marriage.
The House of the Dragon season 3 finale is bound to be an eventful one. Make sure you tune in next Sunday, August 9, to see how everything unfolds.
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