Ever since Ormund Hightower (James Norton) showed up in House of the Dragon, he’s done nothing but sniff his pomander, give a boy a perfect Targaryen bleach job, and lie. Now, in Season 3, episode 4, his true master plan comes to light.
He doesn’t want to help protect Aegon II Targaryen’s (Tom Glynn-Carney) claim to rule. Instead, he wants to place someone else entirely on the Iron Throne: Daeron Targaryen (Benjamin Evan Ainsworth).
Since Daeron was raised as a ward of House Hightower, Ormund believes he’s not as affected by the “taint” of the Targaryen blood he shares with his siblings. Instead, he thinks he’s more of a Hightower, blessed with the virtues of the Seven and therefore more suited to rule. Remember, High Septon Balman (Simon Chandler) refused to bless Rhaenyra Targaryen’s (Emma D’Arcy) coronation because he finds the Targaryens and their dragons profane. Perhaps he and the rest of the Faith of the Seven would look differently on Daeron due to his connection to House Hightower.
None of Ormund’s schemes, from using a decoy Daeron (Charlie Gordon) to planning to crown the real Daeron, is in George R.R. Martin’s Fire and Blood. However, the change opens up several fascinating possibilities for their future that aren’t present in the book.
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What are Ormund and Daeron up to in Fire and Blood?
Ormund and Daeron spend much of their time in and around Tumbleton. They also fight in the Battle of the Honeywine, which the show appears to have cut. During their time in Tumbleton, some of the local lords believe that Daeron should be crowned king, as he is a challenger to Rhaenyra’s claim. However, Ormund is not the mastermind of this plot. In putting Ormund in control of the plot, House of the Dragon beefs up his role as a major antagonist outside the direct Targaryen family, while also putting more emphasis on Daeron’s claim to the throne.
These elements are already present in Fire and Blood, but that book is a 700-page tome of Targaryen history, with only a small fraction devoted to the Dance of the Dragons. Because of this, we get a lot less time with characters like Ormund and Daeron than we do in the show. House of the Dragon has the power to expand on many of its characters, sometimes at the cost of cutting key book characters. (See: Rhaena (Phoebe Campbell) and Fire and Blood‘s Nettles.) That power is on full display with Ormund and Daeron, which offers a fascinating glimpse at their lord and squire dynamic and further highlights House Hightower’s devotion to the Seven. The plan to crown Daeron also adds even more urgency to Rhaenyra’s need to establish herself firmly as the Queen of the Seven Kingdom. Plus, the fake Daeron move worsens Rhaenyra’s growing paranoia.
All of that is a potent combination that wouldn’t have been possible had House of the Dragon not strayed a bit from its source material. Because it did, we’re gifted with an even more formidable new villain, as well as an intriguing new conspiracy that book readers and show-only watchers alike won’t be able to predict.
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HBO
House of the Dragon
