Editor’s note: The below recap contains spoilers for House of the Dragon Season 3 Episode 4.

House of the Dragon has been absolutely on fire with Season 3, and not just because it’s dominating HBO Max’s streaming charts. The Game of Thrones prequel has thus far proven the skeptics wrong after a long wait between seasons. The reason can be traced back to the three truly sensational episodes that the hit fantasy series opened with in its return.

“Salt and Sea, Fire and Blood” kicked things off with the epic Battle of the Gullet, which resulted in heavy casualties among both the heroes and villains of Westeros. Things took an even more consequential turn in “Queen’s Landing” as Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy) finally claimed the Iron Throne after two seasons of vying for it. The series embraced a more experimental approach with “Rhaenyra Triumphant,” which offered a bold and complex perspective on inheriting a kingdom already in shambles. Now, Episode 4 has the unenviable task of succeeding three dynamite installments, so is it able to keep the momentum going?

Ormund Hightower Is the Game of Thrones Universe’s Next Big Villain

After a brief introduction in the initial episodes, the next chapter of House of the Dragon spends a good deal of time familiarizing audiences with Ormund Hightower (James Norton), who just recently tricked Rhaenyra and Daemon (Matt Smith) by giving them a lowborn boy disguised as Alicent’s (Olivia Cooke) youngest son, Daeron. Anticipating that Rhaenyra will eventually learn the truth, Ormund’s forces have completely taken over a town southwest of King’s Landing, called Tumbleton, and the locals are none too happy. Ormund, being a conniving manipulator and braggart, couldn’t care less about any unrest, as he has other things to worry about, such as keeping watch over the real Daeron (Benjamin Evan Ainsworth).

Following his siege on Harrenhal, where he killed Ser Simon Strong (Simon Russell Beale) before sustaining wounds himself, Aemond (Ewan Mitchell) and his dragon Vhagar are missing in action — and Alys Rivers (Gayle Rankin) only passes on the information that Rhaenyra has taken King’s Landing, much to Ser Criston Cole’s (Fabien Frankel) chagrin. Ormund, who reacts to a raven delivering the news from Gwayne (Freddie Fox) about as well as you’d expect, knows that their forces would be completely overrun without the might of Vhagar at their side; Daeron’s much smaller dragon, Tessarion, won’t be able to do much against much larger and older dragons like Syrax and Caraxes.

Back in King’s Landing, Rhaenyra is still struggling in her new position as queen, especially knowing that there are not two, but three claimants to the Iron Throne unaccounted for. After suggesting that Ser Manderly (Dan Fogler) be named the new Master of Coin (setting him up to take the fall for the treasury being effectively empty), Rhaenyra seeks Alicent’s counsel to find out everything she can about Ormund. With little knowledge of who her cousin is today, Alicent isn’t much help, though she does mention that Ormund has a strange aversion to strong odors, which could prove useful when the time is right. What she hasn’t yet divulged to Rhaenyra, though, is the fact that Helaena (Phia Saban) is concealing a pregnancy.

Daemon Discovers the Truth About Sheepstealer in ‘House of the Dragon’ Season 3 Episode 4

After evading their captors, Aegon (Tom Glynn-Carney) and Larys Strong (Matthew Needham) are taking something of a trip down memory lane, returning to the battle site at Rook’s Rest. It’s there that Aegon finds the corpse of his beloved dragon Sunfyre, now being used as a tourist attraction by a band of local rogues. While mourning Sunfyre, Aegon insists that his dragon is still alive before pocketing one of his scales. Rook’s Rest, meanwhile, has been overrun by all manner of scavengers, the leader of whom is particularly cruel and stubborn. It’s not an ideal setting for the would-be king, but with options running thin, this is where they decide to make their base for now.

Elsewhere, Daemon makes his way to the Vale to collect on the promise of 10,000 men that Lady Jeyne Arryn (Amanda Collin) made to Rhaenyra in exchange for the protection of a dragon. Unfortunately, not only does Daemon fail to achieve that goal, but his dragon, Caraxes, also senses something far more surprising: his daughter, Rhaena (Phoebe Campbell), and her rogue dragon, Sheepstealer, hiding in a nearby cave. Daemon is shocked to learn that Rhaena is the rider responsible for Jace’s (Harry Collett) death and knows this will incense Rhaenyra, so he devises a plan to keep Rhaena’s identity a secret.

Daemon returns to King’s Landing with the charred head of a shepherd he killed, whom he claims was the rider of the rogue dragon at the Battle of the Gullet. Rhaenyra is understandably confused about who this person is and how they managed to tame a wild dragon in the first place, but right now, the queen has bigger fish to fry. Not only has Lord Corlys (Steve Toussaint) departed after Rhaenyra refused his request to legitimize his heirs, but Ulf (Tom Bennett) informs the queen that dissenters have reignited rumors that her first three children are illegitimate. In response, Rhaenyra orders the Goldcloaks to round up anyone suspected of spreading these “lies.”

Ormund’s Plan Is Revealed in ‘House of the Dragon’ Season 3 Episode 4

Image via HBO

Ormund has still been very much a mystery since his debut in House of the Dragon, but his ultimate plan is revealed in the episode’s closing moments. While Aemond and Aegon squabble for control, Ormund wants Daeron to become king, since the boy is fully under his influence. Ormund gives Daeron a final test by forcing him to execute the civilian he had previously appeared to pardon, signifying a major shift in Westeros’s ongoing power struggle.

Overall, Episode 4 is much, much slower compared to the first three, and doesn’t move the needle greatly. Ormund is a somewhat interesting new antagonist to follow, but he hasn’t fully come into his own yet, unlike Aemond or Criston. Still, even the best seasons have a few filler episodes, and it seems the battle for the best fantasy world on TV is only just beginning.

House of the Dragon Season 3 Episode 4 is streaming now on HBO Max.