History repeats: House of the Dragon mirrors a Game of Thrones Season 7 misstep

Right, a bit of House of the Dragon gossip, and yes—there are spoilers kicking about for Season 3, Episode 8, 'The Treasons at Tumbleton', so don’t go any further if you’ve not caught up. For the rest of you, let’s get into why the show just delivered a twist reminiscent of one of Game of Thrones’ daftest late-game moves—and what it says about the current state of George R. R. Martin’s involvement.

The Twist That Just Doesn’t Add Up

Game of Thrones had its day sticking close to George R. R. Martin’s novels, but if you recall, once they'd used up all his written material we ended up with those ‘winging it’ seasons that unraveled a bit more each year. Fans still groan about how Littlefinger, played by Aidan Gillen, checked out in series 7—bamboozled and then executed in a way that felt more convenient for the writers than believable for his clever, conniving character. House of the Dragon seems to have wandered into similar territory with the death of Ormund Hightower in the season 3 finale.

Since popping up this series, Ormund (brought to life by James Norton) was painted as sharp as a tack—a bloke who always seemed a few moves ahead, not unlike Game of Thrones’ own master schemer. His whole raison d'être this season has been getting Daeron Targaryen (Benjamin Evan Ainsworth) on the Iron Throne, so the Hightowers could wiggle back into the top spot. Each episode ratcheted up his scheming—and honestly, it was a highlight watching someone that cunning plotting around all the chaos.

But come his big finale, Ormund goes out in what’s basically a self-inflicted own goal. His clever solution for winning the Battle of Tumbleton? Betting everything on Ulf the White (Tom Bennett) and his dragon Silverwing—despite Ulf being a drunk, barely trustworthy, and understandably miffed after Ormund finds him in the loo, properly scolds him, then expects loyalty. In the books, Ulf swaps sides for his own more complicated reasons. Here, it’s as though Ormund’s IQ just dropped twenty points in a single scene because the script needed him dead.

Ormund Hightower’s death scene in the TV show comes off as oddly dim-witted for a character who’s spent an entire season outthinking everyone else around him.

What stings for book readers is how close the show got to giving Ormund the same fate as in Fire & Blood—killed by Ser Roderick, just minus the dragon roasting. Instead, the writers cooked up a daft scenario where Ormund's big plan is so obviously doomed that it’s hard to buy he’d fall for it in the first place. The result? We get a villain built up for seven episodes, only to drop the ball in the last ten minutes, and it all feels suspiciously familiar for anyone still traumatized by Littlefinger’s big send-off.

What’s Actually Happening With Martin?

Bit of context: George R. R. Martin is still officially co-creator and producer on House of the Dragon, and was heavily consulted in the early going when the show was getting set up. But as production’s rolled along, it’s become painfully clear he no longer wields the same clout in the writers’ room. Showrunner Ryan Condal has first and final say, and while Martin’s still around for input, his grip on the series has slipped—not least on these book-to-screen changes.

The death in question might look like a small tweak, but if you’re watching for character logic, it’s a big deal. Martin excels at writing genuinely sharp minds—Tyrion and Varys in particular, if we’re naming names. That sort of nuance gets trampled a bit when a new set of scripts need a character with brains to suddenly act thick for plot convenience. It’s the sort of thing that’ll keep happening so long as the TV writers can overrule the guy who actually invented these people in the first place.

James Norton’s Ormund Hightower getting undone by his own daft plan is the series’ clearest sign yet that Martin’s original intent isn’t always making it to screen.

The Lineup So Far

• House of the Dragon is set 172 years before the events of Game of Thrones and digs into the roots of House Targaryen, the last surviving dragonlords from Valyria’s downfall.
• Originally, Milly Alcock and Emily Carey played young Rhaenyra and Alicent—swap to Emma D’Arcy and Olivia Cooke for their older incarnations.
• Matt Smith stars as the mercurial Prince Daemon Targaryen.
• Paddy Considine appeared as Rhaenyra’s father, King Viserys Targaryen.

House of the Dragon is set more than a century before Game of Thrones and follows the Targaryen civil war's tangled origins.