Ormund Hightower Is The Best Thing To Happen To House Of The Dragon
He’s the kind of guy you love to hate.
House of the Dragon has always been a show of loyalties. The “Team Green” and “Team Black” rivalry is always present in conversations around the series, even infiltrating the marketing campaigns. With no clear hero or villain, fans can root for whoever they like in the Dance of Dragons, but that same fact means that there’s no universal villain to root against.
That is, until now. After more than 20 episodes, it seems like the series finally has a villain to rival Joffrey from Game of Thrones, and it’s the pomander-sniffing, Targaryen-hating, quick-tempered Ormund Hightower. He may be difficult to watch, but he’s the best addition to the show — and change from the book — so far.
Season 3 Episode 4 of House of the Dragon reveals Ormund Hightower as a bit of a religious fanatic.
Warning! Spoilers for House of the Dragon Season 3 Episode 4 ahead!
In Fire & Blood, Ormund Hightower doesn’t have much of a personality. Instead, he acts as an agent for the Greens. But in the show, he’s got enough personality for all of Flea Bottom. From his first introduction, he’s come across as a posh snob out of touch with the common folk, put off by the odors of those he meets.
But in Episode 4, we see just how far his ire goes. He’s not just a snob around those who aren’t Hightowers, he thinks that Hightowers are literally a superior kind of human. And this isn’t in a “they’re aliens” kind of way like Ser Raymun Fossoway says of Targaryens in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, he thinks anyone with silver hair is conspiring to ruin the world with evil spells.
Ormund Hightower feels some big feelings when he learns Aemond won’t come to help him.
And this anger isn’t restrained to just Targaryens. After receiving word that Aemond Targaryen won’t come to his aid, he gets visibly upset, prompting Daeron to whisper to an attendant to get out. Clearly, this is something that happens often enough for Daeron to recognize the early signs. Sure enough, Ormund absolutely explodes, drawing his sword and hacking away at the table.
Ormund Hightower is clearly the new villain of House of the Dragon, a role that has been woefully absent since Aegon was burned in the Battle of Rook’s Rest. In fact, in the same episode where Ormund establishes himself as the show’s new villain, Aegon starts eating a little humble pie when he’s reduced to cleaning latrines, knowing that outing himself as the king is too dangerous.
House of the Dragon may be more interesting with no clear hero or villain, but it’s a lot more fun to watch when there’s a guy who’s just the worst, and Ormund seems to be the worst by a long shot — and that’s simply the best.
