House of the Dragon S3E7 Explained: Ulf Defects to Team Green?

The penultimate episode of House of the Dragon Season 3, 'The Dragon in Winter,' aired Sunday, Aug. 2, 2026, and is already being called the best of the season. Forbes' Erik Kain wrote that it was 'shockingly good' and featured dragon battle scenes unlike anything he'd seen in TV or movies, including a tense dragon-to-dragon meeting between Rhaena, Daemon, Rhaenyra, and Addam. In that scene, Daemon tracks down Rhaena on Sheepstealer and pleads with her to stay hidden, but she refuses, and sightings of her dragon have already spread (Forbes).

The episode's final scene, detailed by Mashable, centered on a hilltop conversation between Ulf the White and Lord Ormund. Ormund feigns shock that Daemon struck Ulf in the streets of King's Landing, then offers Ulf what he's always wanted: a lordship. After first promising Honeyholt, Ormund escalates to Driftmark, calling Ulf the future 'Lord of the Tides.' Earlier, Ormund told Gwayne he had 'a piece on the board' against Rhaenyra — Mashable notes that while Gwayne assumed he meant the kidnapped Lord Corlys, it now appears he meant Ulf. Both sources corroborate that Ulf's motivation is status and that he has been treated poorly by Team Black, but neither states definitively that he has switched sides; Mashable phrases it as 'probably a yes.'

This episode builds directly on the previous one. According to IGN's recap of Episode 6, the Butcher's Ball saw Criston Cole killed by Lady Alysanne Blackwood after he offered to fight for his men's lives. That same episode saw Alicent confess to Rhaenyra that Helaena is pregnant, and Rhaenyra later asked Alicent to kill her own son, Aemond. Those events set the stage for Episode 7's heightened tensions and Ormund's manipulation of Ulf, who has grown alienated from Rhaenyra's cause.

The apparent betrayal of Ulf carries major implications for the looming finale. If Ulf truly defects to Team Green with his dragon, Rhaenyra loses a valuable asset and Driftmark—the seat of House Velaryon—could fall under Ormund's influence. Ormund's promise that 'Driftmark itself may soon be without a master' hints at Corlys' capture playing directly into this scheme (Mashable). Viewers should expect the season finale to resolve whether Ulf will take the bait and how Rhaenyra responds to this threat.