Who is Torrhen Manderly? House of the Dragon season 3 episode 4 preview sets up huge twist

*Warning: Spoilers ahead for House of the Dragon and Fire & Blood*

House of the Dragon season three episode three introduced us to Torrhen Manderly (Dan Fogler), and the latest preview suggests he may get set up by Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy) after calling her out. 

In ‘Rhaenyra Triumphant’, Ser Torrhen Manderly is one of the nobles the Targaryen Queen invites for a banquet, where she serves them all grilled rats. 

As they gasp in shock, she announces that this is what the smallfolk have been eating due to limited stock, while they have been hoarding their wealth in their storehouses. 

It’s at this dinner that she reveals her men of the City Watch are ransacking their properties to find what they can, bringing it back to Rhaenyra for her to distribute to the needy. As you’d expect, she makes enemies out of the nobles that night. 

When the Queen leaves the dining hall, Torrhen’s at the back and he’s not angry like the rest of the attendants. Instead, he’s smirking, telling her it’s a “hand well played,” as it may make the smallfolk forget that it was her blockade that made bread scarce in the first place.

Him recognising the power move and subtly calling her out for it suggests Torrhen may be a far more dangerous threat to the Blacks than those who are simply angry. But the books tell us a different story. 

Who is Torrhen Manderly?

In George R.R. Martin’s Fire & Blood, Ser Torrhen Manderly is a member of House Manderly, the ruling family of White Harbor, and one of the few prominent supporters of the Black faction to survive the Dance of the Dragons.

What’s interesting is that while his conversation with Rhaenyra in House of the Dragon season three episode three hints at growing tension between the pair, the book sees Torrhen remain loyal to the Blacks throughout the civil war.

Following the conflict, Torrhen succeeds as Lord of White Harbor after the death of his father and brother, Desmond and Medrick. 

If you’re a fan of Game of Thrones, you will no doubt recognise House Manderly as one of the North’s oldest and most influential families. Around 170 years later, Lord Wyman Manderly becomes one of House Stark’s most loyal supporters, secretly working to restore the family after the Red Wedding. 

Since the HBO series has made significant changes to the source material, it’s hard to predict where Torrhen’s story will lead in House of the Dragon. However, some fans have a few ideas. 

House of the Dragon season 3 episode 4 preview may tease Torrhen’s next steps

In the preview for next week’s episode, Mysaria (Sonoya Mizuno) suggests naming a Master of Coin for the smallfolk to blame for their hardships – and some viewers think Torrhen could be the scapegoat. 

“Name a Master of Coin. The people will soon discover our lacking resources. They can blame him,” Mysaria says. We won’t find out who she names until next week, but Torrhen would be ideal given he fired shots at Rhaenyra for the blockade. 

Taking to Reddit, one wrote, “Vote Torrhen Manderly for Master of Coin!”

Another said, “If they’re looking for a master of coin for the smallfolk to blame, it should be Celtigar with those legendary tax policies.

“If not though, I think Torrhen Manderly might fill the role after calling Rhaenyra out for ordering the blockade and starving the city to begin with.”

A third added, “I suspect that they’re setting up Manderly, but I legitimately think it would be hilarious if Celtigar is just made the patsy for tax collection and bloviates around becoming incredibly unpopular just because Rhaenyra hates him.”

Other viewers are just confused about Torrhen’s snarkiness given his support for Rhaenyra in the books. 

“Can someone explain why he seemed so… condescending towards Rhaenyra in this last episode?” asked one on Reddit. 

They said they’re yet to finish reading Fire & Blood, adding, “Maybe I’m missing something, but I’m pretty sure the Manderlys were on the Black side all along. Wasn’t he even one of the men who was with Rhaenyra on the Violande?”

But another pointed out, “I think he was just keeping it real and telling her how it is. Nothing he said was wrong.”

A third chimed in, “Jeyne Arryn is a supporter of the Blacks as well but she’s pretty annoyed with the Targaryens too. Just because you support someone doesn’t mean you agree with everything they do.”

“Bro is just saying it like it is. He’s setting himself apart from the crowd of lying toadies,” a fourth added. 

Why you recognise Dan Fogler

Torrhen is played by Dan Fogler, who transitioned from theatre to film in the late 2000s, starring in a series of movies such as Good Luck Chuck, Balls of Fury, Fanboys, Taking Woodstock and Love Happens.

House of the Dragon is far from his only franchise work, with Fogler portraying Jacob Kowalski in the Harry Potter spinoff film series Fantastic Beasts.

More recently, he played Albert Grossman in the 2024 biopic A Complete Unknown, alongside Timothée Chalamet as Bob Dylan. That same year, he appeared in the Netflix miniseries Eric. 

In an interview with Hollywood Elite, the actor explained that his role as Torrhen was a happy accident. He’s been living in London since Fantastic Beasts, where he got his children in school with HotD showrunner Ryan Condal’s kids. 

When they were dropping them off, the showrunner asked what Fogler was working on. “He found something for me and here I am,” he said. “Love Game of Thrones, love House of the Dragon, and it’s so surreal.”

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Featured image credit: HBO