The Reel Rejects - HOUSE OF THE DRAGON 3x04 REVIEW – THIS SEASON JUST KEEPS LEVELING UP!

Episode Date: July 13, 2026

THE DANCE OF THE DRAGONS JUST REACHED A WHOLE NEW LEVEL! Greg Alba, John Humphrey & Michael Tessler react to House of the Dragon Season 3 Episode 4, diving into another massive chapter of HBO's epic Game of Thrones prequel. From the escalating Battle of Tumbleton, shocking dragonseed developments, and growing political tensions to major Targaryen power plays, this House of the Dragon 3x04 reaction breaks down one of the season's biggest episodes yet. House of the Dragon Season 3 Episode 4 Reaction (Full Length Watch Along):   / thereelrejects   In this House of the Dragon Season 3 Episode 4 reaction, HOTD 3x04 reaction, and review, Greg, John & Michael continue following the brutal Targaryen civil war starring Emma D'Arcy as Rhaenyra Targaryen (Truth Seekers, Wanderlust), Matt Smith as Daemon Targaryen (Doctor Who, The Crown), Olivia Cooke as Alicent Hightower (Bates Motel, Ready Player One), Ewan Mitchell as Aemond Targaryen (Saltburn, The Last Kingdom), Tom Glynn-Carney as Aegon II Targaryen (The King, Dunkirk), Harry Collett as Jacaerys Velaryon (Dolittle, Casualty), Clinton Liberty as Addam of Hull, Kieran Bew as Hugh Hammer, and Tom Bennett as Ulf White, as alliances continue to shift across Westeros. Featuring the fallout of the Battle of Tumbleton, growing tension surrounding Hugh Hammer and Ulf White, the continued rise of the dragonseeds, Vermithor and Silverwing, Rhaenyra's rule in King's Landing, Daemon's journey, Aemond's next move, and more major Fire & Blood adaptation changes, House of the Dragon continues raising the stakes with every episode. Greg, John & Michael break down every shocking twist, dragon moment, political maneuver, and theory for what comes next in the Dance of the Dragons. Follow Greg Alba:  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thegregalba/ Twitter:  https://x.com/thegregalba Follow Michael Tessler: https://www.instagram.com/mjtessler/ Intense Suspense by Audionautix is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/... Support The Channel By Getting Some REEL REJECTS Apparel! https://www.rejectnationshop.com/ Follow Us On Socials:  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/reelrejects/  Tik-Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@reelrejects?lang=en Twitter: https://x.com/reelrejects Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheReelRejects/ Music Used In Ad:  Hat the Jazz by Twin Musicom is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Happy Alley by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/... POWERED BY @GFUEL Visit https://gfuel.ly/3wD5Ygo and use code REJECTNATION for 20% off select tubs!! Head Editor: https://www.instagram.com/praperhq/?hl=en Co-Editor: Greg Alba Co-Editor: John Humphrey Music In Video: Airport Lounge - Disco Ultralounge by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Ask Us A QUESTION On CAMEO: https://www.cameo.com/thereelrejects Follow TheReelRejects On FACEBOOK, TWITTER, & INSTAGRAM:  FB:  https://www.facebook.com/TheReelRejects/ INSTAGRAM:  https://www.instagram.com/reelrejects/ TWITTER:  https://twitter.com/thereelrejects Follow GREG ON INSTAGRAM & TWITTER: INSTAGRAM:  https://www.instagram.com/thegregalba/ TWITTER:  https://twitter.com/thegregalba Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Thank you to Shopify for sponsoring this video. More on them in just a bit. Citizens of Rejectoros. We're here for what is definitely a show. We'd love last week's episode. Man, I've seen so many book readers not like last week's episode. It's just crazy. It's so crazy the divide that's going on right now.

But anyway, we're here to watch episode four, which I'm sure will be another gangbuster. Michael, how are you feeling? I am so excited for what I think this. episode is. Okay. Mysterious and important. John? I am excited for what Michael thinks this episode is now as of hearing that. How are you? I'm doing

Splend Finch Toast. Let's go. All right. All right. Well, we have officially watched House of the Dragon Season 3, episode 4. Muchos

to all the seignors and seoritas who have support us at our Patreon page. Much love to all of you guys. That's where you get the full reaction watch on, where you can sync up with your own copy, beginning and end, watch the whole thing with us. It's like we're sitting in the living room,

ruining the whole show for you guys. It's a good experience. Okay, so let's recap what happened here. Something, something, dark side, something, something. Yes. Dark side. Something.

Somehow Palpatine Richard. All right. Darren, they want to make king. Check one. Matt Smith, my favorite doctor. Covering for Rana. Covering for Rana. They're infiltration.

Okay, and then people are being like, queen of the bastards, Rennara being like, clean this shit up. Hugh checking up on his wife. Ulf, checking up on his people. What else happened to you? Is Helena? Coraless. Corlis. Went off to battle and

gave Alan temporary hand power. Yeah. Temporary hand status. And our lost king has been picking up dung. Yes.

Oh my God. Kissing boot. Yeah. Kissing boot. Which little toe probably enjoyed more than he should have. Sure. And Sir Kristen Cole and Gwain are going to

go far. Are going to keep fighting because they don't have anything without it. They don't have anything else to do. So like seven things have. Seven things. Seven things. Seven kingdoms.

This was that like mid, middle of the season, like, all right. We got to check back in on every piece of the board. It was a good resetting of the chess board. I thought we were going to jump right into Tumpleton, and I'm kind of glad that we gave it a beat to set the pieces in the motion. And Damon got coin. He did. He got, he got like a whole two bags.

He got him coin. I guess I didn't know what I expected, but it was a little bit like that, that dodgeball moment where it's like, yeah, it looks a lot less, you know, overwhelming in real life. I think people are going to... I think people are going to hate on this episode. Why? I think they're going to be like, it's filler. But it was also, I think, really important setting all of the pieces into motion. I particularly loved, and I'd be curious as to what you guys think, because I felt like you were getting...

something different from it, Greg, while watching at the end? No. What do you think? I really love that there is this continuous theme of the high towers having a, they view the Targaryans as these foreign conquerors even still. And there is like this loyalty to the pre-Gyrians. conquering of Westeros and a really neat sort of like connection to the faith and sort of

this idea of he sees a way to end the Targaryen line and I just I don't know I really I love all of that and it's something that Otto was in so many ways the balancing act that held together a much tamer version of the Targaryen dynasty than has existed and I don't know it was really really cool to explore that sort of element. And also, I was just like shocked at how blunt he was with the prince about like Targaryens are

you know, horrific alien monsters. Did you like that? Yeah, I mean, what did you think I what did you think I had? That was different. I felt like you didn't believe in the power

of the dragon. Am I wrong? Doubt your queen. No, it's all there. Where's your loyalty, Greg? It's all there. Like, I mean, you had Alesson earlier be like, I'm actually glad I've had that guy fuck off with the high towers

because look what happened with my clearly Targaryen children. Yes. You know, even Allison herself seems to have some type of spite. for there being a shared blood, you know, whether that be conscious or subconscious, it's there after seeing what has transpired. I like that being a thing, because it's not something I really,

really was highlighted to me until this episode of a, maybe this is something I completely missed, but like there's gone, this seemed to really, hasn't been on the nose, that's for sure. They really put a spotlight on it because we've always seen auto wanting the tower, wanting the power the tower power power power high power he's been Jimmy Timmy

he's been wanting to you know he's like that's why he sent Allison in and to like bed Vassaris and then you know have the children so he's always been trying to like instrument the high tower power in there and but I thought that was like an auto thing I didn't think that was it was a larger philosophical sort of yeah I never put it together I'm like oh this must just This episode with Ormond showcased, like, okay, this is like a real fucking thing with the high towers of them seeing that. I don't know where it's all supposed to transpire, but I like kind of the cult leader mentality that this Orman guy has with him where he's like grooming him to be the very specific type of king that he can also control. It's like, oh, I guess it's just what like the high towers do to each other. It is like a crazy juxtaposition from like Ned and Theon of like that's a very different ward sort of situation where like all the good values end up getting sort of disseminate.

Not that it doesn't look good. But no, I think it's sort of an interesting. Well, he even says like you shouldn't bomb with your dragon. Like he talks about it's like a disconnect and using weapons where we see the Targaryans like they mourn their dragons when they die. Well, I mean, for him, ancestrally speaking... Incessing? And...

God, dear, Greg. But, like, Westeros... Encessually speaking. Westeros was its own. They were happy. I don't say happy. They fought a lot. But there was different kingdoms,

and they existed, you know, free of the Turgarians, and the Turgarians show up out of nowhere, and then all of a sudden, you know, they've conquered the entire continent and everyone's forced to bend a knee. And the faith has always had this sort of interesting dynamic,

because it's the one thing that the Targaryans couldn't quite root out. And so there was this sort of co-acceptance. And I think it's cool that Renera is dealing with sort of adjacent to that, dealing with the High Septan. And, you know, there is a balance of this old way of thinking that would really love to see the Targaryans kill each other and have themselves extinct. And I think Otto is trying to breed the High Tower philosophy.

onto the throne. Yeah, I see that. You know, but it's, yeah, I agree. I don't think it's been very on the nose, but I think it's a very interesting bit of subtext that gives a lot of context behind the whole series and behind, you know,

the different philosophies of the houses. Yeah. I couldn't have put it better myself. Do you feel like Damon's choice here is in line with what his character would normally do? Kind of, yeah. I didn't have any problems with that, really, because, I mean, like, they are,

she is his kid, you know? Like in that way, I get the sort of like, just come with me and then leave the dragon and all that stuff. And then him cooking up his own plan kind of in spite of what anybody else wants him to do seems like a Damon thing. And I mean, he is cunning. But I also don't necessarily view it as out of character for him to be like, see, I fixed it. Let's move on. Let's move on to something else. But I, you know, that's going to come back.

It has to come back. and I feel like the truth has to out with Raina and all that stuff. And I am fascinated to know. Like when they had that conversation and Rainera says, you know, I wanted to look upon him. I wanted to see who this person was and I wanted probably to speak to them to. I have a feeling that like whatever the response is when they finally do meet on the level is probably not what you'd expect. I don't know exactly what to expect.

But I don't exactly expect if Rainer found out that it was in fact, you know, someone's so close to her under such circumstances that she would necessarily just have her, you know, executed or whatever. I don't know. I think it's interesting, though. It's an interesting thread. It's an interesting kind of like mid-middle part to hinge some things on. Greg would Reneira killer? Do you believe in the power of the dragon? I think they're setting up Rennara to be the kind of person who would kill her. I don't feel like Rennara now would kill her. I think what they're doing is I feel like they're a completely, not only making the kingdom fall apart, but it's all,

I think everything is like leading her to feel completely isolated. The whole thing with Damon seems to be a setup for her to completely distrust him because this is the first time we've seen him that I can recall seeing him completely lie. Like he's completely lying to her. Is there anybody else? It's not like a lying by like, leave a little detail or something. Like he completely fabricated something.

and it is an utter betrayal of trust once she finds out and now she's saying that the people are already like, you know, smearing her name and her reputation. She can't, she just can't trust anybody. And I feel like when she gets to a point where she can't trust anybody, yeah, she will just start living in a draconian dictator kind of way.

Drakarius. Yeah. It's like a certain point she'll stop taking any way. counsel and just do whatever. I agree. These are all my balls. Which is not about the table. I got to say, that was the most disappointing

part of the whole episode. It was. Like, your dad loved those balls. Why keep the balls there? Yeah. No. Why even have them there if you're not going to use them? What is his name again? You're wasting the balls. I'm going to learn his name. Who? Bals. Orly. Yeah, I guess it's balls.

Who's orly? Orley? Or the maister. Yeah, what's the maister? Oh, yeah. Is it Orley? Hey. If I'm wrong, it was John's fault. Yeah. Yeah. He's a really interesting character. Hey, hey, I'm interrupting this video to let you know that if you got like a business idea rattling around your head, merch, heart, whatever, Shopify is literally how you do it.

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You can start your free trial at Shopify.com slash rejects. Start your free trial at Shopify.com slash rejects. Thank you so much Shopify for sponsoring and supporting Rejectation. But I also, I feel like Maystriest, exist as this theoretically they should be impartial and

like they exist to be the institutional memory but there's not a lot of good examples of that other than you know well maister Amen for one and oh my goodness the wonderful maister from Winterfell the wonderful maister of us

or all to see the maister but I know who you're talking about I just can't tell his name. But unfortunately, I think when you're in Kings Landing, there really is no other choice but to play the game. Yeah.

I personally thought this episode was, I thought it was a fine episode. I thought it was a good episode. I didn't dislike it by any stretch of the imagination. It definitely felt like it lost some propulsion, though. It's kind of low key.

Every episode has kind of been like, ramping up, ramping up. And then after like taking King's landing, the next episode was just like this, you know, caving in a fucking like psychological cluster phobia. She's just on a breaking point. And it's so there's like no action, but it's so well fucking crafted and like gripping. And then here was like, all right. Information time.

So much exposition. But at the same time, like how. So to what you're saying earlier, I was like, I wouldn't call it by any means of filler. Like it seems like everything that happened here is necessary. everything like I watched two episodes I just wasn't like that exciting but yeah but how else are you going to

it's a pacing thing you know and it's tough because not every character is Reneera and can have an episode solely dedicated to her POV although I would have this episode especially would have loved another episode or two of you know Damon's POV

from all of that and just spending you know because I love he has to cope with I love how complex it is. You know, and who else? Is there any other character that he loves enough that would make him betray Reneer like that?

Baylor. Damn it. But even probably not. Always too. There are his. I mean, he got guilty. I forget sometimes. Like, oh, yeah, that's his kid. Yeah. Yeah. Well, it doesn't really come up as the fatherly type. He has no relationship with any of them.

Yeah. I like the, I like the buildup they've done with Ormond High Towers. because like the first time you meet him you're just like he's just a guy and then the second time you see him you're like okay like he's okay maybe he's uh obviously in opposition to ray nera and then at least maybe he's got some scruples and then this episode you start to see like the real sort of like insanity that lies therein for him and uh i thought yeah like at least that was sort of like okay i'm a little afraid to mess with this guy now you know and like whatever weird uh machinations are going to come through this whole you know plot to foist Darren under the throne. Sure. How do you feel about Ulf? Dude,

it reminds me of you. Really? You're way more of a hue. Just like, gosh, this guy's a leech. Got no decor of it. Come your fucking hair, my hair, my own. No self-awareness.

I was sticking my head in looking today. I'm really thinking about it. Yeah, but that particular, I mean, where do you think this is going? I thought that's John. Ulf is going to be some kind of noble guy by the end and then Hugh is probably going to get mangled up in this whole thing at the place that he's, you know,

what's it called again, Tully, Tarlow. Tumbledore. Tumbledore. Tumbledore. Templeton, the rat. Yeah, Tumbledon. I think something, I don't know. Hugh, I can't tell because he has this very noble demeanor, but I feel like he's either going to perish sooner

than you'd think or turn somehow due to his scruples into a walker. Yeah, there you go. I think he's going to turn. I think Ulf is going to surprise us in some capacity. I don't know. I feel like it would be too predictable for Ulf to turn, heal in a truer sense from this. But like, I don't know, he's the guy who's like a schlub,

so I feel like he's got to distinguish himself somehow. It's interesting because this thread seems to be a thread that they're being very true to the book's narrative, depending on where they go with it. Whereas Laris and company in that hole is often a, which is kind of fun, where do you think that's going? Laris.

An Agon, yeah. See, it's, it's, I want to be careful with my words because I assume that where things may end up is similar to how they end up in the book. I think how they chose to get there is remarkably different. I honestly have not a single clue

how they're going to get out of their current predicament. And I love that. What do you think he's going to learn from this? Honestly, probably nothing. I feel, and maybe this is a terrible thing to say,

I feel like some people are incapable of taking those values to heart, or if they do take those values to heart, it's too late. And I think that this is probably a very good instance of that. Can I interject?

Please. I just want to know if I could interject. Please. Overruled. Please go. Well, you know, Laris is cunning and brilliant. And he likes feet. That's not where I was going to go.

Believe in the power of the dragon, Greg? I think they're doing like a little bait and switch kind of thingy here. well I don't know if it's a bait and switch some type of subversion because agon's like a shit guy and a shit ruler and really selfish and then Rinerra shows up

she's like I'm gonna be one for the fucking people man and I think we're gonna arc her into being an awful human being which I'm so for I'm always by her side no matter how terrible she gets I don't care what push me to my limit do you think the audience can handle another Targaryan woman that they love

I hope so turning into something that they don't recognize? I hope so. This is edge lord shit, man. I'm all four. Like, I'm out of my edge lords. With us sort of squarely in the middle

of this season now. But I didn't finish my phone. Oh, I'm so sorry. Can I interject? You can. You can. Good. Just want to let you know you have permission. Thank you. Is that

Agon? Agon. I think they're going to have him start becoming like a better person and one who is like starts to care about the small folk and the people so while we're watching ronara care less and less we're going to watch agon suddenly develop a heart hmm and i don't know where's going to go with that that day your heart turns green yes so predictions who do you guys think is going to land end of this season on the iron throne

what um oh i feel like she'll still be here Does she not remain there? I don't know. There's only one right answer. It's Ulf. One true king. I was really searching for like a left turn. I could throw your way.

But I don't know. I'm just going to say Darren just because. Because he's a cousin? Yeah. And who knows? Maybe Ormond's plan will work. It'll be Amund. It'll be Amund again.

That's weird. There's no Amid present. Amen will show up at the very end of the season when everyone else has killed each other and then they'll... That is a really good way to win the game of throws. He's just fucked off. So, like, you know, part of me is like,

oh, what's you going to return? And then the other part of me is like, what if he is just out there waiting for everyone to wipe each other out? It is sort of, yeah, we haven't gotten nothing yet in two episodes. Well, I feel like... What's her name?

The Witch lady? Yeah, I want her on the Iron Throne. I think she's doing something with Amon right now. Yeah. I think she's concocting. something. Is she Melisandra? You know, timeline

wise? No. I don't know if she has some like, you know, anti-aging ju-ju-ju. Oh, I'm sure she's got some goodies. Well, but Melisandra was like Waked old during Game of Thrones. This could be the young version before she died her hair and changed her body type.

And face. She's actually the faceless man. Oh, that's cool. Hey, Jock and. Haggar. Let's go Gok and Haggar. God.

Woo. Anything. Anything else say out to you guys? Yeah. Alan's going to get his name by the end of the season. Oh yeah.

I don't have a scene. Yeah. I think we're going to see some cats in the next episode. I hope so. I think we're going to see a lot of cats. House of the cats. Meow.

Meow. Meow. Miamuimumum. House of the kitten. Cateronian. Meow. Miam. Meow.

Miam. Miam. Yum, yum, yum, yum. Yum. It's not done already. It's so weird that the watch time on this video virus is the lowest chance. The most repeated part is just that part where we sang the meow version of the song. It's probably being memed.

All right. I mean, is there something important that we should talk about that I, we didn't talk about? Is she pregnant? Is she pregnant? And who's the first? father. It could be a Virgin Mary situation. It's a psychic baby, yeah.

Psychic baby. It's an egg. It's a dragon egg. She's going to lay an egg. Is she pregnant? I don't know. I could tell what was happening in that moment. Quite.

Or if she just had, like, bad vibes and the bad vibes were somewhere in her robes. Everyone looked at each other. I was like, is this a pregnancy thing, or are you just, like, vibing weird? I mean, how long ago did, it's been a minute, though. That's like, yeah, who would the... It's been a while. I could go any direction.

Maybe it's that one guy. I have no idea. How many lurking guards do we have? Too many lurking guards. I have no idea. Too many guards. All right, well, I'm excited for the ascension of Kristen Cole.

Woo! Let's go, Sir Gawain. I love Allison. She's my favorite character. Dude. Do you? We checked in with every... everybody like for at least one scene this episode.

I think that's why it's, you're like, do we miss? Do we get everything? I'm like, I don't know. We saw everybody for a minute. Every time I see Allison, she's just, she's so young, you know? Like, she's going to be around for so long. She's so young. Yeah.

They live so much life. Yeah. She's not going to die. She gives great counsel. She is. She's a best friend of Runeer. Dude, they're just their dads, reluctantly. They're just reluctantly their dads.

See, that's kind of beautiful. John. The chill, the Chilgarian and the Chill Tower, you know, carrying on the legacy. They were maybe

the chillest point in both of the houses lineage. Low Tower. Low Bar Targary. Low Bargarian. This episode is 7 out of 10. Woo!

Seven. Seven. Seven kingdoms. Seven gods. Seven realms. Actually, it's nine realms. Seven terms. Nine kingdoms.

All right. Goodbye. You guys are going to rank? All right. Thank you. It's seven.