Diksha Sundriyal
Rhaenyra starts to feel the weight of the crown in the third episode of HBO’s ‘House of the Dragon‘ Season 3. Having taken King’s Landing, thanks to the deal made with Alicent at the end of Season 2, Rhaenyra takes her birthright and sits on the Iron Throne. But soon, the challenges of ruling a kingdom start to show up, and with that, she needs more people in court, allies who will help her navigate this issue. This is when Ser Torrhen Manderly introduces himself to her. While he may have appeared in just one scene in Episode 3, he is to play an important role in the coming events. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Torrhen Manderly Takes an Important Position in the Queen’s Council
After the commonfolk complain that the nobles of King’s Landing hoarded the grain while the poor went hungry, Rhaenyra conducts a banquet for the nobles. Meanwhile, the Gold Cloaks sack their houses to get the excess grain away, which the Queen later distributes to the masses. As expected, everyone is outraged by her actions, but one man smiles at her. He introduces himself as Torrhen Manderly, and while he commends Rhaenyra for her bold action, he also points out that her blockade caused this crisis in the first place. This marks the end of their conversation and the beginning of a collaboration.
In ‘Fire and Blood’ by George R.R. Martin, which serves as the inspiration for ‘House of the Dragon,’ Torrhen comes from House Manderly, which declared allegiance to Rhaenyra during the Dance of the Dragons. He came into the picture after Jace secured the north for his mother. Torrhen and his brother, Medrick, were sent south to help the Blacks in their war efforts. Over time, he became an important advisor to Rhaenyra and stood by her through the tumultuous events as the tide turned against the queen. He becomes instrumental in her return to Dragonstone, where they part ways before the war truly comes to an end.
It seems that the show will focus on their developing relationship, which eventually leads Torrhen to serve an important role when the next Targaeryn heir takes the throne. However, some changes are likely to be incorporated. In the interviews, it has been stated that Torrhen will become the Master of Coin, which means he has replaced or has been merged with the role of Lord Bartimos Celtigar, who meets a rather brutal end in the book. This means that Torrhen will become instrumental in the upcoming episodes as Rhaenyra tries to rule a bankrupt King’s Landing.
Dan Fogler Joins the World of House of the Dragon
Dan Fogler plays the role of Ser Torrhen Manderly in the third season of ‘House of the Dragon.’ The actor is best known for playing the no-maj Jacob Kowalski in the ‘Fantastic Beasts‘ films in the ‘Harry Potter‘ universe. He has also appeared as Luke in ‘The Walking Dead,’ Uncle Marvin in ‘The Goldbergs,’ Franklyn in ‘Hannibal,’ Francis Ford Coppola in ‘The Offer,’ and Albert Grossman in the Bob Dylan biopic, ‘A Complete Unknown.’ A graduate of the School of Theatre at Boston University, his big break came in the form of his Tony Award-winning performance as William Barfee in ‘The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.’
Apart from acting, he has also tried his hand at directing, making his debut with the horror-comedy, ‘Hysterical Psycho’ in 2009. He is also a writer, and in addition to films, he has written comics such as ‘Moon Lake,’ ‘Brooklyn Gladiator,’ and ‘Fishkill.’ The actor, who lives in London, revealed that his children go to the same school as Ryan Condal, the showrunner of ‘House of the Dragon.’ Their familiarity eventually led Fogler to express his interest in joining the world of Westeros after encouragement from his wife. After some time, Condal came to him with the role of Torrhen Manderly, making him a part of the ‘Game of Thrones’ universe.
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