Brutal and downright shocking at times, fans of theGame of ThronesTV universe have been primed to expect plenty of intrigue, politics, and violence from any show based on a George R.R Martin book. HBO’sHouse of the Dragonhas kept up these traditions in glorious fashion as the second season of the show has already thrown up plenty of talking points.
With Starks now entering the fray and an ominous scene at the wall, it’s clear that there are plenty of other threats facing the Westerosi bourgeois than just the taste of mind-bending sibling rivalry we’ve already been privy to.
House of the Dragon
Taking place about 172 years before the events ofGame of Thrones,House of the Dragontells the tale of the rise of the Targaryens, the only family of dragonlords to survive the Doom of Valyria. The popular HBO spinoff show first starred Milly Alcock and Emily Carey as Rhaenyra Targaryen and Alicent Hightower before they were replaced by Emma D’Arcy and Olivia Cooke, who play the older versions of the characters. Also starring in the series is Matt Smith (Prince Daemon Targaryen) and Paddy Considine as Rhaenyra’s father, King Viserys Targaryen.
While the word-magicianMartin himself isn’t a fan of how his work has been adapted, there’s no doubting that the show features terrific quality in many aspects. Many fans of the books may not enjoy how much it changes them. However, the show is perhaps cursed by the brilliance of its source material, since it would rightly be classed as exceptional had we never known the caliber ofA Song of Ice & FireandFire & Bloodnovels.
For those fans who have experienced both the show and read the books it’s based on, here are 10 changes thatHouse of the Dragonmakes to George R. R. Martin’s books. You can be the judge for yourself whether they take away from them or elevate the original saga.
1The Blood and Cheese Murder Was Changed
Anything that comes out of theGame of ThronesTV universe isnot for the faint of heart. However, fans of the books will know that as shocking as the TV versions can get, George R. R. Martin’s books are actually a lot worse. The now infamous blood and cheese murder is a prime example.
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The event in question relates to two assassins known only as “Blood” and “Cheese” as they abandon their mission of killing an heir in favor of killing a child — no ordinary child though, Jaehaerys Targaryen, the 6-year-old firstborn son of King Aegon II. The killing is done off-camera, though the scene is still pretty disturbing.
The Show Tones Down the Killiing and Leaves Out Its True Sadism
This scene in the book is a lot more brutaland unforgiving. For one, Jaehaerys' mother, Helaena (Phia Saban), is a lot more emotional, and is forced to choose between her two sons, Jaehaerys and Maelor. However, in true George Martinesque style, in the book, the assassins threaten to kill all the kids and rape Jaehaera, Jaehaerys' twin sister too.
In the end, they kill Jaehaerys anyway by a decapitation that’s described in the book. Either way, it’s truly disturbing stuff. However, the show at least tones it down somewhat from how it should have played out.
2Jaehaerys' Death Seems to Count as a Two-in-One
Since the blood and cheese scene was changed to only feature the twins, it’s possible that it may have actually represented the death of Maelor without him even appearing at all. The true poignancy of having Maelor in the scene will be well understood by those who’ve readFire & Blood, since his mere presence in the scene elevated it considerably.
He Was There But Never Died in the Book
As mentioned, in the book, Maelor’s motherchooses him to die. The unimaginable choice she’s presented with seems to be worsened by this choice. She chooses Maelor because Jaehaerys is an heir, but the tragedy is that he was the younger of the two. It’s that kind of unyielding brutality that often makes the book far more merciless than the show could ever be.
3Maelor is Missing Altogether in the Show
Speaking of Maelor, while he features more prominently in the book,he is notably completely absentin the show. In the book, although young and selected to die by his own mother, Maelor is spared out of spite, but then told that his mother chose him to die, leaving her unable to look him in the eyes afterward.
He May Yet Have a Part to Play in the Show
So far, his absence on the show means he wasn’t a part of the blood and cheese scene at all. However, we don’t yet know if he has been written out of the show completely, or was simply in a different location at the time of the murder. If it’s the latter, it means he may still appear in the show and has the potential to alter the plot drastically.
4Prince Daeron Targaryen Doesn’t Isn’t Featured Either
In the book, Daeron Targaryen was the third son of King Viserys I Targaryen and is the brother of Aegon and Aemond Targaryen. As a young boy, he left home to serve as a cup-bearer and squire to Lord Hightower. Another pivotal member ofthe Targaryen’s dragon-riding family tree, Daeron is yet to appear in the show at all despite being one of the most accomplished dragon-riders in the book.
It’s Uncertain if He Will Appear
The show has so far left him out completely, almost as if he doesn’t exist in theHouse of the Dragonuniverse. Given thatHouse of the Dragonis based on a period of Westerosi history known as “The Dance of the Dragons” for its epic clash of variousTargaryen family membersintimately connected to whichever of them is sitting on the Iron Throne, we may yet see Daeron appear in the show. His connection to the key bloodline certainly makes him a candidate to be there.
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5Daemon’s Characterization Is Softened
Perhaps as a result of Matt Smith’s amazing portrayal of Daemon Targaryen, the character in the show somehow ends up seemingsofter, misunderstood, and even justified in his brutality. The layers that Smith brings to him make for a majestic and nuanced performance, more so because the character is a lot less easy to like in the books.
Daemon Is a Lot More Fiendish in the Books
InBlood & Fire, Daemon is far more calculating and callous in his actions. While he often comes across as impulsive and passionate in the show, redemptivequalities that cast him as an antihero, his character in the book is a lot more menacing and brutal; acting more coldly out of revenge at times when it doesn’t serve his political goals and with a frigid detachment, even when he orders the killing of a child.
6Alicent and Rhaenyra’s Friendship Never Happened
Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke) and Rhaenyra Targaryen (Milly Alcock) are depicted as close friends throughout much of season one. Their bond is touching for the most part, that is until Alicent is later wed to Rhaenyra’s father and spawns a bloodline that sets in motion The Dance of the Dragons. However, in the book,their friendship never happened.
Their Relationship Was Amicable at Best
The book describes the pair’s relationship as amicable at best. While they were never enemies prior to Alicent marrying King Viserys, the women were also never close and certainly never shared the kind of relationship that could count as friends.
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That entire arc seems to have been fabricated to add more spice to the bloody feud that befalls them later. The fact that they even later shared the same lover in Ser Criston Cole (Fabien Frankel) — well that’s just par for the course when it concernsentanglements among high-born folk in Westeros.
7The Royal Hunt Also Never Happened in the Book
Episode three of the first season ofHouse of the Dragonwas a properly intriguing one. It featured a beleaguered King Viserys (Paddy Considine) who is feeling the weight of his crown when his son’s name day celebrations roll around. We later see the hunting party searching forthe legendary White Hart Stag, only to never even glimpse it — that is, until it appears to another Targaryen.
The Significance of the Moment May Yet Prove Impactful
Instead of appearing to young Aegon as the episode seemed to foreshadow, just when it seems like the symbolic creature won’t make an appearance, it later appears to Rhaenyra and Criston. The significance of the moment cannot be gainsaid. This is because the White Hart is said to only show itself to the person who is the true heir to a kingdom.
8The Fight Between the Youngsters
In a chaotic scene, the younger Targaryen kids get into a royal rumble ofa skirmish that ends with Aemond famously losing an eye. It starts as a result of Aemond taunting the others about claiming Vhagar as his dragon. This leads to a proper melee and a mess of a fight that smacks of seriousness throughout.
It Started As The Result of Dragon Droppings in the Books
Despite the more poignant depiction of the fight in the show, in the books it began a lot more innocuously and because of a somewhat humorous moment. This was because what actually triggered it all was Aemond pushing his 3-year-old nephew into a pile of dragon droppings instead of how it all played out on the show.
9Viserys’ Illness Was a Fabrication of the Show
Throughout the whole of season 1, King Viserys is depicted as an ailing man, one slowly withering away from a serious illness he has suffered from for many years. Often shown to be physically gaunt and in pain, he strikes a sickly figure at the best of times.
He Wasn’t Sick But He Did Die a Slow Death
The book was somewhat different. For one, the entire illness was fabricated as an arc in the show that never existed in the book. While Viserys did suffer a lot, his withering was more emotional and mental in the book — reminiscent ofthe Mad King’s declinethough far more gentle. This was because of the constant burden of his choices as King and the continuous slew of dissenting voices around him that began weighing on him more and more as he got older.
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10Aemma’s Labor Scene Was Dramatized
From the pilot episode of the show, it was always foreshadowed that Rhaenyra would play a pivotal part in it. However, whileGeorge R. R. Martin’s booksoften depict its characters as harsh and cold in many ways, the show found a way to effectively soften Rhaenyra early on. One of the ways it did this was to merge two scenes that never happened at the same time in the books.
The Show Balanced Rhaenyra’s Fierceness With Societal Expectations
In the pilot episode, the show made it seem like a tournament celebrating the Prince’s arrival, and the tragic birthing scene where the King lost both his wife, Aemma, and his son and male heir, happened at the same time. The reason for this was so that Rhaenyra’s scenes later on could be contrasted againstthe struggles of womanhoodendured by her mother.
Rhaenyra herself has to balance her own womanhood and the expectations that she must marry a high-born man and have children of her own against the fact that she has the heart of a warrior and is a political animal the likes of which were mostly associated with males in her world. The timing of the scenes was a change from the book, but a very effective one at that.
The scene itself attracted a lot of controversy for its brutality, asMelissa Mason ofGrazianotes:
It is a brutal scene, and a prolonged one. You could argue (and people are) that we didn’t need to go through the extended trauma of Aemma pinned down, writhing on her birthing bed as she’s cut open in such a horrific manner. Many fans are comparing the scene to the equally controversialGame Of Thronesmoment where Sansa Stark is raped by Ramsay Bolton – another gratuitous scene of prolonged violence against women? Really?
However, it’s also arguable that scenes like this effectively demonstrate what a brutal and subservient role women had to play in Westeros. After all, Queen Aemma was sacrificed in labor to save the male heir, only for the baby itself to not survive anyway. Rhaenyra can then be seen as an antidote to this, as a strong female character who bucks her place in society and shows herself to be just as capable and ambitious as any man on the show.
If you haven’t caught up yet, watch the trailer for season two ofHouse of the Dragonbelow. Both seasons are currently streaming on Max.
