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HBO’sHouse of the Dragon, based on George RR Martin’s Fire & Blood, has taken itsfair share of liberties regarding the plot and characters, so it only makes sense that Martin has some feedback for what’s been done with the source material. While Season 2 was airing, Martin was vocal about his opinions on the show.
In a now-deleted blog post, Martin criticized some of the decisions made with his plot and the seemingly small changes that could have significant consequences for the characters and the world he created. So what did George RR Martin say about House of the Dragon? And what do these critiques mean for the lore and future of the series?
Blood And Cheese
Season 2 of House of the Dragon kicked off with the Blood and Cheese plotline, otherwise known as “A Son for a Son,” as the first episode is titled.
Initially, Martin had mostly positive things to say about the premiere, and he only hinted at a few issues he may have with it. He specifically called it“well written, well directed, powerfully acted.”
In the first episode of Season 1, Queen Rhaenyra is reeling from the murder of her son, Prince Lucerys Velaryon, at the hands of her half-brother, Prince Aemond.
Overwhelmed with grief, Rhaenyra asks her husband, Daemon Targaryen, tobring her Aemond’s head. Daemon then sets off to King’s Landing and hires a Gold Cloak named Blood to find Prince Aemond and kill him.
Blood recruits the help of Cheese, a rat-catcher, to help him sneak around the Red Keep to find him. However,the pair fails to locate Aemond, and ends up in Queen Helaena Targaryen’s chambers.
Blood and Cheese find the queen with her twins, Jaehaerys, heir to the Iron Throne, and Jaehaera. Because the two are identical,they ask Helaena to identify which is her son.
Helaena attempts to bargain with the pair, offering her necklace. But the pair won’t budge, so Helaena points to her son.Blood then beheads Jaehaerys, while Helaena runs off with her daughter.
Blood: Former To Current Gold Cloak
In Fire & Blood, the character Blood is known to be a vicious man and former Gold Cloak, who was kicked out of the group because of his violent crimes. However,in the show, Blood is still a Gold Cloak, suggesting these crimes may have never happened.
Martin notes this change in the show, suggesting this minor alteration lessens the brutality of the scene.
Martin wrote,“I still believe the scene in the book is stronger[…] The two killers are crueler in the book. […] Book Blood is the sort of man who might think making a woman choose which of her sons should die is amusing.”
In the show, Blood is motivated by money, butin the book, he enjoys the thrill of the kill.
“Maelor The Missing”
One of the most significant changes to the Blood and Cheese plotline isthe exclusion of Maelor, Aegon II and Helaena’s second son and third child. Maelor is present during Blood and Cheese, along with Jaehaerys, Jaehaera, Helaena, and even Alicent Hightower.
When Blood and Cheese arrive,they tell Helaena she can choose which of her sons will die. In response,Helaena begs them to kill her instead of her children. However, Helaena makes her choice when her daughter Jaehaera is threatened.
She begrudgingly says Maelor’s name, hoping he’d be too young to understand what’s happening. To Helaena’s horror, Blood beheads Jaehaerys in front of her. After this,Helaena suffers a great depression and is never the same.
In Fire & Blood, Cheese tells Maelor his mother wants him dead, ensuring he’s aware of the situation and Helaena’s decision.
Though Martin praises actress Phia Saban’s portrayal of Helaena, he laments about the scene’s changed impact.
Martin wrote, “I would also suggest that Helaena shows more courage, more strength in the book, by offering her own life to save her son.Offering a piece of jewelry is just not the same.”
This alteration bothchanged the impact of the scene and Helaena’s portrayal as a mother.
Maelor Targaryen
Maelor’s absence was notable for book readers in the first episode of season two. Though a minor character,Maelor plays an integral role in Helaena Targaryen’s story,and excluding him from the narrative will change her story in the show.
On the topic of Maelor and Helaena, Martin wrote, “Maelor himself is not essential…but if losing him means we also lose Bitterbridge, Helaena’s suicide, and the riots, well… that’s a considerable loss.”
In Fire & Blood, Rhaenyra asks for Aegon II and Helaena’s surviving children to be brought to her as hostages. Wanting to avoid this, Jaehaera and Maelor are separated and hidden by the Kingsguard.
Though Jaehaera makes it to her destination safely, Maelor is less fortunate. It’s not entirely clear how he died, but it’s believed that upon being discovered at Bitterbridge,Maelor is literally pulled apart by the people who find him.
When Helaena learns that her only other son is dead,she jumps from the tower window, impaling herself on the spikes below. The smallfolk of King’s Landing are devastated by her passing and arequick to blame Rhaenyra for her death, leading to riots.
Martin’s comments suggestthese minor alterations will significantly change the show’s plot. Key moments from Fire & Blood may be excluded from House of the Dragon, or the reasons behind these moments may be changed. At this point,Helaena may not end up committing suicide, or it may seem like a random occurrence if she does.
Sheepstealer
In an earlier blog post in July, Martin commented on therules he created for his dragons.
Martin wrote, “My dragons are creatures of the sky. They fly, and can cross mountains and plains, cover hundreds of miles… but they don’t, unless their riders take them there. They are not nomadic.”
Martin says thathis dragons don’t travel outside Dragonstone alone. They only fly to other areas, like Winterfell and Storm’s End, when their rider flies them there.
He specifically calls out the Vale, writing, “You won’t find dragons hunting the riverlands or the Reach or the Vale, or roaming the northlands or the mountains of Dorne.”
This comment seems to be adirect criticism of Season 2 Episode 4whenRhaena learns of a large dragon flying around the Vale. She discovers the dragon’s presence when she finds the burned remains of sheep.
As of now,this dragon appears to be Sheepstealer. In Fire & Blood, Sheepstealer is a wild dragon living on Dragonstone.He’s claimed by a young woman named Nettles, one of the few Black characters in Fire & Blood.
Nettles is a unique Dragonseed, as no one knows her parentage. UnlikeAddam of Hull who seems to have an intrinsic bond with Seasmoke, Nettle claims Sheepstealer in an unusual way.
Nettles gradually gainsSheepstealer’s trust and favor by bringing him sheep to eat. It’s through her feeding Sheepstealer that she forms a bond with the dragon.
Eventually, Sheepstealer warms up to her and allows her to mount him. Then, Nettles claims Sheepstealer to fight for Queen Rhaenyra, just likeHugh Hammer does with Vermithor, and Ulf White does with Silverwing.
Fans have speculated that Nettles, as she hasn’t been cast, would be pulled from House of the Dragon and thatRhaena would replace her as the rider of Sheepstealer, hence why the dragon mysteriously shows up in the Vale.
In the novel, Rhaena doesn’t play too significant of a role during the Dance of the Dragons. This decision wouldboth erase an important side character from the plot and alter Rhaena’s own story.
In Fire & Blood, Rhaena’s dragon egg finally hatched toward the end of the Dance. This small pink dragon is named Morning.
Rhaena is the last known dragon rider before Daenerys Stormborn Targaryen.
Martin mentions the Butterfly Effect multiple times in his since deleted blog post, and his concerns are valid.
Many of these changes seem insignificant, buteach exclusion could have significant consequences, whether that’s by removing characters from the story or changing the reasoning behind critical events.
