House of the Dragon is well on its way to redeeming the audience’s faith in HBO after the abysmal failure of Season 8 of Game of Thrones. Based on the fictional history book, Fire and Blood, by George R. R. Martin, the show is set over a hundred years before Game of Thrones and focuses on the Golden Age of the Targaryen royal family, when there were more members of their family and more dragons than ever seen in Westeros’ history. Unfortunately, tensions build regarding who King Viserys I (Paddy Considine) will choose as his successor: his daughter, Rhaenyra (Milly Alcock and Emma D’Arcy), or his eldest son, Aegon (Ty Tennant and Tom Glynn-Carney).
Since Fire and Blood is written like a history book based on biased primary sources, the crew of House of the Dragon had a lot of freedom when it came to adapting many of these important events and characters. Some of these changes are quite drastic when placed side-by-side, and vary in quality from even better than what Martin created to confusing and character-damaging.
10 Harrold Westerling
Kept Around and Then Vanishes
Having served as a member of the Kingsguard since the reign of King Jaeherys I (Michael Carter), Ser Harrold Westerling (Graham McTavish) now serves as the Lord Commander of the Kingsguard for Viserys. In Fire and Blood, Harrold eventually died due to old age, and his position as Lord Commander was filled by Ser Criston Cole (Fabien Frankel). However, the show kept him alive all across season one, where he served as a shining example of what the knights of the Kingsguard should aspire to.
Harrold’s expanded role is not bad in theory, especially as Criston falls from his pedestal as the young and virtuous knight, but come the end of season one, problems begin to emerge. He resigns as Lord Commander because he refuses to take part in the plot to usurp the throne from Rhaenyra, and is allowed to leave the council despite knowing their secrets, and Otto Hightower (Rhys Ifans) having said nobody leaves until they’re finished. So far, there’s been no news regarding the character’s presence in season 2, so it remains a mystery what his expanded role will ultimately lead to.
9 Aemma Arryn’s Death
Made More Gruesome in The Show
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Though they married for politics, Viserys and his queen, Aemma Arryn (Sian Brooke), grew to love one another dearly. In both mediums, Aemma tragically dies giving birth to her and Visery’s son, Balor, who died within a day of his mother. However, the show made her death much more graphic, with Viserys giving the Grand Maester permission to perform a cesarean operation on her in a bid to save the child.
A cesarean does take place in Fire and Blood, but it was performed on Viserys’ great-grandmother, Alyssa Velaryon, as she gave birth to her daughter, Jocelyn Baratheon, mother of the Queen Who Never Was, Rhaenys Targaryen (Eve Best). According to some accounts, Alyssa consented to the operation, unlike Aemma, who was never asked. The show’s version is a more heart-wrenching scene due to the lack of agency Aemma has over her life, and the guilt Viserys carries because he lost her and their son, but it’s a shame that the show didn’t adapt the moment of consent from the mother, as it demonstrates the power and courage of the women of House Targaryen.
8 Blood and Cheese
New Motives and More Incompitence
While departing Storm’s End after failing to convince Lord Borros Baratheon (Roger Evans) to join Rhaenyra, Prince Lucerys Velaryon (Harvey Sadler and Elliot Grihault) is ambushed and killed by his uncle, Prince Aemond Targaryen (Leo Ashton and Ewan Mitchell). His step-father, Prince Daemond Targaryen (Matt Smith), decides to level the field by hiring a rat-catcher (Mark Stobbart) and a member of the gold cloaks (Sam C. Wilson) to break into the Red Keep. After locating Queen Helaena (Evie Allen and Phia Saban), they behead her and Aegon’s heir, Prince Jaehaerys.
The assassination of Jaehaerys is one of the most shocking and tragic moments in both show and book, but the version in House of the Dragon leaves a bit to be desired. While it does make sense for the real target to be Aemond, and Jaehaerys ends up being an unfortunate backup option, the assassins feel a lot less competent than their literary counterparts, wasting time arguing and dragging out conversations with Helaena. Also, since the show cut out Aegon’s second son, audiences miss Helaena being forced to choose which of her sons was to die, only to watch the assassins kill the one she chose to live.
7 Alicent and Criston Cole Sex
Interesting Change That Demonstrates Their Hypocrisies
Ser Criston Cole is first introduced as the ideal young knight, but after sleeping with Rhaenyra, he grows to despise the princess, and becomes a close ally of her step-mother, Queen Alicent Hightower (Emily Carey and Olivia Cooke). Season 2’s premier episode, “A Son for a Son,” shows that their relationship has become sexual in nature. Though Alicent says that each time must be the last, they can’t seem to stay away from one another for too long.
There is no mention of Ser Criston and Alicent fornicating in the book, but its inclusion in Season 2 offers a lot of promise. It shows how far Criston has fallen: once he said that his honor as a Kingsguard was all he had, but whereas before he slept with Rhaenyra shamefully, now he happily sullies his cloak with Alicent even if it means ignoring his responsibilities. Speaking of Alicent, this shows some of her own hypocrisies: she tries to present herself as a righteous and pious woman, but has no trouble sinking to the same level as those she despises.
6 Rhaenyra and Alicent’s Relationship
Adds Emotional Depth and Further Develops Alicent
The tension at King’s Landing centers around the rivalry between Princess Rhaenyra and Queen Alicent. In the book, Alicent was much older than Rhaenyra and had been at court during the final days of the old king. The show decided to make both women the same age and have them be friends, only for things to sour following Alicent and Viserys’ marriage and Rhaenyra breaking Alicent’s trust.
This change benefits the story overall, especially regarding Alicent’s character. Fire and Blood doesn’t give her many positive attributes, giving the impression that she was always interested in placing Aegon on the throne. Having her and Rhaenyra begin as friends adds another layer of tragedy to the story, especially when Alicent hopes she can use their connection to try and avoid war.
5 The Fate of Laenor Velaryon
Running Away is Being a Good Father?
The son of Rhaenys Targaryen and Corlys Velaryon (Steve Toussaint), Ser Laenor Velaryon (Theo Nate and Joohn Macmillan) bonded with the dragon, Seasmoke, and came to fall in love with a life of adventure and warfare. This comes to an end when he marries Rhaenyra, and due to his sexual preference, he is unable to father her children, so she has them with Ser Harwin Strong (Ryan Corr). Eventually, he dies following a duel with his lover, Qarl Correy (Arty Froushan), leaving Rhaenyra free to marry her uncle, Daemon (Matt Smith).
The show decided to give Laenor a slightly happier ending than his book counterpart by having the Targaryens stage his and Qarl’s duel so the two of them could run away together. However, it’s undermined by the fact that Laenor had just vowed to re-commit himself to being a good husband and father, especially since the Greens had acquired the largest dragon, Vhagar. Seeing him run away while his family are in a precarious position, and leaving his parents heartbroken thinking their final child is dead, just doesn’t feel in keeping with Laenor’s honorable heart.
4 Ser Joffrey Lonmouth’s Death
How did Ser Criston Get off the Hook?
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Known as the Knight of Kisses, Ser Joffrey Lonmouth (Solly McLeod) was a knight in service to House Velaryon and entered a relationship with Ser Laenor. Thanks to an arrangement made between Laenor and Rhaenyra, he was allowed to come to King’s Landing, so the two could remain romantically involved. Unfortunately, Joffrey is killed by Ser Criston, and years later, Laenor names Rhaenyra’s third son after him.
In the book, Joffrey is killed during a tournament, making it more ambiguous whether Criston intentionally meant to kill him or not. This makes a lot more sense than in the show, where Criston beats him to death during Rhaenyra and Laenor’s wedding, and even physically assaults Laenor when he tries to interfere. The worst part of the whole thing is that Criston suffers no consequences for any of this.
3 Rhaenys’ Mass Murder
Is This Meant to Avoid a War?
While in the book Rhaenys was on Driftmark when Viserys Targaryen died, the show had her present in King’s Landing, so the Greens could detain her until they knew where her loyalties lied. She was spirited out of the keep by Ser Erryk Cargyll (Elliott Tittensor), and made her way to the Dragonpit and her dragon, Meyles. Once mounted on the Red Queen, Rhaenys broke through the Dragonpit and flew to freedom, killing scores of smallfolk in the process.
While this scene does let audiences see one of Westeros’ best dragons in action, it paints Rhaenys in a terrible light, especially since she was willing to kill innocent civilians to escape, but not the entire Green faction. What’s more, episode 1 showed that there was a cliffside entrance to the Dragonpit that would have avoided breaking through the floor and killing civilians, so one wonders why Rhaenys didn’t use it. While it might make for a cool visual, it hurts Rhaenys’ position as the most level-headed member of the Targaryens.
2 Lack of Mushroom
One of the Book’s Primary Sources is Absent
When writing the in-universe version of Fire and Blood, Archmaester Gyldayn pulled from three different sources for the reign of Viserys and the Dance of the Dragons. One of these is Mushroom, a dwarf who served as the royal jester who happened to be in the proximity of almost every major event. Unfortunately, Mushroom also loved to describe events as scandalously as possible, making it difficult to discern what parts of his testimony are true or fabrications.
While a dwarf does appear briefly in Episode 5 during Rhaenyra and Laenor’s wedding, Mushroom himself is absent from the show. This is unfortunate, as along with adding humor, Mushroom was another example of Martin showing how people in power always underestimate those they view beneath them. Mushroom was able to acquire so much knowledge because he was a dwarf and thought a half-whit, but he managed to not only survive the Dance, but profit thanks to his testimony, showing that he had some cunning in him.
1 Viserys Targaryen
Even Martin Thinks The Show Did it Better
Despite being the eldest child of King Jaehaerys’ second son, Viserys was chosen to succeed him at the Great Council of 101 over Rhaenys because he was a man. His reign is seen as one of prosperity, keeping his grandfather’s long peace going and doing what he can to reign in Daemon’s crazed urges. Unfortunately, he was ineffective in stopping the feud that developed between Rhaenyra and Alicent, which plunged the realm into civil war upon his death.
The showrunners expanded on Viserys’ character the most out of everyone in season 1, making him more than a friendly but weak-willed king meant to parallel Robert Baratheon (Mark Addy). A lot of time is dedicated to showing his struggle with grief and personal inadequacy, worrying about his legacy but always standing by Rhaenyra even as his body falls apart. This culminates in episode 8, where watching him sit on the Iron Throne one last time was among the highlights of the show.
