The Most Useless Book-to-TV Change on House of the Dragon
It served little purpose on the show, it would appear.
Summary
- House of the Dragon had many changes from the source material.
- Rhaenyra has been whitewashed to make her more sympathetic for the show.
- This is especially evident in one storyline that turned out to be changed in vain.
Unlike the A Song of Ice and Fire cycle, George R.R. Martin's Fire & Blood doesn't have enough dramatic elements to be accurately adapted for television. Instead, it is a collection of chronicles of the Targaryen history in Westeros that spans hundreds of years and contains little dialogue. Perhaps this is why HBO's House of the Dragon focuses on the most exciting part of that history – the so-called Dance of the Dragons, the civil war between two factions of the Targaryen family vying for the Iron Throne.
Given the scarcity of the source material and its format – Fire & Blood is a collection of different people's recollections of the events – it is only natural that many details have been changed when adapting the book for television. One change in particular stuck with viewers in Season 1. But recent events on the show have made it completely irrelevant.
Pointless Clemency
House of the Dragon centers on Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen, who was denied her birthright to the Iron Throne by her stepmother, Queen Alicent, and the small council that crowned Alicent's son Aegon instead. In Fire & Blood, Rhaenyra is a ruthless ruler who will go to great lengths to get what she believes is hers. One of the terrible things she does to further her cause is to order the murder of her husband, Ser Laenor Velaryon, in order to marry her uncle Daemon.
Laenor is brutally killed in a town square in front of many witnesses. In the series, however, Rhaenyra is portrayed as a softer and kinder woman who instead orchestrates Laenor's death, allowing him to escape to Essos with his paramour Qarl and live a free and happy life. But by Season 2, it has become clear that Laenor is dead anyway.
Between the Lines
In Episode 3, Lady Mysaria observes that Laenor's dragon, Seasmoke, has become restless lately and says that he must be lonely, which must be a hint that Rhaenyra's husband has died, since dragons have a very deep bond with their riders. In Episode 6, Seasmoke finds a new rider in Corlys' bastard Addam, which would be impossible if Laenor were still alive, since dragons and riders bond for life.
So Laenor must be dead. We never saw him after his escape, and we don't know if he had a chance at happiness with Qarl. Then what was the point of keeping Laenor alive at all? Was it just to show Rhaenyra in a different light than in the book? To show that she has a kind heart and would make a good queen? There are too many questions and very few answers. And most importantly, Laenor is dead anyway, and Seasmoke is now ridden by his half-brother Addam.
Episode 7 of House of the Dragon Season 2 will premiere on July 28.