House of the Dragon Season 2 has flown back onto our screens, bringing with it plenty of dragons, Targaryen family drama, and changes from its source material, George R.R. Martin’s Fire & Blood.
Several of these changes build on those in Season 1. Largest among them is the simple fact that House of the Dragon is a narrative TV show, while Fire & Blood is presented as a historical account. The difference in form means that Fire & Blood operates on a larger timescale, spanning centuries, while House of the Dragon can dive deeper into certain scenes and character moments or flesh out “historical” ambiguities.
An example of that fleshing out is the relationship between Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D’Arcy) and Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke), whose fraught dynamic in the show benefits from the extra layers of seeing them grow up together before becoming bitter enemies. That strong adaptation choice is one of many that carries into Season 2, but there are plenty new deviations from Fire & Blood on the way. Which ones work and add depth to the story of the Dance of the Dragons? Which ones are less successful? Let’s break it down.
Here are all the biggest differences between House of the Dragon Season 2 and Fire & Blood.
Episode 1: We’re back at the Wall!
Harry Collett and Tom Taylor in “House of the Dragon.”
Credit: Ollie Upton / HBO
House of the Dragon Season 2 opens with shots of snowy forests and the familiar sounds of Ramin Djawadi‘s Winterfell theme, which can only mean one thing for House Stark fans: We’re so back.
After spending the first season mostly in and around Dragonstone and King’s Landing, it’s a delight to revisit the northernmost reaches of Westeros. Rhaenyra’s eldest son Jacaerys (Harry Collett) flew up there in the Season 1 finale to treat with Lord Cregan Stark of Winterfell (Tom Taylor), and by the time we catch up with them at the beginning of Season 2, it seems like they’ve become good pals. They’re taking a field trip up the Wall, bantering about the time Torrhen Stark bent the knee to Aegon the Conqueror, and discussing how the North can aid Rhaenyra in her war efforts.
House of the Dragon skips over quite a bit of material to get to Jace and Cregan’s allyship. In classic Fire & Blood fashion, there are several conflicting accounts of Jace’s time in Winterfell in Martin’s work. Of his many historical “sources,” Grand Maester Munkun writes in his True Telling that the two became inseparable and swore a blood oath of brotherhood, while Septon Eustace claims that Jace badgered Cregan about converting to the Faith of the Seven. The most scandalous of all the accounts belongs, naturally, to court jester Mushroom, who says Jace fell in love with and married a bastard named Sara Snow, even though he was betrothed to his cousin Rhaena (Phoebe Campbell).
With only eight episodes in this season, House of the Dragon likely didn’t have the time to get into all this potential Northern drama. We’ve got the Dance of the Dragons to kick off, people! Still, you can bet we haven’t seen the last of Cregan Stark.
Episode 1: Alicent Hightower and Criston Cole’s torrid affair.
Olivia Cooke in “House of the Dragon.”
Credit: Ollie Upton / HBO
In a move I didn’t see coming (and that certainly isn’t in Fire & Blood), Dowager Queen Alicent and Lord Commander of the Kingsguard Criston Cole (Fabien Frankel) are getting it on. Based on Alicent’s assertion that they shouldn’t hook up again (as if that’s going to work), we can assume this affair has been going on for a while. So, when did this tryst begin? When did Cole come back around on the whole “breaking his Kingsguard oath of chastity” thing? When did Alicent decide, “Eh, screw it,” and start doing exactly what she hated Rhaenyra for doing?
Alicent and Criston’s hypocrisy here doesn’t bother me, as it’s totally in keeping with their overly righteous characters. And it just makes sense that something would happen between these two. They’re basically joined at the hip, and their joint animosity towards Rhaenyra adds a sweet psychosexual twist. Plus, as Alicent reckons with the increasingly unpredictable men in her circle, like her sons Aegon II (Tom Glynn-Carney) and Aemond (Ewan Mitchell), it also makes sense that she’d try to reclaim her power elsewhere.
What does bother me about this change is that Criston is having sex at all. He doesn’t deserve it. No nice things for Criston, please!
Episode 1: Let’s talk about Blood and Cheese.
Phia Saban in “House of the Dragon.”
Credit: Ollie Upton / HBO
In what is undoubtedly one of the darkest scenes ever featured in House of the Dragon and Game of Thrones, two assassins — known simply as Blood (Sam C. Wilson) and Cheese (Mark Stobbart) — sneak into the Red Keep and murder Aegon and Helaena’s (Phia Saban) infant son Jaehaerys. The monstrous act comes at the behest of Daemon (Matt Smith), who seeks “a son for a son” in retribution for the death of Lucerys (Elliot Grihault).
In the book, Blood and Cheese force Helaena to choose which of her sons she wants them to kill. When volunteering herself doesn’t work, she chooses her youngest, Maelor, as Jaehaerys is heir to the Iron Throne. In a nasty twist, Blood and Cheese kill Jaehaerys instead — and tell Maelor that his mother wants him dead.
Things play out a little differently in House of the Dragon, although the final outcome is the same: Jaehaerys dies, and Helaena is traumatized for life. First off, Blood and Cheese’s original target in the show is Aemond. That change already complicates the blame of Jaehaerys’s death. It lets Daemon off the hook a little for bankrolling child murder, just as Vhagar’s unauthorized chomping in the Season 1 finale means Aemond technically didn’t murder Lucerys. But technicalities don’t matter when children are dead.
Instead of finding Aemond, Blood and Cheese stumble upon Helaena and the twins Jaehaerys and Jaehaera. (Maelor is cut from the show entirely.) They make a snap judgment that one Targaryen son is as good as another and make Helaena tell them which of her children is Jaehaerys. She points him out, but there’s a brief moment in which Blood thinks she’s trying to double-cross them. After all, why would she give up the heir to the throne so easily? Surely she’s actually pointing to Jaehaera. Cheese calls her bluff though and correctly surmises that she’s actually singled out her son. With that, Jaehaerys becomes another victim in the Dance of the Dragons.
This version of the Blood and Cheese scene nods a bit to the book version, with Helaena still having to make an impossible choice and there being trickery involved. However, there’s an extra layer of tragedy here. Based on a rat-centric statement towards the beginning of the episode, Helaena likely foresaw the arrival of Blood and Cheese in a prophetic dream. That means she’s had quite a bit of time to think about this moment, and maybe even prepare for it. Her attempt to throw Blood and Cheese off of Jaehaerys’s scent was her last-ditch effort to stop the inevitable. In failing, her action turns a horrifying scene into something even sadder.
Episode 2: The aftermath of Jaehaerys’s death.
Olivia Cooke and Phia Saban in “House of the Dragon.”
Credit: Theo Whitman / HBO
Understandably, much of House of the Dragon Season 2’s second episode deals with the fallout from Jaehaerys’s murder at the hands of Blood and Cheese. Some elements from Fire & Blood remain the same, such as Aegon’s decision to murder all the ratcatchers. Other details are omitted. For example, the show’s version of Alicent doesn’t try to learn Blood’s true name in order to “bathe in the blood of his wife and children.” (Probably for the best.) Instead, her reaction is one of grief for Jaehaerys and especially Helaena.
Elsewhere, Hand of the King Otto Hightower (Rhys Ifans) views Jaehaerys’s death as an opportunity to spread some good old-fashioned propaganda. He throws a funeral procession for Jaehaerys, with Helaena and Alicent riding with the young prince’s corpse. Accompanying them is a crier telling onlookers to “behold the work of Rhaenyra the Cruel,” weaponizing Jaehaerys’s death against Rhaenyra. The scene is a show-only invention, yet one that’s entirely in keeping with Otto’s scheming persona. Plus, even though Alicent decries the procession as ghoulish, it seems like Otto’s scheme actually works and wins sympathy points from the smallfolk. (At least, until Aegon hangs every ratcatcher in the vicinity.)
Episode 2: Rhaenyra and Daemon duke it out.
Matt Smith and Emma D’Arcy in “House of the Dragon.”
Credit: Theo Whitman / HBO
When Rhaenyra learns of Daemon’s involvement in Jaehaerys’s death, House of the Dragon treats us to a massive argument between the married couple (and uncle-niece pair). Rhaenyra worries that she can’t trust Daemon, while Daemon claims Rhaenyra is as weak as her father. It’s a brutal but deeply necessary fight, dredging up both characters’ insecurities about their relationship, proximity to power, and different approaches to the brewing conflict with Aegon. And none of it is in Fire & Blood.
By this point in Fire & Blood, Daemon has already taken control of Harrenhal. He orchestrates the Blood and Cheese plot from afar, and we don’t get enough of Rhaenyra’s reaction to the murder to suggest that the two fall out over Daemon’s actions. Instead, House of the Dragon fills in one of the emotional gaps of Martin’s fictional history. The resulting scene gets at the heart of Rhaenyra and Daemon’s fraught relationship, and puts the two in very different headspaces as we move into the next section of the season.
Episode 2: Arryk versus Erryk.
Fabien Frankel and Luke Tittensor in “House of the Dragon.”
Credit: Ollie Upton / HBO
Like much of Fire & Blood, the duel between the Cargyll twins Arryk and Erryk (Luke and Elliott Tittensor) is the subject of differing historical accounts. Munkun says their battle was epic, lasting for almost an hour and ending with the brothers dying in each other’s arms. Mushroom, on the other hand, claims the fight was short-lived. Erryk (who fights for Rhaenyra) dealt Arryk (who fights for Aegon) a mortal blow fairly early on. He sustained a gut wound in the process, and succumbed to it after four painful days. Frankly, the latter seems more plausible, so we’ve got to give this round to Mushroom.
Also left ambiguous is the true goal of Arryk’s mission to Dragonstone. Was he sent to kill Rhaenyra, or to murder her sons Jacaerys and Joffrey (Oscar Eskinazi)? House of the Dragon decides on the latter. It also moves the battle from “deep in the heart of Dragonstone” to Rhaenyra’s chambers, putting her in more danger than in Fire & Blood. Here, she witnesses firsthand the kinslaying that will continue to take place should she and Aegon go to war outright. Will this prompt her to take swifter action, or will she stay her cautious course?
Perhaps the most interesting development in the Cargyll fight is the involvement of Mysaria (Sonoya Mizuno), who alerts Dragonstone to Arryk’s presence. By this point in Fire & Blood, Mysaria and Rhaenyra haven’t interacted much, although Mysaria does become Rhaenyra’s unofficial mistress of whispers later on. However, Rhaenyra now owes Mysaria her life. Could this signal a greater (and earlier) partnership between the two, especially now that Daemon is gone?
Episode 3: The Battle of the Burning Mill and the Taking of Stone Hedge.
The first major battle of the Dance of the Dragons comes at the start of Season 2’s third episode, when the long-feuding Blackwoods and Brackens take up arms against each other. The result is a slaughter, and while House of the Dragon doesn’t show us the actual bloodshed, the field of corpses stretching as far as the eye can see is more than enough to get the job done. In Fire & Blood, the clash between the Blackwoods and Brackens becomes known as the Battle of the Burning Mill. The episode’s opening shot of a turning mill (later seen burned to a crisp) is a solid nod to that.
However, House of the Dragon cuts the follow-up to the Battle of the Burning Mill. Martin’s work sees what’s left of the Bracken forces return to their seat at Stone Hedge, only to discover that Daemon, Caraxes, and several armies have taken it over in their absence. Getting rid of the Taking of Stone Hedge in the show isn’t the greatest loss: Daemon has only just arrived in Harrenhal, meaning he hasn’t had much time to assemble a host for Rhaenyra. Plus, the show appears to be saving up the first major dragon attack for a larger turning point, as Rhaenyra and Rhaenys (Eve Best) would rather opt for caution than unleashing a bloody war between dragons.
Episode 3: Daemon gets spooky visions at Harrenhal.
Matt Smith in “House of the Dragon.”
Credit: Ollie Upton / HBO
Speaking of Daemon at Harrenhal, let’s talk about the vision he gets of young Rhaenyra (Milly Alcock) on his first night there. These visions are show-only additions, but they’re rooted in book-specific lore. Harrenhal is basically Westeros’ biggest haunted house, widely believed to be cursed since every House that runs it goes extinct. So how better to play up that cursed nature than with a series of strange nightmares that will force Daemon to confront his greatest mistakes and fears?
Episode 3: Rhaena oversees the dragon eggs.
Phoebe Campbell in “House of the Dragon.”
Credit: Theo Whitman / HBO
Following the attempt on her life in episode 2, Rhaenyra makes the painful decision to send her youngest children away to the Vale (and hopefully later to Pentos). Rhaena (Phoebe Campbell) will accompany them, their hatchling dragons, and four unhatched dragon eggs. In Fire & Blood, it’s Jacaerys who makes this call, as Rhaenyra is still grieving Lucerys. House of the Dragon brings Rhaenyra back into action much sooner, giving her the space to rule and make these decisions herself.
The most interesting change here involves the dragon eggs, three of which will look very familiar to Game of Thrones fans. Episode director Geeta Vasant Patel confirmed to Mashable that the red, gold, and green eggs are the ones that will eventually find their way to Daenerys Targaryen. This confirmation marks a minor deviation from Fire & Blood, which heavily implies that Daenerys’s eggs were stolen by a character named Elissa Farman during the reign of Jaehaerys I. Overall, though, the origin of Daenerys’s eggs is left somewhat ambiguous, so their inclusion here is more of a fun (and literal) Easter egg. Plus, there’s a sweetness to the fact that these eggs are the Targaryens’ “hope for the future.” From an audience standpoint, we know that they do find their way to the last Targaryen, centuries down the line.
Episode 3: Rhaenyra and Alicent reunite.
Olivia Cooke in “House of the Dragon.”
Credit: Theo Whitman/HBO
In the biggest book-to-show change this season so far, Rhaenyra travels to King’s Landing to speak directly to Alicent. The two don’t interact until much later in the Dance in Fire & Blood, but given how much House of the Dragon has centered their relationship, their meeting here is necessary — and electric.
On one level, this is Rhaenyra’s last-ditch attempt to stop war from escalating. But on a deeper level, it’s two friends trying to get through to one another, with Rhaenyra in particular trying to understand whether her father really changed his mind about having her as his successor. Alicent details how Viserys named Aegon as the Prince That Was Promised in his dying breath. Alarm bells immediately sound in Rhaenyra’s head: This has all been a big misunderstanding about Aegon’s dream of the Song of Ice and Fire! Viserys never doubted Rhaenyra.
‘House of the Dragon’ director Geeta Vasant Patel breaks down Rhaenyra and Alicent’s pivotal meeting
Back in Season 1, I found myself frustrated by the first mention of the Song of Ice and Fire, seeing it as cheap fan service for Game of Thrones fans. But with Viserys’s last words, and with Rhaenyra’s realization in her conversation with Alicent, House of the Dragon truly justifies its use of Aegon’s dream. It’s not just an attempt to connect to a series that came before. It’s the point around which so much of this war revolves. (Also, just a cautionary tale about naming everyone in the family the same thing.)
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Following Rhaenyra’s revelation, a new question arises: How will Alicent act going forward, now that she knows she’s made a grave error?
Episode 4: Alicent’s abortion and her possible change of heart.
Season 2’s fourth episode, “The Red Dragon and the Gold,” sees Alicent undertaking two difficult tasks. First, she aborts a pregnancy from her affair with Criston using a specially brewed tea. Then, she scours historical texts looking for any sign of Aegon’s dream. Since both her relationship with Criston and her episode 3 discussion with Rhaenyra are show-only additions, Alicent’s story in “The Red Dragon and the Gold” is totally new.
Here, Alicent’s research has the potential to set her on a new path from Fire & Blood entirely. Now that she doubts Aegon II’s claim and realizes how horribly she messed up, will she work to undermine the ruler she helped put on the Iron Throne? Based on her discussion with Larys Strong (Matthew Needham), that seems unlikely, as she’s resigned to the fact that war is coming no matter what. However, since Larys knows about Alicent’s doubts as well as her secret abortion, he’s got some extra leverage against her should she choose to act against his interests.
Episode 4: Aegon and Aemond at Rook’s Rest.
Tom Glynn-Carney in “House of the Dragon.”
Credit: Ollie Upton / HBO
“The Red Dragon and the Gold” culminates in this season’s first dragon battle: a massive set piece fought over the castle of Rook’s Rest. The outcome here is the same as in the book — Rhaenys (Eve Best) and Meleys dead, and Aegon and Sunfyre fallen, all at the hands (or claws) of Vhagar. But as in much of House of the Dragon, the route the show takes to get there is a little different from how it plays out in Fire & Blood.
In the book, Aegon and Aemond attack Rhaenys together. But in the show, Aegon’s arrival interferes with Criston and Aemond’s original plan. It’s a perfect illustration of his recklessness — and the perfect opportunity for Aemond to try to get rid of him, a development that is new to the show.
House of the Dragon has been building the hostility between Aemond and Aegon for a while now. In Season 1, we saw Aegon tormenting Aemond as a child for not having a dragon of his own. And in episode 3, Aegon teased Aemond mercilessly when he found him at the brothel. A lot may have changed in the realm between those points, but the bullying has certainly never stopped. Aegon may think his brother is loyal as a hound, but when Aemond opens fire on him and Rhaenys at Rook’s Rest, there’s no doubt about it: This is retribution.
Episode 5: Alicent pitches herself to rule.
Credit: Theo Whitman / HBO
Following the game-changing events at Rook’s Rest, we learn that Aegon did not die. Instead, he’s horribly injured, covered in burns, with some of his armor nearly fused to his body. He’s in no state to rule, so while he recovers — if he even can! — his Small Council must choose a regent to rule in his stead.
In Fire & Blood, Criston simply chooses Aemond to be Prince Regent and Protector of the Realm. (This results in a delightfully catty moment where Aemond wears Aegon’s crown and declares, “It looks better on me than it ever did on him.”) House of the Dragon adds a wrinkle to the mix: Alicent puts herself forward as an option, having ruled while Viserys was ill. The men of the Small Council, including her usual allies Larys and Criston, opt for Aemond instead. For them, Alicent’s caution is no match for her son’s experience in battle, which will prove useful in the war ahead.
The decision sends Alicent into a contained spiral, with the remainder of the scene emphasizing her upset breathing over the Small Council’s proceedings. This entire meeting is yet another example of Alicent being undermined by those around her and deprived of any meaningful say in the rule of Westeros. For example, in the book, it’s Alicent who orders that the gates of King’s Landing be barred to prevent anyone from coming and going. In the show, that command goes to Aemond.
Between this slight, Aemond’s poorly hidden fratricide attempt, and her discussion with Rhaenyra about the Song of Ice and Fire, it seems like Alicent’s belief in the Greens’ cause is weakening from episode to episode. While that belief stood firm throughout Fire & Blood, could the show be hinting at a total change of heart for the Dowager Queen?
Episode 5: Daemon’s in trouble in the Riverlands.
Matt Smith in “House of the Dragon.”
Credit: Ollie Upton / HBO
While the Brackens’ fall at the Taking of Stone Hedge doesn’t appear in episode 3 along with the Battle of the Burning Mill, it does happen offscreen in episode 5. There are still some notable changes, though: First, Daemon and Caraxes are not directly involved. Second, Daemon encourages a violent assault against the innocent residents of Bracken land here, instead of simply taking the castle. Third, the Blackwoods’ resulting aggression at Stone Hedge has alienated Daemon from the rest of the river lords. This marks a significant divergence from Fire & Blood, where the Taking of Stone Hedge involves “a strong host made up of Darrys, Rootes, Pipers, and Freys.”
By this point in the book, Daemon has already amassed a considerable army and is not facing infighting. He’s basically the perfect general for Team Black. However, House of the Dragon turns Harrenhal into a testing ground for Daemon, where emotional turmoil and self-doubt about his relationships materializes in the form of haunting visions. He may call himself King and plan to take the Iron Throne solo — a show-only development in itself — but it only reads as bluster and delusion in the face of his nightmares.
Not only do Daemon’s woes offer a fascinating dive into his character, they also allow Jace to take some initiative of his own to try to secure allies in the Riverlands. We see this when he flies to meet the Freys at the Twins, where we get to watch the kind of bargaining and diplomacy he must have used during his stint up North. Look at this little king-in-training go!
Episode 6: Grover Tully meets an untimely death.
Gayle Rankin in “House of the Dragon.”
Credit: Liam Daniel / HBO
Daemon’s biggest problem in his stint at Harrenhal (besides the frequent hauntings) has been the fact that he’s been unable to unite the Riverlords under one banner. The easiest way to do this would be getting Lord Grover Tully’s full support. However, an illness has left Grover incapacitated, and his heirs dare not act without his word. As a result, Daemon finds himself in an impossible waiting game — although that didn’t stop him from encouraging young Oscar Tully (Archie Barnes) to smother his grandpa in his sleep. Charming stuff!
The stalemate finally breaks in episode 6, when Grover succumbs to his illness. Not only does Grover’s death come far earlier than in Fire & Blood — it occurs differently, too. Here, House of the Dragon highly implies that Harrenhal’s resident witch Alys Rivers (Gayle Rankin) had something to do with Grover’s death after she volunteered to “tend” to him. When paired with Alys’ pep talk to Daemon about the Tullys being the key to the Riverlands, it’s pretty clear we’re looking at murder here.
But why did Alys kill in order to further Daemon’s cause? The two have already interacted more in the show than they ever did in the book, as the show has expanded upon Daemon’s time in Harrenhal (and made him suffer even more while there). Does she have some hidden, witchy agenda that Daemon is the key to? Is she trying to keep her own head while such a volatile man resides in her castle? Or is she just having a fun, witchy time?
Episode 6: Rhaenyra and Mysaria are an item now!
Emma D’Arcy and Sonoya Mizuno in “House of the Dragon.”
Credit: Theo Whitman/HBO
Season 2 has seen Rhaenyra and Mysaria grow much closer than their book counterparts by this point in the Dance of the Dragons. Rhaenyra offered Mysaria her freedom, Mysaria saved Rhaenyra’s life by alerting her Kingsguard to the attempted Arryk/Erryk plot, and for the past several episodes, the two have conspired on how best to take down the Greens. In a surprising (but not at all unwelcome) turn, their relationship blossoms into something more in episode 6, when the two share a passionate kiss.
This romance is entirely new to the show, but following Rhaenyra and Mysaria’s charged prior interactions this season, as well as queer readings of Rhaenyra (and especially her relationship with Alicent), it feels more than earned. Plus, it’s a solid nod to the many canonically queer women of Fire & Blood, including the recently introduced Jeyne Arryn (Amanda Collin). Some of these women, like Princess Rhaena Targaryen (not to be confused with House of the Dragon‘s Rhaena) and her lover Elissa Farman, weren’t alive during the Dance of the Dragons, so they wouldn’t appear in the show. Others, like Alysanne Blackwood and Sabitha Frey, have yet to be introduced, but do play a part in the Dance.
Episode 6: Addam claims Seasmoke — but not on Dragonstone.
By the end of episode 5, Rhaenyra and Jace hatch a plan to recruit more dragonriders to their cause. That plan comes to a screeching halt in episode 6, after Seasmoke barbecues Ser Steffon Darklyn (Anthony Flanagan) mid-dragon claiming attempt.
In Fire & Blood, one knight dying is not enough to make Rhaenyra and Jace give up their search. They seek out anyone who may be of Targaryen descent, including bastards — known as “dragonseeds” or simply “seeds.” Many, many hopeful dragonriders perish in the bloody process, which becomes known as the Red Sowing or the Sowing of the Seeds. However, one of the very few success stories is that of Addam of Hull (Clinton Liberty), bastard son of Corlys Velaryon (Steve Toussaint) and Seasmoke’s new rider.
Addam’s claiming of Seasmoke is a public affair in Fire & Blood, as is the rest of the Sowing. However, in House of the Dragon, it’s almost an accident. Seasmoke clearly misses her bond with Laenor, but isn’t willing to settle for someone like Steffon. Instead, she hunts down her own rider: Laenor’s half-brother. We don’t see the claiming onscreen, but we’re able to infer that the new dragonrider Rhaenyra hears about at the end of the episode is none other than Addam.
So how will Rhaenyra react when she discovers Addam as the dragonrider? She’ll likely restart the search for other dragonriders. But instead of just focusing on highborn candidates like Steffon, this new iteration of the Sowing will be open to bastards. And that could make all the difference.
Episode 7: Daemon executes Willem Blackwood.
Matt Smith in “House of the Dragon.”
Credit: Liam Daniel / HBO
Daemon finally gets his army of Riverlords in episode 7. All it costs him is the head of Willem Blackwood (Jack Parry-Jones), one of his only allies in the Riverlands who actually liked him.
Just like most of Daemon’s Harrenhal drama, Willem is a show-only invention. However, his death will surely spell disaster for Team Black’s in-show relationship with House Blackwood, even though the Blackwoods are stalwart supporters of Rhaenyra in Fire & Blood. If the show ends up introducing characters like Benjicot and Alysanne Blackwood, how will they react to the execution of one of their family members? Will they still stand by Daemon and the other Riverlords?
Episode 7: It’s time for the Sowing of the Seeds.
Vermithor and Matt Smith in “House of the Dragon.”
Credit: Courtesy of HBO
Addam’s claiming of Seasmoke in episode 6 plants a seed in Rhaenyra and Mysaria’s minds — one might even call it a “dragonseed.” The two extend the call for dragonriders to lowborn Targaryen bastards, and the Sowing of the Seeds begins in earnest.
In Fire & Blood, it’s Jace who heads up the process of finding new dragonriders. However, the show’s version of Jace is far less enthusiastic about reaching out to bastards. After all, he’s been haunted all his life by the knowledge that he is a bastard. Having a dragon legitimizes his claim to the Iron Throne, but if other bastards claim dragons, will they also make claims of their own?
Strife between Jace and Rhaenyra isn’t the only element of the Sowing that’s different from Fire & Blood. The sequence in the book reads like a conveyor belt of hopeful dragonriders, each taking their turn mounting a dragon, only to suffer brutal injuries or deaths. Here, House of the Dragon simply unleashes Vermithor on all the prospective riders until he encounters Hugh Hammer (Kieran Bew). The sequence is chaotic and terrifying all at once, a reminder of the sheer power of dragons (and the madness of Rhaenyra’s entire plan).
Meanwhile, Ulf the White (Tom Bennett) runs away and stumbles on Silverwing, instead of mounting her during the more formal Sowing of the book. Their encounter is a bit of levity following the disaster of the Sowing, and it offers us a look at a different kind of dragon bond. Seasmoke knew exactly what he wanted in a rider, leading him to hunt down Addam. Vermithor appeared drawn to Hugh’s strength, as well as the selflessness he displayed when he distracted Vermithor so another bastard could escape. Silverwing, on the other hand, seems to see Ulf as a plaything she can nudge around with her snout. Clearly, there’s more than one way to claim a dragon.
Episode 7: Where is Nettles?
Addam, Ulf, and Hugh aren’t the only new dragonriders in Fire & Blood. Martin also introduces fan-favorite Nettles, a 16-year-old girl who tames the wild dragon Sheepstealer with her wits. She notably doesn’t have any Valyrian blood that we know of, so her ability to ride a dragon is another strike against the idea that only the Targaryens can do so.
Nettles is completely missing from House of the Dragon, but Sheepstealer isn’t. The wild dragon hunting in the Vale is almost certainly the show’s version of this legendary dragon — and Rhaena’s interest in finding and claiming it means that her storyline is getting merged with Nettles’ role in the books.
On a plot level, the consolidation makes some sense. Cutting Nettles means House of the Dragon has one less character to wrangle, plus the show gets to give Rhaena more of an arc than just babysitting and hanging out in the Vale. (However, this will definitely interfere with her Fire & Blood arc down the line.) That said, fans have expressed frustration at Nettles being combined with Rhaena, as Nettles is the only canonically Black dragonrider in Fire & Blood.
Episode 8: Otto, what in the world are you doing in jail?
Otto Hightower was out of commission for most of House of the Dragon Season 2, and now we know why. After being fired from his position as Hand of the King, he somehow ended up in jail. Emphasis on somehow, because the House of the Dragon finale gives us no indication of how he got there — or who might be holding him.
Otto’s stint in jail is a show-only invention. In Fire & Blood, it’s actually his idea to ally with the Triarchy. He began writing to Essos when Rhaenyra blockaded the Gullet, but his plans came to fruition much later due to the Triarchy’s lengthy decision-making process. In the end, though, he secured the alliance through letters (not mud wrestling).
Shelving Otto for the majority of Season 2, then giving us a lackluster jail reveal is a pretty frustrating move on House of the Dragon‘s part. It’s nowhere near the level of Game of Thrones cutting Bran for all of Season 5, only to make him king down the line, but there’s a similar sense of disconnect with a key character. Here’s hoping Season 3 fills us in, and fast.
Episode 8: Daemon gets a vision of Daenerys.
Matt Smith in “House of the Dragon.”
Credit: Ollie Upton / HBO
After a whole season of Alys Rivers’ ghost therapy, Daemon finally bends the knee to Rhaenyra. All it took was a stern talking-to from Helaena — and a vision of Daenerys Targaryen herself, hatching her three dragons.
Since Fire & Blood is written as a historical account, we don’t hear of future Targaryens like Daenerys. We also don’t hear anything of Daemon’s visions, as these are highly personal and likely not something he would have shared with anyone. His glimpse of the future and his heart-to-heart with Helaena do raise interesting questions about whether he is also a dreamer, like Helaena or Aegon the Conqueror. Did Alys and the Harrenhal weirwood tree unlock the seer-like ability within Daemon? And when she asks him, “Do you wish, then, to learn what is given to you?” does that imply all Targaryens have this innate gift?
Episode 8: Rhaenyra and Alicent reunite on Dragonstone.
Rhaenyra and Alicent have yet another show-only reunion in the House of the Dragon Season 2 finale. This time, it’s Alicent coming to Rhaenyra on Dragonstone (no septa costume required).
Just like their episode 3 meeting, this scene is tremendous. Rhaenyra and Alicent trade blows over whether they can even reconcile mid-war, as well as over Alicent’s hypocrisy in taking a lover. None of this rich character work would be possible without House of the Dragon‘s decision to alter the nature of their relationship right from Season 1, proof that some of the show’s biggest changes are continuing to pay off big-time.
The scene also marks the conclusion of Alicent’s very off-book Season 2 arc, which saw her reconsidering her allegiance to her sons and to Team Green as a whole. Here, she offers to surrender King’s Landing to Rhaenyra once Aemond leaves for Harrenhal — even agreeing to give her Aegon’s head! — in exchange for her and Helaena being able to live free. Rhaenyra agrees. However, she might view Aegon’s departure from King’s Landing as Alicent breaking their terms, so who knows how long this tentative alliance will last.
What’s next for House of the Dragon?
More war! As the last sequence of the Season 2 finale tells us, forces across the world are converging on King’s Landing. Sharako Lohar’s (Abigail Thorn) fleet is sailing to the Gullet “on the morrow” (aka Season 3); Aemond and the Lannister and Hightower armies are headed to Harrenhal, where they’ll meet Daemon, the Riverlords, and maybe even the Starks; and Rhaenyra and her dragonriders will fly to King’s Landing in Aemond’s stead.
Final verdict.
Tom Glynn-Carney and Matthew Needham in “House of the Dragon.”
Credit: Liam Damiel / HBO
A “faithful” adaptation of a book can never truly exist, especially not when the book itself is a historical account full of ambiguity, unreliable narrators, and very few firsthand accounts. The characters and events we see in Fire & Blood are essentially projections told by survivors of history. It’s impossible to understand the “real” Rhaenyra or Alicent on the page, which ends up giving House of the Dragon quite a bit of freedom to build its own story.
A lot of the changes from Fire & Blood end up working, especially the continued focus on Rhaenyra and Alicent’s tragic relationship, which lends the show an emotional push-and-pull between Team Black and Team Green. House of the Dragon takes other big risks in Season 2, including Daemon’s Harrenhal arc. While that storyline allowed Daemon to reckon with his demons and built out the fascinating mythology surrounding the castle, it also created a feeling of stasis that reverberated across the season. That’s unfortunate, as Season 2’s lack of momentum following Rook’s Rest — buttoned up with a fairly unsatisfying finale — is one of its greatest weaknesses.
But one of the most interesting elements of House of the Dragon Season 2 is its willingness to engage with its story’s own historicity, a huge element of Fire & Blood. We see that in its new opening credits, which depict a tapestry that shows the history of House Targaryen. In episode 5, Jace questions whether Old Valyrian histories were accurate in their statement that only dragonlords like the Targaryens could ride dragons. In the finale, Rhaenyra tells Alicent, “History will paint you a villain. A cold queen, grasping for power and then defeated.” That’s essentially the version of Alicent we get in Fire & Blood.
Yet Alicent does not care: “Let them think what they must. I am at last myself.” And isn’t that the main tension between these characters and what we come to see of them in Fire & Blood? Their “true” selves — and their “true” story — are unknowable. Years down the line, they will be flattened by history, figures on a tapestry they will never get to see.
House of the Dragon Season 2 is now streaming on Max.
UPDATE: Aug. 2, 2024, 3:24 p.m. EDT This article was originally published on June 16, 2024, and has been updated regularly as the show progresses.