5 best changes House of the Dragon season 2 made from the book Fire & Blood

As a connoisseur of the realm, I must say that the transformation of characters in House of the Dragon has been nothing short of extraordinary. One such character who has undergone a remarkable journey is Ser Criston Cole. From a loathsome figure to a man haunted by the horrors he’s witnessed, his evolution is as captivating as any dragon dance on the battlefield.

Recently, “House of the Dragon” has been making headlines and capturing people’s attention. This all began a few weeks ago when author George R.R. Martin, whose book “Fire & Blood” is the basis for the series, expressed some concerns about the TV adaptation on his blog. Martin was especially upset that Maelor Targaryen, the youngest son of Queen Helaena and King Aegon, who plays a significant role in the gruesome ‘Blood and Cheese’ scene and later influences the broader war, has been left out in the show entirely.

Martin was surprisingly candid in this post, going so far as to tease “larger and more toxic” deviations from the source material in the future “if HOUSE OF THE DRAGON goes ahead with some of the changes being contemplated for seasons 3 and 4.”

At approximately the same period, HBO aired an episode on their House of the Dragon podcast featuring showrunner Ryan Condal justifying the changes made to the original storyline. Subsequently, HBO issued a statement expressing approval for the show’s writing team, and Martin’s blog post on this matter inexplicably disappeared from online platforms.

Ever since then, the atmosphere in Westeros has remained chilly. When The Hollywood Reporter sought his opinion on the situation regarding House of the Dragon, Martin opted to remain silent about it altogether. Instead, he praised A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, an entirely different Game of Thrones spinoff based on his Dunk & Egg novellas that recently completed filming. It appears that negotiations between Martin and HBO are ongoing at the moment, but it’s uncertain what their relationship will be like once things get sorted out.

In summary, I believe Martin’s criticisms were mostly valid, and HBO’s responses were revealing. It seems that House of the Dragon has deviated significantly from Fire & Blood, making it feel like a distinct story in many aspects. However, not all changes in House of the Dragon were negative; some even managed to enhance certain elements of the book in surprising and beneficial ways. Today, let’s focus on some positive alterations made by House of the Dragon that turned out to be effective. Let’s begin with…

1. The Battle at Rook’s Rest

Indeed, it’s quite ironic that we’re beginning with an event which appears to have changed the least from the original story, but there were indeed alterations made to the Battle at Rook’s Rest, changes that were largely positive. In the novel, this battle follows a similar course, with two significant variations: firstly, there’s no mention of Aemond’s scheme to ambush Meleys and Rhaenys within the castle; secondly, we don’t learn the specifics about how Aegon plummeted from the sky alongside his dragon Sunfyre. Instead, “Fire & Blood” introduces the battle, depicts Aemond and Aegon joining the fray, and then vividly describes the devastating consequences that ensued.

The production elegantly integrated numerous dramatic elements onto an initial foundation of fundamental structures. It was unveiled that the strategy to assault Rook’s Rest was an intricate, clandestine scheme masterminded by Ser Criston Cole and Aemond Targaryen. King Aegon remained oblivious to it, along with all the soldiers under Cole’s command until the moment it became critical to bring them into the loop. This twist served to make the plot appear more cunningly manipulative on the part of the Greens, while also introducing a wealth of internal strife within their ranks.

However, the most significant alteration lies in the fact that Aemond intentionally sets his elder brother Aegon ablaze with dragonfire in House of the Dragon. As portrayed both in the book and series, Aemond harbors resentment towards Aegon’s ascension to power, believing he would make a superior ruler for the Seven Kingdoms. In the original narrative, Aemond assumes the regency following Aegon’s fall, but since he wasn’t the direct cause of it, the plot maintains an air of less ominous intrigue. This is an impressive demonstration of House of the Dragon subtly modifying events while preserving the essence of the source material.

2. Helaena Targaryen’s journey through grief

One intriguing shift I noticed in “House of the Dragon” was their portrayal of Helaena Targaryen’s sorrow. Given that the show needed to deviate from the book due to the omission of Maelor, I found this omission regrettable and am cautious about its potential implications for future events. However, immediately following Blood and Cheese slaying Helaena’s son Jaehaerys, “House of the Dragon” demonstrated a moment of great insight.

In the novel “Fire & Blood“, the assassins known as Blood and Cheese force Queen Helaena to decide which of her two sons they will eliminate: Jaehaerys or Maelor. Heartbreakingly, Helaena chooses Maelor, but instead, Blood slays Jaehaerys cruelly. This act leaves Helaena devastated by the loss of one son and the guilt of having chosen the other’s death, causing her to spiral into a deep emotional darkness. As a result, she becomes unstable and distant from others until her sad and tragic demise.

The show deviated from the usual path by allowing Helaena to delve into her sorrow rather than turning her into a flat character who remains broken throughout the story. Instead of focusing solely on Helaena’s descent into despair following Jaehaerys’ death, we witness her wrestling with the complexities surrounding his demise. This includes questions about forgiveness towards her mother, Alicent Hightower, who was involved with the only Kingsguard on duty when Jaehaerys was killed; understanding her emotions as Jaehaerys’ small body was displayed in public to stir anger against the Blacks; and grappling with whether she has a claim to difficult feelings given that commoners experience loss far more frequently than the nobility.

These inquiries are quite intriguing, and House of the Dragon has skillfully delved into them – I must emphasize, even George R.R. Martin himself commended actor Phia Saban’s portrayal of Helaena. Although the alterations involving Helaena could potentially lead to significant issues in the future, at this juncture, House of the Dragon has undeniably executed some captivating developments with her character.

3. Mysaria

Among the characters in House of the Dragon season 2, only a few underwent as significant a transformation as Mysaria, the spymaster who allies with Team Black. Unlike her book counterpart, Mysaria actively assists Daemon Targaryen in his scheme to recruit the assassins Blood and Cheese. Later in the TV series, she assumes a more prominent role compared to her limited appearances towards the end of the original storyline.

In novels, such characters can thrive, but translating them to television can sometimes pose challenges, particularly when it comes to maintaining actors’ interest and ensuring they remain part of the production. Instead of keeping Mysaria largely in the background during season 2, House of the Dragon chose to redefine her role, sending her to Dragonstone and gradually transforming her into Queen Rhaenyra’s most trusted advisor. This trajectory is similar to that of Mysaria in the books, but the show began delving into it earlier and added a wealth of intriguing new developments for Mysaria as well.

One intriguing advancement in the storyline was the kiss shared between Mysaria and Queen Rhaenyra, a gesture that started as a warm embrace but grew passionate. In George R.R. Martin’s book Fire & Blood, there are indications suggesting Rhaenyra’s bisexuality, particularly her relationship with Laena Velaryon, Daemon’s first wife. Although this aspect was omitted in House of the Dragon, introducing this unexpected moment between Mysaria served as a clever way to reintroduce that dimension of Rhaenyra’s persona. Moreover, this development could potentially intensify future plotlines when Daemon, Rhaenyra’s husband and Mysaria’s former partner, reappears in the story.

4. The claiming of Vermithor and Silverwing

In contrast to the book, “House of the Dragon” season 2 introduces a significant shift in the dragonseed storyline – specifically, the acquisition of Vermithor and Silverwing. In the original narrative, these dragons are claimed as part of a broader scene where numerous aspirants attempt to tame dragons, an event known as “The Sowing of the Seeds” or “The Red Sowing.” This is where characters like Hugh Hammer and Ulf White initially appear in the novel “Fire & Blood,” with only a brief description detailing their dragon-claiming accomplishments.

“Vermithor, the Old King’s dragon, bent his neck to a blacksmith’s bastard, a towering man called Hugh the Hammer or Hard Hugh, whilst a pale-haired man-at-arms named Ulf the White (for his hair) or Ulf the Sot (for his drinking) mounted Silverwing, beloved of Good Queen Alysanne.”

The show took a very different route, spending ample time throughout the season introducing us to Hugh and Ulf as characters so that by the time they came face to face with fire-breathing monsters near the end of the season, we’d care about them. On the whole, I think that worked really well, especially with Ulf. As for the dragons, they speak for themselves. The last 15 minutes of the season’s penultimate episode are easily the most impressive dragon effects work of the entire Thrones franchise to date.

Although other alterations concerning dragonseeds might not have been as successful – I’m thinking of characters like Rhaena Targaryen, or Nettles, or whatever they might call her in the next season – the transformations for Hugh, Ulf, Vermithor, and Silverwing undeniably represent a monumental success for the series.

5. The psychology of Ser Criston Cole

Shifting gears from one significant departure in “House of the Dragon” compared to its source material, let’s discuss another notable difference that was subtler but equally impactful. In the initial season of “House of the Dragon,” Ser Criston Cole emerged as a particularly detestable character among many. From brutally killing a man at a wedding to transforming into an acrimonious ex who relentlessly tarnished Rhaenyra’s reputation, there were numerous grounds for disapproval towards Criston.

In the second season, I found myself witnessing the recurring theme of Helaena and Prince Jaehaerys’ peril, stemming from Helaen’s relationship with Alicent and Helaen’s Lord Commander role’s mismanagement in the Kingsguard. This left them exposed to the dangerous assassins known as Blood and Cheese.

All of that was compelling, but Criston’s story became even better after the Battle at Rook’s Rest. While it was technically a victory for Criston, it came at such a horrific cost that it haunted him throughout the rest of the season. There’s just something about seeing the dragons dance on the battlefield that changes a person, and Criston is perhaps the most poignant example of that we’ve seen in either Game of Thrones or House of the Dragon. Yes, he won at Rook’s Rest, but he is clearly not the same afterward.

This culminated with the strongest scene of the season finale, where Cole delivers an oppressively bleak monologue to Alicent’s younger brother Gwayne Hightower all about how futile the efforts of men are in the face of dragons at war. In Fire & Blood, we don’t get any of this internal journey for Criston. It’s a testament to how effective it was in the show that House of the Dragon managed to take one of its most hated villains and turn them into one of the show’s most interesting characters.

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2024-09-21 16:42