Game of Thrones creator George R.R. Martin vs House of the Dragon: A timeline

As a dedicated fan who has followed George R.R. Martin’s epic saga for over two decades, I must say that the current state of affairs surrounding “House of the Dragon” leaves me feeling a bit like an awkward wedding guest caught between warring factions.

Recently, George R.R. Martin expressed an unexpected opinion on his ‘Not a Blog’. He openly criticized HBO’s prequel series ‘House of the Dragon’, derived from his book ‘Fire & Blood’. He pointed out that alterations made to the original source material were damaging to the narrative, and hinted at more significant, potentially harmful changes being considered for future episodes.

Martin, known for his work on the “Game of Thrones” TV series (adapted from his book series “A Song of Ice and Fire”) over a nine-year span, had never shown signs of such changes before. Thus, the modifications made by “House of the Dragon” showrunner Ryan Condal to Martin’s book seem to have caused him discomfort. Initially, we fans sensed something was amiss, but Martin’s open expression of his dissatisfaction took us by surprise.

Let’s rewind a bit and follow the storyline since its early hints up until the recent twist, so we can try to understand where this plot is headed in the future.

The Adaptation Tango

During the shooting of the second season of House of the Dragon , Martin gave no hints of discontent with its progression, clarifying to fans why it could continue filming amidst a strike and enthusiastically promoting the trailers as they were released. He even spent a few days on set during production, getting his photo taken in front of the weirwood tree in Harrenhal’s godswood, which interestingly features Martin’s face carved into it.

George R. R. Martin & showrunner Ryan Condal on the set of ‘House of the Dragon’ S2

— ScreenTime (@screentime) December 6, 2023

During the 2023 visit to the set, Martin found himself spending two consecutive days in a room with Ryan Condal and his team of writers (Sara Hess, Ti Mikkel, David Hancock, and Philippa Goslett), discussing the third and fourth seasons of HOUSE OF THE DRAGON. He mentioned that the conversations were engaging and enjoyable, and they managed to accomplish quite a bit of work… despite the fact that two days barely scratched the surface. Given the extensive territory they need to cover, he isn’t sure even twenty days would have been sufficient. (Save this thought for later.)

The initial sign that Martin was experiencing some sort of emotion emerged through a May 2024 blog post titled “The Adaptation Tango,” published approximately a month prior to the premiere of House of the Dragon season 2. Interestingly, Martin fails to reference House of the Dragon directly in this post; instead, it discusses the excellence of the FX series Shōgun‘s adaptation of James Clavell’s book. However, certain aspects of his writing seem relevant when viewed from a retrospective perspective.

Everywhere you look, there are more screenwriters and producers eager to take great stories and “make them their own.” It does not seem to matter whether the source material was written by Stan Lee, Charles Dickens, Ian Fleming, Roald Dahl, Ursula K. Le Guin, J.R.R. Tolkien, Mark Twain, Raymond Chandler, Jane Austen, or… well, anyone. No matter how major a writer it is, no matter how great the book, there always seems to be someone on hand who thinks he can do better, eager to take the story and “improve” on it. “The book is the book, the film is the film,” they will tell you, as if they were saying something profound. Then they make the story their own.

They never make it better, though. Nine hundred ninety-nine times out of a thousand, they make it worse.

Speaking of George R.R. Martin expressing frustration towards screenwriters who claim to adapt a novel but end up altering it in a manner that diminishes its quality, one might ponder if such instances could have any bearing in the future.

Blood, Cheese, and Grief

Readers dismissed the unsettling undercurrents in “The Adaptation Tango” due to Martin’s enthusiastic praise for “House of the Dragon” on July 5, following several episodes of season 2. He lavished praises on the actors and appreciated the writers for adding intriguing twists to his original work. He admired the modifications made to Helaena Targaryen’s character and was captivated by how the series portrayed Cheese, the ratcatcher who was tasked with eliminating Helaena’s son. Martin wrote that “the silent presence of that dog reminded us that even the most despicable individuals can experience love.” He expressed regret for not coming up with the idea himself but was glad that someone else did.

Martin brought to light an observation many book enthusiasts had made: the pivotal moment in Fire & Blood where Cheese and his partner Blood take Helaena’s son’s life, a crucial scene, was significantly altered from the original text. While alterations aren’t necessarily negative, it didn’t go unnoticed that something felt amiss during the premiere episode for some viewers.

Martin found himself disagreeing with the alterations, yet he chose to keep his thoughts to himself for the moment. He hinted that in the future, he would delve deeper into all the complex matters brought up by Blood and Cheese… as well as Maelor the Missing, stating there was much to discuss.

I hope you brought more than one pin. Put on in that too.

How many legs do dragons have?

Approximately a week following the broadcast of the episode titled “The Red Dragon and the Gold”, Martin penned down his thoughts about its breathtaking dragon-on-dragon finale. He posed a question: “Is there any dragon battle as spectacular as this one?” To answer that, let me say that it is indeed unmatched; that particular episode stands out as the absolute peak of the season.

Martin didn’t stop at compliments; instead, he delved deep into discussions about the creatures in his fantasy realm, particularly the dragons. He ponders over their behaviors, both acceptable and unacceptable. His dragons are characterized by being predatory, intelligent, and having only two legs. This is why he finds fault with the depiction of four-legged dragons in shows like “Game of Thrones” and “House of the Dragon.” He frequently explains that his dragons prefer to dwell near heat sources such as the volcano on Dragonstone and venture into cold climates only when ordered by their riders. According to him, you won’t find dragons hunting in the Riverlands, the Reach, the Vale, or roaming the northlands or the mountains of Dorne.

In that part, it’s clear that the statement carries weight because throughout the show, hints had been dropped suggesting the possibility of a dragon residing in the Vale. By the end of the season, this theory was conclusively proven true. George R.R. Martin is being critical in his post, but his main argument is that series often disregard their own established rules at their own risk. In his words, “Fantasy should be rooted in reality.” He further explained, “It’s not a free pass to do whatever you want. Smaug and Toothless might both be dragons, but they should never be mixed up. Disregard the established rules, and your world collapses like a pack of playing cards.

I’ve been saving my best shot for this – it’s finally time to dive into ‘House of the Dragon’. Let’s see if it lives up to the hype!

Beware the Butterflies (and beware major SPOILERS below)

Martin last brought up the topic of “House of the Dragon” on August 30, approximately a month following the conclusion of season 2. He merely shared that he wouldn’t be excited about discussing all the missteps in the series with us, but he felt compelled to do so.

Initially, there appears to be a change in Martin’s tone. Unlike before, where he indirectly hinted at issues with the show, this time he took a more open and challenging stance. Perhaps the subdued response to the season 2 finale left him feeling differently. Alternatively, it might have been his trip to the U.K., or perhaps some unseen events transpired on set. Regardless of the cause, Martin seemed prepared to engage in a more confrontational manner.

The issues Martin raised in his blog post titled “Beware the Butterflies,” published on September 4, centered primarily around the season 2 premiere episode, “A Son for a Son.” Although he praised the overall quality of the episode, labeling it as “terrific,” he did express some concerns about certain alterations made to the iconic Blood and Cheese scene from the book Fire & Blood. Specifically, Martin seemed displeased that Helaena’s other son, Maelor, was written out of the show. In the original storyline, Blood and Cheese compel Helaena to make a heart-wrenching choice between her sons: either Maelor or Jaehaerys must die. Despite her initial selection of Maelor, they ultimately end up killing Jaehaerys instead.

In George R.R. Martin’s epic tale, there’s no character named Maelor, which means he never meets his untimely end at Bitterbridge, as portrayed in “Fire & Blood.” According to Martin, Maelor’s demise plays a significant role in his mother Helaena’s decision to take her own life, an event that sets off a chain of major plot twists. Martin is concerned that eliminating Maelor might trigger a series of events that could potentially undermine the storyline’s integrity, and he’s uncertain whether showrunner Ryan Condal has any plans to compensate for this omission.

In Ryan’s outline for season 3, Helaena still kills herself… for no particular reason. There is no fresh horror, no triggering event to overwhelm the fragile young queen.

Maelor by himself means little. He is a small child, does not have a line of dialogue, does nothing of consequence but die… but where and when and how, that does matter. Losing Maelor weakened the end of the Blood and Cheese sequence, but it also cost us the Bitterbridge scene with all its horror and heroism, it undercut the motivation for Helaena’s suicide, and that in turn sent thousands into the streets and alleys, screaming for justice for their “murdered” queen. None of that is essential, I suppose… but all of it does serve a purpose, it all helps to tie the story lines together, so one thing follows another in a logical and convincing manner.

What will we offer the fans instead, once we’ve killed these butterflies? I have no idea. I do not recall that Ryan and I ever discussed this, back when he first told me they were pushing back on Aegon’s second son. 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.

Martin further reveals that initially, Ryan Condal had shared with him a plan where Helaena would deliver Maelor at a later stage in the narrative. However, this concept was eventually abandoned, and Maelor’s character was removed from the story altogether.

Martin appears to be openly discussing some past issues here. It’s speculated by fellow author Xiran Jay Zhao that Martin is making these revelations public because he has exhausted other options, such as bringing up his concerns internally only to have them disregarded. As per Xiran Jay Zhao, the criticisms in this post were relatively mild, and Martin seems to be trying to prevent what he foresees as more harmful changes that might occur in future seasons. He subtly hints at these potential issues in his original post: “[T]here are larger and more problematic developments on the horizon, if HOUSE OF THE DRAGON proceeds with certain planned alterations for seasons 3 and 4…

The HBO response

Martin quickly took down his recent blog post shortly after it was published. Although we can only speculate, it wouldn’t be surprising if HBO requested him to do so. Maintaining a positive public image is crucial, and constant disputes between the show creator and the showrunner and their team might lead people to believe there are issues behind the scenes, regardless of whether or not the post remains online.

On their end, HBO released a statement in support of Ryan Condal’s adaptation decisions:

There are few greater fans of George R.R. Martin and his book ‘Fire & Blood’ than the creative team on ‘House of the Dragon,’ both in production and at HBO. Commonly, when adapting a book for the screen, with its own format and limitations, the showrunner ultimately is required to make difficult choices about the characters and stories the audience will follow. We believe that Ryan Condal and his team have done an extraordinary job and the millions of fans the series has amassed over the first two seasons will continue to enjoy it.

HBO recently released a fresh episode on their House of the Dragon podcast that delves into adjustments made to the original source material. George R.R. Martin, in this installment, discussed several alterations he implemented, such as eliminating Maelor, removing Nettles from the storyline, and significantly modifying Daemon Targaryen’s narrative, among many others.

The Hollywood Reporter’s art department having the absolute best time:

— Winter is Coming (@TopMobnet) September 12, 2024

If you can’t say anything nice…

Martin has kept quiet about “House of the Dragon” in public since his “Beware the Butterflies” post, and its absence has been noticeable at times. In a blog post on September 9th, he discussed the amount of time he’s spent over the past year working on TV projects: “Some of that was enjoyable (DARK WINDS, and THE HEDGE KNIGHT), most of it wasn’t.” It’s clear that “House of the Dragon” falls under the category of work that wasn’t pleasant for him.

Martin, in his absence, refrained from commenting on the “House of the Dragon” matter when contacted by The Hollywood Reporter. Instead, he expressed enthusiasm about another “Game of Thrones” spinoff titled “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms,” also known as “The Hedge Knight,” which is based on his “Dunk and Egg” novellas.

I visited the set in Northern Ireland in July and loved what I saw. Great cast. [The lead characters] Dunk and Egg look as if they walked out of the pages of my book. My readers are going to love them. I certainly do. [Showrunner Ira Parker] is doing a great job.

Martin seems hesitant in sharing something. It’s possible that he reached a deal with HBO in private, or perhaps he chooses to remain silent when he doesn’t have positive things to share, at least temporarily. Regardless of the cause, it gives off an impression of subtle negativity.

Where do we go from here?

It’s unclear how either party is feeling, but Martin’s recent tone seems cold. Will there be a reconciliation between Martin and Condal’s team on the set of House of the Dragon? The “Beware the Butterflies” post hinted at deeper concerns Martin had about the series’ direction; unless the writers significantly alter the storyline, it seems unlikely that they’ll find common ground. Recall when Martin discussed meetings with Condal and the writers regarding the future of House of the Dragon during his 2023 set visit? In a more recent post from his UK trip this year, he mentioned that “The writers’ room for HOUSE OF THE DRAGON season 3 is also meeting in London, but I have no intention of joining.

In the special podcast episode with Condal, it seems that they are firmly dedicated to their version of House of the Dragon, which may not align heavily with what George R.R. Martin wrote in Fire & Blood. From my perspective, Condal and his team appear to be doing more than just enhancing the story; I believe they’ve reshaped the fundamental structure, modified character traits and relationships, and altered the significance of events. Although it may not turn out to be the series I expected following Fire & Blood, I can still anticipate it being an enjoyable show. However, I understand why Martin might feel frustrated over the changes to his book, given his close connection to it.

Currently, the third season of “House of the Dragon” is slated for release in 2026, while we can look forward to the first season of “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms” in 2025. George R.R. Martin has expressed enthusiasm about the latter, which could potentially lead to an intriguing split among “Song of Ice and Fire” fans – a rivalry between supporters of “House of the Dragon” and those of “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms”, given the creator’s preference for the latter. While most fans will likely enjoy both shows without engaging in such debates, it could spark some lively discussions on platforms like Twitter or elsewhere.

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2024-09-14 17:42