Key Takeaways
- House of the Dragon deviates from the Fire and Blood novels in a way that piques curiosity.
- It skips time and leaves out important friendships and details, leaving lovers of the book disappointed.
- A tragic assassination and unique relationships add new depth to the characters.
HBO and Max’s “The House of the Dragon” deviates significantly from George R.R. Martin’s novel “Fire & Blood,” which makes for an intriguing story in itself. While not every scene from “Fire & Blood” could be filmed, book lovers will be disappointed to miss out on their favorite scenes and storylines that were omitted or cut, while others will wonder why scenes that weren’t in the book were added to the show. Here are the major differences from the book that we’ve noticed so far this season:
House of the Dragon
- Genre
- Fantasy
- Number of seasons
- 2
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Time flies
Jacaeris and Clegane’s unique friendship was short-lived.
Compared to Game of Thrones, the HBO TV show doesn’t spend enough time on the friendships that developed by the Wall. I think there are some similarities between Jacaeris and Clegane’s friendship and Jon Snow and Samwell Tarly’s friendship in Game of Thrones. A lot of the finer details of their friendship are missed, such as the blood oath of brotherhood they swore in the books. Their friendship isn’t emphasized much in the TV show, but they are seen together in the North. But other than that, we were definitely deprived of a good bromance.
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Blood and cheese
“A son for a son”
HBO
One of the most tragic assassinations in House of the Dragon occurs when mercenaries called Blood and Cheese are hired to kill Aemond, but instead target the twins Jaehaerys and Jaehaera. Jaehaera does not appear in the original story, and HBO cut the original twins Maillar from the show entirely. In both the book and the TV show, Helaina confronts the two mercenaries, along with her twin babies. Blood and Cheese are suspicious of Helaina from the start, and quickly discover which baby is the eldest and kill her. The scene is heartbreaking and deeply traumatizes Helaina, and from this point on she is completely disconnected from reality. In the original story, the surviving twin is forever tormented by the fact that the youngest was meant to be sacrificed by her mother, not the eldest.
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Damira
Daemon + Rhaenyra = Demira
If there is one thing HOTD does well, it is the slow-burning and lust-filled relationship between Daemon and Rhaenyra. Yes, they are relatives, and they are very grotesque, but who could have picked someone uglier? First, Matt Smith’s hair! And both the young and the older Rhaenyra are equally elegant and beautiful. How can you reprimand these two beautiful people? Thankfully, this is fiction. In the second episode of season 2, we find out a little about their married life, when Rhaenyra reprimands Daemon for ordering the murder of her child. This scene and their entire fight are not in the original. Personally, I appreciate this added scene. We get to see the moment when Rhaenyra realizes that she cannot trust Daemon, especially considering the upcoming battle and her father’s prophecy.
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House of Dragon has problems with House Targaryen
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Alicent and Rhaenyra are soon reunited
Their journeys begin and end together
From friend to family to enemy, after the death of each other’s son, Rhaenyra sneaks into the temple to meet Alicent and try to stop the impending war and bloodshed. This scene and their interaction is unique to the TV series. In the book, Rhaenyra and Alicent don’t meet again until well into the Dance of Dragons. In this scene, it’s clear that they both understand the other’s pain and grief. This small display of humanity makes all the difference in who they are.
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Queen Alicent
Long live Queen Alicent… or maybe not?
HBO
After a tragic battle in which Aegon is seriously injured, the Greens must nominate a King Regent and Protector of the Realm. Alicent nominates herself, thinking she is the obvious choice since she has experience serving as Regent when King Viserys was ill. It quickly becomes clear that everyone else in the room thinks Aemond is next in line to the throne. He is named King and Protector of the Realm before the actual war begins. Alicent’s confidence in nominating herself rather than her son Aemond is unique to the show. In the books, Aemond is named King Regent by Criston and Alicent makes no fuss at all. Alicent seems to have her eye on the throne. Aemond gets a chance at promotion. I think the future is eventful for mother and son.
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