When Baela Targaryen was ready to punch the greens on House of the Dragon

Like Game of Thrones before it, House of the Dragon has a lot of characters. And since so much happened in the first season, there wasn’t time to get to know all of them well. I left season 1 feeling like I had a good handle on Viserys, Rhaenyra and Daemon Targaryen, as well as Alicent Hightower. Secondary characters like Otto Hightower as well Corlys, Rhaenys and Jacaerys Velaryon also came into focus. But there are a lot of other people on the board!

The two characters who I most wanted more time with may have been Rhaena and Baela Targaryen, the daughters of Daemon Targaryen and Laena Velaryon.

Baela was played by Shani Smethurst as a child and Bethany Antonia as a young adult. Rhaena was played by Eva Ossei-Gerning as a child and Phoebe Campbell as a young woman. We actually spent some quality time with these two characters as kids. Baela has a dragon and Rhaena wants one, and both of them joined in on beating on young Aemond Targaryen after he “stole” their mother’s dragon Vhagar. But once time skipped ahead for Episode 8, “The Lord of the Tides,” they mostly faded into the background.

How Baela Targaryen is different from her sister Rhaena

In George R.R. Martin’s book Fire & Blood, Baela and Rhaena have pretty distinct personalities. Baela is more her father’s daughter: she’s passionate, somewhat hot-headed, and loves riding horses and riding her dragon. As she grows up, she cuts her hair short, since it gets in the way when she’s riding. Rhaena, while still fierce, is more reserved and thoughtful. She enjoys dancing and wears her hair long.

We didn’t get much of a sense of these distinctions on the show. However, the writers did slip in a little something for those paying close attention. Remember the dinner scene in Episode 8 where Aemond Targaryen baits Rhaenyra’s kids into a fight? Well, during the brawl, there’s a brief moment where we can see Baela Targaryen trying to rush into the fracas, with the more level-headed Rhaena holding her sister back:

"Baela ‘wont hold back’ Targaryen from HouseOfTheDragon"

It’s a small moment, but it’s nice to see that the writers have a bead on the personalities of these two characters. I expect a lot more from them in season 2, which likely won’t be out until 2024.

To stay up to date on everything fantasy, science fiction, and WiC, follow our all-encompassing Facebook page and sign up for our exclusive newsletter.

Get HBO, Starz, Showtime and MORE for FREE with a no-risk, 7-day free trial of Amazon Channels