House of the Dragon: 5 scenes we’re still thinking about from season 1

2. Laenor Velaryon faking his own death

One of the more fascinating adaptation choices made in House of the Dragon season 1 is that Rhaenyra Targaryen’s first husband, Laenor Velaryon, doesn’t die. Fire & Blood is constructed as a “fake history” book that leaves plenty up to the interpretation, but Laenor Velaryon’s death is set in stone. The show changed that up.

In the book, Laenor is stabbed to death in the middle of a bustling marketplace by his lover Ser Qarl Correy. There are a lot of witnesses and his body is recovered. No one knows exactly why Qarl Correy did the deed, but many of the theories put forth in Fire & Blood revolve around getting Laenor out of the way so that Rhaenyra is then free to marry her uncle Daemon.

By contrast, the show introduces an elaborate plot which Rhaenyra, Daemon, Laenor, and Ser Qarl seemingly hammered out together. Despite any issues their political marriage has caused, Rhaenyra and Laenor still care for one another. She doesn’t want to kill him, but needs him gone because his actions are starting to imperil her position at court.

So instead of ordering Laenor’s death, Rhaenyra and her allies fake it so that he and Ser Qarl can leave Westeros behind. The actual logistics of the act are a little confusing; how long does it take to burn a body to the point where it would be unrecognizable to the victim’s own parents, as the conspirators do in order to fool everyone into thinking Laenor died in a fire?

But the culmination of it all is still something I’m thinking about, both because it was a big swing for House of the Dragon to take, as well as one which could have larger plot implications down the line should Laenor ever return to the Seven Kingdoms.