Caution: This article contains SPOILERS for House of the Dragon season 3 episode 1, "Sea and Salt, Fire and Blood."
House of the Dragon just confirmed a bold change to a major character that’s a notable departure from the books!
House of the Dragon’s Battle of the Gullet lived up to the hype. The epic sea clash between the two warring sides was a brutal, stunning battle sequence that left fans with shocking deaths and marked a turning point in the Dance of the Dragons.
Amid the conflict, Rhaena (Phoebe Campbell) found and bonded with a dragon called Sheepstealer. She rode the beast into the battle, intending to help. Sadly, Rhaena learned too late that controlling a wild dragon isn’t easy, with the creature unleashing fire on both sides and giving chase to her sister Baela (Bethany Antonia) and the young dragon Moondancer, which ultimately caused Baela's betrothed, Jacaerys Velaryon (Harry Collett), and his dragon Vermax, to be shot from the sky. Jace was subsequently killed by a slew of arrows.
For fans of the original Fire & Blood novel by George R.R. Martin, Rhaena's involvement was a huge shock. That’s because in the book, Sheepstealer is ridden by Nettles, a lowborn woman who managed to train the dragon by routinely feeding him sheep and eventually ride him into battle. She would later become a close friend of Daemon Targaryen (and more, if the rumors are to be believed).
Fans had been waiting to see Nettles on screen. However, with these developments for Rhaena, it's now confirmed that the writers of the series decided to eliminate the character altogether and give her role in the tale to Rhaena. Speaking to IGN, showrunner Ryan Condal explained the reasoning for the change.
“It just felt to us that because again, this story is told in point of view, that it felt more apt as this is a family story to where we had the opportunity to involve one of the family members in the storyline. And because Rhaena has been set up since Season 1 as the member of this family who doesn't have a dragon and basically her sole identity is the Targaryen kid who doesn't have a dragon, it felt like that was a character that we had already set this long runway for that it could be very satisfying for the TV audience that didn't have an experience with the book at all to see that character claim a dragon and then in a very, I think, Game of Thrones and Westerosian kind of way, to reap the consequences of having her wish come true.”
A more sardonic view could be that the producers decided it was more cost effective to transfer Nettles' role to Rhaena rather than add a brand new core cast member. It's also another sign of the series breaking away from George R.R. Martin's original vision for the saga.
Condal emphasized the fallout of the battle will affect Rhaenra, who’s learning the hard way about being careful what you wish for. “It's a very monkey's paw kind of moment for Rhaena. She gets her great wish and it becomes her greatest nightmare.”
How does Nettles' exclusion change House of the Dragon?
The fallout of dropping Nettles and giving that storyline to Rhaena is a big move for the series. It also poses the intriguing question of what happens when Queen Rhaenyra (Emma D'Arcy) discovers what Rhaena did, and how that will effect the rest of their family.
This has been a bold move for the series, yet it works on some levels. It gives Rhaena a prime place in the saga as her attempts to help only led to larger destruction and, more importantly, the death of Jace. The young woman is going to be saddled with guilt which could drive her to try and atone by becoming more involved in the war, shifting her path.
Removing Nettles also means taking away a possible romance between her and Daemon, which would complicate how Rhaenyra's jealousy and anger could one day drive a wedge within the family. There are also the questions it raises about how Rhaena’s fate will now deviate from the novel, as she and Nettles take very different paths.
That’s all in the future, but fans have already seen a major change from the book in House of the Dragon season 3, and it may not be the end of such alterations for the series.
House of the Dragon season 3 airs Sundays on HBO and HBO Max.
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