Includes MAJOR SPOILERS for House of the Dragon season 3!
George R.R. Martin’sHouse of the Dragonspoiler reveal seems to ignore one crucial original TV series story element that the prolific author previously praised. The HBO prequel series is based onFire & Blood, a companion book toMartin’sA Song of Ice & Fireseries, which documents the fictional history of the Targaryen dynasty. The book’s narrative is written to be unreliable, allowing the reader to examine and interpret Westerosi history as they would with a real-life historical text. With that in mind, the TV series takes its creative liberties bringing the text to life.
TheHouse of the Dragoncastis made up of an extraordinarily talented group of actors who’ve brought each character in the Dance of the Dragons to life, often adding depth and intrigue that their book counterparts lacked. Martin has consistently praised the outstanding cast for their work in evolving his material in certain aspects, even suggesting characters like Viserys Targaryen were better in the show than they were in his book. ButGeorge R.R. Martin’s recent blog post saw him venting about the show for deriving too muchfrom his source material, even spoiling a major upcoming moment.
George R.R. Martin Spoiled Helaena Targaryen’s Death In House Of The Dragon Season 3
Martin Revealed Ryan Condal’s Plans For Helaena’s TV Death
George R.R. Martin’s criticisms ofHouse of the Dragonoffered a ton of insight into how book change decisions have been made, mostly circling the Blood & Cheese event from the season 2 premiere. He explained how the decision to remove one character, Maelor Targaryen, from the story created a chain reaction of events that would eventually detract from the impact of future events. Most importantly,he outright revealed that Helaena Targaryen’s death by suicide would essentially be caused by nothing. Read his full quote below:
“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.”
Book readers knew Helaena’s tragic death was coming, but the moment inFire & Bloodis compounded by a series of horrific events. Helaena was clearly hurt by Blood & Cheese in the show, but her final scenes in the season didn’t indicate any lingering trauma, which would make it shocking for her to suddenly take her own life. It’s to be seen howHouse of the Dragonhandles this material, but hopefully, it won’t be as devoid of emotion as Martin seemed to imply.
How House Of The Dragon Season 3 Can Still Introduce Maelor After He Was Cut From Blood & Cheese
House of the Dragon cut Maelor Targaryen, the infant son of Aegon and Helaena, from the show. Here’s why it matters and whether he could still appear.
Helaena’s Death Has To Be Different In The Show Because She’s A Dragon Dreamer (Which GRRM Praised)
No Matter What, Helaena’s Death Won’t Be The Same As Fire & Blood
A major difference between book Helaena and show Helaena is that the TV version has dream visions. After the Blood & Cheese episode,Martin even praised this aspect of the character, saying, “Phia Saban’s Helaena is a richer and more fascinating character than the one I created in FIRE & BLOOD."(viaMartin’s blog) These visions add a rich mysticism to her character, which also contributes to her fate.
House of the Dragon’sdepiction of Helaena seems to experience the world outside of the “present.” She seems to be aware of the future and acknowledges that it can’t be changed. This means that, in some capacity,she knows about her own fate, creating an interesting dynamic for her death. No matter what directionHouse of the Dragontakes, her death won’t be entirely meaningless, given the potential impact created by this aspect of her character.
Sources:Martin’s blog
House of the Dragon
House of the Dragon is a 2022 fantasy drama set in the world of Westeros, chronicling the Targaryen dynasty at its height. The story revolves around King Viserys’s controversial decision to name his daughter Rhaenyra as heir to the Iron Throne, sparking tensions and divisions within the realm.
