House Of The Dragon's changes to the Battle Of The Gullet make it even more affecting and twisted

Purists may disagree, as they tend to do with adaptations big and small, but the most exciting part is to see how creators/showrunners/writers interpret and evolve the material to suit the medium, while maintaining the themes and spirit of the source. In fact, certain changes are necessary narratively: Rhaenyra isn’t even born until halfway through Fire & Blood, while she’s already a teen when HOTD starts—there’s no choice but to update and expand on the book at this point, like Rhaenyra’s uneasy alliance with former BFF/current stepmom, Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke), in the season two finale. That’s only one example of how HOTD deliciously complicates the lives of the two women at its core. 

In the season three premiere, written by Condal, Rhaenyra’s stepdaughter gets the arc devoted to Nettles in the book. If you’re raising your hand to ask, “Now who in the heck is Nettles?,” she’s a lowborn bastard of Valyrian blood who volunteers to help Rhaenyra. Along with Hugh Hammer, Ulf White, and Addam of Hull, the young girl Nettles joins the army and becomes Sheepstealer’s rider. All four eventually join Rhaenyra’s firstborn son, Jaecerys “Jace” Targaryen, at the Battle Of The Gullet. Evidently, Nettles is nowhere to be seen in the show. In season two and at the start of season three’s premiere, Rhaena Targaryen (Phoebe Campbell) seeks to sit atop and ride the formidable brown dragon instead.

By removing Nettles entirely, HOTD bestows Rhaena with an emotional core she hadn’t yet possessed in the show. This move finally gives the younger Team Black generation heft that has so far been given only to Alicent’s kids: Aegon, Aemond (Ewan Mitchell), and Heleana (Phia Saban)—each one has a fully realized personality and story, unlike Rhaenyra’s offspring. Emmy D’Arcy has done most of the heavy lifting when it comes to portraying her character’s mother-child relationships. But there’s more meat on this bone now that Rhaena succeeds in becoming Sheepstealer’s rider. She eventually flies him straight into the Battle Of The Gullet, but unfortunately, her appearance derails everything. 

Rhaena, inexperienced in controlling an unruly Sheepstealer, can’t do much when her dragon distracts Jace and starts attacking his dragon, Vermax, while going on a rampage and burning up the Targaryen fleet. When Jace and Baela (riding on Moondancer) try to help, HOTD delivers a gutting conclusion. Rhaena, to some extent, is responsible for the death of her step-brother, Jace, who succumbs to the crossbows aimed at him after Vermax drowns to his death. 

It’s a move that will likely isolate a fearful, confused Rhaena from her family, presenting an interesting challenge for Rhaenyra and Daemon (Matt Smith) moving forward. In Fire & Blood, Daemon eventually beds and makes a companion out of Nettles, enraging Rhaenyra in the process. You never know what route HOTD will go down (especially now that Aemond has kissed his own mom!), but it effectively changes Daemon’s relationship with his daughter, along with their forthcoming arcs in seasons three and four. It’s a bold but crucial move that hands Daemon a moral dilemma and a change of pace after spending most of season two in Harrenhall’s empty, darkened halls. 

The Battle Of The Gullet’s implications are bound to impact other storylines, too, with more potential detours from the book. We already know that Martin isn’t the biggest fan of Condal’s changes, but in this particular case, HBO’s version of the battle isn’t just vital—it’s the twisted spectacle we didn’t know we needed. 

Saloni Gajjar is The A.V. Club‘s TV critic.