HOTD’s Divisive Season 3 Book Change Actually Improves the Story

House of the Dragon Season 3 kicked off with an explosive premiere that will have significant consequences for the Targaryens. While some of the show’s decisions will be divisive, one change from the book actually improves the story.

The first episode of House of the Dragon’s Season 3 depicted the Battle of the Gullet, a significant naval clash between the Blacks and the Greens. One of the most important scenes leading up to the battle involved Daemon Targaryen’s daughter Rhaena claiming the dragon known as Sheepstealer.

Rhaena could not fully control Sheepstealer as her dragon recklessly flew into the battle and attacked Velaryon ships along with fellow dragons Vermax and Moondancer. Rhaena’s friendly fire led to the death of her step-sibling, Jace, and his dragon, Vermax.

In Fire & Blood, the novel that inspired House of the Dragon, Nettles, not Rhaena, claims Sheepstealer and aids the Blacks in the Gullet. Jace still dies in the battle, but Nettles is not a contributing factor in his demise.

Also in the novel, Rhaenyra ends up despising Nettles for her eventual connection with Daemon. The show has clearly pivoted away from Nettles and inserted Rhaena into the fold, and Rhaenyra will probably blame her for Jace’s death.

Why the Rhaena and Nettles change strengthens House of the Dragon’s central theme

Straying away from the source material has gotten previous shows in trouble. Look no further than Game of Thrones‘ final season as a prime example of how things can go wrong without a book to guide the TV show.

However, Nettles’ exclusion in favor of Rhaena makes sense because it strengthens the major theme of House of the Dragon. At the beginning of House of the Dragon, King Viserys said, “The idea that we control the dragons is an illusion.” Since that moment, the Targaryens have believed that because they ride dragons, they can play God. That couldn’t be further from the truth.

No matter how hard they try, the Targaryens cannot fully control their dragons. These are powerful beasts that cannot be fully tamed. The Targaryen arrogance toward dragons has already led to several tragic incidents. All Rhaena wanted was to ride a dragon. However, she never considered the consequences of riding one. Her inexperience led to Jace’s death.

The same Targaryen arrogance also applied to Aemond, who has the biggest dragon, Vhagar, in the show. Aemond’s lack of control over his dragon led to Vhagar killing his cousin and nephew, Lucerys Velaryon.

Knowing the Targaryen dynasty will be severely hindered because of this war, expect more tragic mistakes over the next two seasons.