Whether or not you like or hate it, you may’t deny that showrunner Ryan Condal and author Sara Hess’s adaptation of George R.R. Martin’s Targaryen historical past guide, Hearth & Blood, has been entertaining from begin to end. The Home of the Dragon season 3 finale proved to be no exception, even when it additionally launched a variety of adjustments to the unique story.
For essentially the most half, these adjustments from Condal and Hess have been for the very best. Making Alicent and Rhaenyra across the similar age, for instance, has confirmed to be a much more attention-grabbing transfer than happening the evil crone stepmother versus younger stepdaughter route. Nevertheless, the newest adjustments within the Home of the Dragon season 3 finale have us questioning simply how far the present’s deliberate fourth and closing season could deviate from the unique ending for a sure character in Hearth & Blood.
Warning: This text incorporates spoilers for Home of the Dragon’s season 3 finale and the ending of The Dance of Dragons phase in Hearth & Blood.
After three seasons of attempting to show herself able to ruling, each to the folks of Westeros and to her personal allies, Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D’Arcy) has formally hit the purpose of no return. The 2 individuals who have the facility to maintain her ethical conscience in line, Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke) and Mysaria (Sonoya Mizuno), have each been despatched away. This leaves Rhaenyra with solely Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith), who, whereas definitely the Black Queen’s largest supporter, has godlike ambitions and cares little for anybody and something exterior of Targaryen exceptionalism.
It’s no marvel then that after dropping her sons, and with the continuing panic on the realization that her largest menace, Aegon Targaryen (Tom Glynn-Carney) and his dragon Sunfyre are nonetheless alive, Rhaenyra is not afraid to sacrifice anybody and every thing to make sure her future as ruler of Westeros. That is particularly felt in her remedy of her half-sister, Helaena Targaryen, whom she force-fed gruel after which, fairly actually, shut the window on, after uncovering her sister’s loss of life on the finish of the episode.
Nevertheless, a serious change in season 3’s finale suggests issues are solely going to worsen for Rhaenyra. In Hearth & Blood, Rhaenyra’s quick reign of King’s Touchdown is so horrific within the eyes of the smallfolk that she is given the slightly crude nickname of “Maegor with Teats” — referring to a earlier mad Targaryen ruler, Maegor the Merciless. She additionally turns into referred to as “Rhaenyra the Merciless.” Whereas these nicknames do initially stem from the heavy taxation the Grasp of Coin places on the smallfolk of King’s Touchdown to assist with the conflict effort, the title sticks to Rhaenyra after the folks study Helaena’s suicide and instantly assume Rhaenyra had one thing to do with it, in addition to her rising paranoia and mistrust of these near her. This finally results in Rhaenyra having so few allies that it’s simple for Aegon to seize her and her forces on Dragonstone.
The paranoia, nevertheless, is comprehensible within the guide. In Hearth & Blood, Rhaenyra loses the Battle of Tumbleton when her dragonriders, Ulf the White (Tom Bennett) and Hugh Hammer (Kieran Bew), betray her military and supporters, bathing them in dragonfire. Any betrayal is horrible, however two of her finest dragons? It’s a blow that leaves Rhaenyra distrusting the remainder of her allies — specifically Addam Velaryon (Clinton Liberty), who, like Ulf and Hugh, is a bastard. This mistrust prompts Rhaenyra to name for Addam’s arrest, however he escapes with assist from his father, Corlys (Steve Toussaint). Enraged, Rhaenyra imprisons Corlys — dropping one more dragon and her Hand in a single fell swoop. With three dragons down and Daemon nowhere to be discovered after he learns Rhaenyra deliberate to kill his ward/lover, Nettles (within the present, her storyline has been merged with Rhaena Targaryen), Rhaenyra is in a horrible place.
In Condal and Hess’s adaptation, nevertheless, issues are going a little bit in another way. For one factor, solely Ulf betrays Rhaenyra and the Black Council, not Hugh. Additionally, Rhaenyra and Daemon’s relationship is pretty steady, and he leads the battle at Tumbleton. Moreover, through the battle, Daemon sees Hugh looking for his spouse, Kat, and is aware of that Hugh wasn’t actively attacking his personal males, in contrast to Ulf. With that in thoughts, Rhaenyra within the present hasn’t misplaced all her dragonriders and dragons — solely Ulf and Silverwing.
Even with Aegon and Sunfyre confirmed to nonetheless be alive, Vhagar — the largest and strongest of the Inexperienced Council’s dragons — continues to be lacking, and Rhaenyra nonetheless has a good variety of dragons to her title. Rhaenyra’s energy stays pretty resolute, which makes us curious how her descent into paranoia will play out on display screen in a approach that makes as a lot sense because it does in Hearth & Blood.
It may be argued, nevertheless, that Rhaenyra’s paranoia will nonetheless play a key half in season 4 of Home of the Dragon. What Hearth & Blood doesn’t discover as a lot because the TV adaptation does is simply how typically Rhaenyra has been defied by her personal allies all through her reign. At the same time as her supporters rally behind her, she has additionally been questioned and ignored, with the latter specifically being the rationale she loses her inheritor, Jace (Harry Collett), within the Battle of the Gullet. Whenever you’ve been ignored that many occasions by the individuals who you’re purported to belief, it wouldn’t be an excessive amount of of a shock for Rhaenyra to really feel like she’s being besieged by all sides.
Moreover, Rhaenyra’s actions within the season 3 finale have condemned her to a lonely path going ahead. Mysaria is now not on her aspect, and after Helaena’s loss of life, we extremely doubt Alicent will ever forgive her. Then there’s Corlys, who, hypocritical as he could also be, isn’t too happy with Rhaenyra for denying his sons, Addam and Alyn (Abubakar Salim), their birthright as Velaryons. She’s additionally ostracized herself from her extra noble allies earlier within the season, taking from them in an try and feed the smallfolk. And some episodes later, Rhaenyra is hated by them now, too. Even her relationship together with her son Joffrey — in addition to her sons from Daemon, Aegon III and Viserys II — has turned bitter because of both the load of rulership or them being despatched away from her. It’s no marvel, then, that the one particular person Rhaenyra now appears to show to for solutions is her husband-uncle, Daemon.
It is unsure how a lot the season 3 finale adjustments will impression Home of the Dragon season 4. Nevertheless, given the setup Condal and Hess have supplied to depict Rhaenyra’s struggles, we should not be stunned if, when Home of the Dragon returns in 2028, we see Rhaenyra the Merciless in her full, paranoid kind.