WARNING! This article contains major SPOILERS for House of the Dragon season 2, episode 1 and George R.R. Martin’s Fire & Blood book, on which the show is based!
Summary
The absence of one character inHouse of the Dragonseason 2, episode 1’s return to Winterfell kills the dream of a scene that I’ve been waiting for sinceGame of Thronesended. After establishing the location as a familiar setting throughoutGame of Thrones,Winterfell was entirely absent fromHouse of the Dragonseason 1in favor of more Targaryen-related destinations like King’s Landing, Dragonstone, and Driftmark. However, after plenty of anticipation, Winterfell and the Wall returned duringLord Cregan Stark’s introductioninHouse of the Dragonseason 2, episode 1.
As was expected, given George R.R. Martin’sFire & Bloodis told through the accounts of unreliable narrators, the prequel show makes some significant changes and leaves out some important details from the book’s segment at Winterfell. Ultimately, what could have been an entire episode’s subplot of Jacaerys and Cregan’s story at Winterfell was confined to a brief opening scene. In addition toHouse of the Dragonomitting the Pact of Ice and Firesealed by the Starks and Targaryens, the episode ignores the 2018Fire & Bloodbook’s descriptions of a character named Sara Snow andavoids showing Jace’s dragon Vermax at Winterfell.
Vermax’s Absence In HOTD Season 2, Episode 1 Kills My Dream Of Seeing Dragons Fly At Winterfell Before Daenerys
While it’s clear thatVermax is present at Winterfell off-screenafter Cregan Stark tells Jace he had the “mercy not to threaten [him] with [his] dragon,”House of the Dragonseason 2, episode 1 doesn’t actually show the dragon in the North. In addition to mydisappointment with Cregan’sHouse of the Dragonintroductionbeing so short, it was aletdown that the prequel didn’t show Vermax flying at Winterfell. Dragons rarely ever came all the way north throughout House Targaryen’s history in Westeros, so I was extremely excited to see one of these few occasions predating Daenerys inHouse of the Dragon.
Game Of Thrones' 6-Year-Old Daenerys Targaryen Plot Hole Is Made A Lot Worse By House Of The Dragon
Game of Thrones season 7 left behind a major plot hole with Daenerys Targaryen and her dragons, and House of the Dragon season 2 adds to the problem.
As Cregan states, he had only heard stories from his father about welcoming King Jaehaerys and Queen Alysanne to the North with their dragons before Jace’s visit. This was also the case withGame of Thrones’ Northern characters recalling long-ago stories of dragons at the Wall, until Daenerys Targaryen finally brought hers in season 7. However,House of the Dragonseason 2, episode 1had the opportunity to actually show another dragon at Winterfell over a century beforehand. Instead,Vermax’s appearance at Winterfell was confined to characters talking about the dragon rather than showing it.
Daenerys first brought her dragons to the deep North inGame of Thronesseason 7, episode 6, “Beyond the Wall,” to save Jon Snow and his party from an attack by wights.
It’s possible that the decision to leave out Vermax was budgetary given the CGI costs, but could also have been a matter of time restraints. The prequel doesn’t even bring audiences into Winterfell, where Vermax was being held, with Cregan and Jace – just to the Wall. Still,this was the last time that a dragon had been to Winterfell before DaenerysinGame of Thrones, marking an important moment in the historical relationship between Houses Stark and Targaryen.
Not to mentionHouse of the Dragon’s reveal aboutAegon’s Song of Ice and Fire dreamthat further ties the Starks, Targaryens, their dragons, and the Wall together,I’m surprised the Northerners’ reactions to a dragon in their region wasn’t explored. Despite how many more dragons there were in Westeros duringHouse of the Dragon’s timeline, they were just as foreign of a concept to Northerns then as they were when Daenerys brought hers 170 years later. I was looking forward to seeing a dragon at Winterfell when theWhite Walkers weren’t actually attacking inHouse of the Dragon, but sadly the prequel didn’t fulfill that wish.
House Of The Dragon Avoids Confirming A Wild Winterfell Dragon Rumor From George R.R. Martin’s Fire & Blood Book
Fire & Blood included a rumor that Vermax laid eggs in Winterfell
By not showing Vermax on-screen inHouse of the Dragonseason 2’s opening scene, the HBO show also avoids confirming or debunking a rumor posed inFire & Blood. While the most scandalous rumor about Jacaerys’ trip to Winterfell was that he marriedCregan’s half-sister Sara Snow, who was cut from season 2, there was alsoa rumor that Jace’s dragon laid eggs in the crypts of Winterfell. The claim has never been substantiated inGame of ThronesorHouse of the Dragonlore, but would suggest that dragon eggs may have been in Winterfell throughout the original show’s timeline.
Fire & Bloodreveals that there’s no evidence Vermax ever laid an egg at Winterfell or anywhere else.
The rumor is more than likely false, but it’s also possible that one of the Targaryens knew about the claim of eggs in Winterfell and took them once thedragons originally died out beforeGame of Thrones. Additionally,Fire & Bloodreveals that there’s no evidence Vermax ever laid an egg at Winterfell or anywhere else. With Vermax’s role at Winterfell inHouse of the Dragonseason 2 being left a mystery,the truth of that rumor remains a question that will likely forever go unanswered.
House Of The Dragon Season 2’s Missing Winterfell Dragon Scene Makes Me Excited For 2 Potential GOT Prequels
There are other opportunities to show dragons at Winterfell before Daenerys
House of the Dragonmay not show a dragon at Winterfell, but that doesn’t mean another Targaryen prequel show won’t. One of theupcomingGame of Thronesprequelsthat I’m most excited about follows Aegon’s Conquest, and it’s all but guaranteed that Aegon will bring his dragon to the North to make Lord Torrhen Stark bend the knee. Additionally, I’ve been holding out hope that HBO will make a prequel about the reign of King Jaehaerys I Targaryen, whichwould likely include scenes of Jaehaerys and Alysanne bringing their dragons to the Wall. If so, these shows could fulfill the scene thatHouse of the Dragonwas missing.
New episodes ofHouse of the Dragonseason 2 release Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on HBO and Max.
House of the Dragon
Cast
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.
