House of the Dragon showrunners decided to spare – not kill – one of the book’s characters

Change to George RR Martin’s source material alters show’s dynamic in a big way

Fire & Blood book readers have been left blindsided by the ending of the latest House of the Dragon episode.

The HBO spin-off is based on George RR Martin’s book, which charts the history of the Targaryens.

While the series has been whittling through events depicted in the novel for the past seven weeks, readers were surprised to see the show switch up one of its most brutal twists.

*Spoilers follow – you have been warned*

The moment in question surrounds Laenor, who is killed off so that his wife Rhaenyra can marry her uncle Daemon, which she believes will strengthen her claim to the throne.

The episode shows Rhaenyra (Emma D’’Arcy) conspiring with Daemon (Matt Smith) about convincing Laenor’s secret lover Ser Qarl Correy (Arty Froushan) to kill her husband Laenor (John MacMillan) in a duel.

In one moment, Daemon hints to Qarl that he should then cross the narrow sea to live a life of luxury, away from the Targaryen political intrigue.

Sure enough, Qarl draws Laenor into a duel, but the scene cuts away and we later see Laenor’s charred corpse.

However, it’s revealed in the episode’s closing moments that the corpse is actually a decoy, and that Rhaenyra and Daemon helped Laenor fake his death to leave safely with Qarl.

This a big change from the books, in which Daemon successfully pays Qarl off to kill Laenor. The change alters the dynamic surrounding Rhaenyra in a big way – and, in turn, now makes her and Daemon the most sympathetic characters in Westeros.

Rhaenyra and Laenor in ‘House of the Dragon’ (HBO)

In many ways, it feels as if the House of the Dragon writers used this change to convey to fans that Rhaenyra and Daemon are the characters they should be unquestioningly rooting for. Despite this, many fans were left feeling “uncomfortable” with an incestuous sex scene between the couple.

‘House of the Dragon’ continues in the UK on Sky Atlantic on Monday 29 August at 2am, before repeating at 9pm later that day. It is also available to watch on NOW.

Find the biggest talking points from episode seven here