The latest House of the Dragon season has raised many debates among fans because of the slightly modified Blood & Cheese arc. In Fire and Blood by George R. R. Martin, the events of the tragedy are different. One particular deviation is the absence of Maelor Targaryen, the youngest son of Aegon II and Helaena in the latest season of House of the Dragon.
However, some viewers are still confused about Maelor's noticeable absence. Even the author George R. R. Martin was not entirely comfortable with this move, as his now-deleted blog suggests. Nevertheless, showrunner Ryan Condal talked about the reasons for such a compromise. Read on to find out.
Why Maelor was removed from House of the Dragon in the latest season
On the official House of the Dragon podcast, Ryan Conder was quite open about the alterations. He explained how Maelor would have been an infant in the show. He also added:
"And we had to make some compromises in rendering that story so that we didn’t have to recast the whole cast multiple times and really, just frankly, lose people. I mean, we were walking right up against the line with it in season one, and I think we did– I think we did a really great job. And I think the response to season one sort of extolls that."
Condal stressed that it was not a hasty decision to remove Maelor Targaryen. He added that for the pacing of House of the Dragon, it was vital for them to consider the aging characters and make sure that the timelines were believable.
“Our young children in this show are very young, very, very young, because we compressed that timeline.”
Condal also knew that fans would pay attention to details such as omitting a character. Altering such a moment was certain to have a domino impact across the narrative. Nevertheless, he stood for it, believing that it let them embrace another direction that fit the show better. He added that such changes were intended with the overall perspective.
Still, it appears that Ryan Condal and his team remain committed to staying close to the show’s spirit, even if they had to make unpopular choices at times. George R. R. Martin may have had his reservations, but Condal feels that narrowing down the plot line will only keep the viewers engaged and not cause recasting or timeline problems.
As for the viewers, only time will tell how they are going to react as House of the Dragon progresses further.
House of The Dragon can be streamed on HBO and Max.
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