Showrunner Ryan Condal admits to adding a scene in House of the Dragon Season 2 that was not in the novel.

House of the Dragon has veered away from the source material too many times, and fans aren’t thrilled at all. Showrunner Ryan Condal provides an explanation for this, and surprisingly – or perhaps not – it’s the same reason why Game of Thrones declined in storyline quality.

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Olivia Cooke and Emma D’Arcy in House of the Dragon / HBO

Based on George R.R. Martin’s novel, Fire & Blood, the prequel series follows the bloody and brutal war among the members of the Targaryen dynasty. With the upcoming season finale, fans are surely expecting the show to remain faithful to the source material.

Ryan Condal Admits To Adding A Surprise Scene In House Of The Dragon

While speaking on The Official Game of Thrones Podcast: House of the Dragon, showrunner Ryan Condal revealed that the scene between Olivia Cooke and Emma D’Arcy in the Grand Sept in King’s Landing was not in the books. Interestingly, he remarked how fans wished for this reunion.

This is television, and television runs on putting your finest actors and your central characters into dramatic situations together. And that’s not to say that we do it lightly, or we think we can just do this willy-nilly because everybody wants to see a scene between Olivia Cooke and Emma D’Arcy.

Condal admitted the team needed to figure out how to get Alicent Hightower and Rhaenyra Targaryen in one frame, before confessing: “Yes, this was not in the book… it’s not in the book because that would never be on the historical record.”

He recalled Rhaenyra’s dialogue with her son about trying to find another path toward peace before risking the lives of others who fight for her claim. “I think it’s the most noble thing that Rhaenyra does as a sovereign. And yes, it is dangerous,” he said before calling it a possibly “stupid” move.

Emilia Clarke and Kit Harington in Game of Thrones / HBO

Game of Thrones was known for steering the show’s plotline away from the books. Curiously, showrunner David Benioff said via The Hollywood Reporter: “I always wondered, ‘Would people like that if they actually got it?’”

In changing the course of the story, the franchise gradually faltered towards the final season. It even became irredeemable to the point that it suffered a tremendous backlash from the fans who once loved the show.

Fans Aren’t Amused With Alicent And Rhaenyra’s Reunion

Olivia Cooke and Emma D’Arcy in House of the Dragon / HBO

Condal’s revelation about adding a scene that wasn’t originally in the book did not sit well with fans. Many expressed frustrations over his statement that fans wanted the reunion scene.





Hopefully, there aren’t any more grand modifications in the season finale. Fans are surely expecting to witness the same flow in the book, but this remains to be seen.

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House of the Dragon Season 2 is streaming on HBO.