How House of the Dragon falters in portraying its female characters like George R.R. Martin had envisioned.

For those who have only seen House of the Dragon and not read George R.R. Martin’s Fire & Blood, or vice versa, you might find a bit of difference between the female characters in the different media. As for those who have read the book and are currently watching the series, they will tell you that House of the Dragon has failed to show the complexity of its female characters.
Eva Best in House of the Dragon

Eve Best as Rhaenys Targaryen in House of the Dragon | HBO
Fans especially have had complaints about the three most prominent females in the series – Alicent, Rhaenyra, and Rhaenys. While they are stronger, more brutal, and violent in the book, the show depicts them in a light that dilutes their ruthlessness and political savvy. On the other hand, things were a bit different with Game of Thrones.

Has House of the Dragon Failed its Female Characters?

Olivia Cooke and Emma D'Arcy House of the DragonOlivia Cooke and Emma D’Arcy in House of the Dragon Season 2 | HBO Entertainment
A post on Reddit rightly points out that House of the Dragon has been overdoing the wrong trope all this time. The outdated and overdone trope in question is that while men are violent, women only push for peace. This has been seen time and again in the series.

The female characters in HoTD are quite passive when compared to their book counterparts and have been watered down to fit inside a box. In George R.R. Martin’s book, Alicent Hightower is the genius mastermind behind the Green Council and is shown to be a great political strategist. Unfortunately, Olivia Cooke’s Alicent was stripped of this political prowess and her father Otto Hightower was the one who took her place. Thus, Alicent went from a strong, intelligent, and strategic character to a weak and confused pushover.

Coming to Rhaenys Targaryen, who in the books was a strong advocate for using Team Black’s greater dragon power to launch a swift attack on King’s Landing and ensure a quick victory. She was not afraid to endorse violence and was a brilliant strategist. In the show though, Eve Best’s Rhaenys sees a notable departure from her book counterpart and often gives speeches emphasizing restraint and caution. Even her previously mentioned dragon strategy was shown to be the brainchild of Daemon and the Black Council.

Now, let’s talk about everyone’s favorite HoTD character – Rhaenyra Targaryen. In the book, she fed Vaemond Velaryon to her dragon Syrax when he called her children out being bastards. It didn’t take Rhaenyra a moment of consideration nor did she have sympathy for him before committing the act which just shows how unapologetically ruthless she can be. The show, however, took all her rage and gave it to Daemon, making Emma D’Arcy’s Rhaenyra a tragic, morally conflicted character.

The post perfectly states,

Women can be just as violent as men; having a woman do things that are considered ‘evil’ or for self gain doesn’t take away from the character and if anything I think makes for more compelling characters rather than the unfortunate whitewashing that has occurred.

All in all, we would love to see the women of the show regain their complex and ruthless nature as they get their hands dirty. It’s about time we stop watering down just insane characters!

Fans Have Been Saying This for a Long Time

Emilia Clarke as Daenerys Targaryen in GoTEmilia Clarke as Daenerys Targaryen in Game of Thrones | HBO
While HoTD has been receiving unending praise from both critics and fans, this one complaint has always occupied viewers’ minds, especially those who have read Fire & Blood. Here’s what some of them have to say about the show whitewashing such powerful female characters:

 

 

 

 

 

 

The point about Game of Thrones couldn’t have been said any better. From Cersei to Daenerys to Arya, the female characters in the show were absolute perfection. Cersei was evil and the show didn’t try to hide this by giving her a moral complex. Daenerys was your average savior throughout the show but left hints of darkness behind. And Arya? Well, we’ll let her revenge for the Red Wedding speak for itself.

Perhaps the women of HoTD can take a page out of GoT’s book.