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I'm Mad All Over Again That Game Of Thrones Cut Daenerys Targaryen's Best Scene, 12 Years Later

By James Hunt

Published Aug 12, 2024

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Custom image by Debanjana Chowdhury.

Summary

House of the Dragon's season 2 finale makes Game of Thrones cutting down Daenerys Targaryen's House of the Undying visions even worse.
The book version had intense foreshadowing and lots of deeper meanings, but the show reduced it to just a couple of scenes.
House of the Dragon showing Daemon have a vision of Dany, and connecting it to prophecies, is a reminder of how badly Game of Thrones adapted it.

The House of the Dragon season 2 finale, "The Queen Who Ever Was," included a glimpse of Daenerys Targaryen, and unfortunately, it just reminded me of book in George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series. A version of it did take place in Game of Thrones season 2's finale, "Valar Morghulis," but it was drastically truncated and missed out everything that made the scene special.

In the show, she sees the Red Keep's throne room in ruins, then es through the Wall to find Khal Drogo and their son, Rhaego. In the book, there's a lot more to Daenerys' House of the Undying visions, including Rhaegar Targaryen as well as several scenes of foreshadowing and teases of things to come. Game of Thrones' version couldn't live up to it, and Daemon Targaryen's vision of Daenerys just makes it worse.

Daemon, Rhaenyra, and Rhaena Targaryen in House of the Dragon season 2, episode 8

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What Daenerys' House Of The Undying Visions Include In The Book

There's So Much To Daenerys' Visions In A Clash Of Kings

On the one hand, Game of Thrones cutting Daenerys' book prophecies is somewhat understandable. There's a lot to the House of the Undying sequence in the book, with well over a dozen different visions or prophecy-type warnings, so it would've been difficult to include absolutely everything. Here's a rundown of what Dany sees:

"a beautiful woman sprawled naked on the floor while four little men crawled over her."
Several people dead at a dinner table, described as "a feast of corpses." Above them, sitting on a throne, is a dead man with the head of a wolf. This is foreshadowing the Red Wedding's many deaths.
A house with a red door and a lemon tree in the yard, believed to be in Braavos. Dany has multiple thoughts of this place in the books.
A throne room, filled with the skulls of dead dragons, and an old man - likely the Mad King - sat upon the Iron Throne.
A person who appears to be Rhaegar Targaryen, speaking to a woman nursing a newborn. He reveals the child's name is Aegon, saying "he is the Prince That Was Promised."
A great hall with a "splendor" of wizards, who claim to be the Undying of Qarth.
The wizards give her several vague, prophetic messages, including "three heads has the dragon;" "three mounts you must ride," and that she will know three betrayals - one of blood, one for love, one for gold.
Her brother, Viserys, dying, with molten gold covering his head.
Someone who seems to be Rhaego in the future, with the vision of "A tall lord with copper skin and silvergold hair stood beneath the banner of a fiery stallion."
Rubies flying from the chest of a prince, which sounds like Rhaegar Targaryen's defeat to Robert Baratheon on the Trident.
A red sword in the hand of a "blue-eyed king" who "cast no shadow," perhaps Stannis Baratheon.
A cloth dragon on poles.
A great stone beast taking flight and breathing shadow fire.
A corpse standing on a ship, "eyes bright in his dead face, grey lips smiling sadly."
A blue flower growing on the Wall, which may be symbolizing Jon Snow, as his mother, Lyanna Stark, was given a blue flower by Rhaegar.
Shadows dancing inside a tent, presumably the magic ritual that Dany had Mirri Maz Duur perform to try and save Khal Drogo.
The red door again, with a little girl (we can assume this is Daenerys herself) running towards it.
Mirri Maz Duur in the flames, "a dragon bursting from her brow."
A bloody corpse being dragged behind a silver horse.
A white lion running through tall grass.
Naked crones emerging from a lake, bowing their heads to her.
Daenerys racing past some 10,000 slaves on her horse, who cry out "mother," as she does so.

Why Game Of Thrones Cutting Daenerys' House Of The Undying Visions Was A Mistake

It Could've Added A Lot To Her Story, Especially In Season 8

Emilia Clarke as Daenerys Targaryen looking at the Iron Throne in Game of Thrones season 8.

So yeah, clearly, there's a lot, and some of it would be mystifying to viewers... but then that's part of the fun. The House of the Undying scenes contain some incredible moments of foreshadowing, some brilliantly vivid, surreal, and haunting imagery, and multiple vague warnings that are designed to obsess over. It's all dripping with symbolism and layers of meaning, and a brilliant example of how to do that in a way that's really exciting and still important to the present story and character arc, not just the future.

Given where Game of Thrones' ending takes her, with a descent into becoming the "Mad Queen," having more of this could have been a way of underpinning those later decisions...

So much of what's here, from the idea of betrayals to the dragon having three heads and the cloth dragon and more, all serve to drive Daenerys' journey forward. They're things she herself thinks about. Given where Game of Thrones' ending takes her, with a descent into becoming the "Mad Queen," having more of this could have been a way of underpinning those later decisions with much more setup from an even earlier point. These visions serve to question her destiny and her power, which are vital to her story.

That the show focused so heavily on the Iron Throne in her vision - which did come to in Game of Thrones season 8 - is reflective of its narrative and thematic focus more generally. Thrones obsessed over that one seat of power, but ignored so many of the more magical and fantastical elements of this world, including several prophecies that were either cut or only paid lip-service. Including more of Daenerys' visions - and I'm not saying it needed all of them - would've helped fix that while giving her overall arc much more heft.

Collage of King's Landing burning and an angry Daenerys Targaryen in Game of Thrones.

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House Of The Dragon Makes Cutting The House Of The Undying Visions Worse

The Vision Of Daenerys Doesn't Help Matters At All

Daenerys Targaryen and baby dragons seen from behind in House of the Dragon season 2 Episode 8 — Image via Max

Daemon's visions at Harrenhal in House of the Dragon season 2 are closer to the House of the Undying than what Game of Thrones put on screen. They're not as good, but it certainly gave them more screen time and there was lots to unpack with regard to what they really mean and what they set up. That itself makes it more frustrating that Thrones couldn't do it when the scene was actually written perfectly already (whereas Daemon's were pure invention for the show, and not in Martin's Fire & Blood), but Daenerys appearing takes it further.

It's bringing together Daenerys, the Prince That Was Promised Prophecy, and Aegon the Conqueror's a song of ice and fire dream.

My own interpretation of it is that it's hinting Daenerys is the Prince That Was Promised. There's the red comet before she appears, the dragon eggs in the fire, and then the baby dragons themselves after Khal Drogo's funeral pyre, which all fits with the prophecy. Beyond that, it's very clearly connecting to the White Walkers, and the need for a Targaryen on the Iron Throne to defeat them. It's bringing together Daenerys, the Prince That Was Promised Prophecy, and Aegon the Conqueror's a song of ice and fire dream.

Daenerys with baby Drogon and Jon Snow in black in Game of Thrones, and Rhaenyra in a red gown in House of the Dragon season 2

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All of that just makes me more frustrated that Game of Thrones cut the vision where Rhaegar directly talks about the Prince That Was Promised's identity to Daenerys, which could've better set up these ideas. He also says "his is the song of ice and fire," and not only is that important because it's the title of the book series being used in-universe, but it too now connects to Aegon's dream.

This could've been paying off a much bigger part of Game of Thrones, and there'd be a much stronger thematic connection between the visions and why we're seeing Daenerys here. Unfortunately, the show didn't do that and, 12 years later, I'm still mad. It's a truly brilliant scene, with some of Martin's best writing, and deserved much better on-screen. House of the Dragon is an annoying reminder that it could and should have happened, and it would've improved two shows now.