Movies News Talk
House Of The Dragon seems to have changed the narrative George R. R. Martin's Fire & Blood offers significantly by excluding the Nettles character. Although other "dragonseeds" from the novel have been added to the program, Nettles's exclusion is notable given her significant part in the Dance of the Dragons and her ability to question the Targaryen assertion of dragonriding exclusiveness.
Rhaenyra and Jacaerys are resolved in House Of The Dragon to demonstrate that dragonriding requires more than just Valyrian blood. Nettles would have upended the Targaryen story as Addam of Hull, Hugh Hammer, and Ulf effectively bond with dragons. Addam, Hugh, and Ulf all have Valyrian ancestry but are not pure Targaryens, so the assertion that only people with Valyrian blood can ride dragons is already disproved. Nettles, without any known Valyrian heritage, would have been the most powerful refutation of this claim, nonetheless.
Fire & Blood's dragonseeds' list offers a convincing study of the dragonriding line-of- descent. Except from Nettles, every dragonseed is connected to a known Valyrian ancestor. Her particular place in the dragonriding story is underlined even more by this ambiguity regarding her background. Nettles is the most powerful player in subverting the Targaryens' claim to dragonriding exclusivity because of this lack of clear link to Old Valyria.
The absence of nettles in House of the Dragon is a lost chance to investigate the nuances of dragonriding outside the Targaryens' declared exclusiveness. Her tale in Fire & Blood, especially her relationship with Daemon Targaryen, presents a strong narrative thread that questions established ideas of lineage and authority. Her absence from the program creates a void in the examination of dragonriding and its ramifications for the power structure of the Targaryen dynasty.
Although Nettles appears improbable to show up in House of the Dragon, she could show up later. Delaying her arrival so considerably, however, would be a major departure from the book's story and may perhaps diminish the effect of her character. With its unresolved riddles and ability to upset the Targaryen power system, Nettles's novel presents a fascinating storyline House of the Dragon seems to have missed.