A Talk of Ice and Fire: A Dialogue on Dragons

By: Rose Caisley'26 & Sadie Downing'26

Photo courtesy of IMDb

From dragons to duels, HBO’s adaptation of Fire and Blood, House of the Dragon, has it all. However, the series, much like its predecessor Game of Thrones, hasn’t escaped criticism. Two of our writers, Rose Caisley ‘26 and Sade Downing ‘26 sat down to discuss their favorite parts of the show and how it differs from the book it’s based on. 

First question: Team Black or Team Green? What swayed you either way?

Sadie Downing: I am team black! I feel like Rhaenyra genuinely cares about people, especially her children, more than Alicent does. I also think Rhaenyra has the strongest case because Viserys definitely did not want Aegon to be king. 

Rose Caisley: Team Green all the way! I love a nice dysfunctional family. I agree that Rhaenyra has the strongest claim. I think I feel an immense amount of sympathy for Alicent and can’t necessarily I would have done any different in her place.  

SD: I do admit feeling sympathy for Alicent as well. She did have to marry an old man when she was 18, and then she didn’t have much help caring for her children from said old man. That gives me more sympathy for Aegon too, because it’s not exactly his fault he is the way he is, because his dad was completely absent and his mom was a child too. 

RC: But I also do love a wonderfully toxic female character. From a judicial point of view, however, Rhaenyra definitely should be queen. 

How closely does the first season follow the books? The second? 

RC: I haven’t read the books, but you have. 

SD: Yeah, so I think season one follows the book much closer than season two does, but there are some things they’ve changed. I appreciate some of these changes, especially changing the character’s ages. Specifically, Rhaenyra, because if she was any younger it would be so creepy. 

RC: Were there any changes you didn’t like?

SD: One of my least favorite changes is the scene in season two where she goes to King’s Landing to talk to Alicent because that is such a risk. And she barely thinks about it before she just goes off!

RC: Because if it's that easy, everyone would get assassinated!

SD: Exactly. 

Are there any characters who are extremely different?

SD: I think none of them are extremely different but I do think Viserys is the most different. Maybe that’s just the fact that Paddy Considine is a really good actor, but he seems to be trying to be a good king in the show, while in the book he’s completely ineffectual and doesn’t seem to care about that. 

RC: I think that also speaks to the collaborative nature of television versus writing a novel. The actors can add things that weren’t in the script. Justice for Paddy, he should have won an Emmy!

What do you think of the relationship between the two main characters? How does it affect the tone/themes of the show?

RC: My favorite part of the show is the relationship between Rhaenyra and Alicent because Rhaenyra is given power while Alincent must take hers. I think that’s part of the reason audiences didn’t like Alicent as much. Since she had to claw any power or protection, she had very few lines she wasn’t willing to cross to protect her family. As Rhaenys says, Alicent desires “not to be free, but to make a window in the wall of [her] prison.”

SD: I especially like the addition of Alicent and Rhaenyra being childhood friends, because in the book they weren’t close before Alicent married Viserys. I mean, in the book, when Alicent and Viserys get married, Rhaenyra is like eight, so they definitely have a different dynamic. I think that made the show a lot more compelling. 

Favorite characters? Why?

RC: Two sides of the same coin, I love Daemon and Aemond for similar reasons. Both are unflinching in the pursuit of their goals and willing to cross any line.

SD: I love Rhaenys. In my opinion, she was the most rational character in the show, and she tried the most of anyone to stop the war. None of this would have happened if she had become queen. I loved Viserys but he was not a good king at all. 

Least favorite characters? Why?

RC: Sir Criston Cole.

SD: 100%. He is the worst!  

Fire & Blood often glosses over the characters' inner lives due to its historical format. How do you think the show deepened our understanding of the characters’ personal motivations?

SD: I think the historical format is really interesting, especially because Martin makes note that there are three accounts of the Dance of the Dragons and they often contradict each other. However, the show makes all of the characters into real people instead of historical figures (in a fictional sense, of course). Their feelings and the intentions behind their actions are much clearer. 

RC: Interesting, I can’t wait to read the book! 

Any final thoughts?

SD: I’m still excited for seasons three and four, though more apprehensive than I was about season two before it came out. Overall, I feel like the show has done a pretty good job adapting Fire and Blood, because it must be such a challenge to adapt a fictional history book into a TV show. 

RC: I agree that I am certainly more cautious now than I was before, but I am hopeful that season three will bring more excitement and more dragons!