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House of the Dragon seasonseason 2:2: IsIs Rhaena Nettles now?now?
The time has come to address one of the more controversial and intriguing developments from House of the Dragon’s second season. George R.R. Martin’s Rhaena and Nettles are characters from the book ‘Fire and Blood’. The interesting deviation from the source materials and possible elimination of ‘Nettles’ is what I want to discuss.
WARNING: book and potential show spoilers discussed below!
Characters discussed in order of first mention:
- Phoebe Campbell plays Rhaena
- Emma D’Arcy plays Rhaenyra
- Matt Smith plays Daemon
Where is Nettles?
In response to being asked whether we will see Nettles in the show, showrunner Ryan Condal has stated, “I’m not ready to comment on any characters we haven’t met on screen yet, so I would just say stay tuned.” This cryptic comment opens the possibility of her appearance. Still, if she were cut, it might mean Rhaena is claiming Nettles’ dragon, Sheepstealer. This seems increasingly likely given the last episode’s reference to a ‘wild’ dragon in the Vale, Rhaena looks interested in.
In the book, Nettles is a young, dark-haired, dark-skinned woman who defies all expectations by claiming the wild dragon Sheepstealer. She claims Sheepstealer despite not looking at all like a Valyrian. Indeed, Rhaenyra accuses Nettles of using witchcraft to tame a dragon, as, and I quote, ‘You need only look at her to know she has no drop of dragon’s blood in her’. By introducing much-needed diversity with House Velaryon, the writers have made Nettles’ appearance less significant and, in turn, her character less vital.
Giving Rhaena a Dragon
Meanwhile, ‘the book’ Rhaena is given three eggs, one of which eventually hatches into the dragon Morning. Of the four eggs Rhaenyra entrusts with Rhaena in the show, three are now confirmed to be those of Daenerys in Game of Thrones. The remaining egg could be Morning’s, but it is too early to say for sure.
Whilst I would be sad to see this fan-favourite character cut from the show, if I were to combine their two characters, I would have Rhaena claim Sheepstealer and get herself involved in Daemon’s war effort in the Riverlands. This would give Rhaena’s character the agency she so ardently desires and develop Daemon’s strained relationship with his daughters. Furthermore, Phoebe Campbell has done a phenomenal job of conveying her character’s forlorn and desperate nature up to this point. I, for one, would welcome this exciting development for her character.
Feature image credit: Theo Whiteman/HBO.
