WARNING! This article contains SPOILERS for House of the Dragon season 2, episode 1 and George R.R. Martin’s Fire & Blood book, on which the show is based.
Summary
A scandalous part of Cregan Stark and Jacaerys Velaryon’s story from George R.R. Martin’sFire & Bloodbook is cut fromHouse of the Dragonseason 2, episode 1, though the omission makes sense. UnlikeA Song of Ice and Fire, the book series on whichGame of Thronesis based,House of the Dragonis based on a fictional history book about House Targaryen titledFire & Blood, with the information coming from a variety of sources and unreliable narrators. Consequently, the HBO show’s “true” telling of the stories ofHouse of the Dragon’s cast and charactersdon’t all follow the accounts outlined in the book.
After plenty of anticipation,House of the Dragon’s season 2 premiere introduces Cregan Stark, the Lord of Winterfell and ancestor ofGame of Thrones’ Ned Stark. Rhaenyra’s eldest son,Prince Jacaerys Velaryon, visits Winterfell and the Wall in order to treat with Cregan, with the trip culminating in Cregan pledging House Stark’s support and 2,000 greybeard soldiers to her cause. However,House of the Dragon’s return to Winterfell only amounts to a brief scene between Jace and Cregan, cutting numerous details fromFire & Bloodin which they hunted, drank, sealed an oath of brotherhood, signed the Pact of Ice & Fire, and – more intriguingly – argued about Sara Snow.
Who Is Sara Snow? Her Role In Jacaerys & Cregan’s Story Explained
A Fire & Blood narrator claims Sara Snow is Cregan’s illegitimate half-sister
Among the reasons why Jacaerys and Cregan’s story inHouse of the Dragonwas so anticipated was the hope that it would finally clarifyFire & Blood’s rumors regarding Sara Snow. However,House of the Dragonseason 2 cut Sara Snow altogether, and it’s unlikely that she’ll be featured at all in theGame of Thronesprequel’s future. Considering how scandalous her role was according to one narrator inFire & Blood, Sara’s removal still leaves plenty of questions about her story for book readers afterHouse of the Dragon’s season 2 episode “A Son for a Son.”
According to Fire & Blood narrator Mushroom, a court fool, Prince Jacaerys fell in love with Sara and slept with her in Winterfell.
In George R.R. Martin’s book,Sara Snow is the bastard daughter of Lord Rickon Stark and the half-sister of Lord Cregan Stark. According toFire & Bloodnarrator Mushroom, a court fool, Prince Jacaerys fell in love with Sara and slept with her in Winterfell. Despite being betrothed to Baela Targaryen, Mushroom wrote that Jacaerys secretly wed Sara Snow at the godswood, which lessenedLord Cregan Stark’s anger at discovering their affair. However,Fire & BloodnarratorArchmaester Gyldayn doubted that Sara even existed, elaborating that Jace wouldn’t have broken his vows to Baela. Gyldayn stated that even if Sara existed and Jace did sleep with her, Mushroom’s claims of marriage are absurd.
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Why House Of The Dragon Cut Sara Snow
Sara Snow’s removal from House of the Dragon was practical
Considering other elements of Jace’s visit to Winterfell fromFire & Bloodwere cut fromHouse of the Dragon, it’s not too surprising that Sara Snow was omitted as well. Itseems that part of Sara Snow’s erasure was due to time constraints, as there were numerous events and storylines to fit in beforeHouse of the Dragonseason 2, episode 1’s ending. Cregan’s appearance in the season 2 premiere is extremely brief, so cutting Sara was likely a matter of ensuring that Jace’s visit to Winterfell was focused on obtaining House Stark’s support and thematically highlighting their connections to Aegon’s dream andGame of Thrones’ ending.
Fire & Blood Character Cut From House of the Dragon Seasons 1 & 2
POV elsewhere/time restraints
Targaryen court fool
Likely tone issues
Likely timeline issues
Son of Alicent & Viserys
Will be in future seasons
Ensuring more brevity inHouse of the Dragonseason 2, episode 1 didn’t just apply to Winterfell, as theevents of Blood and Cheese were also changedand executed at an accelerated rate. As writer Sara Hess explained,cutting Sara Snow fromHouse of the Dragonwaspractical given the show’s “POV is the Targaryens… [They] just don’t have the eyes to really be everywhere all the time.”With one ofFire & Blood’s narrators even doubting that Sara existed at all, it’s simpler forHouse of the Dragonto either avoid putting her on screen or corroborate the archmaester’s belief that she was entirely fictitious.
New episodes ofHouse of the Dragonseason 2 release Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on HBO and Max.
House of the Dragon
Cast
House of the Dragon is a 2022 fantasy drama set in the world of Westeros, chronicling the Targaryen dynasty at its height. The story revolves around King Viserys’s controversial decision to name his daughter Rhaenyra as heir to the Iron Throne, sparking tensions and divisions within the realm.
