One of the most debated changes in House of the Dragon Season 3 is the decision to give Rhaena Targaryen (played by Phoebe Campbell) the dragon-claiming arc originally belonging to Nettles in George R.R. Martin’s Fire & Blood. Showrunner Ryan Condal has now explained the reasoning behind this major adaptation choice.

Quick read:

  • Sheepstealer was originally claimed by a girl named Nettles rather than Rhaena
  • Ryan Condal changed the storyline to make it more of a family story
  • They used Rhaena’s insecurity both in her favour and against her

Ryan Condal’s explanation

In an interview with IGN, Condal addressed the change head-on:

“It just felt to us that because again, this story is told in point of view, that it felt more apt as this is a family story to where we had the opportunity to involve one of the family members in the storyline.”

He continued by highlighting how Rhaena has been built up since Season 1:

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“Rhaena has been set up since Season 1 as the member of this family who doesn’t have a dragon and basically her sole identity is the Targaryen kid who doesn’t have a dragon. It felt like that was a character that we had already set this long runway for that it could be very satisfying for the TV audience that didn’t have an experience with the book at all to see that character claim a dragon.”

Credits: HBO

The “monkey’s paw” payoff

Condal described the dramatic irony of the moment as very much in the spirit of Game of Thrones:

“And then in a very, I think, Game of Thrones and Westerosian kind of way… She gets her great wish and it becomes her greatest nightmare. It’s a very monkey’s paw kind of moment for Rhaena.”

This suggests that claiming the wild dragon Sheepstealer will bring Rhaena serious consequences rather than simple triumph.

Why not Nettles?

nettles

Credits: Hylora

In the books, Nettles is a lowborn, dark-skinned dragonseed from Driftmark who claims Sheepstealer through cunning and bravery rather than bloodright. Many fans see her as an important symbol of merit over lineage. By merging her arc into Rhaena’s story, the show keeps the focus tighter on the Targaryen family while giving an underutilized character (Rhaena) a major spotlight.

Was giving Rhaena Nettles’ storyline a smart adaptation choice, or should Nettles have been kept as a separate character?

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