In the HBO show, Aemond is usually the one who gets to show his attitude and roast people. Just one scene from George R.R. Marton’s Fire And Blood would change that.
House of the Dragon is a pretty accurate adaptation of Fire and Blood, but of course not every single scene from the book made it into the show. When it comes to a certain book dialogue between Aemond Targaryen – the know-it-all and “diva” of the series – and Maris Baratheon, fans are still disappointed that the showrunners decided not to include it.
First of all, it could have been the best roasting session of the entire show. Second, it could have added layers to the tragic death of Lucerys Velaryon, the son of Rhaenyra who died after Aemond’s dragon Vhagar tore him and his dragon apart.
When Lucerys left Storm’s End with nothing after trying to secure the loyalty of Lord Borros, Maris, upset that Aemond had not chosen her as his wife, taunted him with a one-liner: “Did he take one of your eyes or one of your balls? I am so glad you chose my sister. I want a husband with all his parts.”
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It was this line that enraged Aemond so much in the book that he hunted Luke down and killed him. In the show, however, Aemond had no intention of killing Luke, based on how desperate he looked as what was left of his nephew fell from the sky.
Basically, Luke’s death started the Dance of the Dragons, but the showrunners apparently did not want to make Aemond a “comic book villain” and decided to add complexity to the tragic event. This may be why Maris’ cold line did not make it into the show.
However, some fans believe the change was for the better.
“[In my opinion] it’s better left out, Aemond can’t excuse what he did on blind rage/hurt ego. He chose to toy with Luke and arrogantly thought he could control Vhagar,” Redditor Lord_Tiburon said.
But others argue that it could be a great addition to the show.
“I disagree mainly because I think it’s way more realistic for a teenage boy to be hot tempered and have a chip on their shoulder. Also it makes Aemond’s overreaction to Lucerys presence make more sense,” Redditor Ranni-simp said.
Season 2 of House of the Dragon is scheduled to begin filming in March. The premiere date has yet to be announced by HBO.
