The last few scenes in the season finale of House of the Dragon saw Princess Rhaena Targaryen finally meeting Sheepstealer, the dragon she has been chasing throughout the latter episodes. For the avid readers, they immediately know that this is a major change from the source.
Sheepstealer is a wild dragon that lives on the back of Dragonmont and is very fond of mutton, hence its name. He is one of the three wild dragons and is supposed to be claimed by a dragonseed called Nettles.
Rhaena Finally Meets Sheepstealer In House Of The Dragon Finale
There are indeed many characters and arcs in George R.R. Martin’s book and it’s impossible to incorporate everything in a handful of episodes in House of the Dragon.
While some of these modifications may be necessary to condense the plot, omitting characters is one thing that gravely disappoints fans. In the show, the wild dragon Sheepstealer is linked with Phoebe Campbell’s Rhaena Targaryen.
By the end of the season finale, she was seen coming up face-to-face with the dragon she would soon hopefully claim. The book stated otherwise; Sheepstealer is claimed by a bastard girl named Nettles, who would soon become entangled with Matt Smith’s Daemon Targaryen.
The girl in question seems nowhere to be found in the show. When asked about Nettles, showrunner Ryan Condal told Variety that he is “not ready to comment yet on anything that hasn’t been established in the show just yet.”
It doesn’t seem like part of their plan to establish the character anymore after giving Sheepstealer to Rhaena. Even though that’s no longer the case, the prequel series kept its promise to give the princess her own dragon. Read what fans think of Rhaena and Sheepstealer’s scene:
She wanted a dragon by all means now she found the craziest of them all. Look at those wings, that's the Dracula of all dragons
— Ike Montana (@jeremiahUTD) August 5, 2024
I love that Sheepstealer looks very much wild not like all the pretty kept dragons like Silverwing lol
— Lily* (@300mirrors) August 5, 2024
I don’t mind the adjustment. This dragons design is awesome by the way
— Dav (@GreenManApple) August 5, 2024
Damn look at those wings
— Λιi-j Ώ• (@AliAljawad14) August 5, 2024
Sheepstealer’s design is so cool looking 🥺
— 💛🐉𝕋𝕣𝕒𝕦𝕞𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕔𝕒🐉💛 (@krackdashianoxo) August 5, 2024
The scene left the viewers hanging, and they have to wait for at least two years to see if Rhaena finally claims Sheepstealer.
George R.R. Martin On Major Changes In House of the Dragon
George R.R. Martin has been writing his reflections on House of the Dragon on his website and he particularly talked about screenwriters altering details in shows that are based on certain IPs. The author wrote:
No matter how major a writer it is, no matter how great the book, there always seems to be someone on hand who thinks he can do better, eager to take the story and “improve” on it. They never make it better, though.
This could be a jab at the numerous changes that House of the Dragon has done with his story. He would sometimes praise the show for its creativity, but there were times he could not help but criticize it. “Ignore canon, and the world you’ve created comes apart like tissue paper,” he wrote in another post.
House of the Dragon Season 2 is now streaming on HBO.
