We are not telling you anything new if we tell you that many times what is stated on paper does not end up being reflected on the screen. From scripts that are changed as a result of the improvisation of their actors (and that end up coming together on camera) to scenes that modify before starting filming because there has been a last minute twist.
Inevitable changes in filming
These modifications usually occur both in movies and in TV series and fall within the normality of a shoot. in own The House of the Dragon We have heard before of moments that were not previously planned and that after being seen on the set, they remained in the final production. One of the most notorious was when Daemon helps an ill-fated Viserys to climb the stairs of the Iron Throne.
It happened in chapter number 8, when the then king of Westeros appeared in the Throne room to put order and will in the commotion mounted around the regency of Marcadrift. The Targaryen clumsily climbs the stairs and at one point trips, knocking the crown off his head. Daemon goes over to help him and bends down to pick up the crown and, once seated, put it back on his head. This final gesture was not in the script: it was a improvisation by Matt Smith with Paddy Considine that emanated so much strength on screen that the director decided to leave it when he saw it, becoming in fact one of the most epic and talked about episodes.
Other times the changes are not due to these magical acting moments: they simply respond to last-minute creative decisions or even logistical unforeseen events that force changes. And just the latter is what seems to have led to the final scene of 1×10 of The House of the Dragon It is not how it was originally intended.
The news of Lucerys’s death
Let’s move to the last scene of the season finale. Daemon arrives at the room where Rhaenyra is gathered with her allies, takes her aside near the fireplace and gives her the sad news of Lucerys’s death. After that, Rhaenyra, who is on her back and crying, turns and “stares” at the camera, with a clear expression of rage. This is the scene that we have all seen but not the one that was originally conceived for this moment.
As vignettes from the series’ storyboard artist reveal, adam pescottthe idea was that Daemon arrived at the room of the Dragonstone Thronewhere Rhaenyra was sitting, and after approaching her and telling her what had happened, Rhaenyra will scream of rage and pain. Then she would look at Daemon and after that at the camera so that his face would melt into black and hers would appear. syrax dragon -here we leave you some of the most representative captures, you have them all on the artist’s Instagram account-:
Why was the first option chosen and not the second (clearly more dramatic and impressive)? It is not known for sure, although the account Out of context House of the Dragon on Twitter ensures that it is because did not have time to assemble the set of the throne room -it is the one you see in the following tweet and in which Daenerys has sat several times.
out of context house of the dragon
@oochotd
Initially, Daemon was going to deliver the news of Lucerys death to Rhaenyra in the Dragonstone Throne Room as she sat the throne, but they couldn’t build the set in time.
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The deleted scene of Syrax emerging from darkness was to follow and close the season. #HouseOfTheDragon https://t.co/XNAqaQxcPCOctober 31, 2022 • 17:13
It should be noted that in the book, the writer George RR Martin is not, by any means, as detailed when telling this moment and only limits himself to indicating that Rhaenyra faints upon hearing the news of her son’s death, without further information, so that all creative responsibility rested with the show’s producers.
Which ending do you like the most? The one you’ve seen or the one they originally planned?
