One Of Game Of Thrones’ Biggest Daenerys Targaryen Plot Holes Just Got Even Worse

House of the Dragon season 2, episode 1 makes one Daenerys Targaryen plot hole from Game of Thrones a lot worse. For the most part, House of the Dragon’s timeline means it doesn’t have too much of an impact on its predecessor, since this is all happening 170+ years earlier. There are some exceptions, however, such as Aegon the Conqueror’s A Song of Ice and Fire recontextualizing the White Walkers’ defeat.

There’s nothing quite so dramatic in House of the Dragon season 2, episode 1, but there is one story that has an impact on Daenerys. More specifically, it’s related to a plot hole with Dany flying her dragons North of the Wall in Game of Thrones season 7, episode 6, “Beyond the Wall.” That had seemed like a contradiction of lore, and its prequel just made it worse.

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Daenerys’ Dragons Flying Over The Wall Makes Less Sense After House Of The Dragon

Fire & Blood Created The Original Problem

Daenerys flying her dragons beyond the Wall to save Jon Snow et al didn’t seem too problematic at the time, but did become so when George R.R. Martin’s Fire & Blood was released just a year later. The book revealed the story of Queen Alysanne’s visit to the Wall, and how her dragon Silverwing refused three times to go beyond it. Why did her dragon refuse – or was magically unable – to go beyond the Wall, when Daenerys’ weren’t?

House of the Dragon

Taking place about 172 years before the events of Game of Thrones, House of the Dragon tells the tale of the rise of the Targaryens, the only family of dragonlords to survive the Doom of Valyria. The popular HBO spinoff show first starred Milly Alcock and Emily Carey as Rhaenyra Targaryen and Alicent Hightower before they were replaced by Emma D’Arcy and Olivia Cooke, who play the older versions of the characters. Also starring in the series is Matt Smith (Prince Daemon Targaryen) and Paddy Considine as Rhaenyra’s father, King Viserys Targaryen.

Cast

Jefferson Hall , Paddy Considine , Fabien Frankel , Ryan Corr , Eve Best , Gavin Spokes , Graham McTavish , Steve Toussaint , Olivia Cooke , Sonoya Mizuno , Bill Paterson , Matthew Needham , Emma D’Arcy , Matt Smith , Rhys Ifans , David Horovitch

Release Date

August 21, 2022

Seasons

2

Network

HBO Max

Showrunner

Ryan Condal

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House of the Dragon season 2 doubles down on this plot hole. Cregan Stark tells the story to Jacaerys Velaryon, which ensures that it exists in the TV show canon, meaning this can’t just be hand-waved away as a discrepancy between book lore and the show. In fact, it not only happened, but is important enough for Cregan to tell Jace about it even in such a brief scene.

The Game of Thrones prequel also changes the story, too. In Fire & Blood, it’s just Silverwing who won’t/can’t go beyond the Wall, but in House of the Dragon, it was King Jaehaerys’ dragon, Vermithor, too. That means it wasn’t just one dragon acting of their own accord, but two – both of whom are bigger and more powerful than Dany’s – who either couldn’t or wouldn’t fly beyond the Wall.

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Obviously, there’s the timeline with the source material to consider, since Fire & Blood wasn’t released when Dany was flying beyond the Wall. In fact, Martin’s novella The Rogue Prince, from 2014, included a story told by Viserys to his grandchildren about Jaehaerys:

“His Grace gave the babe a pearl ring off his finger to play with, and told the twins the story of how their great-great-grandsire and namesake Jaehaerys the Old King had flown his dragon north to the Wall to defeat a vast host of wildlings, giants, and wargs.”

That means the plot hole really came from Fire & Blood, which told a different version of events and left out that tale (though it’s very likely Viserys’ account was an exaggerated take to entertain kids). That’s not really Game of Thrones’ fault, of course, but House of the Dragon certainly exacerbates the problem when it could instead have looked to offer an explanation.

So, Why Did Daenerys’ Dragons Fly Over The Wall When Silverwing & Vermithor Refused?

Can The Game Of Thrones Plot Hole Be Fixed?

House of the Dragon didn’t give an answer to the plot hole and instead compounded the issue, but it’s worth considering if there are any potential fixes for the plot hole. After all, the White Walkers were more active in Game of Thrones, so if they were the reason for Silverwing and Vermithor not crossing, then Drogon, Rhaegal, and Viserion would have greater reason not to.

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Wait, Are There White Walkers In House Of The Dragon Season 2?

House of the Dragon season 2’s return to the Wall comes with an ominous warning from Cregan Stark, but does that mean there’ll be White Walkers?

It could simply be that these are different dragons in different circumstances. Perhaps the nature of the moment, with Jon Snow and company needing to be saved, and Dany’s desperation to do so, helped override any reluctance the dragons may otherwise have had. Perhaps the impending war against the dead, the entire purpose of the Targaryens in Westeros as per Aegon’s A Song of Ice and Fire dream, meant that now was the time for them to go beyond the Wall.

There’s also the matter of magic to consider here. One possibility is that it’s related to the Night King’s mark: Bran had this when he crossed back through the Wall, which was before Daenerys and her dragons flew over it. If the magic worked both ways, could it have somehow broken it, allowing dragons to cross over? All of these are possible, if not perfect, explanations.

Ultimately, it comes down to discrepancies in the show and book, which House of the Dragon season 2 has made worse. It’ll be interesting, then, to see whether Martin himself includes dragons going beyond the Wall in either The Winds of Winter or A Dream of Spring, and, if so, whether he addresses how they do it. Until then, it’ll just have to remain a frustrating Game of Thrones plot hole.

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  Game Of Thrones

  Created by David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, Game of Thrones is a TV series based on the book “A Song of Ice of Fire” by George R. R. Martin. It tells the story of the ongoing battle between the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros – as they fight for control of the coveted Iron Throne. Friction between the houses leads to full-scale war. All while a very ancient evil awakens in the far north. Amidst the war, a neglected military order of misfits, the Night’s Watch, led by House Stark’s Jon Snow, is the first to encounter icy horrors that threaten all realms of men. The series premiered on HBO in the United States on April 17, 2011, and quickly became one of the biggest event series in the “Golden Age” of TV. Winner of 38 Primetime Emmy Awards, Game of Thrones has attracted record viewership on HBO and has a broad, active, international fan base.

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  Game of Thrones

  $47 $85 Save $38

  Game of Thrones is a multimedia franchise created by George R.R. Martin. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire is the basis for the award-winning HBO series Game of Thrones, which lasted for eight seasons. After the incredibly divisive final season of Game of Thrones, the series was followed up by the prequel series House of the Dragon, which also received critical acclaim.