When Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D’Arcy) fashioned a small army of dragonriders out of Targaryen bastards in House of the Dragon Season 2, one particular “Dragonseed” was missing in action. Some fans took umbrage with the absence of Nettles, a favorite from George R. R. Martin’s original book, Fire & Blood, and a crucial cog in the Dance of Dragons. At the time, showrunner Ryan Condal played coy about the chances of yet-unseen book characters making their way into the HBO series, but by the time Season 2 came to an end, it was pretty obvious that Nettles’ role had been handed off to Princess Rhaena Targaryen (Phoebe Campbell).
Beyond the dubious choice to conflate one Black female character with another, it was too soon to see how Rhaena’s new story would unfold in House of the Dragon. Season 2 came to a close just as Rhaena encountered Sheepstealer, the wild dragon that Nettles tames in Fire & Blood. After two years of waiting, however, we’ve finally got a front-row seat to Condal’s plan in action... and it might hurt the series as much as it helps.
