House of the Dragon has fixed George R.R. Martin’s ‘least-favourite’ Game of Thrones scene

The American author - who served as a consultant on Game of Thrones - is taking more of a hands-on approach with the recently released spin-off
House of the Dragon has fixed a scene from Game of Thrones that author George R.R. Martin vocally disliked
Getty Images for IMDb
Tina Campbell5 September 2022
The Weekender

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George R.R. Martin will be delighted after the latest episode of House of the Dragon fixed what he previously described as his “least favourite” Game of Thrones scene.

The 73-year-old American author - who served as a consultant on GoT - is taking more of a hands-on approach with the recently released spin-off, which three episodes in, has already seen it retain more details from the books than its predecessor.

Episode three of the fantasy series, which airs in the UK on Sky Atlantic, went the furthest, appearing to intentionally correct a scene Martin very vocally disliked from season one of GoT, when King Robert Baratheon goes on an ill-fated boar hunt.

Reflecting on the moment, Martin said: “Where we really fell down in terms of budget was my least-favourite scene in the entire show, in all eight seasons.”

In his book, Fire Cannot Kill a Dragon, Martin wrote: “Four guys walking on foot through the woods carrying spears and Robert is giving Renly s***. In the book, Robert goes off hunting, we get word he was gored by a boar, and they bring him back and he dies. So I never [wrote a hunting scene].

“But I knew what a royal hunting party was like. There would have been 100 guys. There would have been pavilions. There would have been huntsmen. There would have been dogs. There would have been horns blowing – that’s how a king goes hunting! He wouldn’t have just been walking through the woods with three of his friends holding spears hoping to meet a boar.”

In the latest episode of House of the Dragon, entitled Second of His Name, the hunting party of King Viserys (played by Paddy Considine) is shown exactly as described by Martin.

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