Did House of the Dragon just disappointingly replace a great book character?

Warning: Contains SPOILERS for House of the Dragon Season 2, Episode 3, “The Burning Mill.”

House of the Dragon Season 2, Episode 3, “The Burning Mill,” introduces Davos Blackwood, but a big question mark remains over another family member, Benjicot. The Blackwoods and the Brackens have been enemies for thousands of years, and this now has implications for House of the Dragon Season 2.

A disagreement over landmarks leads to the two sides revealing who they have chosen to support in the Dance of Dragons – the Blackwoods support Rhaenyra Targaryen, the Brackens Aegon II Targaryen. Eventually, this leads to the Battle of the Burning Mill, where there are heavy casualties on both sides, although the action takes place off-screen. Davos appears to die in the battle, but what does his appearance mean for the series?

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THAT return in season 2, episode 3 of House of the Dragon explained

In season 2, episode 3 of “House of the Dragon” there is an important return, and it has a deeper meaning for the further story of one of the main characters.

In Season 2, Episode 3 of House Of The Dragon, Davos Blackwood was introduced instead of Benjicot Blackwood

Davos Blackwood does not exist in Fire & Blood

Leading to House of the Dragon Season 2, Episode 3, There was speculation on social media that Benjicot Blackwood would perform. It was clear that the feud between the houses would play a role in some way, but the appearance of actor Kieran Burton suggested that we might see Benjicot. He certainly looked like it (based on images from George RR Martin’s companion book The Rise of the Dragons), and the actor himself made a hint when he quoted a question in Instagram stories about whether he was Benjicot (via Collider), however, subtitles revealed that his real name was Davos.

There is no Davos Blackwood in Fire & Bloodso the character is a creation of the series. Benjicot is the son of Lord Samwell Blackwood. In the book, Samwell was killed at the Battle of the Burning Mill, although he does not appear in the series version. Benjicot becomes Lord of House Bracken after his father’s death and plays a key role in the Blacks’ campaign in the Riverlands. He fights in (and wins) several significant battles and, despite his young age, becomes known as Bloody Ben due to his wild nature in the conflicts.

Benjicot Blackwood can still appear in House of the Dragon

Season 3 could introduce the character, but the great cast probably won’t be retained

Although the use of Davos Blackwood instead of Benjicot raises some concerns that the character has been replaced, there’s a good chance that’s not the case. Davos is apparently killed in the Battle of the Burning Millbut it could easily turn out to be an older brother of Benjicot. In the book, Ben was only 11 years old when the battle took place, and he took over the House of Blackwood and started fighting in the war afterward. This could well mean that it prepares his introduction, probably in House of the Dragon Season 3.

It’s a shame that Burton probably won’t play Benjicot unless they decide to bring him back and just say he’s a different character (which wouldn’t be the worst decision despite possible confusion). Even with a different actor, it wouldn’t be a surprise if Ben got a few years older, as the show might not want an 11-year-old fighting in multiple battles. However they do it, there’s reason to hope that Bloody Ben will still be in House of the Dragoneven if it wasn’t the hoped-for introduction to this episode.

New episodes of House of the Dragon Releases Sundays at 9pm ET on HBO and Max.

House of the Dragon

About 172 years before the events of game of Thrones, House of the Dragon tells the story of the rise of the Targaryens, the only family of dragon lords to survive the fall of Valyria. The popular HBO spin-off series initially starred Milly Alcock and Emily Carey as Rhaenyra Targaryen and Alicent Hightower, before being replaced by Emma D’Arcy and Olivia Cooke, who play the older versions of the characters. Also starring in the series are Matt Smith (Prince Daemon Targaryen) and Paddy Considine as Rhaenyra’s father, King Viserys Targaryen.

Pour

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

21 August 2022

Seasons

2

network

HBOMax

Showrunner

Ryan Condal

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