How House of the Dragon falters in portraying its female characters as George RR Martin envisioned.
George RR Martin on the lack of black characters in Game of Thrones
For those who have only seen House of the Dragon and not read George RR Martin's Fire & Blood, or vice versa, you may find little difference between the female characters in the various media. As for those who have read the book and are currently watching the series, they will tell you that House of the Dragon has failed to show the complexity of its female characters.
Fans in particular have complained about the three most prominent women in the series – Alicent, Rhaenyra and Rhaenys. While they are stronger, more brutal and violent in the book, the show portrays them in a light that dilutes their ruthlessness and political savvy. On the other hand, it was a little different with Game of Thrones.
A post on Reddit rightly points out that House of the Dragon has been overdoing the wrong trope all along. The outdated and overdone trope in question is that while men are violent, women only push for peace. This has been seen time and time again in the series.
