Adam Prescott, the storyboard artist of House of the Dragon recently revealed on Instagram that the HBO series has an alternate ending for season 1. This alternate ending was slightly different from what we were shown, but let it be better or not is for the fans to decide. In the final sequence, House of the Dragon was going to show deleted scenes of Syrax, as they did during Rhaenyra’s terrible miscarriage.
The first season of the Game of Thrones prequel spinoff was indisputably popular. Every episode of House of the Dragon has been a fan favorite, including the deleted footage. This clip teases one of the original ending scenes envisioned by Episode 10 director Greg Yaitanes. Let’s take a look at what that scene was and how House of the Dragon season 1 could have ended.
Syrax, as shown in House of the Dragon
House of the Dragon Season 1 Alternate Ending Revealed by Storyboard Artist Adam Prescott
In the conversation scene, Daemon Targaryen enters the throne room in Dragonstone, where Rhaenyra sits on the throne. He approaches her and informs her of Lucerys’ death, and she screams. Yes, his reaction is more suited to the books of being emotionally charged. Then Daemon notices the blazing look of rage in his eyes. Syrax emerges from the shadows as the scene changes. The brilliantly detailed Syrax footage, first shown in the promotional teaser for House of the Dragon season 1, unfortunately didn’t make it to the final cut.
Instagram post by Adam Prescott
Syrax emerges from the depths of a cave, symbolizing the awakening of a dragon in Rhaenyra. Syrax’s answer shot is ever present in the season finale of House of the Dragon. In the final production, however, she screams and roars as Rhaenyra unexpectedly gives birth, clearly feeling her rider’s grief. The rest of the scenario, on the other hand, is much more sober compared to the storyboard.
House of the Dragon Season Ending Explained
The stillness of the final scene conveyed as much, if not more, emotion than the scream. Matt Smith came up with the idea for the final shot without a conversation. While we would have liked to see a close-up on Syrax, the season ended in a positive way with the angry look of Rhaenyra. Queen Rhaenyra is pretty much open to war with only one eye on the audience after trying to protect the kingdoms from violence throughout the episode.
Verdict: the actual ending is better
Rhaenyra Targaryen in a photo from the House of the Dragon season finale
Finally, the final produced version of the House of the Dragon ending sequence is better than the storyboard. The fight revolves around Rhaenyra Targaryen and Alicent Hightower, and the final version retains the focus on Queen Rhaenyra instead of a CGI dragon, which is a bit too obvious.
Now that House of the Dragon’s time is skipping and the redesigns are finally complete, it seems fitting to wrap up the season, which mostly served as a foreshadowing of future events around Rhaenyra. This solidified his character for the rest of the series. The symbolism is clear even without the presence of a dragon.
Anyway, why do you think the House of the Dragon showrunners decided to change the ending sequence?
