House of the Dragonseason 3 hasadded a new House Stark member to its cast, instantly setting up more book changes.House of the Dragonseason 2’s endingand the season as a whole were met with mixed responses, with many readers deterred by constant changes from the source material.
Regardless of how one feels,House of the Dragonseason 3’ssuccess in the zeitgeist is important to the franchise, and the new season will face pressure to offer a more satisfying set of episodes. With only eight episodes again in season 3, every installment ofHouse of the Dragonmatters, and changes will be under intense scrutiny.
House of the Dragonseason 3’s new castingis for the character Alysanne Blackwood, also known as Black Aly.Black Aly will be played by actress Annie Shapero, who’s set to appear in five episodesout of the season’s eight total. This immediately sparks some interest, as she doesn’t have a prominent role at this point in the book.
Black Aly’s Season 3 Episode Appearance Count Reveals HOTD Is Giving Her A Bigger Role Earlier Than In The Books
Black Aly Will Play A Prominent Role In The War
Black Aly’s role in the books is pretty minimal until afterthe Dance of the Dragonsis essentially over, leading toa major involvement in the story during the Hour of the Wolf. By having her appear in 5 of 8 episodes of season 3, a season that’s been described as battle-heavy, there’s much more room for her to develop in unexpected ways.
The writers are likely capitalizing on a fan-favorite book character, hoping to make her a fan-favorite TV character.
In fact, Black Aly’s only prominent moment prior to the Battle of the Kingsroad and the subsequent events was at the Battle of the Burning Mill. This battle has already come and gone in season 2, and she wasn’t present for it. I already theorized about how that might leaveBlack Aly open to kill a major character.
It’s unclear how deepHouse of the Dragonwill actually end up exploring the Hour of the Wolf, but establishing Black Aly as a prominent character implies she might have a bigger role in the Dance’s aftermath. Regardless, the writers are likely capitalizing on a fan-favorite book character, hoping to make her a fan-favorite TV character.
Black Aly’s Larger Presence Teases A Much Bigger Riverlands Focus In HOTD Season 3
The Riverlords Will Hold Their Own Without Daemon’s Presence
Aside from just the more extensive focus on Black Aly,House of the Dragonseason 3 might have a more concentrated focus on the Riverlands altogether. We already spent a decent amount of screen time there due to Daemon’s story, but he’ll likely be returning to King’s Landing if he follows his book path.
Now, the characters of the Riverlands will have to fend for themselves, without any Targaryens present. Aemond will take Harrenhal when Daemon departs, and Ser Simon Strong will likely see his end not too long after. As for Black Aly, she’ll likely be tied to Lord Roderick Dustin, another new character cast for season 3.
Dustin will most likely be the representative for the Riverlands forces, alongside young Oscar Tully and the Winter Wolves. Since Willem Blackwood was killed off in season 2,Black Aly could step in as the primary representative of their house, leading some of the forces for Rhaenyra in the Riverlands.
Black Aly Is One Of The Dance Of The Dragons' Best Characters
Black Aly Is Crucial To Ending The War & Preventing More violence
While I don’t agree with every change inHouse of the Dragon, I’m undoubtedly supportive of giving Alysanne Blackwood more screen time. Aside from just combat feats, like being the ones to take down Lord Borros Baratheon at the Battle of the Kingsroad, Black Aly is an outstanding supporting character.
George R.R. Martin is a master at creating dense, immaculate characterization and personality in limited time, which is why there are so many unforgettable figures in theGame of Thronesfranchise. As for Black Aly,Martin wrote her character with fascinating acts of intuition and wisdom, making her instrumental to the Realm’s survival after the Dance.
During the Hour of the Wolf, Cregan Stark became Hand of the King to the young Aegon III, Rhaenyra’s son, who ascended the Iron Throne.Aegon II died by poisoning at the hands of his small council in King’s Landing, after he refused to surrender in an unwinnable war. Those conspirators included Lord Larys Strong and Lord Corlys Velaryon.
Despite being wed to the Lord of Winterfell, Alysanne Blackwood is not the ancestor of the Starks inGame of Thrones.
Although killing Aegon II ended the war and ultimately saved more lives,Cregan Stark wasn’t happy with the choice and decided to execute those involved. We’ve seen similar acts of strict moral judgment from Starks that led to devastating ends: Robb executing Rickard Karstark and Ned warning Cersei to flee before telling Robert about his children.
At this point,executing Lord Corlys Velaryon would likely have prolonged violencewhen the dust was finally starting to settle. Cregan would have gone through with it if not for the intervention of Alysanne, who offered him any wish in return for sparing Lord Corlys. He agreed to her deal, asking for marriage.
Lord Cregan Stark is known for bringing swift justice to King’s Landing at the end of the Dance, but Black Aly’s actions are likely what saved the Realmfrom further death and destruction. She is a critical character forHouse of the Dragonto get right, and one of the few in the Dance whom audiences can truly root for.
