David Benioff explains why they decided to omit some of the crucial parts in Game of Thrones, including but not limited to Daenerys’ visions.

Fans had unanimous feelings about the epic finale of Game of Thrones as after eight long seasons, it felt like the years of work were all for nothing. The culprit was evidently the changes made, especially in the latter installments, and these alterations, no matter how small they were, impacted the larger picture.

Credits: Emilia Clarke and Drogon in Game of Thrones / HBO

Somehow, it felt like nothing could have salvaged the ending given the narrative that the creators wrote, and at some point, one particular part of the story could have improved it. The thing is – they also omitted this crucial Daenerys scene from the book.

Game of Thrones Left Out Important Daenerys Targaryen Vision Scenes

Emilia Clarke’s Daenerys Targaryen was seen visiting the House of the Undying in Season 2, and there she experienced a couple of visions such as witnessing the throne covered in snow, as well as being reunited with Khal Drogo and Rhaego.

The sad thing about this scene is that these visions were only a small number compared to what was written in the novel. She had more than a dozen visions that were all intriguing and symbolic of the events that would befall Westeros.

Of course, it would be overwhelming to include all of these events in the story. Perhaps fans will agree that if the creators adapted several of these storylines instead of helming their own narrative, the show would have been better.

Credits: Jason Momoa and Emilia Clarke in Game of Thrones / HBO

In an interview with Dartmouth Alumni Magazine, showrunner David Benioff talked about the decision to alter many aspects of George R.R. Martin’s epic tale for the sake of television adaptation. He admitted to informing the author before proceeding, and he also noted how once original written works are sold for adaptation, one should expect that there will be modifications.

It’s something that we told George a long time ago: For this to work, we have to make choices that are sometimes going to deviate from your intentions. Then there are a lot of things that work in prose that just wouldn’t work on screen, and part of that is just the nature of the beast.

Benioff remarked that there are many things taking place in a character’s mind, like the case of Daenerys in the House of the Undying, and he said that this is one of the weak points of television – some things could not be easily conveyed using the visual medium as compared to written narrations.

Emilia Clarke Understands Fans’ Sentiments About Game of Thrones

Credits: Emilia Clarke in Game of Thrones / HBO

Even Clarke was not happy with the fate of her character in the show, but she admitted to making peace with it, and the fact that Daenerys did not end up on the Iron Throne. She told the Happy Sad Confused podcast before that she gets “why people are pissed. I totally get it,” but as an actor, she also worked hard to deliver her role.

Related

It’s a Shame Emilia Clarke Won’t Return as Daenerys for a Cameo After Having So Many Similarities With Daemon and Rhaenyra in House of the Dragon

While it is truly devastating that many interesting plot points of the Mother of Dragons were left out of the show, fans can only find solace in the fact that the actress was genuinely dedicated to her character until the very last episode.

Game of Thrones is currently available to watch on HBO.