One of the most obvious changes ‘Game of Thrones’ made from the books is Daenerys Targaryen’s first night with Khal Drogo. Both versions include an awkward wedding night, but key differences remain. Those differences matter because they shape how viewers interpret Daenerys and Drogo’s relationship.
The Books Give Daenerys More Agency
On the screen, Daenerys clearly is scared when Drogo takes control. The scene is shown as non-consensual, with Drogo taking her clothes off as she cries. She’s terrified. It immediately gives their marriage a power imbalance.
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The book follows the same moment, but from Daenerys’ point of view. She is still very young and scared, and basically got sold by her brother into a political marriage. There’s no easy way to do it. However, the intimate scene itself is written differently.
Drogo repeatedly checks her reactions, and Daenerys ultimately signals that she is ready. The moment therefore gives her a certain agency that the TV adaptation takes away. It doesn’t make the book version easy. It’s a very disturbing scene, no matter how you look at it, because Daenerys is 13 in the novel.
Still, the difference is significant. The book shows Daenerys actively dealing with a very dangerous situation, while the show focuses on the fact that she has no control over it.
One Change That Alters Their Entire Relationship
What happens next is even more interesting. As the books go, Daenerys slowly comes to feel at ease in the Dothraki culture, and she and Drogo have a complicated relationship. She starts off feeling helpless, but gradually gains confidence in herself.
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The show follows a similar general arc, but the ground is far more sinister as their relationship starts with an explicitly traumatic experience. That brings up a difficult topic on adaptation. Why was the change made? Was it because television required a more dramatic and immediate portrayal of Daenerys’ weakness?
Either way, this isn’t simply a case of the show changing a scene for shock value. It alters the beginning of one of Daenerys’ most significant relationships. Once that base shifts, everything that follows is different.
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