Where is Alysanne Blackwood in House of the Dragon's latest episode, Battle of the Burning Mill? The showrunners seem to have overlooked this crucial element when executing the feud between the Brackens vs. Blackwoods.
SPOILER WARNING: This article contains spoilers for House of the Dragon season 2, so proceed with caution.
The Warrior's Absence Is A Huge Loss to the Battle of the Burning Mill
The Battle of the Burning Mill is one of the most important and long-anticipated storylines, especially for hardcore Game of Thrones fans.
Not only does the story highlight the century-long feud between the Brackens and Blackwoods, but it also introduces one of the most badass female characters from George R.R. Martin's books: Alysanne Blackwood.
But where is she in the series? Her absence from the Battle of the Burning Mill seems like an incredible oversight.
The 16-year-old is also known as Black Aly in House Blackwood, which declared its allegiance with the black faction aka its loyalty to Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen during Dance of the Dragons.
Alysanne is widely known for pulling the Weirwood arrow that killed Ser Amos Bracken to avenge her older brother, Lord Samwell Blackwood, who died at Bracken's hand during single combat.
What also makes Alysanne a compelling character to join the franchise is the fact that she is the aunt of Lord Benjicot 'Bloody Ben' Blackwood and that she appears to be one of the show's few LGBTQ+ characters.
Of course, it was only rumored that she and Lady Sabitha Frey, the House Vypren noblewoman, were romantically involved after they were seen sharing a tent, but fans were rooting for them.
READ MORE: House of the Dragon: Are These the Same Dragon Eggs Daenerys Hatched in GoT?
Alysanne Blackwoo'd Absence Is A Missed Chance for The Battle of the Burning Mill
It remains to be seen as to why House of the Dragon showrunners decided to cut Alysanne Blackwood out of the picture and why the Battle of the Burning Mill was not even the highlight of the third episode.
While Alysanne is not a major character in Fire & Blood, she meant a lot to fans of the books, who expressed their disappointment at this unexpected oversight.
Alysanne, after all, was considered to be on par with the House of Stark's Arya, who stood up against men regardless of their titles or ranks.
If anything, her existence would have made all the difference in the realm of House of the Dragon.
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New House of the Dragon Season 2 episodes are released every Sunday on HBO.
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