About 200 years before the events of Game of Thrones, the new fantasy-drama series focuses on familial disputes within House Targaryen. Ser Harwin “Breakbones” Strong, the older brother of clubfoot Larys Strong and Harrenhal’s heir, is portrayed by Ryan Corr. In House of the Dragon, Ryan Corr, who portrayed Harwin Strong, said HBO mostly ignored his narrative.
Despite his minor appearances in the show’s early episodes, including a battle during Rhaenyra’s wedding celebration to get her away to safety, Harwin played a significant role in episode six of the House of the Dragon, “The Princess and the Queen.”
The 10-year time shift in the episode reveals substantial changes in the characters. Three children born to Rhaenyra, now Ser Laenor Valeryon’s wife, lack the distinctive silver hair that distinguishes members of the Targaryen and Velaryon dynasties.
It is evident that Harwin is in a love connection with the princess and is the father of her children because he is Rhaenyra’s guard. Harwin is taken back to Harrenhal after a dispute with Ser Criston Cole, the old love interest of Rhaenyra. There, he and his father die in a fire started by sleuths working for Larys.
In a recent interview with The AV Club, Corr showed his disappointment with House of the Dragon by avoiding most of Harwin’s tale during the 10-year time leap. Although the actor doesn’t seem unhappy, he does acknowledge that he would have liked to spend more time with the character, remarkably to follow Harwin and Rhaenyra’s romance as it developed.
Yeah. HBO, are you listening? [Laughs] I think that’s up to an audience. I did have the moment when they called up and said, “You’re on Game Of Thrones!” And I was like, “Yeah!” And then it’s like, “And we kill you in episode six.” And so I knew it from the start. Of course, I’d love to have explored watching Rhaenyra and Harwin come together and how that might have happened and, you know, possibly some of his time in the Gold Cloaks. But in the scale of this story and how many years it spans, it’s only natural that we have to jump time.
What will happen to Rhaenyra, Now that Harwin’s gone
Corr knows some people could find the House of the Dragon’s abrupt transition upsetting. Harwin’s passing will significantly suffer from Rhaenyra and her kids. Even though they had been told for years that Laenor was their father, Jacaerys and Lucerys, Rhaenyra’s first two boys, knew that Harwin was more concerned with their welfare.
Now that he’s gone, Rhaenyra will be in sorrow, dealing with the kids who could misbehave without an actual father figure while lamenting the loss of the one true romantic love in her life. Harwin’s loss will become more apparent as House of the Dragon progresses and the confrontation with Queen Alicent Hightower intensifies.
