House of the Dragonis not an especially funny show. It has its moments, most of which are derived from the nervous chuckles one emits when they watch someone truly terrible do their dark work. King Aegon, as complicated as he may be, has a few hilarious flubs on the Iron Throne. The show isn’t aiming for comedy, and its occasional jokes play alongside drama and horror. However, the books do have a few strange throwaway gags in their endless pages. One interesting example that didn’t make the show is the tale of Grover, Elmo, Oscar, and Kermit Tully.
House of the Dragonhas a massive cast. As it expands into the final episodes of its second season, it’s approaching the same level of complexity and variety of its predecessor. Fanswatch Rhaenyra in Dragonstone, Aegon in King’s Landing, Daemon at Harrenhal, and whoever happens to be away from home each week. There’s no time to attend to every supporting character at every location. This will, unfortunately, leave some lovable characters behind for those who read the books.
House of the Dragon: Every member of House Tully is named after a Muppet
Fire & Bloodis the primary source material forHouse of the Dragon. It captures four members of House Tully. Lord Grover Tully is the patriarch of the family when the Dance of the Dragons begins. Grover supportedViserys Targaryen’s rise to the Iron Throneafter Jaehaerys the Conciliator died, beginning a theme of standing behind male heirs. When the civil war began, Grover wanted to call his banners to fight for King Aegon II and his Greens. Grover was too old and ill to leave his bed, forcing him to deliver all of his orders through his heir, Elmo Tully. Elmo disagreed with his grandfather, quietly planning to declare his support for Rhaenyra and her Blacks. Cowardice may have been his primary motivation, as he was notably terrified of both armies' dragons. Elmo held back his army at Riverrun, but eventually decided to follow Rhaenyra when Ser Addam Velayron tamed the dragon Seasmoke and visited Riverrun on the beast’s back. Elmo led his Riverlords to victory, helping the Blacks claim much-needed territory in the Riverlands. Grover died shortly after his grandson’s betrayal.At least one historianbelieved he became apoplectic and died as a direct result of Elmo’s actions.
Elmo didn’t last much longer than Grover. The new Lord of Riverrun drank bad water, grew sick, and died only 49 days after Grover’s passing. Elmo’s two sons were Kermit and Oscar Tully. Kermit, the eldest, dreamed of being a great leader. Younger Oscar dreamed of becoming a mighty warrior. At just 19, Kermit became the head of the household and took over his father’s army. Kermit proved himself in the final encounter of theDance of the Dragons, the Battle of the Kingsroad. Kermit and the Riverlords faced Borros Baratheon’s stormlanders. Kermit and Oscar demolished House Baratheon on the battlefield, handing Oscar a knighthood during the melee. Kermit slayed Borros in single combat when the Storm Lord refused to surrender. Kermit and Oscar later deferred to Cregan Stark’s Northern army, standing aside during the Hour of the Wolf. Kermit became the most prominent Lord of Riverrun, only losing out on a potential Hand of the King position due to his age. Oscar went on to found the Stormbreakers, a legendary mercenary company that later moved to the Free Cities.
House of the Dragoncombines several House Tully characters
House of the Dragonneatlycollapsed Elmo, Kermit, and Oscar Tully into one character. At this point in the show’s second season, Lord Grover is the Lord of Riverrun. Daemon Targaryen seeks an audience with Grover, but age has left him unhelpful. Instead, Daemon meets young Oscar Tully. He asks why Oscar obeys the orders of a dying old man, only alarming the young knight. Though Oscar seems unwilling to parlay with Daemon, it’s safe to assume that the Riverlords will eventually provide support to Rhaenyra and the Blacks. This version of Oscar is Grover’s grandson instead of his great-grandson. He has enjoyed very little screentime so far. It’s worth noting the fact that theHouse of the Dragonwriters chose to specifically eliminate Kermit and Elmo, the two mostrecognizable Muppet namesin the group.
Why is House Tully so unimportant?
Fans ofGame of Throneslikely only remember two or threecharacters from House Tully. Lord Hoster Tully is the family’s patriarch. His daughters, Lysa and Catelyn, marry into Houses Arryn and Stark before their first appearances. House Tully is unusually unimportant in the franchise. They’re a major noble house. They rule one of the Seven Kingdoms, but they barely command attention, even when the camera is in their territory. Their presence inHouse of the Dragonwill, eventually, become fairly important. It is not a factor in the early encounters of the Dance of the Dragon. At this point in the story, Elmo would still be withholding support to avoid angering the Greens or the Blacks. Now that the Blacks haveenacted the Dragonseeds scheme, they could draw the attention of House Tully. The family’s absence is partially due to the lack of important moments in the books, but their silly names may have shoved them into the margins.
Oscar Tully could be a much more important character inHouse of the Dragon’s third season. The Battle of the Kingsroad is an interesting moment inFire & Blood, but it’s far from the most important. The loss of Elmo and Kermit will always live on as an example ofHouse of the Dragon’s unwillingness to get assilly as George R. R. Martin. Martin isn’t known for his silliness, but maybe that kind of gag works better on the page.
