Ah, House of the Dragon— the prequel to the well-known and beloved series Game of Thrones. For those who were watching GOT while it was coming out, the last time they saw the world of Westeros was 2019, but for people who were late to the game like me, it’s only been a couple of months, and the timing couldn’t have been any better.
*Major spoilers up to Episode 9 ahead. Trigger warning for murder and incest.
Overall thoughts on the show
Watching House of the Dragon is a bittersweet reminder of how beautifully crafted the Game of Thrones world is. I’ve enjoyed seeing the different outfits that the characters have appeared in, and I’ve loved the subtle references to Game of Thrones.
In my opinion, House of the Dragon is a lot tamer than Game of Thrones ever was. And I can’t review House of the Dragon as a separate entity because it’s not a separate entity. Game of Thrones had me grinding my teeth and dropping my jaw in shock throughout its eight-season run. House of the Dragon seems to move at a much slower pace when it comes to the shock factor.
I understand that a large number of time jumps were needed, but I found myself getting annoyed with them. While some characters like Rhaenrya and Alicent were swapped with their adult counterparts, others like Criston Cole and Daemon Targaryen were only portrayed by one actor. Sir Criston’s relationship with Alicent remained the same even when Alicent’s actress grew up into an adult, but Rhaenyra and Daemon’s chemistry couldn’t be matched in adult form. (Which personally is fine because I can’t get with the incest.)
In terms of likable characters, I find myself rooting for… *drumroll please* absolutely no one. The Game of Thrones franchise is known for creating morally grey characters, but there were still characters that you found yourself rooting for. Within the new House of the Dragon fandom, I’ve often seen references to the two sides of the show: “Team Black” or “Team Green.” Team Black includes Rhaenrya, Daemon, and their children. Team Black consists of Alicent, Otto, and her children. And frankly, none of them are good people; you’re forced to choose between the lesser of two evils. On one hand, Alicent is choosing to make her son Aegon king even though she knows he is not fit to be a ruler. But on the other hand, the show has failed to show any redeeming qualities Rhaenyra might have if she gets to be queen, so it’s hard to root for her.
This brings me to my next objective… individual character analysis.
King viserys
At the core, King Viserys is good person, but that doesn’t make him a good leader. His love for Rhaenrya gets the best of him, and he refuses to acknowledge the fact that none of her children are actually Laenors, even though the entire kingdom knows that they are technically bastards. And before that, he exiled his Hand (Otto) because Otto alerted him that Rhaenrya had been seen in sexual circumstances with her uncle, Daemon. He’d rather deny that his daughter can ever do anything wrong than accept the truth. Viserys is a great father, but once again, he’s a terrible king of the seven kingdoms. It was also painful to watch the scene where he chooses the meisters to perform a C-section on Aemma in the hopes of her delivering a son, and then they both die. Further, Viserys doesn’t see past Otto’s motives and marries Alicent after the death of Aemma. Alicent was Rhaenyra’s best friend from childhood. Not cool, dad, not cool.
Rhaenrya
Please, Rhaenyra, either redeem yourself in the next episode or at least show a bit more personality in the next season because right now, you’re giving nothing. Rhaenrya is the definition of girl boss, gas light, and gatekeep. I can’t remember anything memorable she’s done because all they’ve shown her do is sleep with Criston, have Harwin Strong as her baby daddy, and gaslight the entire kingdom into thinking Laenor is the father of her children. I’m still waiting for the moment when she shows any personality trait that isn’t being the heir to the throne. End of story.
ALicent
I started off not liking Alicent because I thought it was the biggest betrayal to marry your best friend’s father and have his children, but since then, I’ve realized how much she was manipulated by her father. Even as an adult, I still feel like nothing she does is for herself but rather for the men in her life who control her motives and actions. At the same time, though, I feel a lot of empathy for her because, as a woman in that time period, she has little to no options if she wants her bloodline to have any power in the future.
Criston cole
House of the Dragon started off framing Criston in a good light, showing him as a wholesome knight who was hesitant to break his oath of chastity in order to be with Rhaenyra. After he sleeps with Rhaenyra, he begins to go downhill and reminds me of the type of guys who call you pretty, and once you reject their advances, they hit you with the: “You were never even pretty, to begin with.” He becomes a villain once he sides with Alicent and begins randomly killing people in his fits of rage, which just seems out of character for the man they first represented him as being. Most people who have one bad sexual experience don’t become homicidal. Apparently, Sir Criston Cole does.
Daemon
If nothing I’ve said has been controversial so far, then this is going to be the unpopular take. I don’t like Daemon. He has unnecessarily killed far too many innocent people for me to find him likable. I felt so bad for his first wife, who he first paralyzes then crushes her skull with a rock simply because he doesn’t find her attractive. He doesn’t stop there; he also completely disregards not only the blood relationship he has with his niece but the 16-year age gap between them and pursues a relationship with her that ultimately leads to their marriage and children together. Even when the mother of his children dies, they never show Daemon as being a good father. He moves on to the next step of his life, which involves becoming the king’s consort to Rhaenyra. He’s not badass, he’s not hot; he’s just simply a bad person.
See you guys again after the finale!