Home of the Dragon has a Targaryen drawback

House of the Dragon is a big success.

Over seven million folks tuned in to look at the season two premiere. It has been an thrilling season, with loads of new dragons, large battles, and scandalous conversations in candle-lit rooms. I am an enormous fan of all issues Recreation of Thrones. I’ve learn all of the books and beloved the unique collection earlier than all of it fell aside within the final two seasons. I’ve all of the in-universe historical past books House of the Dragon relies on. So, I ought to love this present, however as season two has gone on, I discover myself turning into extra disenchanted in it.

The problem I’ve is the present’s simultaneous slowing down of occasions whereas sustaining a hyper-focus on all issues Targaryen. We have seen large battles happen this season, just like the Inexperienced shock assault on Rook’s Relaxation, in addition to the aftermath of the Battle of Burning Mill. There’s additionally been no scarcity of dragons featured within the present. Nonetheless, six months have handed since Viserys’ dying in episode eight of season one. This tempo is slower than Recreation of Thrones, which often coated a couple of yr per season, unfold throughout many extra characters. With the occasions of the Targaryen civil struggle slowing down, necessary characters have spent a lot of the second season slowed down in castles, seeming indecisive, whereas the present struggles so as to add fascinating new characters round them. That is most evident when the present focuses in on Dragonstone or Harrenhal.

Targaryens stagnating in almost empty castles

The slowed-down tempo has harm some important Home of the Dragon characters

In the newest episode, we discovered that it has been six months since Viserys’ dying again in season one. Whereas the present coated literal many years in its first season, the tempo has slowed to a crawl this second season, with only a few months passing for the reason that begin of season two. This could possibly be an comprehensible swerve in opposition to one of many chief complaints concerning the remaining seasons of Recreation of Thrones—that they rushed by way of the ultimate two seasons.

This has led to characters like Rhaenyra and Daemon being caught in impartial for almost all of this season, as they’re sitting in castles with out many conflicts to take care of exterior the struggle effort. Apart from her meetup with Alicent Hightower, Rhaenyra Targaryen has been caught on Dragonstone listening to outdated white lords complain this complete season. It looks as if each week we expertise a number of members of her small council yelling about what they assume is greatest after which advocating for a plan that goes nowhere. This has solely grown worse since Daemon left Dragonstone for Harrenhal. If not for the addition of Mysaria as Rhaenyra’s latest ally and potential lover, Dragonstone may have been simply as dangerous as Harrenhal has been.

So far as Daemon’s keep at Harrenhal goes, I simply want I may get again each second I used to be pressured to look at the hallucination scenes. However except for these moments, he is met with a few of the riverlords, together with the Brackens and Blackwoods, in addition to the inheritor to Riverrun, Oscar Tully. He is but to lift a lot of a military and has as a substitute spent a lot of the season floating out and in of his hallucinations that have not finished a lot to maneuver the plot or Daemon’s ambitions ahead.

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King’s Touchdown reveals what works

The place Home of the Dragon shines

HBO

The Inexperienced faction in King’s Touchdown has been way more entertaining this season, and that is just because there are extra fascinating characters in battle. There’s Aemond Targaryen flaming his brother, Alicent Hightower sleeping with Criston Cole earlier than he turns into Hand of the King, and Otto Hightower making an attempt to wrangle his impudent grandchildren. The conversations between the small council appear to have extra impact on the precise occasions of the present. The introduction and evolution of Alicent Hightower’s brother Gwayne after witnessing Rook’s Relaxation has been one of many present’s greatest additions this season. King’s Touchdown can also be the one place the place we see how individuals who aren’t intently invested within the Blacks or Greens are being affected by the civil struggle, with scenes that includes blacksmith Hugh Robust struggling to feed his household and customary folks in pubs. This pales compared to Dragonstone and Harrenhal, the place the motion is often targeted on Rhaenyra or Daemon solely.

Daemon has spent extra time speaking to ghosts than folks since arriving at Harrenhal, and I am not satisfied that common folks even dwell on Dragonstone—it is only a handful of lords who need to be in command of Rhaenyra’s struggle effort. Essentially the most fascinating moments in Dragonstone this season, except for Ser Darklyn getting roasted by Seasmoke, got here when Rhaenyra and Daemon shared the display screen collectively. Their difficult relationship makes for excellent drama, nevertheless it has been lacking since Daemon fled to Harrenhal.

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The actual drawback

There’s extra than simply Targaryens in Westeros

HBO

The present can nonetheless repay the slow-moving tempo within the remaining episodes, however I believe these build-up episodes have wasted some screentime. The most important means Home of the Dragon has differed from Recreation of Thrones is its hyper-focus on a singular home. We simply have not gotten loads of different views from exterior the Targaryen strongholds. Our greatest take a look at different homes this season has include the Brackens and Blackwoods, and a lot of the rivalry between the 2 homes has occurred off-screen. Recreation of Thrones had no drawback leaping throughout continents and making small characters into family names. Consider Tyrion being pressured to journey throughout Westeros, assembly new characters just like the Night time’s Watchmen, Bronn, and Lysa Arryn early on within the authentic present, or a brand new character like Oberyn Martell arriving in season three of the collection. As a substitute, most of season two has been spent throughout three places: Dragonstone, King’s Touchdown, and Harrenhal, and few necessary characters have been launched but this season.

We’ve got as a substitute gotten small tastes of the broader world of Westeros. Examples like Jace visiting Winterfell and the Twins to assist win every home to his mom’s facet or Daemon assembly with Oscar Tully have been nice at displaying what elements are making homes select sides within the battle, however they have not proven us any fascinating characters from these homes aside from the same old stereotypes—the Starks are honorable, and the Freys could be purchased off. We nonetheless have not seen Oldtown but in season two, the place Otto Hightower has spent his time tutoring Alicent Hightower’s youngest son. We have additionally simply begun to scratch the floor of the Vale’s place in Home of the Dragon, with Rhaena Targaryen discovering a dragon there in the newest episode.

There’s nonetheless time in season two of Home of the Dragon, so I am hoping the world of the present opens up a bit of extra within the remaining two episodes. Hopefully, they pull it off, as a result of it looks as if we could possibly be ready a number of years earlier than we get season three.

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