Home of the Dragon has a Targaryen drawback

House of the Dragon is a big success.

Over seven million individuals tuned in to look at the season two premiere. It has been an thrilling season, with loads of new dragons, enormous 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 is predicated on. So, I ought to love this present, however as season two has gone on, I discover myself turning into extra dissatisfied in it.

The difficulty I’ve is the present’s simultaneous slowing down of occasions whereas sustaining a hyper-focus on all issues Targaryen. We have seen huge 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 12 months per season, unfold throughout many extra characters. With the occasions of the Targaryen civil struggle slowing down, vital 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 damage some fundamental Home of the Dragon characters

In the latest 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 last seasons of Recreation of Thrones—that they rushed by means 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 cope with outdoors the struggle effort. Except for her meetup with Alicent Hightower, Rhaenyra Targaryen has been caught on Dragonstone listening to previous white lords complain this whole season. It looks as if each week we expertise just a few members of her small council yelling about what they assume is finest 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 other than 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 an alternative 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 exhibits what works

The place Home of the Dragon shines

HBO

The Inexperienced faction in King’s Touchdown has been far 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 attempting 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 finest 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 Sturdy struggling to feed his household and customary individuals 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 individuals since arriving at Harrenhal, and I am not satisfied that common individuals even dwell on Dragonstone—it is only a handful of lords who need to be in control of Rhaenyra’s struggle effort. Essentially the most fascinating moments in Dragonstone this season, other than Ser Darklyn getting roasted by Seasmoke, got here when Rhaenyra and Daemon shared the display screen collectively. Their difficult relationship makes for excellent drama, however 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 last episodes, however I feel these build-up episodes have wasted some screentime. The largest manner Home of the Dragon has differed from Recreation of Thrones is its hyper-focus on a singular home. We simply have not gotten a variety of different views from outdoors 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 Evening’s Watchmen, Bronn, and Lysa Arryn early on within the unique 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 vital characters have been launched but this season.

We now have as an alternative 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 aspect or Daemon assembly with Oscar Tully have been nice at exhibiting what elements are making homes select sides within the battle, however they have not proven us any fascinating characters from these homes apart from the same old stereotypes—the Starks are honorable, and the Freys may 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 latest episode.

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

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