The violence is as brutal, the relationships creepier than ever — welcome to the “House of the Dragon,” a “Game of Thrones” spinoff that could be called “dated and relatable.”
The stakes are high, given that “GoT” was the biggest show in the world when it ran from 2011-2019, even if the crash landed in a widely derisive ending.
While “House of the Dragon” (premiering August 21 at 9 p.m. on HBO) is hardly a masterpiece, it’s an addictively watchable series filled with juicy drama, castle intrigue, and crowd-pleasing “GOT” nostalgia. .
Set 172 years before Daenerys was born, it gives us Westeros via “succession”. We’re embroiled in the drama of her ancestral, silver-haired, dragon-riding, incest-happy Targaryen family — and what caused their downfall, with Daenerys and Jon Snow as their final bloodline.
The main conflict in “House of the Dragon”, which is based on the book “Fire and Blood” by George RR Martin, is a civil war between Princess Renera and her half-brother Aegon II (who is not yet born). this show) who will get the throne. The Targaryens who ruled Westeros during this era are the power players, but the current king, Viserys I (Paddy Considine), a sensible ruler (a novelty in this world!), needs to name a successor.
Fans who are looking for characters and the way the original show gave us Starks will be disappointed. The Targaryens are a group of prickly weirdos, and all of the show’s relationships are straight out of Groomers R Us, connecting middle-aged men with young girls they’ve known for years, who are often blood relatives, to boot. to do. Dragons and fighting and politics are all well and good, but they weren’t the only factors why “GoT” landed with such a huge audience.
The main contender for the crown of Viserys I is his younger daughter, Rainera Targaryen (Millie Alcock in the first few episodes; after a time-jump in later episodes, she is played by Emma D’Arcy). But this is against the rule of women’s rule, so the king’s advisors fear that it will lead to anarchy. We mostly see him heroically with his friend, Alicent Hightower (Emily Carey, and later Olivia Cooke), whose father Otto (Rice Ifans) is King of the Hand. Rainera has an uncomfortably flirtatious dynamic with his uncle Damon (a scene-chewing Matt Smith, a menacing threat).
The incest between twins Jaime and Cersei Lannister was icky on “GoT,” but at least they were the same age, and the show offered a more engaging romance to counter it. It’s disturbing—and sure to raise eyebrows—to see Damon, who is 40, flirt with his young teenage niece.
As the king’s brother, Damon is another contender for the throne, but almost everyone (including Otto, who hates him) thinks it will be a catastrophe, as he is impulsive, violent, and power-hungry. (Naturally, he offers many scenes that are sordid, gruesome, or just plain funny.) And, when the king finally has a child, matters of his succession become even more complicated.
Like “GOT,” “House of the Dragon” has a lot of characters planned in rooms and action scenes full of brutality. Sometimes, the writing is almost comically heavy. In one episode, a pregnant woman compares the birth of a child to a battlefield. Later, the scene goes back and forth between her labor being spoiled and men violently beating each other on a battlefield full of men. “GoT” wasn’t a subtle show, but it didn’t hit the audience on the head like that. The actresses swap for Rainera and Alicent is also jarring — although both pairs deliver decent performances, the switch feels unnecessarily distracting, as the age boom isn’t all that obvious.
For better or worse, “House of the Dragon” has a smaller scope than “GoT”. If you’re tired of John in the cold, you can always count on “GoT” to turn the scene into a different character or family. In “House of the Dragon”, we only get the grand Targaryen, and the main location (with a few exceptions) is King’s Landing.
Aside from being questionable wigs, “House of the Dragon” is well done for it: an enigmatic political fantasy that makes you want to keep watching. And it manages to learn at least one important lesson from “GoT”: Its sex scenes are more tastefully filmed, depicting the nudity of both women and men—and the former mostly seems to have a good time.
It remains to be seen whether a wider audience can get over their anger with the “GoT” ending, or if it will be a more exclusive show for hardcore fans. But, it should set many viewers on fire.
(This story has not been edited by seemayo staff and is published from a rss feed)