“Game of Thrones” made its reputation by invoking the politics of an entire world. And for all the grandeur of its offshoot, House of the Dragon, perhaps the most surprising decision its creators have made is to start on a small scale.
I mean that in a very special sense. The images here are certainly greater than those in its early ‘Game of Thrones’. Anyone who is a fan of Daenerys Targaryen’s trio of dragons will have plenty to feed on here. And when it comes to the ways that “Game of Thrones” used to weaponize HBO’s desire to air the gruesome movie, “House of the Dragon” goes further, with strings of truly disturbing violence unlike what any critic can remember. But where the action—Dragon Journeys, and Carnage—on HBO’s previous hit served intrigues between a group of clans, here we are watching a feud consuming one family. This is the option that gives House of the Dragon its charge, and it’s the option that might allow it to exist outside of Thrones’ shadow.
What a shadow he is. Game of Thrones was the defining TV hit of the past decade, whose finale in 2019 drew criticism from some fans, especially for Daenerys (Emilia Clarke) character who finally made the complete switch from strong self-belief to messianic madness. And now House of the Dragon, co-created by George R.R. Martin and Ryan Condall, and based on Martin’s book Fire and Blood, examines how I got this far. Set 200 years before the events of the previous series, “House of the Dragon” is definitely concerned with how one becomes a king or queen. But the real question the software asks is what it takes to do the job poorly or well.
Finding out that an incumbent is doing a bad job takes time; As played by Paddy Considine, King Viserys Targaryen has a surprisingly sweet character, which is an attractive trait in almost any other job he holds. notably his joining Princess Rhaenys Targaryen (Eve Best) and her husband Corlys Velaryon (Steve Toussaint); Masks were elevated to the throne on Rhaenys’ most direct claim because of his gender. The turbulent question about a woman’s right to inheritance plays out in the next generation, as Viserys’ only heir is Rhaenyra (Mille Alcock as a teenager and Emma Darcy as a young woman).
Other players on this court include King Damon’s brother (Matt Smith, in complete control of his own charisma), who is fearless on the battlefield and oblivious to his personal life, and the sharply politically-minded young man Aliscent Hightower (Emily Curry, then Olivia Cooke), who His nickname indicates how close she was to the noble power heart she had been since her birth. They are all frustrated with Viserys’ weakness. One feels that his opponents will respect him more if he rules with a stronger hand, even if it means a worse outcome for them.
This kind of indecision isn’t something we’ve seen often in a creative world where rulers—the virtuous, the cruel, and everything in between—rule by force. And it’s not only played well by Considine, who convinces us at every turn that Viserys thinks he’s doing what’s right, but is effectively weaponized by the story. There is a vacuum in the throne that allows many operators to plan ahead or sin with what they believe to be impunity.
The early plot is well captured, and once she comes of age and is played by Cook, it is crucially up to Aliscent. While I’m reticent to go too far in describing where her character ends, suffice it to say that she started the series as a good friend of the King’s daughter, and in Episode 6 confronts her in Uncivil War, using Rhaenyra’s Targaryen-ish taste for indulgence as a cudgel against her in a whispered court at least. Words drive fitness. (The four actors who play Rhaenyra and Alicent are excellent actors, portrayed as they do shading and the relationship evolving over time even when the script doesn’t always present a nuance.)
There’s a lot of praise for this show that tells a fresh story that still resonates with familiar themes, and it’s a succession drama of Westeros but never heated up. (I’d also note that his inclusion in acting, which is uncommon from “Game of Thrones,” is certainly a welcome change.) But it can, at times, be more easily admired than watched. We are supposed to care less about the fate of the throne because it is the seat of power for Westeros, the future home of Daenerys, Cersei, and Jon Snow, and less because the contenders present issues as compelling as anything other than academic questions about what is just. . As if to make up for it, the Dragon House can feel a rough swell: we see exposed intestines and a face collapsing as a result of various fires. The scenes tend toward the short and clearly written, which gives us a lot of data but only the general outlines of the characters. And we learn in candid detail about the cravings of Reinera and her fiancé (Theo Nate, then John Macmillan), with the treatment Game of Thrones used to keep the Lannisters in. Both partners want something that the other cannot provide; We see the couple dealing with their future together, and the compromises they are willing to make, in an interesting conversation. The latent hint that Thrones could have dealt with questions of sex has disappeared.
And that’s just as bad as the show sometimes seems to struggle for effect; Rhaenyra’s attraction towards forbidden love is charged and sexy, while her visit to a brothel is an exaggeration that indicates how clearly we understand her as a rebellious heart. But elsewhere, there’s a novelty in the approach here that could come as a surprise, given that the show takes place in Westerosi’s history; The show feels less like old times than a depiction of when the world was new, before social order became petrified.
In this, RedZone’s “Game of Thrones” approach to episodes like all attempts, murders or lewd conversations, with a little padding, fulfills its purpose. After all, Daenerys Targaryen did not consider herself just a legitimate queen in exile, but as a catalyst for seismic change. Fittingly, the show depicting her family’s history would depict the following: Its characters navigate the tides of changing times. History often moves so fast that they can’t keep up. So too, HBO is also evolving its approach to meeting viewers—those who’ve seen all of ‘Thrones’ and remembered its highlights, or we all live in an age less prepared for subtlety and symbolism—wherever they are. This follow-up series is louder and more direct about what you want to say and how you want to respond. It elicits this response, and it will make you wonder what will happen next to the family which turns out there’s still more to say. But it is something blunt, not a sharpened sword.
“House of the Dragon” will premiere on Sunday, August 21 at 9 p.m. ET on HBO.
[ad_2]
