House of the Dragonis a show about the nightmarish struggles that can come out of generational monarchies. The plot follows the events of a massive civil war between the eldest children of the fallen king. LikeGame of Thrones, the show’s camera gives near-equal time to the two sides of the conflict. While the screentime is somewhat fair, the moral justifications of the Greens and the Blacks vary widely. Some see bias in the way thatHouse of the Dragondepicts its participants, but there’s more to it than allegiance to the original queen.
House of the Dragonseason two has some excellent moments. Theseason finale was a legitimatelyexcellent episode of TV, but it was not a suitable conclusion. The bizarre pacing leaves the season without much happening. Fans are very angry, potentially tainting the long wait between seasons with a lot of frustration. The pressure on season three will be massive, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that the show is in trouble.
House of the Dragonis Very Generous to Rhaenyra
One of the thingsHouse of the Dragonseason two takes great pains to establish isRhaenyra’s moral complexity. She’s in an extremely difficult and unfair position. She knows that her father intended her to have the Iron Throne, and she’s seen what her half-brother will do with the power. At the end of season one, she learns that her son, Lucerys, died at the hands of her other half-brother, Aemond. She wouldn’t be justified in burning a city to the ground in revenge, but it would be comparatively hard to blame her for it. Rhaenyra spends about three-quarters of her screentime in season two explaining why she won’t launch a violent attack against her political enemies. Her council of men, all of whom seem to view her as a toddler despite collectively possessing almost exactly as little battle experience, encourage her to strike immediately. Their plan tends to emphasize a wild dragon assault on whoever crosses them. As Rhaenyra gains more power through her and Jace’s Dragonseed scheme, the idea of torching the countryside gets more and more obvious. She refuses again and again, though she finally seems prepared to take aggressive action. This repeated plot point does nothing but reinforce the long-held truth that this version ofRhaenyra really doesn’t wantto kill a bunch of innocent people. She will, but she really doesn’t want to.
This extends to Daemon as well. The Blood & Cheese plot, for example, was a weirdly exciting moment for fans of the book. Some supportGame of Thronesas a collection of messed-up occurrences first and a fantasy drama series second. In the books,Daemon orders the assassinationof one of Aegon’s children in revenge for the death of one of his stepsons. It’s a grotesque affair that the show only partially translates onto the screen. The show’s version of the same idea sees Daemon reasonably hire goons to kill Aemond, only to have them fumble the instructions and kill a toddler instead. Daemon is still to blame, but his original intentions were slightly more understandable. The same applies to his treatment in season one, which sees him forgo the opportunity to take Rhaenyra to bed, leaving her to shack up with Criston Cole. At several turns, the show slightly alters the story to show its main characters in a positive light. The Blacks aren’t the sole beneficiaries of this concept.
House of the DragonCleans Up For the Greens Too
Yes,House of the Dragontreats the Blacks very well in its adaptation. However, the show helps to create a positive image for the Greens from time to time as well.Aemond Targaryen, for instance, kills young Lucerys on purpose in the book. It’s an accident in the show, clearing the one-eyed autocrat of one of his worst crimes. The show also shows Aegon as a kind and understanding ruler, but his council quickly stamps on his limited wisdom. He’s a puppet in the hands of more experienced political operatives with far more cruel intentions.
Even Alicent has become a relatively sympathetic figure as the second season ends. Her first season two negotiation with Rhaenyra reveals that her initialdrive to place Aegonon the throne didn’t come from her lust for power or desire to fulfill her father’s wishes. It was a simple misunderstanding, deriving from the fact that they named their son after a notable historical figure. She doubles down, but the show does everything in its power to justify her actions too. By the time Aemond attacks Aegon and takes the throne, she winds up being the victim of her own foolish decisions. Her path in the final two episodes is clearly an apology tour that amounts to nothing. It almost looks like the show is slowly switchingAlicent’s and Rhaenyra’spositions.
IsHouse of the DragonChoosing Sides?
There are a few decent people in Westeros, though the numbers fall fast.People like Alyn, Addam, Hugh, Gwayne, Arryk, and Erryk are just reasonable human beings struggling through their difficult lives while trying to maintain some nobility. The aristocrats are not good people. They may, occasionally, appear to be the lesser of two evils, but they remain the living embodiments of absurd excess, cruelty, elitism, and strife. Even the best of the ruling class use the suffering of the small folk as a weapon to hurt their political enemies. Rhaenyra might empower a few low-born warriors to power her army of bastards, but she’s happy to see the useless ones burn to death. There are no heroes; there are only winners and losers. Any sympathy the showlends to its Blacksand Greens is personal, emotional, and temporary.
House of the Dragonis an extension ofGame of Thronesin many ways. Though it may offer some positive portrayals of Rhaenyra, Daemon, Alicent, or Aegon, it still knows that there are no good nobles.Viserys was arguably thebest king anyGame of Thronesproperty has ever put on screen, andHouse of the Dragonshows exactly what comes of a decent person on the throne. The Blacks only look like heroes when they stand next to the Greens. The show is kinder than the books, but give them a little time.
