PREQUEL SERIES ‘HOUSE OF THE DRAGON’ IS GOOD BUT NOT AS GREAT AS ITS PREDACESSOR
Written by admin on August 8, 2024
Game Of Thrones took the TV world by storm when HBO released it. The numerous characters and their stories became not only stories that a select few got to enjoy, but stories, sayings, and characters that have become part of the pop culture lexicon. It was a great series and made TV production companies have to up their game in putting out quality television shows. It’s a show that has transcended itself. So, when it came to its end it left fans wanting more stories frow the fictional land of Westeros. HBO obliged and has now completed 2 seasons of House Of The Dragon which is a prequel series to the original GOT.
House OF The Dragon follows the story of the Targaryen royal family and their rule over the many realms of Westeros. It is a time of prosperity and King Viserys is a good and fair ruler that cares deeply for his family and keeping the realms at peace. However, his wife dies, and he takes in a much younger queen in Alicent who is the best friend of his daughter, Princess Rhaenyra. Since the King never had a male heir born to him he names Rhaenyra his rightful heir to the throne when he dies. This act sets in motion other royal family members disdain for the selection and an eventual split in the family over who the true heir should be. Over the first season we see the years following the fateful decision and a quick jump to the future as the characters have grown older and have children that also have ties to the Iron Throne. Season two shows what happens after the King has died and the rock that held the family together is no longer there to keep the peace. The once great family is now at the brink of war where dragons will make it an extremely bloody and deadly battle.
There are just too many characters and stories to try and fill you in on them all and understand what happens on screen. What I can tell you is this: HOTD is very good, but not as good as GOT. We get dragons as part of the plot right away and see them in their most glorious and strongest age. This is pretty good as GOT was more about dragons finally returning to the world and fighting off an army of the dead. With House Of The Dragon we also get the full backstory or the Targaryen family and why they were considered the best royal family to ever rule the kingdom. While the action is mostly satisfying and the special effects hold up there is something missing. The characters, whether you see them as good or bad are not as memorable as the characters in Game Of Thrones. While Alicent and Rhaenyra are the heads of their respective houses they are not as memorable or love-to-hate-them powerful as characters in GOT. Jon Snow, Cersei, Tyrion, Joffre, and Daenerys made us invest in the show because there was always a line being crossed for the greater good which blurred good and evil. In the end we knew exactly where the character stood though and it made you love them or despise them more, In HOTD there’s really no one to cheer for or sides to pick to spark worthwhile debate. They all just come off as wrong in their stances and it’s more about misunderstandings and petty whining that got them to this point and not right versus wrong. While GOT gave us sayings like “Winter is coming”, “Three eyed raven”, “Hodor”, and “Dracarys!” we have yet to really have a memorable moment that grabs our attention and becomes part of social meaning. Should you watch it? Yes, it is a very good story and has compelling moments. It just doesn’t grab you fully except that the season 2 finale is setting up for an epic war that must live up to the hype that the final episode hints at. If that falls flat, then someone will need to … hold the door from fans walking out on the series.