House of the Dragon vs The Rings of Power: Which had the better start?

Contrast and comparison is a tricky business, especially when dealing with the two most anticipated fantasy TV shows in recent history, House of the Dragon and Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. Both projects are ambitious new installments in hugely successful franchises. Both shows are products of powerful companies (HBO and Amazon) which have shown a great willingness to throw as much money as they can at their sword-and-sorcery offerings, particularly Amazon. Looking at the first two episodes of each show, who did the best job of kicking off the story and hooking their audience?

The first two episodes of House of the Dragon vs the first two episodes of The Rings of Power

Both House of the Dragon and The Rings of Power looked to open with a bang, but both attacked the problem with different dramatic tools. The first episode of House of the Dragon, “The Heirs of the Dragon,” revolves around King Viserys I finding a successor. The high point is a big action set piece at a tournament intercut with the horrible loss of Viserys’ queen and their newborn son. After that, Viserys chooses his daughter Rhaenyra as his heir, which angers his brother Daemon. That tension continues in the second episode, “The Rogue Prince.”

The initial installments of The Rings of Power, “A Shadow of the Past” and “Adrift,” set the scene for a saga of worldwide (or Middle-earth-wide) scope. Against the backdrop of some the most gorgeous CGI landscapes ever created, the show slows things down to allow the scenery to sink in and to prevent us from getting narrative whiplash as it introduces various characters spread all over the map.

House of the Dragon dives inward into the dark, tangled web of the succession issue while The Rings of Power goes for more a spectacle. Determined to be unencumbered by its predecessor, House of the Dragon plows right into its core drama, with everyone’s plans dashed by death, ambition and the thirst for power. In contrast, by taking its foot off the gas and letting its high fantasy world unfold more gradually, The Rings of Power sacrifices some narrative urgency. We meet many sets of characters of different backgrounds, including elves, dwarves, humans and Harfoots. Each have their own sets of motivations and mysteries which are merely set up here, such as the secret box of the Dwarves and the identity of the strange Meteor Man.

Characters, drama and plot twists

While The Rings of Power spends a decent amount of time with Galadriel, Nori and Arondir, the character development on this show isn’t designed to match the deep dives into the complicated individuals who move through House of the Dragon. At least at first, the characters on The Rings of Power are firmly bound within their classic molds (stoic Elf, goofy Harfoot, etc.); the simplicity is charming, and part of the point. House of the Dragon, meanwhile, expose the flaws and obsessions of its characters early on.

House of the Dragon leads with emotional gut punches and surprising turns, like Otto Hightower’s decision to offer Alicent to the vulnerable king and Prince Daemon’s alliance with Corlys Veralyon. Both of the first two House of the Dragon episodes end with memorable, dramatic images: first Rhaenyra taking on the weight of being named Viserys’ heir, and second when she’s stunned by her father’s announcement of his betrothal to Alicent.

The Rings of Power also serves up dramatic narrative swerves, but they’re more concerned with the bigger picture, such as a mysterious meteor hurtling towards Middle-earth out of the west. Both episodes end with visually stunning, ominous images: first, King Gil-galad sees the black evil on the tree leaf while Nori discovers the Meteor Man; and second, the adrift Giladriel wakes to see salvation in the form of a ship and sailor.

Because of its scale, The Rings of Power has to spend more time on exposition; it must contextualize the mythology and characters before sending them off on an adventure. It is thick with dark omens and foreboding hints of what’s to come. Because the characters are already in the thick of the succession struggle when we join them, House of the Dragon feels much more immediately consequential.

House of the Dragon starts stronger than The Rings of Power

So two episodes in, which show has the more powerful hook? House of the Dragon. Powered by intimate family dynamics, it’s characters often come within a knife’s swing of one another, every argument and confrontation up close and personal.

The Rings of Power is a sweeping story about a whole world coming to grips with the reality of a rising evil. If it intends to have in-depth personal dramas, they will need to be delayed, but that doesn’t mean they won’t take center stage as the narrative moves along.

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