If you’ve been glued to your screen drooling over the Targaryen family drama in House of the Dragon, you’re in good company. The spinoff has won many hearts and stirred up many conversations, inspired lots of praise and earned plenty of criticism.
House of the Dragon is great, but it’s got some issues. The question is: How can this show evolve from a baby Charmander flickering flame to a full-blown badass Charizard burst of dragonbreath?
Let’s talk about five problems with House of the Dragon, and how it could improve.
1. Give us more time to like and invest in characters
House of the Dragon takes us into a dangerous, intriguing, and complex world of power dynamics and familial rivalries. But there are so many characters running around that it can be difficult to truly invest in their individual journeys. While Rhaenyra gets a lot of attention, the development of other characters kind of fall short.
Take, for instance, our beloved Harwin Strong. Even though we only catch glimpses of him, we immediately see the fantastic man that he is, how charismatic he is. A loving secret father to two handsome and strong (hehehe) boys, cuddling his third newly born child, locking eyes with the woman he loves: Rhaenyra. So. Much. Chemistry. The way they looked into each other’s eyes in any given scene they shared made my heart flutter. I feel like we were robbed of a true romance there. Before we can even understand what’s happening, he’s taken from us much too soon and in a very unfair manner. And this is why I have trust issues.
Anyway. We yearn for that emotional connection with the characters, for their stories and onscreen lives to truly matter and make an impact. But let’s not forget what franchise we’re talking about. Sadly, House of the Dragon follows in the footsteps of its parent show Game of Thrones and kills off its cast with ruthless efficiency. It may even be more brutal, if you you can believe it.
And yes, there are a lot of characters. I get it. But still. House of the Dragon mainly focuses on only 250 pages from its source material, Fire and Blood by George R.R. Martin. Why are they in such a hurry?