‘Dragon’ roasts viewers in flames of political bloodbaths in name of entertainment

“The only thing that could tear down the House of the Dragon was itself.” The Game Of Thrones spin off, House of The Dragon, exhilarated the public with nostalgia as well as intrigue when season one aired in 2022. The fast paced episodes grasped the audience's attention and beautifully portrayed George R. R. Martin’s description of the story in Fire and Blood. After two years, season two of House of The Dragon has aired, and fans find  themselves at odds with the decision of who should sit on the Iron Throne as the rightful heir to the Seven Kingdoms. 

This season begins with Jacaerys Velaryon (Harry Collet, Dolittle), Rhaenyra Targaryen’s (Emma D’arcy, Truth Seekers) son, in the North in discussion with Cregan Stark (Tom Taylor, The Dark Tower) about House Stark’s loyalty to the “one true queen” (a very nostalgic moment for Game Of Thrones fans). Jacaerys returns, prepared to share the news with Rhaenyra, but is instead faced with instant grief after discovering that his little brother Lucerys Velaryon (Elliot Grihault, All That Glitters) was murdered by Aemond Targaryen. 

The impact that the death of Lucerys had on Team Black ends up influencing the majority of risky decisions made throughout this season, including “Blood and Cheese.” “Blood and Cheese” was a murder operation, with the two men committing the crime being dubbed as “Blood” and “Cheese.” The purpose of this operation was for Team Black to take revenge by secretly beheading Aemond Targaryen, but this act was devised by Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith, Doctor Who) alone, who fans know is not an entirely rational character. Blood and Cheese struggle to find Aemond within the Red Keep, and decide that any son of Team Green’s would do as a proper replacement. The victim was decided to be Jaehaerys Targaryen, son of “King” Aegon II, Rhaenyra’s younger half-brother.

Once word spread of the brutal beheading of Jaehaerys, the chaos spirals into a sequence of regrettable but impactful events. Though many found this scene to be a horrific and thrilling start to the season, a majority of those who read the book Fire and Blood found it to be anticlimactic. Many key details that were mentioned in the book did not make their way into the show, which created an entirely different narrative of the moment compared to what Martin illustrated. Martin also crafted a quickly deleted blog post giving his thoughts on season two altogether but specifically points out the disappointment with the “Blood and Cheese” scene. 

This is a common theme throughout the season, and many readers seem to be distraught by the fact that character dynamics and storylines were completely altered by the producers. Fire and Blood is written in a historical style, making a portion of the fanbase believe that the story is coming from an unreliable narrator; therefore, it is unfair to compare the book and show because it may be portraying a differing narrative. Season one of House of The Dragon makes it clear that the show was not meant to be a direct translation of the book, but rather an inspired sequence of events that leads up to the extinction of dragons (temporarily). 

Although there is flexibility when it comes to adjustments and creative decisions for the show, it’s important to stay somewhat true to the storylines and dynamics of characters. In season two, episode three, Rhaenyra feels the uprising of a war and decides to try averting this catastrophe by discussing the situation with Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke, Ready Player One), a childhood friend turned enemy. Rhaenyra leaves Dragonstone, disguised in a Septa outfit, and discreetly heads to the Kings Landing Sept where Alicent is known to regularly attend. 

Once Rhaenyra arrives, she takes a seat next to Alicent and threatens her with a sword to prevent her from screaming for help. They begin their conversation, and the story about the “prince that was promised” is brought up. This story has a large influence on all of the events that take place in House of The Dragon and even Game of Thrones. For House of The Dragon, Viserys (Paddy Considine, Dead Man’s Shoes) shares this story/vision with his loved ones, and repeats it while on his deathbed. Alicent misinterprets this story due to her own assumptions that her son Aegon II was destined to rule and the one Viserys mentioned, but in reality it was about a past king, Aegon the Conqueror. This confusion is part of the reason why Aegon II usurps the Iron throne, and causes division among the realm. Alicent mentions the late Viserys’ last words when discussing with Rhaenyra in the Sept, which leads to Rhaenyra explaining to Alicent the mistake she made in confusing the two Aegons. Of course, Alicent tries her best to deny that there was any misunderstanding on her part, but also defends herself by stating that it is too late to undo what has been done.

Viewers were truly satisfied with this moment, as Alicent finally realizes the catastrophic effect that her mistake has had on the realm. Though many find the concept of two enemies meeting up and engaging in a discussion, rather than battling, to be an entertaining scene, there are those that believe it’s very cliche and unrealistic. It seemed like a scene straight out of a fanfiction, and not something that Martin would have constructed himself. The characterization of Alicent within this scene displayed a version of her that was unlike what most viewers desired. Her character was meant to show coldness and cruelty as a dowager queen who desires power for her family and House. Seeing how Alicent slowly descends into a more compromising and forgiving figure in season two, compared to the malicious nature she carried in season one, makes the audience wonder what the producers’ true intentions are with her character. 

Throughout season two, the show introduces new characters that are of importance to this war of dragons.

Addam Hull (Clinton Liberty, Forever In My Heart)  and his brother Alyn Hull (Abubaker Salim, Raised By Wolves) are introduced as bastard sons of Lord Corlys Velaryon (Steve Toussaint, Pine Gap) later in the season. In season two, episode six, Addam was chased by the dragon Seasmoke and shortly after, he was able to claim this dragon or rather, Seasmoke claimed him. This was a very interesting phenomenon for viewers as it was previously known that only House Targayen was able to ride dragons and that their blood is what kept them connected to these creatures for centuries. Many new dragon riders were added to Team Black towards the end of this season, including Ulf claiming Silverwing, and Hugh claiming Vermithor. 

The dragons truly illustrate the other-worldliness of the Ice and Fire universe. Although the show primarily focuses on political battles and reflects similarities to real world history, these small fantasy aspects allow it to obtain an audience with many different interests. This season also displayed new dragons that readers have been anxiously waiting to view. Seasmoke, Vermithor, Silverwing, and Sheepstealer were all beautifully designed and animated, matching the book's description perfectly. 

Season two contains eight episodes, each being around an hour long, somewhat shorter compared to season one. Although there isn’t as much content as the previous season, the episodes have just as much, if not more of an impact on its viewers. The final episode especially increases the audience's anticipation for the next season. In episode eight, Alicent (willingly) visits Dragonstone to discuss with Rhaenyra the amount of fear that surrounds the realm due to this war and how she wishes for it to be over. Their conversation ends with Alicent subtly agreeing to let Rhaenyra kill her son in order to ensure her claim to the throne. Fans found this moment to be a victory for Team Black, as Alicent will no longer be on the other side of the war but rather a neutral figure. It was overall a beautiful way to end the season and an intriguing transition of what chaos is to occur in the upcoming season three, as the Dance of Dragons slowly comes to a finale. 

Grade: A-

Blurb: As the war of dragons continues, it escalates into a larger conflict than the realm had expected, dividing Westeros and the fans of House of The Dragon into two sides.

by Haniya Mecci

Published October 7 2024

Oshkosh West Index Volume 121 Issue I