I Watched House Of The Dragon, And I Have Never Watched Game Of Thrones - Here Is What I Loved About The Show
Max
Game of Thrones was never a show I could watch while it was airing. I did not have HBO, so I was just subjected to conversations online and in person about the show, and it never piqued my interest.
After the horrendous reaction to the final season and then the announcement of a spin-off (something I have never seen done well—I'm looking at you, Ravenswood and Once Upon a Time in Wonderland), I thought Game of Thrones was done.
When House of the Dragon premiered in 2022, I heard about the controversies surrounding episodes one and ten, but overall, I never heard anything negative about the show.
Everything was very positive. Some even said it was better than Game of Thrones.
Max
When I started seeing season two promos this year, it came at a time when I had just gotten into fantasy and finished reading the A Court Of Thorns and Roses series, and I thought to myself, I will give this show a chance and try to finish the first season before the June 16, 2024 season two premiere.
I started watching on June 2, 2024 and finished all ten episodes on June 15, 2024.
I loved every second of season one and plan on rewatching it. I had never seen anything like it before, and it was so well done. I also enjoyed season two, not as much as one, but I liked it.
As there is too much negativity surrounding House of the Dragon right now, I wanted to write about all of the things I loved and the one thing I did not like about House of the Dragon seasons one and two as a person whose only real exposure to Game of Thrones was watching the Red Wedding scene on YouTube the day after that episode aired because EVERYONE was talking about it.
Well, that and some scenes with Brienne of Tarth, because I love Gwendoline Christie, but I have never watched an entire episode of GOT.
The Plot
Max
Having never watched a fantasy show about a fight for a throne, I really loved the plot of Viserys's dilemma about who to name heir when he dies and his conflicted feelings about choosing between his daughter or his irresponsible brother, who would be next in line because he is male even though it should be Rhaenyra.
It just added a lot of drama and stakes to the season because in every episode, I wondered if Viserys would go back on his word because he ended up having a son with Alicent and when he would eventually die, and we were to hopefully see Rhaenyra on the throne.
I also loved how we got to see the children as they grew up. I knew the time skip was going to happen, and the casting was just phenomenal, by the way, but I did not think that we would get so connected to Alicent and Rhaenyra’s children and that they would become so integral to the plot. You learn so much about these characters and get so connected to them that when they die, it actually hurts.
the writing
Max
The writing is great. The script never directly tells you what is happening; it must be understood through context clues. I do not criticize writing in media, but I hate it when a script does not allow the audience to figure out what is happening; instead, it explicitly tells them.
This was one of my criticisms of the Acolyte. I watched this while watching House of the Dragon season two and watching these shows back to back every week made this even more evident.
In the Acolyte, there are many times in the show when a character says something and then explains what they said instead of giving the audience time to figure out what they means or what will happen. Every episode of HOTD left me with questions, and I watched New Rockstar’s episode breakdowns for explanation.
being reminded of the times
Max
Going into the show, I knew about the incest and questionable age gaps in the relationships because these are the medieval times, but when Corlys offered his daughter Laena to Viserys to marry to strengthen the bloodline and produce more heirs, I was like, do not tell me Laena was that tanned skin child we saw in episode one.
Cut to the next scene; Viserys is indeed walking with her, and I had to pause the show to gather my thoughts.
This and Daemon having sex with his mother in season two made my stomach turn, but I had to remember this was a different time period ( but I really don’t think this argument stands when trying to justify why we had to watch Daemon eat out his mother, tbh).
Another ick moment was when Rhaenyra called Daemon uncle right before marrying him. As much as I do enjoy them together, I always forget they are uncle and niece…..
we need to talk about The Season 2 finale
Max
One thing I am very conflicted about was the season two finale. The finale felt like there were supposed to be two more episodes to the season. Multiple reports have stated that HBO cut the last two episodes due to the WGA strikes, and my god, it shows. It feels like we were supposed to see a huge battle play out over the last two episodes of the season and end on a cliffhanger.
I only had to wait 24 hours for season two, so I can see how someone who has waited since 2022 for it would be disappointed by this season.
Compared to season one, not much happened. There were game-changing and emotional moments like Jaehaerys murder, Rhaenys’s death during battle, and Aegon getting burnt to a crisp by Aemond, but in my opinion, season one had more crazy moments. Also, Daemon was away for the whole damn season.
It’s not something that bothered me because he desperately needed to be put in check, and Harrenhal and Alys forced him to confront his demons, but you don’t realize how long it’s been since he and Rhaenyra have been face-to-face until she finally goes to Harrenhal and he leans in for a kiss and she’s like nope I’m into your ex-girlfriend lol.
will i watch game of thrones?
Max
Probably not, but never say never. I re-watched the Red Wedding scene, and it does hit differently once you know more about the world of Westeros, but it’s still something I'm not sure of because of how much people despise the ending. I don't know if I want to invest the time, but it is two years until the next season of House of the Dragon, so maybe I will.
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