The Game of Thrones prequel may be attracting viewers, but it isn’t performing as well as its predecessor.
The Game of Thrones prequel may be attracting viewers, but it isn’t performing as well as its predecessor.
In the most recent episode of HBO’s House of the Dragon, Lord Otto Hightower delivers some unsettling news to the king. In the depths of a pleasure den, Prince Daemon and Princess Rhaenyra were seen coupling or acting in an improper manner.
His report omits to mention the fact that the pleasure den provides no pleasure at all. In a depressing tomb of unidentified, nude bodies, Daemon unexpectedly abandons his niece after experiencing a recurrent episode of erectile trouble.
Alicent Hightower, on the other hand, exemplifies what it means to “serve the realm,” in the words of the late Aemma Targaryen: It’s a duty that requires waiting for one’s aging husband to reach its climax while gazing listlessly at the ceiling.
Even Rhaenyra’s seduction of a reluctant Ser Criston Cole is incredibly unexciting in this, the most sexually explicit episode of HOTD to date, where sex among the Westerosi elite is a remarkably melancholy affair.
She uses a lengthy game of keep away the helmet to entice him into her room, simulating the courtship of two people who have no chemistry at all.
Is it inappropriate to watch HOTD and yearn for Game of Thrones’ first four seasons? Despite having a bad image due to scenes of severe sexual violence, Game of Thrones still gave its protagonists opportunities for kindness and pleasure.
The prequel’s overall atmosphere can be reflected in the lifelessness of HOTD’s sexual antics. It’s surprisingly depressing so far and leans toward period drama with repressed grandeur.
I have to wonder how a show about dragons and incest can be so boring despite heavily drawing from the world-building of its predecessor and having all the best resources at its disposal, including close involvement from George RR Martin, the direction of Miguel Sapochnik, who gave us the extremely excellent Battle of the Bastards, and an unprecedented budget.
Can We Have a Conversation that Isn’t All About the Throne?
The plot of HOTD moves forward quickly, with little change in the atmosphere or setting. Imagine Game of Thrones’ numerous vibrant settings, diverse characters, and sharp one-liners compressed into a single grey tone.
George RR Martin’s Fire & Blood, the original book, is known for its effective narrative. It provides a history of the Targaryen dynasty 300 years after it occurred, written through the perspective of an archmaester at the Citadel.
As a result, our characters frequently have a historical air to them. The great master described the Sea Snake as “an over-proud man,” but there must be more to him than that, right? Are there any vices he has? And in his union with Princess Rhaenys, who is the man in the pants?
Like in the book, the dialogue in the show plays a merely ceremonial role in shepherding the conflict to a speedy conclusion. Relationships that have been estranged for years are easily reconciled (“I’ve missed you,” Rhaenyra says Alicent) and off-screen occurrences are briefly explained.
Even though we haven’t seen Lord Corlys in a while, we’re informed that he is getting ready to wed the Sealord of Braavos to his daughter. This production is based on absence, whether it is of Lord Corlys or of laughter, texture, or depth.
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Princess Is Not a Character
Dutiful Alicent is understandably furious about Rhaenyra’s offenses; at the age of 15, the teen queen completely ceded her sexual agency. She has been working extra hard lately, taking care of her young children and sick husband while also looking for a respectable lord for her friend to wed.
And this is the appreciation she receives? Rhaenyra sobs, “That would wreck everything if I were to be sullied in the eyes of these lords!
The show goes to great measures to portray itself as a war of females against the patriarchy by reducing the overt sexual violence and full-frontal nudity of Game of Thrones and substituting non-consensual C-sections, uninvited abortion, and frequent talk of giving birth to heirs.
Ultimately, this is still a drama about two teenage girls who are burdened by their ancestry, as Rhaenyra puts it, with little else to offer. She might possibly be the worst because she is a spoiled child who lies, disparages the old, and causes Otto Hightower to be removed from the little council. However, this kind of cruelty is a virtue in the Game of Thrones. Either you succeed or you fail, a wise queen once said.
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Parting Thoughts
It makes no difference whether Daemon wants Rhaenyra or just wants to ruin her chances of being married. It would appear as though Viserys has never gone because of his propensity to raise Daemon’s exiles with each jump.
Where is Princess Rhaenys, the only adult female speaking character in the film? The more time Eve Best spends off-screen, the more her skills are wasted.
Ahnentafeln der Lannister Tyland, the little council runt, and Jason, the little game, are startlingly uncool. With these fools, Tyrion, Tywin, and Cersei would clean the floor.
Mysaria’s accent, which is from a far-off, colonized place, is… an odd choice.
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