"House of the Dragon," Year One

Spoilers for the first two episodes ahead.

"House of the Dragon" may not be the best show on television right now, but it's definitely one of the biggest as far as ratings, acclaim, and cultural impact.  After the disappointing ending of the original "Game of Thrones" series, the stakes and expectations were high for the spinoff, a prequel series set in Westeros, hundreds of years earlier.  Fortunately, showrunners Ryan Condal and Miguel Sapochnik were able to put together a compelling set of characters and conflicts, drawn from George R. R. Martin's work.  In some ways it's more accessible than "Game of Thrones," and certainly more straightforward - following the royal Targaryen family during a succession crisis.

King Viserys (Paddy Considine) decides to name his daughter Rhaenyra (Milly Alcock as a teenager, Emma D'Arcy as an adult) his heir after the tragic death of his wife.  He remarries to Rhaenyra's best friend Alicent Hightower (Emily Carey as a teenager, Olivia Cooke as an adult), the daughter of Hand of the King, Otto Hightower (Rhys Ifans), creating a rift between the girls.  Viserys and Alicent have several more children, complicating the succession.  Another potential heir is Viserys's brother Prince Daemon (Matt Smith), a highly unpredictable, war-loving troublemaker.  Then there's ambitious Lord Corlys Velaryon (Steve Toussaint), from a different branch of the Targaryen family tree, married to Princess Rhaenys (Eve Best), Viserys's cousin, who was arguably cheated out of the Iron Throne.

What I like about "House of the Dragon" over the original "Game of Thrones" is that it's more of a grounded court intrigue story than a typical fantasy narrative.  Many of the characters are dragon riders, and there are plenty of gory battles and deaths, but almost all of the main conflicts are the same as what you'd find in a historical melodrama like "I, Claudius" or "Wolf Hall."  Characters are constantly worried about allegiances and family legacies.  The legitimacy of a child can have huge implications.  This introductory season is full of time jumps in order to set up all the players and their histories, sometimes skipping years at a time, so characters you see as teenagers in one episode, can be grown and married, with their own children in the next.  There's a lot to keep track of, and multiple POV characters, but the bigger picture is much easier to see unfold from week to week.  

I also appreciate that "House of the Dragon" is set up to revolve around two women - Rhaenyra and Alicent.  Rhaenyra is who everyone is rooting for from from the outset, because she's fighting against deeply ingrained sexism to be the first woman on the Iron Throne, because her private life is subject to a deeply unfair level of scrutiny, and because she's willing to push against convention in ways that unsettle everyone around her.  However, you have to feel for Alicent, a deeply loyal and dutiful woman, who is constantly being told by her father and his allies that the moment Rhaenyra becomes queen, Alicent's life and her children's lives are over.  Their world is a brutal place, and the recurrence of excruciating birthing scenes (I count at least four) hammer home the danger and the uncertainty these women face, simply existing in it.  

 

The focus on relationships and alliances also creates more opportunities for richer, deeper characters.  There are a lot of good performances in this season, but the real showstopper is what Paddy Considine does with Viserys, who gets progressively more decrepit and compelling as the season goes on.  It's also a joy to watch Daemon evolve over the years as his priorities change, and to watch all the kids mature and develop their personalities.  You can track the progress of the hostilities as time passes and the families grow.  All four of the actresses playing Rhaenyra and Alicent are great, but Milly Alcock is my favorite, for her remarkable poise.  

For those who prefer the more spectacle-driven elements of "Game of Thrones," "House of the Dragon" features lots of good warfare and combat, and many dangerous dragons onscreen.  However, in keeping with the more character-driven nature of the show, the most dramatic fight turns out to be one between resentful children.  There are still a few mysterious prophecies floating around, but far less time is spent on the mystical and supernatural business that "Game of Thrones" got so bogged down in.  And it's to "House of the Dragon's" benefit.

My biggest complaint about the show is that too many of the characters have similar names, or simply the same name (I count at least four Aegons).  Otherwise, this has been a fantastic season of television that far exceeded my expectations.  I'm looking forward to more soon.  

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