Film and TV Editor John O’Connor Goes Head to Head with David Forde over House of the Dragon Season 2: A Roaring Triumph or A Resounding Defeat?
A Roaring Triumph - John O’Connor
The second season of House of the Dragon was not perfect... but neither was Game of Thrones. The continuous comparison of House of the Dragon to its predecessor is neither fair nor relative. Game of Thrones was a tale of epic scope, sprawling multiple continents, countless dynamics and interweaving storylines. House of the Dragon is more insular, focusing predominantly on the turbulent House Targaryen and its slow descent into decline and eventual extinction. This “Dance of Dragons” is where the show truly shines.
As Game of Thrones was one of the most watched shows of all time, it seems as though House of the Dragon was set to fail by comparison, no matter how many admirable qualities it undoubtedly possesses. Since its initial success, the budget for the show has significantly increased. In the fourth episode of season two, we see this pay off, as the dragons finally danced in a battle, which left many in awe and some in tears - and I don’t blame them.
The increased budget not only allowed us to bear witness to more dragons, which I am thankful for, but also corrected production shortcomings in the previous season. Despite winning an Emmy for costume design, the first season was ridiculed for its underwhelming costumes and lack of consideration paid to the wigs worn by Black actors. A budget increase and due diligence completely rectified these problems.
This season also showcases some of the strongest performances in the show to date with Emma Darcy once again embodying the character of Rhaenyra and reminding us that they are one of the brightest up and coming actors in the industry. Yet it is Phia Saban’s whimsical yet tragic performance as Queen Helaena which truly stands out, especially during the shocking events at the close of the season’s first episode, which demands awards recognition.
I appreciated the change of pace in season two when compared to season one. In the previous season, we saw time jumps spanning decades, and actor changes which prevented us from connecting with the characters. Season two allows us to breathe and get to know the main players - as well as their children, which is one of the most enjoyable parts of the season. Season one was an introduction to the show’s universe, while season two makes room for character development and exploration before season three’s all out war.
A Resounding Defeat - David Forde
The second season of House of the Dragon was a disappointment. I did initially enjoy the event of sitting down every Sunday night to watch a new episode. However, as the season continued, glaring problems began to outshine the positives, and I can’t help but feel sour now that I must wait another year or two for the next season without much fulfilment from this one. George R. R. Martin criticised the writers of House of the Dragon on his “Not a Blog”, as they had removed a character from the books, whose story will be merged with an existing character in the show. His final words in his post mirror my own: “Ignore canon, and the world you’ve created comes apart like tissue paper”.
I have not read Fire & Blood, and therefore my feelings have not come from the show writers changing the story - although book readers say this did occur. The main issue I have with this season boils down to lazy writing. Olivia Cooke’s Alicent Hightower has suffered a catastrophic character assassination, while Matt Smith’s Daemon Targaryen hallucinated in Harrenhal for four episodes. While we are nowhere near the levels of laziness that stalked season eight of Game of Thrones, cracks are beginning to form.
The centralisation of the plot around the relationship between Rhaenyra and Alicent forces the writers to bring them face to face more often than was needed. The character of Admiral Lohar, played by Abigail Thorn, reminded me of the worst components of season eight of Game of Thrones, the introduction of the new character was given far too much screen time.
I’m not saying that I hated this season, nor am I saying that I will not watch the next. I found both the scene in which Oscar Tully confronts Daemon and Criston Cole’s final monologue to be genuinely well-written and intriguing. What made the first seasons of Game of Thrones so brilliant was the writer’s translation from book to screen. As they departed from the source material in later seasons, the quality diminished - and this is what I fear may be happening to House of the Dragon.