Politics, power and sexuality… All things Westeros returns to television
The world of George R. R. Martin’s ‘A Song of Ice and Fire’ has always been regarded as a masterpiece of the genre. The books and shows bring together the typical fantasy motifs of magic, dragons and heroism and blend them with a gritty, brutal medieval realism.
HBO’s Game of Thrones Season 8 left a sour taste in many viewers’ mouths when it aired in 2019, due to the rushed finale and lack of Martin’s source material.
House of the Dragon (HOTD) had a lot to make up for… and hasn’t disappointed thus far. The new show is set 172 years before the events of Game of Thrones and details the civil war of the Targaryen dynasty.
Perhaps the show’s greatest strength is that there are no true heroes or villains. Characters’ choices are not polarised as they are often neither wholly right or wrong.
Yes, some characters are far worse than others but the audience is forced to wrestle with the moral justification behind their choices. This adds another layer to the entertainment factor of HOTD. Martin wrote the source material with this idea in mind.
One show-stopping performance is Matt Smith’s Daemon Targaryen, the King’s power-hungry younger brother. Smith brings an element of humour and charm, whilst also being cunning and very dangerous (with a sword and his brain).
His brother, however, King Viserys I (Paddy Considine), is weak and indifferent to the political issues he is faced with. He chooses the path with the least potential conflict, even when tensions continue to rise.
The dichotomy between these brothers is fascinating. Viserys wants to believe Daemon is good, true and honourable but Daemon’s self-interest always shatters the King’s perception of his brother.
Martin has gone on record to say Daemon is the most morally ambiguous character he has ever created. He is not good or bad but always sits somewhere in between, making his character unpredictable… and very entertaining.
The only negative take away from the show is the pacing is sometimes difficult to follow; some episodes take place only a few months later and some jump several years into the future which can be disorientating at times.
HOTD has breathed new life into the franchise and I look forward to what the rest of the season has to offer.
