“They’re just going in circles”: House of the Dragon Season 2 Could Doom the Entire Game of Thrones Franchise If It Keeps Making the Same Frustrating Mistake
- 'House of the Dragon' Season 2's heavy focus on lead characters might lead to underdeveloped newer characters and repetitive plotlines.
- Season 2 has a significant drop of 22% in viewership in the premiere episode compared to Season 1.
- The narrative issues in 'House of the Dragon' Season 2 could negatively impact upcoming 'Game of Thrones' spin-offs.
Spoiler Alert!
The Game of Thrones franchise has become a part of pop culture now. The viewers loved its detailed plot, complex characters, and epic battles. After the original series ended in 2019, fans got its prequel, House of the Dragon, which is set about 200 years before Game of Thrones.
Although there have been mixed reactions to House of the Dragon Season 1, the show still attracted millions of viewers. Now, as the second season is about to end, the question arises whether or not it lived up to the expectations of its predecessors.
The Problem with House of the Dragon Season 2
A concerning pattern has been seen in Season 2 that is leaving many viewers a bit disappointed, and this issue might have far-reaching consequences. House of the Dragon Season 2 can’t seem to let go of its original leads.
The show seems to spend an extra amount of time on characters like Rhaenyra Targaryen and Alicent Hightower. Most of the time, this is at the expense of developing newer characters, who are also important to keep the story fresh and break the monotony.
For instance, Rhaenyra’s scenes in the Black Council are becoming quite repetitive. She is constantly rehashing the same points that her father named her the heir, and she inherited 80 years of peace from him.
Then there is Alicent Hightower. The show dedicates entire scenes to her drinking Moon Tea or having the same conversation about Viserys’ wishes with different characters. Scenes like these are not just boring, they eat up valuable screen time that could be used to develop other characters and plotlines.
According to HouseOfTheDragon Reddit page, “they’re just going in circles” while potentially interesting characters like Aegon and Helaena are left in the background. Viewers have not even seen them talk since their child died, which is a major event that has been largely ignored. Jace and Baela are also barely given any screen time to develop.
It is as if the writers are unable to progress the narrative beyond Alicent and Rhaenyra. However, in the original novella, they were mostly playing the role of catalysts of the civil war. While moving through the plot the reader gets introduced to new characters like Daemon, Corlys Velaryon, Aegon, Aemond and many others.
How Could House of the Dragon‘s Mistakes Impact the Franchise?
This inability to evolve will not just frustrate the viewers, it might also damage the franchise’s future. A lack of character development can lead to complications, and without reference, the characters will lose their fans.
This approach has already affected the viewership. Forbes reported that the Season 2 premiere had a 22% decline in viewership over Season 1. The viewership had dropped significantly from 10 million in Season 1’s premiere to 7.8 million in Season 2. Overall, the new numbers are still impressive, but the drop is quite noticeable.
What is more concerning is how these issues might affect future spin-offs. According to Entertainment Weekly, HBO has already started working on new spin-off projects, including A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, Aegon’s Conquest, The Sea Snake /Nine Voyages, and Ten Thousand Ships.
The new spin-offs might struggle in the same way as House of the Dragon Season 2 if the issue persists. The makers will have to try a bit more to define themselves and capture the viewers’ attention once again.
House of the Dragon Season 2 is now streaming on Max.
