‘House of the Dragon’ Ruined Its Female Characters: Fans Hate Ryan Condal's Take on Alicent
Ryan Condal's mishandling of female characters has fans furious. Here's what we know.
After a great first season, House of the Dragon Season 2 has left many of us disappointed. Slow-paced and stretched-out episodes led us to one of the most unsatisfying finales ever.
The main issue: the show is afraid to make its female characters villainous.
“[Alicent] realized that neither of her sons is suited to rule the realm, and she wants to stop the spinning wheel that is the game of thrones,” Ryan Condal shared in the book “House of the Dragon Season 2: Inside the Dawn of the Targaryen Civil War”.
Book vs. Show: ‘House of the Dragon’ Changed Its Female Leads For No Reason
In the books, Alicent is way more of a villain. But the show softens her for no apparent reason. They turned her from a calculating power player into someone who's just confused and sad all the time.
The same goes for Rhaenyra. In the source material, she makes some pretty ruthless moves, but the show is yet to go that route.
The most annoying part: they literally forgot about Daeron. If you're going to introduce a character as the good one, at least remember he exists when you're making the bold claims of “neither of her sons is suited to rule the realm.”
‘Game of Thrones’ Was Not Afraid of Showing Female Villains
Game of Thrones didn't hesitate to give us female villains, who we can sympathize with and be annoyed with at the same time. Cersei Lannister, Melisandre, even Daenerys Targaryen, and it's just to name a few examples. Does House of the Dragon really think we can't handle a female villain?
‘House of the Dragon’ Fans React to the Toned-Down Female Characters
“God, the writing team's glazing of the women in this show is embarrassing. The Dance didn't happen because the men f– up by not listening/heeding the women or the women being unable to curtail the warlike instincts of men. The Dance happened because everyone wanted power and everyone f– up. Stop trying to write unequivocally good/well-intentioned characters for this story. There are none,” Redditor Jynerva wrote.
“It’s utterly patronizing that the women in the show aren’t allowed to portray the same flaws and power dynamics as the men,” Redditor koreanwizard said.
‘House of the Dragon’: Where to Watch?
House of the Dragon will return for a third season, expected to premiere sometime in 2026. Until then, you can rewatch it on HBO Max.
