House of the Dragon Will Always Be a Rhaenicent Story (Like It Or Not)
Both Team Black and Team Green are utterly confused.
Summary:
- House of The Dragon is the prequel to HBO's hit fantasy series Game of Thrones.
- Like the original series, the prequel was adapted from a novel by George R. R. Martin.
- In the book, the main conflict was between the brother and sister fighting for the throne.
- In the show, however, the writers made major changes to put two childhood friends at the center of the rivalry.
While people may argue about what is better, blindly following the source or trying to translate the idea to the screen with as many changes as necessary to be entertaining, adapting the novel will always be a very nuanced task.
As audiences have seen many times, one wrong move is more than enough to ruin the perception of even the best stories. One wrong choice in direction, style, or casting, and instead of winning over fans of the source material, you'll alienate them forever and make enemies of a large portion of the fandom.
No one knows this better than the production team behind Game of Thrones. After a strong start, the show's finale turned out to be one of the most hated on the internet after the plot deviated from the source material.
While the fault wasn't theirs, and everyone is still waiting for George R.R. Martin to officially end a franchise, viewers hoped that the writers, producers, and directors had at least learned from past mistakes. So far, House of the Dragon has only proved them wrong.
Will Alicent And Rhaenyra Meet Again In House of The Dragon Season 2?
One thing they decided to change from the beginning was the age of one of the novel's characters, Alicent Hightower. In the book, King Viserys Targaryen's second wife was already a grown woman who had a strong dislike for his firstborn child, Princess Rhaenyra.
However, the show initially portrayed both Alicent and Rhaenyra as being almost the same age. They had a very warm friendship and formed a bond so strong that many viewers were sure there was a much deeper feeling hidden in their souls for each other.
As the episodes went on, House of the Dragon went back to the original story a bit, putting Alicent's son Aegon on the throne to technically fight Rhaenyra for it. It was clear, however, that the symbol of the entire family branch would still be Alicent, standing behind her son and guiding him through the war with a woman she once considered a friend.
In 2022, showrunner Ryan Condal mentioned this change in an interview with The New York Times, saying:
“At its most basic, this story is about these two young women — who are really girls; they’re 14 when we meet them — who are forced into this political game of thrones, in the most literal sense, by their fathers. <...> It’s all about them, and will continue to be.”
He kept his word. With the release of the first trailer for House of The Dragon season 2, the increased focus on Alicent rather than her son Aegon was confirmed. As mixed as the reactions to this have been (especially the most defensive Aegon has received from Team Black), we've all been warned.
There is still time to think about whether you want to watch House of The Dragon after all the changes. Season 2 will not be released until the summer of 2024. But if you want to go on this journey, keep an eye out for more news and updates.
Source: The New York Times