I Loved Game of Thrones, but House of the Dragon Needs to Learn to Be Its Own Show

Like many other Game of Thrones fans burned by the show's disappointing finale, I swore off watching another spinoff. However, as the years went by and news of the Targaryen prequel spread like wildfire across the internet, I was intrigued to see what HBO could do with another George R.R. Martin adaptation.

The premiere of House of the Dragon was so impressive that I was immediately sucked into the new show, hoping for the best. After all, the original novel Fire & Blood was already finished, and there was no need for the writers to come up with anything on their own. Or so I thought.

Is House of the Dragon Better Than the Book?

Tweaking a premise to add some depth to the main conflict is always a good change, but rewriting the history of the world to toot one's own horn is simply not. And with the overuse of various Game of Thrones references, easter eggs, and nods, it feels like House of the Dragon is becoming yet another tool to promote the show that ended up being a flop.

Even though Game of Thrones ended up completely ruining its most popular character, Daenerys Stormborn, House Targaryen remained so popular that viewers didn't need to be reminded of it twice. The intro to the House of the Dragon pilot made the connection that was already obvious with the first white wig in the frame, but that was just the beginning.

With the introduction of the prophecy of the promised prince, which was another underwhelming Game of Thrones story that was not mentioned anywhere in Fire & Blood, showrunner Ryan Condal made the connection again. He then confirmed that the 3 eggs we see on House of the Dragon are in fact the eggs of Drogon, Rhaegal, and Viserion.

While the connection between the most beloved Targaryen and their predecessors is nice, I can't help but wonder if the audience really needs to be spoon-fed the memories of Game of Thrones. Given the success of the prequel, it doesn't need to rely on the fame of the original show, so why is it so hard for the creators to let it go?

Tuning into House of the Dragon, many fans of the franchise thought it was a perfect opportunity for HBO to truly honor George R.R. Martin's work and learn from all the mistakes they've made.

Now, however, it is becoming more and more obvious that the spinoff was just a way to try and further excuse the nonsense that Game of Thrones has gradually turned into.

If you still have any hope of seeing a true adaptation of Dance of the Dragons, be sure to tune into House of the Dragon season 2 every Sunday on HBO or Max.