RICKETTS-HAGAN House of the Dragon

by SULAKSHI RATNAYAKE

had been completely erased from the cultural zeitgeist, due nal season of George. R. R. Martin's fantasy epic. e e Dragon was tasked with a tall order: navigate a tainted legacy while regaining the trust of a cheated audience.

Its rst triumph is its ability to distinguish itself from its predecessor. e story focuses on the “Dance of the Dragons”, a con ict from long before Game of rones, as Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen battles for the Iron rone. Her greatest adversary is Lady Alicent Hightower, who provides a stark contrast to the free-spirited Rhaenyra. Hightower is trapped in a loveless marriage to the king and bound by duty to bear heirs. Her resentment of Rhaenyra, who explores her burgeoning sexuality while asserting her claim to the Iron rone, divides the court between the Blacks and the Greens. e fraught dynamics of the exceptionally inbred Targaryens take centre stage as unchecked ambition, festering resentment and misunderstanding give rise to war.

House of the Dragon sets itself apart with the limited use of graphic violence and nudity (although the show is by no means free of graphic depictions). e sex, rather than gratuitous, is intentional as it depicts a young women’s sexual exploration. In doing so the story chooses to depict female agency and pleasure, or in Alicent’s case, the lack thereof. Game of rones rarely achieved this.

of Power, unlike House of the Dragon, was not severely burdened with having to please a fanbase le unsatis ed with its recent product. However, it was clear that e Rings of Power was expected to capture its audience in a manner more like the renowned e Lord of the Rings trilogy than the less celebrated e Hobbit trilogy that followed it. On top of that, it also had the double-edged honour of being the most expensively made television show in history.

So, how does eRingsofPowermeasure up? For better or worse, the rst episode encapsulates all the best parts of the show’s rst season. e cinematography and grand set designs hark back to the absolute best aspects of the franchise. J. R. R. Tolkien’s fantasy world is again translated exquisitely onto screen with beautifully cra ed cities and scenery to inspire even the most lukewarm of fans. e premiere also does not disappoint in terms of its fantastic world building. Great attention to detail is evident in the intricate lore and intertwined societies that populate Middle Earth.

However, this is as good as it gets for the show. e next few episodes are riddled with a sense of stagnation. It feels as if each episode is essentially the same. Storylines that started o intriguing become uninteresting as the plots fail to progress. e aspect of the show that disappointed me the most is its scale. is franchise has always been expert at creating multiple storylines across a sprawling world, yet still presenting a coherent and intertwined narrative. is show fails on that end. On top of the storylines being largely uninspired, the characters involved are not very memorable or engaging, and the plots seem to be entirely separated. Some of the storylines become slightly more intertwined in the latter half of the season, but this is nowhere enough to save the season’s bad pacing and development.

Overall, eRingsofPower manages to capture the beauty but not the brilliance of e Lord of the Rings trilogy. A stagnant story and forgettable characters prohibit further success. is show will do little to satisfy the grand expectations of long-term fans of the franchise, and will do even less to attract new viewers.

e show does manage to capture some of the lost magic of those early seasons of Game of rones, largely through casting and performance. e acting duos portraying Rhaenyra (Milly Alcock and Emily Carey) and Alicent (Emma D’Arcy and Olivia Cooke) o er performances that blend seamlessly across a decade spanning narrative. Matt Smith gives a praiseworthy performance as the Rogue Prince Daemon. Smith exudes a rascalish charisma so potent that even the most rational fans nd themselves rooting for incest. Paddy Considine as King Viserys delivers a haunting portrayal of a frail king torn between his duty to the realm and love for his daughter. e spectacle and scale of the story never outshines the nuanced performances.

While there is plenty to admire in this medieval epic, the show fails to contain the breadth of the story in its ten episode run. e time jumps between episodes span decades. Jarring at best and at worst a disservice to Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire e story and character development in the intervening time are le to the audience’s imagination. e disorientation worsens as actors are swapped out to account for the breakneck speed of the narrative. e supporting cast nevertheless deliver outstanding performances that leave the audience wanting more. e dialogue leaves something to be desired as the constant droning on about duty and succession fails to hold a candle to the wine-induced diatribes of Tyrion or Cersei.

e most commendable achievement of House of the Dragon is that it has successfully revived a dormant fandom. is scorned fan of Game of rones took a quick liking to it despite initial trepidations. House of the Dragon will tide us over nicely till George R. R. Martin publishes the next instalment of this epic fantasy.