Because no intellectual property shall go unexploited, HBO is back at the “Game of Thrones” well and hoping a lot of viewers follow along for “House of the Dragon,” a prequel series that takes place nearly 200 years before the birth of Daenerys Targaryen.
Ah yes, Daenerys the dragon whisperer — she of the white-blonde hair and grim, single-minded pursuit to take back the Iron Throne. The character sort of fell apart there at the end of “Game of Thrones,” leaving a sour aftertaste. Hers was a destiny that would go unfulfilled for a number of reasons, namely Jon Snow fatally shanking her in the gut in the finale. There was also her increasingly unhinged behavior before all that. But she’s a Targaryen, whaddya gonna do?
Well, perhaps a closer look at the people who begot her might give us a few clues. And so here we are, scrolling back a couple of centuries to get a bead on her great-great-great whoevers in the House Targaryen.
The Targaryen name has considerable meaning to anyone previously exposed to these stories — and that’s clearly the intended audience here — but does the show work if you’re coming in cold? My guess: It may leave newcomers wondering what all the “Game of Thrones” fuss was about.
As with its TV predecessor, “House of the Dragon” revolves around power plays, flying dragons, gore and violence — hooboy, the violence — questions of succession, writhing humanity, sexism and, yes, some incest thrown in for good measure. And because the Targaryens are center stage, more flowing platinum blonde wigs than you can shake a Valyriansteel sword at. (You can’t say Targaryen without saying Aryan!)
Will the series scratch that itch for fans of author George R.R. Martin’s quasi-medieval cosplay? Maybe. You thought “Game of Thrones” was poorly lit? “House of the Dragon” says: Hold my beer. Or ale. Or mead. Or whatever it is they’re drinking in King’s Landing. Wine? There are numerous shots of decanted wine being poured, like so much visual filler, but then, who doesn’t like wine?
The story begins with an old king who lacks direct heirs, so one must be chosen by the Great Council. It’s between a man and a woman, and with this crowd it’s not even a question: The man will do. Their pick is eventually crowned King Viserys (Paddy Considine) who ends up having some succession issues of his own, ironically. His eldest is a daughter, Princess Rhaenyra (initially played by Milly Alcock during the character’s late teens and early 20s). But his wife is pregnant and everyone’s hoping for, you guessed it, a boy who will become the rightful heir instead.
And indeed it is a baby boy. But his mother dies in childbirth. And the infant survives only a few hours himself.
A profound tragedy treated, in the context of the story, as merely a plot device. The grief is not exactly palpable or even meaningful. But let’s get on with the machinations, yes? To solidify his future, the king names Princess Rhaenyra as his official heir. At least that’s settled. But wait! There’s also another upstart lurking around, and that would be the king’s younger brother Prince Daemon (Matt Smith) who also has designs on the throne. But wait! The king takes another wife (the princess’ best friend no less; barf) and the couple has a baby boy (this one lives!) and, well … who exactly will succeed the king when he meets his maker?
You can see how this unresolved tension would complicate Targaryen family dinners.
That’s the setup through the first half of the 10-episode season, and there are enough signposts to root the viewer in familiar “Game of Thrones” lore: Many meetings of the Small Council; the Hand of the King (wearing that recognizable pin) doing his best to keep the big guy on track; many goblets of wine drunk (did I already mention that?); portents of winter coming; scheming and backbiting; mud and muck and dark passageways; battles by sword; false ideals of honor and decency; hands wrung over virginity lost and marital alliances gained; bloodshed, sex and battles over that throne. Knives out!
And yet strangely, it plays like a lesser knockoff: Gayme of Throans. Drink every time someone says “your grace.”
The second half of the season (critics screened the first six episodes) jumps forward 10 years. The princess (now played by Emma D’Arcy) is a mother herself, though her children are likely the offspring of someone other than her husband and this creates yet more roiling turmoil about who does or doesn’t have legitimate claim as heir to the heir.
If the plotting sounds like “Succession” by firelight, well, I have critiques of that show too. But at least “Succession” has some spiky energy fueling it. “House of Dragon” is self-serious to a fault. Who will rule Westeros is, for me — and I stress, for me — a fundamentally uninteresting question, because we have no real idea of what any of them want to do once they’re in charge.
I don’t know that a show can fully hold interest if this is its central conceit. None of the key players are particularly cunning or flailing; everyone is aggressively fine. Without standout characters that could lend the show some tonal variety — the wit of Tyrion Lannister or the bold earnestness of Brienne of Tarth — the series just sort of sits there, hitting the same beats again and again. There’s no interest in stories about people with zero proximity to power; the people of Westeros are simply background extras. Even the dragons are underdeveloped as an idea — they have neither personalities nor any visible relationship with their humans, but exist only to be used as transportation or a weapon.
The score, on the other hand, is legitimately great. In lieu of opening credits, we get a truncated version of the “Game of Thrones” theme (from composer Ramin Djawadi) over an image of the House Targaryen’s three-headed dragon sigil. It’s a rousing piece of music! You’re excited to see what’s to come! Too bad it’s … this.
HBO had other plans initially, for a different prequel telling an entirely different story. The network hired a female showrunner and female director and Black women in at least two of the lead roles. It was then canned after the $30 million pilot was shot.
HBO pivoted. And so Ryan Condal and George R.R. Martin are “House of the Dragon’s” co-creators and Miguel Sapochnik directs the pilot. It’s hard not to see something meta in that.
The men will do.
———
'HOUSE OF THE DRAGON'
2 stars (out of 4)
Rating: TV-MA
How to watch: Premieres 9 p.m. ET Sunday on HBO
———
