Summary
week afterHouse of the Dragon’sseason 2 coda , I’m finding myself mostly interested for the time to come of HBO’sGame of Thronesspinoffs . First and foremost , I feel like it ’s crucial to clarify that I mostly relish the divisive second season and feel like many of the complaints about it were oversimplified or misplaced . Still , I ’d be remiss if I did n’t call one view of theHouse of the Dragonseason 2 endingthat I see as a grueling issue that could continue to negatively bear on future shows .
Aside fromHouse of the Dragonseason 3 , HBO has several otherGame of Thronesspinoffs in maturation . A Knight of the Seven Kingdomsseason 1 is set to premier in early 2025 and will be our next venture into Westeros . Aegon ’s Conquesthas also been greenlit , but it ’s still unclear how far away its premiere could be . Beyond that , several other shows are being worked on , but they ’re in the other stage of formulation . I seeHouse of the Dragonhaving a domino effect on all of their success , which is partially why I ’m concerned by the divisive reaction .
House Of The Dragon’s Ties To Game Of Thrones Raise Larger Franchise Concerns
Aegon’s Dream Continues To Remind Audiences Of Game Of Thrones Season 8
Daemon Targaryen ’s Harrenhal plot line in time of year 2 was one of the show ’s most critique , as the series arguably underutilized one of its most exciting talents in Matt Smith . The finale saw him envisionAegon ’s Dream , finally convince him to return to Rhaenyra ’s side and support her in the coming war . It ’s not the first fourth dimension Aegon ’s Dream has appear in the show after first being introduced by Viserys Targaryen in the serial publication premiere . In the time of year 2 finale , it straightaway demonstrate imagery relating toGame of Thrones .
Aegon ’s Dream banks on audiences know the game ofGame of Thronesand seeing the Long Night as some kind of existential threat . Butit ’s foreshadowing an event that we ’ve already seen and that finally did n’t work , and continuous reminder of it are always going to be divisive . My liberal worry after season 2 ’s finale is thatHouse of the Dragonis using Aegon ’s Dream as some variety of connective tissue to tie the show together when the enfranchisement should really be endeavor to distance itself fromGame of Thrones’reputation as much as possible .
Aegon’s Dream Was Utilized Well In HOTD Season 1 (But Not Season 2)
House Of The Dragon Didn’t Need To Bring Back Aegon’s Dream In The Season 2 Finale
On the one hand , Aegon ’s Dream was an excellent way to connectHouse of the DragontoGame of Thronesin time of year 1 . It served as the perfect connecting point between the two shows that at the same time was n’t obstructive to the Dance of the Dragons plot but was also notable enough for fans to understand the grandness of the prequel ’s events . In the sense of Aegon ’s Dream being a game twist forHouse of the Dragon , it serves as a metaphor for the land ’s unity and for Targaryen self - importance .
Under Viserys and , subsequently , Rhaenyra , the kingdom is being led as a united front to protect itself against the Long Night . Thisheightens the jeopardy of the Dance , because if the secret of Aegon ’s Dream is recede in the war through Rhaenyra give out , then the kingdom ultimately wo n’t be prepared for the White Walkersand will end up in the state we see at the start ofGame of Thrones . But it also play the idea of the Targaryen god complex , where the royal menage considers themselves to be the only ones adequate to of defend the realm from evil .
After relieve oneself big change to an important character in Daenerys ' GOT story , House of the Dragon time of year 2 ’s raw characters restore a cut book detail .
Custom image by Debanjana Chowdhury
Limiting Aegon ’s Dream to just that would ’ve been brainiac . These are great mind that nurture the bet of the Dance . On the contrary , the utilisation of the dream in the time of year 2 finale mat shoehorn in to show snippets ofGame of Thronesand yet was directly used to switch the course of study of one of the main character ’s arcs . Daemon already seemed to be lean toward returning to Rhaenyra , and it felt ill-timed that the final reason that shifted him was a practically unrelated , supernatural element .
Aegon’s Conquest Spinoff Shouldn’t Continue To Explore Aegon’s Dream
Aegon’s Conquest Would Be Meaningful Without Game Of Thrones References
TheGame of Thronesspinoff I ’m most concerned about isAegon ’s Conquestbecause it seems more than probable that it will continue to use the dreaming . Having an total show where a role is propel by the potential futurity ofGame of Thronesseason 8 seems like a disaster , peculiarly if it extend to loop more characters into the idea for more coherence . For instance , theory suggest that Aegon the Conqueror say Torrhen Stark about his aspiration , leading to his surrender .
I see no penury forGame of Thronesspinoffs to be self - referential and webbed together as part of one larger story .
This theory seems like a possibility for the TV series to research , as it would spread out on this connective tissueHouse of the Dragoncreated . But theGame of Thronesfranchise does n’t need that connective tissue paper . With no disrespect to Marvel or Star Wars , it ’s explicitly not the same world as either of those franchise , asGame of Thronesgained its report as a culture - changing show by subvert distinctive expectations of fantastical media . I see no need forGame of Thronesspinoffs to be ego - referential and web together as part of one large story .
Custom image by Debanjana Chowdhury
House Velaryon does n’t look in Game of Thrones , but the House of the Dragon home is n’t new . Here ’s where House Velaryon is by the sentence of GoT.
Game Of Thrones Spinoffs Should Explore Individual Stories
Game Of Thrones Shows Don’t Need To All Directly Connect
Part of whyGeorge R.R. Martin’sA Song of Ice & Firebook seriesis so prolific because of its immense earth building . There are a plethora of stories to recount base on the seeds he ’s laid in his domain , and attempting to connect them all as some sort of franchise is entirely unneeded . That ’s whythe10,000Shipsseries is one of my most anticipated , as it will pull by from King ’s Landing and the Targaryen dynastyand search an evenly compelling but far - away corner of Martin ’s world . It would also be impossible for it to straight off connect toGame of Thrones .
With everything that went wrong withGame of Thronesseason 8 , next show should n’t be seek to flesh out on that ending by adding linguistic context to it . The way frontwards for this franchise is to research individual narratives and expand upon the mythology George R.R. Martin has create . There areso many fascinating story that I ’d screw to see in his world that have nothing to do withGame of Thrones , and that ’s all right .
Can Game Of Thrones Fix Its Franchise Problem?
The Only Hope Would Be A Show Set After GoT, But It’s Risky
As antecedently mentioned , the freehanded problem with attempt to franchiseGame of Thronesis that we already know the ending and its flaws . Theonly means to amend this and create more connections between the shows would be to make a show set afterGame of Thronesseason 8that could somehow expand on the idea of the Long Night and the White Walkers . This would be incredibly wild , and I have no theme how they ’d even go about it without it feeling shoehorn .
Perhaps , afterThe tip of WinterandThe aspiration of Springfinally release , there might be some extra material worth exploring toward the ending of that timeline . TheJon Snowshow could ’ve been a possibility , but again , it ’s an tremendous jeopardy for little reward . HBO doesn’tneedall of these show to unite for them to be successful . If they ’re compelling fantasy dramas of their own , consultation will watch them and revel them . I just do n’t want to seeHouse of the Dragonand theGame of Thronesspinoffs attempt to be something that they are n’t .
Taking shoes about 172 years before the events ofGame of Thrones , House of the Dragontells the tale of the rise of the Targaryens , the only family of dragonlords to survive the Doom of Valyria . The popular HBO spinoff show first star Milly Alcock and Emily Carey as Rhaenyra Targaryen and Alicent Hightower before they were exchange by Emma D’Arcy and Olivia Cooke , who play the onetime versions of the characters . Also starring in the serial publication is Matt Smith ( Prince Daemon Targaryen ) and Paddy Considine as Rhaenyra ’s don , King Viserys Targaryen .
Custom image by Debanjana Chowdhury
Taking place about 172 years before the events ofGame of Thrones,House of the Dragontells the tale of the rise of the Targaryens, the only family of dragonlords to survive the Doom of Valyria. The popular HBO spinoff show first starred Milly Alcock and Emily Carey as Rhaenyra Targaryen and Alicent Hightower before they were replaced by Emma D’Arcy and Olivia Cooke, who play the older versions of the characters. Also starring in the series is Matt Smith (Prince Daemon Targaryen) and Paddy Considine as Rhaenyra’s father, King Viserys Targaryen.
