Like many Game of Thrones fans, I have been waiting impatiently for the return of the series “The House of the Dragon”! Now it’s time to continue the Monday ritual and watch each episode quickly to avoid spoilers. For my part, I have already watched the first episode and, in addition to the small changes with the book, I will tell you why I found that the last minutes of episode 1 of the second season do not match the level of fear and horror that the book inspires! Yes, I was disappointed!
A few weeks ago, to better prepare myself the release of the second season of the series House of the Dragonderived from the universe game of ThronesI decided to look into the novels of George RR Martin. I can’t manage to watch the entire first season again House of the Dragon which I had devoured at the time, I immersed myself in the original version as it was written by the American author. This wasn’t such a bad idea in itself, as it allowed me to jog my memory of the original ten episodes and also recognize the minor changes made in the adaptation of the first season. Now it’s time to do the opposite! After this little refreshment, I continued reading to better understand the events of the second and perhaps the next season, and I think I did a good job of that. After watching episode 1 of season 2, I can’t help but think that the final scene is a lot less shocking than in the book! Be careful, we recommend that you have completed both Season 1 and the first episode of Season 2 before continuing reading.
A chess game that starts very badly for the Greens
During this new season of House of the Dragonthe camps of the Black (Rhaenyra Targaryen) and the Green (Alicent Hightower) are planning a head-to-head race: This is what we call the famous dance of the dragons
So the showrunners decided to start this second season by showing us the chess game that is being set up. Here, there are no black or white pieces, but a set with black and green colors to better match the struggle that is gnawing at the Targaryens from within. From the beginning we find the journey of Jacaerys Targaryen, the firstborn of Rhaenyra, through the continent of Westeros and especially into the northern regions.. Chronologically, we are at 129 and Jacaerys meets Cregan Stark (as we see, and quite succinctly). There are several versions of this meeting, but the television adaptation seems to choose from the little we see Munkun’s chronicle, in which the two heirs seem to sympathize. However, we know little about this journey in the series and the anecdotes related to it, especially the meeting between Jacaerys and Sara Snow and the agreements made between the two men to maintain this alliance.
At the end of the day, The start of this second season plays quite a bit with temporality by showing us that events are getting a little out of sequenceFor example, Daemon Targaryen’s raid on Harrenhal on the back of Caraxes and his mission to remind the allies of the Conflans and the Trident of their oath to Viserys were covered up, as were the negotiations of Jaque (the diminutive of Jacaerys) in the Val d’Arryn, Sortonne (in the Three Sisters Archipelago), and Blancport. Technically, this all happens parallel to Lucerys’ journey to seek support from Borros Baratheon before meeting Aemond (an encounter depicted at the end of the first season). Instead, we witness an exchange between Daemon and Rhaenys that prevents him from rushing to King’s Landing, the holding of a Council of the Sith (which Daemon attends while at Harrenhal in the book), and a hint of the battle that is taking place there is set up by a scene with Lord Corlys, who is currently blockading the Gosier to hinder supplies to King’s Landing.
Interesting ideas, but I didn’t like the ending of House of the Dragon season 2 episode 1, here’s why!
Definitely the series House of the Dragon is in fact forced to adapt the scriptures to her liking in order to succeed in her narrative, and she even allows herself some interesting additions about Rhaenyra Targaryen and Aegon II Targaryen. To better portray the discomfort Rhaenyra is in – She lost her sixth child, Visenya, one of her first sons, during childbirth -, We are entitled to a new scene where she finds the remains of Lucerys and her dragon’s equipment on the coast. Shortly after, we see her coldly declaring during a council that she wants Aemond Targaryen, a death that Daemon wants to serve her on a platter thanks to his connections… Here Rhaenyra’s revenge is carried out somewhat differently. Upstream, Daemon finds Mysaria (also known as the White Worm) and offers her a deal in exchange for information to infiltrate the Red Keep…
Meanwhile, Aegon II Targaryen takes his first steps on the Iron Throne with a certain carelessness, while the Greens are looking for powerful allies after the signing of the pact with House Baratheon (marriage between Aemond and Floris Baratheon). In this episode, the showrunners have added some scenes to the series that show us this lack of build-up : Aegon II is taken from his hand several times, Otto Hightower is amused by the presence of his young son in the council and even gets drunk on the throne in the company of the closest members of his court, without suspecting for a second what is being prepared, namely one of the most horrific and tragic deaths in this history. However, the showrunners decided to tone down this scene and make some changes, which I think hurts the conclusion of this episode.
First, Daemon uses his connections to get closer to Blood and Cheese. One is a brute, the other an expert at navigating the Red Keep. Unlike where Daemon uses a mediator in the book (and unlike Episode 1, doesn’t explicitly mention Aemond as a target), here he is, discreetly, on site to negotiate. But it’s not the most important detail that’s changed here. What bothered me were the conditions under which this revenge could be carried out, which were all the more disgusting when you read them. For good reason, the scene in the book takes place in several sections. In the original version, Blood and Cheese enter Alicent’s chambers, knowing full well that she receives Queen Heleana and her children there every night before she goes to sleep. One thing led to another: they tied up Alicent, killed the guard who accompanied her, and waited for the queen before imposing a sordid dilemma on her: choosing who would die among her three children (Jaehaerys, Jaehaera, and Maelor). If she initially offers to sacrifice herself, she ends up pointing the finger at Maelor (the youngest, 2 years old) before Sang turns to Jaehaerys and kills him before leaving with the head.
Of course, it is unthinkable to show the beheading of a child on television, but if there was a way to make this scene just as horrific, the adaptation would not have been successful.Here the tension has almost disappeared: the queen is quickly surprised and prefers to offer her necklace as her personal sacrifice, the children are already asleep and above all, little Maelor, who is usually referred to, is missing in this scene! It may be anecdotal, but his presence is nonetheless essential, as his mother wants to sacrifice himfirst and before Sang changed his mind, and this scene changes the entire vision that Heleana, his mother, has of him. After this tragedy, the Queen descends into madness and can no longer bear to see him, which makes this passage even more devastating for the Queen and the reader. There, the viewer is treated only to off-camera sounds and a flight of the Queen with Jaehaera in her arms, who joins Alicent … in the charming company of Sir Criston Cole, because why not? No really, I expected a lot from this revival after the first season and reading the book, but I have to say that this beginning disappointed me a bit. Hopefully the upcoming battles will make me forget this fascinating but not very memorable first episode!
