How “House of the Dragon” Resurrected a Franchise
Westeros lives to see another day
When Game of Thrones ended, it quickly garnered a reputation as one of the worst series finales of all time. Recent decades have seen more and more shows disappoint viewers with their conclusions. But so often, the shows that disappoint most are the ones that overstay their welcome.
The Walking Dead stretched on for over a decade before branching into roughly five different shows and concluding on a note that hardly felt final for any of its viewers. Dexter had a finale so sloppy that a decade later its writers attempted to go back and settle the score. Unfortunately, its attempt at score-settling landed it even more deeply in the realm of notorious bad show conclusions with this second try.
But even the much-reviled ending of Lost and second finale to Dexter were more well-received than the conclusion that befell Game of Thrones. This franchise was unique in its failure. Where so many shows fail by stretching on so long that they lose their soul and their audience, Game of Thrones differed. It had established a world so grand that it simply demanded a timely conclusion. The eight seasons that viewers got could easily have been stretched into ten and still left the narrative feeling incomplete.
But David Benioff and D.B Weiss, the writers behind Game of Thrones, opted instead to end things as quickly as they could. What should have stretched on for years more saw only two abbreviated final seasons that left nearly every thread of the show hanging. They squandered the deepest plotlines and the most complicated characters to the point of Hollywood cliches and plot-armored action heroes. Holes in the story emerged from every corner. By the time the finale aired, every semblance of the once great show had fallen by the wayside.
What was once a show I rewatched on a yearly basis I practically had to force myself to forget about. Each time I scrolled past the option on HBO was a bittersweet reminder of the world I no longer had a reason to revisit. Even as the 10 year anniversary came and went, I held steadfast in my refusal to ever return to Westeros. As spin-offs were announced I simply scoffed. I’d lost all interest in the expansive world I’d spent half a decade invested in.
When House of the Dragon was released, I simply ignored it. But as weeks went by and whispers grew into captivating conversations, the temptation began to grow for me. Once the season was half over, I decided I could dip my feet in. If those Westerosi waters hadn’t heated slightly since that flimsy finale, I’d go back to watching just about anything else. But from ten minutes into that first episode, its quality quickly became evident. From the near-flawless writing, to the expansive world, to the dire sense of stakes they’ve established, it’s clear that House of the Dragon is drawing from the strengths of its predecessor instead of its weaknesses.
The flaws that seemed to hide around every corner by the eighth season’s arrival are no longer anywhere to be seen. What few weaknesses could be found in the earliest seasons of Game of Thrones are even being addressed. The time and money that Game of Thrones wasn’t able to put into their special effects until mid-way through the show has defined even House of the Dragon’s earliest scenes.
But even while House of the Dragon has jumped immediately into the action that’s endemic to this brutal world, it’s never done so at the expense of its story. Where Game of Thrones attempted to circumvent its narrative shortcomings with dragon fights, battles and explosions, each conflict that has arisen so far in House of the Dragon has been pointed toward a larger end.
And as in the high points of Game of Thrones, one of the show’s greatest strengths lies in its dialogue. The exchanges between characters offer a thorough glimpse into this gritty, unrelenting world. And each character displays a complexity of emotion that adds to every interaction they’re engaged in. No character is wholly good or evil, and the divide between viewers over which side to take in these emerging conflicts stands as a testament to the sheer depth of the story.
The unpredictable nature of the plot was one of Game of Thrones’ most defining features in its heyday. It added a profound feeling of grandeur and mystery to the story being told. To see the mechanism reintroduced so elegantly again in House of the Dragon is a sight for sore eyes. It’s what keeps viewers on the edge of their seats. That grim unpredictability leaves each character vulnerable and cements a feeling of inimitable stake into each and every episode. The feeling that no character was ever truly safe was always one of the features that most distinguished Game of Thrones from so much in the world of TV and cinema. This return to form in House of the Dragon has been a welcome reprieve for many.
Where Game of Thrones took years to build its audience, House of the Dragon has already broken records. With the budget that HBO has put into this first season alone, perhaps it’s no surprise. The dramatic and cinematic prowess on display distinguishes it from so much that’s on TV today. These early glimmers of greatness stand largely as teasers for the colossal world that still lies ahead and can’t help but leave the viewer excited for what’s to come.
And while the finale of the season offers little in the way of climax, it still boasts one of the most shockingly cinematic scenes witnessed in the world of Westeros yet. It’s an incredibly hopeful glimpse into what’s to come. How this story will un
fold still remains unclear, but one thing is certain: I can be excited about Westeros again.