Warning: This article contains spoilers about Season 1 of House of the Dragon and George RR Martin’s book, Fire & Blood.
House of the Dragon season 2 should be able to avoid one of the biggest problems that characterized the first season: the numerous time jumps that have often confused less attentive viewers. The time jumps of the pilot chapter of House of the Dragon were narratively necessary to tell the twists, quarrels and family dynamics, not least the relationship euphemistically definable as stormy between Rhaenyra and Alicent: from childhood friendship to civil war. A part of the public, although not so numerous, criticized these sudden time shifts, in some cases too alienatingcreating difficulties in following both the maturation of the characters, and understanding exactly what the interactions are between them over the course of a few years, and interpreting their motivations and the evolution of their personalities.
That said, House of the Dragon’s time jumps, while confusing to some, haven’t dented the specific weight of the Game of Thrones sequel. as evidenced Golden Globe win for best television drama, along with that received by Emma D’Arcy for best actress for the role of Rhaenyra Targaryen. In many ways, the confusion caused by the time jumps was a necessary sacrifice to do justice to George RR Martin’s book on which the series is based, Fire & Blood. A quasi-historical novel describing more than a hundred centuries of reign of House Targaryen. However, many readers will no doubt be relieved to know that House of the Dragon season 2 has a much more linear timeline planned out.
Even if criticized, the time jumps of House Of The Dragon were necessary
The House of the Dragon time jumps both served to set the table for the phenomenal final three episodes of season 1, and set us up for the Dance of the Dragons civil war that will kick off with HOTD season 2. The time jumps were clearly a risk, as audiences probably wanted to dive into Game of Thrones’ controversial and tangled family storylines as soon as possible. But in the end, as House of the Dragon’s Golden Globe win proves, it all paid off. The leaps in time and the sudden evolution of some characters could have been confusing, but the show’s main moments probably wouldn’t have been as dramatically satisfying without such choices.
Alicent’s desperate request, “eye for an eye” after the fight between Aemond and Lucerys at Driftmark, as well as his furious confrontation with Rhaenyra, would not have been such powerful scenes without the gradual disintegration of their friendship so patiently explored in the first five episodes. Daemon’s rape of Rhaenyra in the finale would hardly have been such a shocking factor, without the earlier portrayal of the uncle/husband as a cruel monster who kills his wife in order to free himself from any bondage. Likewise, Rhaenys decision not to speak “Dracarys” and incinerating Aegon’s sequel wouldn’t be so profound if there weren’t previously nine episodes where everyone underestimated the queen who was never queen.
Necessary, but criticized by a certain target of users
At the same time, however, it would be foolish not to point out that while the time jumps had very specific reasons, they were necessary to lay the groundwork for the subsequent chapters and accentuated the impact of the big moments of the later episodes. they have often been frustrating for a certain audience. It was initially difficult to build a relationship with the characters in House of the Dragon due to the actor changes, and the abrupt deviations in their motivations and personalities often felt devoid of any real logic. For example, Milly Alcock’s Rhaenyra was an engaging presence, who rebelled against a patriarchal society and refused to submit to its fate.
When the House of the Dragon time jump leads viewers to meet Emma D’Arcy’s Rhaenyra in episode 6 – a mother of three – we partly understand that in the end there was no escape from the feudal misogyny of that world and makes the character in some ways in conflict with his younger self. Other elements also seemed to have been treated lightly, such as Daemon’s complex relationship with Laena before her death, or the love at the center of Rhaenyra’s story with Harwin Strong. To be fair, given the huge time frame of the Fire & Blood book, even with the time jumps of House of the Dragon, it was a tall order for the series to adapt every single significant plot point.
House Of The Dragon 2 shouldn’t have time jumps
However, however chronologically compelling the first season of House of the Dragon was, and however well played by the younger characters as well, especially by Alcock as Rhaenyra, the show will almost certainly have a more stable temporal footing in the series. second season. The former in fact covered decades of history, while the Dance of Dragons takes place only in a few years, making time jumps unlikely. This will allow the writers, filmmakers and all the creative staff of House of the Dragon to tell a more linear and compelling story.
In theory, this should allow more time for slow and nuanced character development in future seasons of House of the Dragon and ensure that there are various subplots for the main story to breathe. Each branch, each detour to the primary narrative, should have more than a handful of scenes, to allow for adequate insight, ensuring that all intricacies are understood. Similarly, the kind of sudden characterization that – for example – saw Aemond go abruptly from a bullied character, to the ruthless, arrogant, revenge-seeking adult Aemond of episode 8, can be developed more calmly. In summary, there are more minutes available for all the stories to be told.
Could House Of The Dragon Still Have Timeline Issues In The Future?
Although the time jumps should be closed with the end of the first season, there are some complexities that the writers will have to deal with in the following chapters. George RR Martin’s Fire & Blood covers approximately 140 years of the history of the Targaryen dynasty in Westeros, including subplots linking major characters and lesser houses to the fate of the dragon house. There are plenty of murders, machinations and fights to tell, including the monumental battles at Rook’s Rest and Duskendale. There’s a lot to talk about in the coming seasons, and decidedly thorny decisions to make.
Will the authors continue to follow only the events related to the Targaryens or will the lives of those who live in the north also be narrated? We are obviously talking about the Stark family and the actions taken by Ned’s ancestors. And then much more, such as the events immediately following the end of the civil war that broke out within the most powerful family on the continent. What will be the choices of the producers? House of the Dragon is currently scheduled to run for four seasons. A steady and precise pace will be needed to do justice to the books of the immense mind of George RR Martin. With so much epicness and intense, brutal action, they require a difficult balance to maintain in order to ensure a captivating and engaging story for the millions of fans.
Let’s be honest, the criticism of time jumps is baseless
House of the Dragon showrunner Ryan Condal has ensured that the time jumps of the series have concluded. “As a reward to our wonderful audience who have followed us through all the time jumps and changes, I can say that these are over”Condal said after the season 1 finale. “We will tell, from here on out, a linear story. The actors will play their characters to the end. No one will be visibly changed, no actor replaced by an older one. We will no longer make great leaps forward in time. Now we’re in the Dance of the Dragons proper, and we’re going to tell that story.”
In hindsight it has to be honestly said that the much criticized time jumps of House of the Dragon they haven’t really been a problem for the overall storytelling of the show. These allowed the showrunners to squeeze House of the Dragon’s expansive timeline into a couple of episodes and set the stage for the stories of the Dance of the Dragons protagonists. It also helped that House of the Dragon is a spin-off of Game of Thrones: an established audience, who already knows the GoT world, even before the airing of HOTD is a nice hook to legitimize some choices and above all to take for granted some narrative dynamics that before Game of Thrones would not have been so understandable. In the end, the two Golden Globes won by House of the Dragon are proof that the time jumps haven’t really hurt the narrative of the series. They just made it easier.
