Whenever I’m catching up with friends and the subject turns to TV, the question always arises: “Are you watching the dragon show?” (I’ve never once heard it verbally referred to as “House of the Dragon.” Just “the dragon show.”)
“Hell no,” I answer. “Not after the ending of Game of Thrones.” The reaction is unfailingly an understanding nod.
It’s not that I’ll never watch House of the Dragon. It’s more in line with the old saying, “Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.” The horrifically botched ending of Game of Thrones completely destroyed my trust in the franchise (as least as far as the TV series are concerned). Not only my trust but my interest.
Granted, House of the Dragon and Game of Thrones have different showrunners and different writing teams. But after the epic fumble with Danny’s storyline in the final season, it would take a lot for me to rally enough to get excited about hearing the name “Targaryen” regularly in a show again. But I know the exact parameters of “a lot”: once House of the Dragon is over, the general consensus needs to be that the show ended well.
Game of Thrones‘ ending ruined the franchise for me
The last season of Game of Thrones is arguably one of the most dramatic letdowns in TV history. The penultimate season wasn’t so hot, either. Once the TV adaptation no longer had George R.R. Martin’s novels to guide them, the downward spiral in the show’s quality was so dramatic, and the conclusions of the characters’ storylines so unsatisfying, that it was hard not to feel betrayed. Or at least disrespected.
Like any number of characters in the show itself, the final seasons gave off the vibe that the show runners became drunk on their own power and felt they were infallible. The result, predictably, was a hot mess.
For example, the drama of entire early seasons of Game of Thrones was predicated on the idea that it takes forever to get anywhere in Westeros and any number of absurd surprises may happen along the way. Take Arya and the Hound, for one. By contrast, in the final two seasons, people could seemingly teleport across the map. We’d be in entirely different parts of Westeros from episode to episode. It felt like whiplash.
And that’s before we get into the unsatisfying conclusions of the story itself. Daenerys’ fall into madness and a general willingness to suddenly do a bunch of murders felt wildly unearned. It took one of the series’ most interesting, fan-favorite characters and devolved her into a simply different person, with seemingly no other explanation than, “Women are crazy, right? Ha ha!” Meanwhile, Cersei Lannister, one of the best TV villains of the decade, got a subpar death via some bricks.
And let’s not forget everyone’s general feeling of “meh” surrounding Bran’s bizarre ascendency to king of Westeros. The idea that this guy who no one particularly cared about was now King of Westeros was downright funny, but not in an intentional way.
It was all such a bummer.
Trying to separate House of the Dragon
Especially during the final season, I vividly remember that everyone felt obligated to be glued to their TVs on Sunday nights, but it increasingly felt like a chore. There came to be a sense of dread in watching the new episodes—like everyone was asking, “How will they disappoint me tonight?”
From what I’ve gathered, it seems like House of the Dragon is solid so far. And that’s great! But I personally can’t watch it without thinking of the epic fall of Game of Thrones‘ final season. Because the show’s about the Targaryens, you can’t not think about Dany, who happens to be the character who Game of Thrones arguably did the most dirty.
Game of Thrones set the precedent that, once you leave George R.R. Martin’s written material, sticking the landing is incredibly difficult. This is always a challenge when any TV series outpaces its source material. Just ask fans of Fullmetal Alchemist, an anime that got a full reboot after the first series outpaced the source manga and created its own divisive ending. (I admire the team behind the first series—they really swung for it and tried to do their best by the characters with some creative, wild ideas for the story.)
Especially since it’s armed with a different creative team, I’m rooting for House of the Dragon to prove it’s possible to create a solid series in George R.R. Martin’s world without his guidance. But Games of Thrones burned me so bad, I want to wait it out. Just to make sure they land the ending this time.
Published: Aug 2, 2024 11:34 am