Picking a Side in ‘House of the Dragon’ Ignores What the Show Is Trying To Tell You
HBO has just dropped two trailers for House of the Dragon ahead of its June 16 release and the studio is showing no sign of slowing down with its ‘pick a side’ marketing. The early posters promoting the show saw heavily-stylized images of Rhaenyra and Alicent in almost mirror poses, setting up the pair of them as leaders of the opposing sides.
Now, the posters and trailers are continuing, with the overarching message: All must choose. Swiping through the size new posters in order sees the words quite literally stamped on top of the characters. In case you missed the very subtle message, HBO wants to you to pick. Are you Team Green or Team Black?
While you can see that the studio is trying to capture the spirit of Game of Thrones, where—particularly in seasons three and four—fans were vehemently defending the various houses, be that Lannister, Stark, Targaryen, or Tyrell (there must have been some flower fans). However, House of the Dragon is a very different kind of show and that messaging just doesn’t fit the overall message of the series.
Although the plot of House of the Dragon has not been mapped out in books like Game of Thrones, it has been outlined in an in-universe history, Fire and Blood. The story sticks to the facts (albeit colored by the opinions of the ‘maesters’ who wrote it) but there’s a clear moral message from G.R.R. Martin hidden within. Warning: general spoilers ahead for future seasons of House of the Dragon and the entirety of Fire and Blood.
The lives of the commonfolk are caught up in this fiery war of the gentry, sparked by pride and politics. Literally thousands of people die, many of whom are not combatants at all. Even the characters who start off ‘good’ end up committing heinous war crimes and turning into twisted versions of themselves.
We’re starting to see that even in season 1. Eve Best’s Rhaenys Targaryen was one of the most level-headed and admirable characters in the show, played impeccably as a dutiful wife and caring mother. She stands out as a gem among other more selfish or downright cruel characters.
Yet episode 9 still saw Rhaenys kill thousands of peasants, quite literally crushing them beneath the feet of her dragon—before deciding not to kill the nobles in front of because it would cause too much bloodshed. Make it make sense, Rhaenys.
Season 2, without spoiling too much, will be filled with even more deplorable scenes—on both sides. The point of this civil war is not to get people to pick a side. There are no Good Guys or Bad Guys in House of the Dragon—or at least there soon won’t be.
Ignoring the message that war rips countries apart, with no regard for the most powerless in the situation, is to ignore a message that we sorely need nowadays. Don’t root for the powerful waging wars with no regard for those literally beneath me; watch House of the Dragon for what it is—a bloody, fiery, dramatic war—without losing sight of the political message firmly embedded within the tale by G.R.R. Martin.
(featured image: HBO)
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