While House of the Dragon wasn’t a flop, it was also a dull attempt to recapture the same popularity that early seasons of Game of Thrones had. HBO’s House of the Dragon may have kicked off amid a ton of critical acclaim, but that didn’t necessarily make the show a hit among all fans of the Game of Thrones franchise.
In fact, despite the show being a huge hit and even winning two Golden Globes, it has come under fire from ardent fans of Game of Thrones for being nothing more than a banal attempt to ride on the coattails of the original show. Game of Thrones was of course a smash hit itself, both with fans and critics. That is, until the disappointing final season of the show drew a huge backlash on both fronts for being a shadow of itself from earlier seasons.
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That spike in criticism actually started from the seventh season, but there was still enough to remain hopeful for by the time the last season aired. While the final season promised to finally reveal the eventual fates of many beloved characters, the actual conclusion left much to be desired. There were varying reasons for why the eighth season of Game of Thrones was so maligned, but this might not have been apparent if viewed by its commercial success alone.
The Shortcomings for Game of Thrones
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Game of Thrones reached epic levels of success through its record Emmy Award wins and became a groundbreaking global phenomenon among television shows. Despite this, there was a noticeable decline in its popularity by the last two seasons. While ratings weren’t affected and viewer numbers kept growing all the way to the end, die hard fans of the show and the books they were based on were left thoroughly disappointed by the last season. Issues with plot development saw the story arcs of popular characters either fizzle out or veer off on unexpected and poorly constructed tangents.
Many fans pointed out that the difference in quality between earlier seasons and the last season was down to one fundamental factor. Early seasons of the show had the best source material to work from, since the books these seasons were based on were already written. Anyone who’s read the original books knows what a masterful storyteller George R. R. Martin is. While his novels draw out plot and character development with meticulous patience, the last season of Game of Thrones sought to conclude the main characters’ monumental journeys through six badly paced episodes. The resulting shortcomings this caused were plain to see.
House of the Dragon Doesn’t Fare Any Better
When House of the Dragon was first confirmed, it was seen by hardcore fans of the Game of Thrones franchise as a chance at redemption. Now that the show has commenced, the numbers and critical reception it received certainly points to the fact that the spin-off achieved this with its first season. However, for some fans, House of the Dragon only continued their disappointment from when viewers last saw Westeros in the last season of Game of Thrones.
Again, there are a host of reasons why certain fans feel this way. Viewed on its own, House of the Dragon employs many of the same fan-favorite devices as its predecessor. There’s more than enough action, gore, raunchiness, intrigue, plot twists, and incestuous relationships to provide the same entertainment and shock value that Game of Thrones did. The show even attempted to correct some of the issues the original series had in terms of diversity. So the question that remains is, what caused this great divide in fan opinion?
House of the Dragon Fell a Little Flat
In some ways, by trying too hard to recapture the same edginess and shock appeal that Game of Thrones had, House of the Dragon was probably doomed to fall flat in some ways by comparison. This is in spite of the fact that the House of the Dragon writers could draw inspiration from the book the show was based on. Bloody battles, dragons, intriguing politics, and intricate machinations of power have all been done in Game of Thrones. However, most hardcore fans would agree that they were done with greater depth, substance, and more likable characters in that show.
Despite its obvious appeal, the show does seem to lag far behind in replicating the same outrageous excitement that Game of Thrones did. Just as the eighth season of Game of Thrones failed to deliver on all the hype, in many ways, House of the Dragon falls far short of its potential. This may simply be a case of being caught in the slip stream of the original show and receiving a free tow to great ratings and awards because of the nostalgia the show evokes for characters gone by.
On the other hand, perhaps it’s destined to forever remain in the shadow of its predecessor due to the monumental levels of popularity Game of Thrones achieved. If we look at it through this lens, then perhaps comparisons are a little unfair. After all, if Game of Thrones had never existed and House of the Dragon was viewed as a standalone show, then it would undoubtedly be worthy of every praise its received.
