“The only thing that could tear down the house of the dragon was itself.”

Since House of the Dragon aired its first episode, fans worldwide have tuned in more and more each week. There are various fresh new fantasy shows in 2022 on different streaming platforms, but the Targaryens are bewitching the audience every week, with House of the Dragon already tripling Game of Thrones’ first season viewership.

The HBO show improved on a lot of elements from its original series. There is no sexual violence against women portrayed in the show, the focus remains mostly in one location, and, controversially, various time jumps have been used. This led to a few other decisions, such as changing the main cast to portray the characters in different moments of their lives as they grow older. However, this decision doesn’t seem to have been the best one, at least regarding the latest occurrence. House of the Dragon is a political game that has proven addictive and contagious, but the latest time jump actually harmed the story, and here’s why.

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The Time Jumps in House of the Dragon

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In the first eight episodes of House of the Dragon, there are four time jumps: two very long and two not so much. The first is about six months, which is nothing new to television. The second is a three-year jump, which made sense and enhanced the tensions between the characters. There is a forbidden characteristic to Daemon (Matt Smith) and Rhaenyra’s (Milly Alcock) relationship that makes much more sense (and appropriate) for her to be older.

Then it was a ten-year time jump, where two of the main actors were changed. This third one quickens the pace, but there were still conflicts and events that the audience didn’t see that are essentially what this show is about: family, politics, and the violence that occurs when they mingle.

In the most recent episode, another six years have passed without the audience seeing what happened. So far, there have been almost 20 years shown in the series. This is arguably a very bold decision, as key points in these characters’ lives are shown in quite a rush. Also, to be able to cover the number of important events in almost two decades in about eight hours is an achievement in itself. But at what cost?

Build Up and No Pay Off

The main problem with the fourth time jump is that there were so many interesting and possible conflicts that were built up between House of the Dragon’s characters which didn’t have a resolution or development on screen. Among them is the fact that princess Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy) and Daemon plotted the death of Laeonor (her husband, John Macmillan) and got married. Laenor’s (John Macmillan) parents found his supposedly burned body, which adds another layer as they suspect who did it. There are rumors that queen Alicent (Olivia Cooke) has gone mad because she attacked the princess. The tension between the houses is growing to the point of becoming unbearable.

All these excellent plot points hinted that the next couple of episodes would be filled with drama to the highest degree. However, the next episode starts six years later, and all of this tension loses a lot of the power it holds over these characters. Also, the audience finds out that the characters haven’t met a single time in all those years.

Sometimes spacing out events can create even deeper feelings between people. However, this is not the case in House of the Dragon. Everything seemed rushed, and even though it is clear that the fight for the Iron Throne is the main story, the conflicts and alliances that came from it should have time to breathe and be developed. The characters and plot lines are getting more intricate and enticing every week, so it’s a shame to lose all these moments because of the time jump.

Changing the House of the Dragon Cast

Of course, with time jumps there is a need to change some people in the cast as well as aging the remaining actors. However, some actors remain the same since the first episode for no apparent reason. Sir Criston (Fabien Frankel) is a great example. He looks just like he did, with even the same haircut, when princess Rhaenyra was 15 years old. She is now a woman close to her forties, and he should be in his late fifties.

Also, the younger cast, the children of Rhaenyra and Alicent, had an intense fight that leads to Aemond (Leo Ashton) losing an eye in a very violent and gory scene that was one of the best moments in the series. The kids had great chemistry, and their confrontation made the audience eager to see what they would do next. How would they train together? Would they seek revenge because of the stolen dragon? Which was another subject that among the chaos everyone let slide quite too easily. It was a great group of young actors that would play a different, but not less important, game of thrones while their parents did the same. Having two generations fighting for power could create a new element to the show that has not been explored yet.

There is a loss of identification with the audience when the cast, especially one as big as this one, is so frequently changed. It also doesn’t give the actors proper time to play around and evolve these interesting characters, hindering their performance and the story. Time jumps are narrative devices that, if used well, can enhance why the story is so good. However, in the case of House of the Dragon, it creates an even more confusing story and makes the viewer wonder what they are trying to tell.