Like Game Of Thrones, House Of The Dragon Wants To Make You Uncomfortable
HBO By Danielle Ryan/Sept. 13, 2022 7:00 am EST
This article contains spoilers for “House of the Dragon” season 4 and discusses adult themes like incest, sexual assault, and abuse. Westeros is a brutal place, and the stories from it are often filled with content many might find unsavory. Both “Game of Thrones” and “House of the Dragon” are based on books by George R. R. Martin, and both contain their fair share of raw sexuality, graphic violence, drug and alcohol abuse, and other mature themes. For some, the sheer onslaught of salacious scenes might be too much, but “House of the Dragon” is thankfully avoiding some of the big mistakes of “Game of Thrones,” and that includes being overly exploitative.
“House of the Dragon” is just as willing to get dark and horny and full of incest as its predecessor, but it does it with a campy wink and a nod and a little more respect for itself, its characters, and its viewers. Instead of using shocking moments as a way to get people buzzing and then relying on upping the ante every time, “House of the Dragon” embraces the soap opera-silliness of it all, which in turn makes the serious and slightly objectionable stuff much more palatable.
Less like Lord of the Rings, more like Succession
HBO
While “House of the Dragon” has some big ideas on its mind and is more willing to explore them than “Game of Thrones” ever was, it also seems to respect that in some ways it’s a fantasy soap opera. It’s “Dynasty” with dragons, following one seriously screwed-up family as they bicker and backstab one another. “House of the Dragon” is concerned with political positioning, meetings of the small council, and the gossip of the Red Keep, making it more like “Succession” than “Lord of the Rings.” It’s a story about humans in all of their gritty and gory glory, and the series is as comfortable depicting a sensuous, slightly spooky orgy in an opium den as it is making a mummer’s farce of the royal family through fart jokes. “House of the Dragons” is a show for adults, but that doesn’t mean it always has to be mature.
There’s a lot of entertainment to be found in slightly campy, trashy fare. Some of the most compelling characters to follow in “Game of Thrones” were the ones keeping secrets and gossiping with intent, like Littlefinger or Lord Varys, and “House of the Dragon” leans into the idea that information is power. Gossip is a currency, appearances are everything, and “House of the Dragon” is an absolute blast when it embraces its trashier side. New episodes of “House of the Dragon” premiere Sundays on HBO and HBO Max.
Like Game Of Thrones, House Of The Dragon Wants To Make You Uncomfortable
HBO
By Danielle Ryan/Sept. 13, 2022 7:00 am EST
This article contains spoilers for “House of the Dragon” season 4 and discusses adult themes like incest, sexual assault, and abuse. Westeros is a brutal place, and the stories from it are often filled with content many might find unsavory. Both “Game of Thrones” and “House of the Dragon” are based on books by George R. R. Martin, and both contain their fair share of raw sexuality, graphic violence, drug and alcohol abuse, and other mature themes. For some, the sheer onslaught of salacious scenes might be too much, but “House of the Dragon” is thankfully avoiding some of the big mistakes of “Game of Thrones,” and that includes being overly exploitative.
“House of the Dragon” is just as willing to get dark and horny and full of incest as its predecessor, but it does it with a campy wink and a nod and a little more respect for itself, its characters, and its viewers. Instead of using shocking moments as a way to get people buzzing and then relying on upping the ante every time, “House of the Dragon” embraces the soap opera-silliness of it all, which in turn makes the serious and slightly objectionable stuff much more palatable.
Westeros is a brutal place, and the stories from it are often filled with content many might find unsavory. Both “Game of Thrones” and “House of the Dragon” are based on books by George R. R. Martin, and both contain their fair share of raw sexuality, graphic violence, drug and alcohol abuse, and other mature themes. For some, the sheer onslaught of salacious scenes might be too much, but “House of the Dragon” is thankfully avoiding some of the big mistakes of “Game of Thrones,” and that includes being overly exploitative.
“House of the Dragon” is just as willing to get dark and horny and full of incest as its predecessor, but it does it with a campy wink and a nod and a little more respect for itself, its characters, and its viewers. Instead of using shocking moments as a way to get people buzzing and then relying on upping the ante every time, “House of the Dragon” embraces the soap opera-silliness of it all, which in turn makes the serious and slightly objectionable stuff much more palatable.
Jaime and Cersei could never
Less like Lord of the Rings, more like Succession
While “House of the Dragon” has some big ideas on its mind and is more willing to explore them than “Game of Thrones” ever was, it also seems to respect that in some ways it’s a fantasy soap opera. It’s “Dynasty” with dragons, following one seriously screwed-up family as they bicker and backstab one another. “House of the Dragon” is concerned with political positioning, meetings of the small council, and the gossip of the Red Keep, making it more like “Succession” than “Lord of the Rings.” It’s a story about humans in all of their gritty and gory glory, and the series is as comfortable depicting a sensuous, slightly spooky orgy in an opium den as it is making a mummer’s farce of the royal family through fart jokes. “House of the Dragons” is a show for adults, but that doesn’t mean it always has to be mature.
There’s a lot of entertainment to be found in slightly campy, trashy fare. Some of the most compelling characters to follow in “Game of Thrones” were the ones keeping secrets and gossiping with intent, like Littlefinger or Lord Varys, and “House of the Dragon” leans into the idea that information is power. Gossip is a currency, appearances are everything, and “House of the Dragon” is an absolute blast when it embraces its trashier side. New episodes of “House of the Dragon” premiere Sundays on HBO and HBO Max.
There’s a lot of entertainment to be found in slightly campy, trashy fare. Some of the most compelling characters to follow in “Game of Thrones” were the ones keeping secrets and gossiping with intent, like Littlefinger or Lord Varys, and “House of the Dragon” leans into the idea that information is power. Gossip is a currency, appearances are everything, and “House of the Dragon” is an absolute blast when it embraces its trashier side.
New episodes of “House of the Dragon” premiere Sundays on HBO and HBO Max.
