House of the Dragon continues to be a solid show, to put it mildly. It's probably the best thing on television.
Sunday's episode advanced the timeline to find the now Queen Alicent pregnant with her second child. I like the complicated friction between her and Princess Rhaenyra, her former best friend and superior, but now someone she has command over.
Much of the episode took place during a boar hunt, bound to recall the first season of Game of Thrones. Things go differently, of course. King Viserys is shaping up to be a nicely nuanced character. More than simply a "weak king", he's a man torn apart by obligations, trying desperately to see the right way forward between prophetic visions and the needs of those around him.
It hardly needs saying that the show is outshining Rings of Power. Handily. Even on the one thing Rings of Power is praised for, visuals, House of the Dragon outpaces it with better cinematography, locations, set design, and costumes. I love Rhaenyra's hunting outfit with the red blouse and olive jerkin.
And there are just basic things this show does that Rings of Power doesn't. There's a solid sense of place, of characters inhabiting the same space. Of the events in one area affecting events in another. The character motives are clear and the drama is engrossing. House of the Dragon is a light in our gloomy existence.
House of the Dragon is available on HBO Max.
No comments:
Post a Comment