It's long been known that House of the Dragon was going to set itself apart from Game of Thrones, because of the focus of the show, at least at the beginning is far more about ruling a kingdom and everything that goes into it, more than the battle to seize the Iron Throne. In this second episode of the HBO Max series, there was actually even less action than its predecessor, as there wasn't any kind of tournament for men to show off how good they are at taking lives.
That doesn't mean the episode was entirely bloodless. While Westeros is a relatively peaceful place under the rule of Viserys, there is some strife popping up here and there. That's underlined by one of the opening scenes of several men that look as though they are being hammered to pikes and left to bleed to death, or apparently be feasted upon by crabs that litter the beach. As a way of setting the scene for what is to come in House of the Dragon, this setup does a very good job of reminding viewers that there are people in this world that are closer to monsters than man. Even if they aren't going quite so far when it comes to a threat as something like the White Walkers were in the original show.
Downton Abbey But With Dragons
While the first episode of House of the Dragon seemed to be hinting that the kingdom was heading quickly into a civil war, this second episode makes it clear that things are going to moving at a bit of a slower burn than GoT fans might be used to seeing. The episode is much more about giving a look in how a kingdom operates during a time of peace, something that was never really the case in the original series. That means that the show gets to focus on the minutiae that it takes to keep a kingdom together. In doing so, the show does a very good job of really allowing the viewers to get to know the main players. It helps that there are fewer than there were in Game of Thrones as there isn't as much "who is he again?" going on as the episode winds on.
This pace allows the House of the Dragon to stay away from gratuitous sex and gratuitous violence the previous HBO series was so well known for. That also allows the main players in this show to perform with far less bombast than the people who were at the center of the earlier show. King Viserys isn't really anything like Robert Baratheon and right at the top of the list as to why, is that Paddy Considine does a very convincing job of putting forth a character and a king that audiences can actually root for, while still demonstrating that he has some flaws here and there.
There are scenes where Considine and Milly Alcock could convince House of the Dragon watchers that they are father and daughter. Both do a very good job of conveying that there is real familial love between the two, while they also don't really know how to act around one another. This is also where Alcock does her best work.
The actress continues to either be wooden, or has been called upon to be sort of wooden in her character as the young Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen. It's possible the audience is supposed to know that one of the reasons she's so wooden is because she's trying to be what she knows people expect her to be. However, it would be nice to hear that line delivered as a kind of hat top to those who are trying to figure that out. As it is now, she just seems to be someone who is delivering lines, while most of the rest of the cast is acting.
Strife In House of the Dragon
The struggles Alcock has in delivering her lines in a way that seem genuine aren't helped by the massive efforts the House of the Dragon showrunners are putting into making her the hero. In this episode, she was literally made the hero, in a showdown between the king's men and Matt Smith's Daemon Targaryen after Daemon stole a dragon egg.
The scene was actually quite impressive, probably the most impressive of the entire series so far and it was nice to see the show return to a spot that Game of Thrones fans know very well. It is also fantastic to see actual dragons pop up on screen and it will never not be a powerful scene. It was powerful enough that for just a bit, the viewer can even forget for just a second that it shouldn't be all that surprising to the king's men that a dragon would indeed be living at Dragon Stone and would be aligned with Daemon. The fact that they did forget, really only becomes a bit odd when really thinking about how the scene unfolded.
That scene, where Rhys Ifans' Otto Hightower seems to have made a rather foolhardy move that isn't quite as unbelievable as one might think when the viewers realize that the show is dealing with people who have some rather impressive egos. It's believable that they might have thought they could either shame or frighten Daemon into bending the knee once again. It simply wasn't all that believable that once they realized why he wasn't afraid that they'd be shocked.
Now that House of the Dragon has been renewed already for a second season there are bound to be plenty of more dragons. When Rhaenyra arrives on dragon back to save the day, it's hard not to smirk at how obvious that particular twist should have been in hindsight when she suggested she go and then was rebuffed. The need to make her the hero of the scene was just a bit too hamfisted. Even if it was rather fun to watch her take Daemon down a peg with some carefully placed questions.
This is also a place where Aycock and Smith operate well off each other. While Aycock still comes off as mostly wooden, Smith is able to really show that there are some strong emotions doing battle inside his head. He really does feel for his niece and loves her. And he doesn't want her to be the one who will eventually rule, but can't quite bring himself to hate her. That will certainly be an interesting juxtaposition as the season goes along.
House of the Dragon airs every Sunday on HBO and HBO Max.