One Thing We'd Change About HOUSE OF THE DRAGON Season 1

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House of the Dragon's first season set up the Dance of the Dragons, the Targaryan civil war that shaped Game of Thrones. But the book it's based on, Fire and Blood, was a lot more unbiased--whereas the show clearly wants us to be Team Black. But is this the right way for the show to be, or should they be a bit more nuanced on who we can root for?

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Written by Jack Picone
Hosted by Ryan Arey (  / ryanarey  )
Edited by Sean Martin and Brianna McLarty

#HouseOfTheDragon #aemond

The Targaryen Civil War focuses on two sides, both claiming to be the rightful rulers of Westeros. One side, the Greens, are led by Queen Alicent Hightower and Aegon II, her oldest son with King Viserys. The other side are the Blacks, led by Viserys’s daughter Princess Rhaenyra Targaryean and her allies.

The series focuses on several characters from both sides of this War, with Alicent and Rhaenyra as its leads. But is it depicting the story objectively, showing both sides of the conflict without judgment? Or is House of the Dragon intentionally biased, sympathizing with one side and consequently getting us, the audience, to take sides?

I’d argue that’s EXACTLY what the show is doing—overwhelmingly sympathizing with Princess Rhaenyra and Team Black. In essence, the audience is expected to root for Rhaenyra to win the Dance of the Dragons, and boo and hiss anytime the Greens take a step closer to victory.

In a poll ran by the Today Show leading up to the season one finale, a whopping 85 percent of people said they side with Rhaenyra. That’s astounding. 85% of people can’t agree on ANYTHING anymore, but nearly everyone watching the show is Team Black.

I’m going to name a bunch of clear examples of how the show is manipulating the audience through its writing and direction to side with Rhaenyra. After that I’ll explain why it makes sense for House of the Dragon to do this, but also why maybe it shouldn’t—and how it can take a more balanced view of the conflict in future seasons.

For those of you who don’t know, House of the Dragon is adapted from the book Fire and Blood. Fire and Blood ISN’T one of the Song of Ice and Fire novels that takes place two centuries later. Those novels detail the War of the Five Kings and the looming invasion of the White Walkers from North of the Wall. Currently there’s five of those novels, with George R.R. Martin’s next book, The Winds of Winter, expected to come out when Hell freezes over.

Instead of a traditional literary novel, Fire and Blood is actually a historical text that exists in-universe in A Song of Ice and Fire. That is, the book we’re reading is available word for word in Westeros, where Samwell Tarly can check it out from the library in Oldtown.