Christmas, more than a decade ago. At the table, the family looks as gloomy as usual. It’s a “Festen” Parisian version unfolding before the eyes of the partners of the family members. They don’t participate in the celebration; they escape or stay silent. I open my Christmas gift with the same eagerness as a dog in front of two doses of Whiskas. “Game Of Thrones, the complete series”. So, I put on a radiant hypocritical smile. The next morning, I resell the complete series at Gibert Joseph. A swashbuckling book? Really? Three years later, slumped like a lump on the couch of my apartment, I finish the first season of Game Of Thrones. Like all viewers, I expect a last-minute rescue of Ned Stark aka Sean Bean, the man most killed in swashbuckling films, then his head falls into a bucket. Game Of Thrones is born.
I think about buying my books back at Gibert Joseph. Until the fourth season of the series, GOT becomes iconic. Sex, violence, and above all, the true core of the series: in GOT, there are no heroes; everyone burns on the pyre of vanity. And finally, the finale of the fourth season where the Stark family, honorable and proud, is simply eradicated in what looks like an ethnic cleansing. Then Hollywood takes over. From the carnage of the red wedding arises a certain Jon Snow, a bastard of the Stark family but above all, a true hero. From then on, there are no more twists or realism, Jon Snow becomes invincible, and GOT tells his adventures. The series is still followed, but it is more mainstream and polished. The irreverence of GOT dies with the Stark. At the end of this long series, the creators announce a series of spin-offs and a prequel. Yes, if Walt Disney bought George Lucas, GOT has become the new Star Wars. The prequel of Game Of Thrones, House of Dragon, has revealed its second season and generated much anticipation. What about the prequel of Game Of Thrones?
House Of Dragon: The recipes of GOT!
In the beginning, there was King Viserys who had a daughter named Rhaenyra Targaryen. King Viserys had the wonderful idea of marrying the best friend of his daughter, Alicent, who also gave him children. During the last years of his life, Viserys saw his kin engage in a relentless struggle between the supporters of Rhaenyra and the heirs from his union with Alicent. At his death, his daughter Rhaenyra and her heirs engage in a relentless struggle. Here are the basic ingredients that make House Of Dragon a series very close to what Game Of Thrones was. On the menu: incest, decapitations, all kinds of betrayals, and even worse. With less of the element of surprise, House Of Dragon is a series that recycles all the ingredients that made Game Of Thrones successful.
The narrative structure is also very interesting. It is often said that the psychology of a man or a woman is built around their childhood. The first season of House Of Dragon is admittedly a bit “poor” in twists and turns. But the authors sprinkle throughout this first season all the traumas that apparently will accompany the characters throughout the series. Some claim that what makes Breaking Bad one of the best series in the world is mainly the evolution of the characters. If “Friends” is an extraordinary humorous series, it was designed as a sitcom (an older format): Ross and Monica in the first season are always the same. Whereas the main character of Breaking Bad undergoes a “metamorphosis” from the first to the fifth season. In “House Of Dragon”, and this is good news, the character of Rhaenyra or even more so that of Aemond Targaryen are undoubtedly the most interesting. For the son of Alicent, we witness the construction of a monster due to the traumas suffered during childhood. For the daughter of Viserys, the interest lies in understanding if she will be stronger than her father to assume her role as queen.
House Of Dragon: Still too Manichean!
The actors, as in Game Of Thrones, are perfectly credible. Alicent is played by Olivia Cooke, whom you have probably seen before. Daemon, interpreted by Matt Smith, is an exuberant character who has not yet revealed all his secrets. Queen Rhaenyra is played by Emma D’Arcy. The secondary, and even tertiary characters, all have a role to play in the drama unfolding before our eyes.
However, two criticisms can be made of House of Dragon. The first is a critique that could also be leveled at Game Of Thrones. With the monstrous character of Aemond, and even though the writers have made an effort in this regard, the Hightowers do not seem very sympathetic. It’s still a bit Manichean. And even if they are not as hated as the Lannisters, it would have been very interesting if the audience were divided between the two clans instead of overwhelmingly supporting Rhaenyra’s camp. Also, the narrative structure is the same as that of Game Of Thrones with the same triggers. One of the key characters in the series closely resembles a certain Littlefinger, and there is still and always this summa divisio of Game of Thrones between men of “honor” and those who are ready to do anything for power.
However, the power play between the dragons, a novelty compared to Game Of Thrones, might surprise you.
