House of the Dragon – The Rogue Prince Review

In this week’s installment of House of the Dragon, the series once again presented us with a host of political maneuvering – and, much as with the series premiere, the various characters and their self-serving machinations felt out-and-out boring to watch. Where Game of Thrones could make the game of thrones fun, compelling, and suspenseful, House of the Dragon has only managed to make it clear just how short-sighted and dumb multiple key characters are, and the few who appear to understand the ways of this world on an innate level can’t seem to make any moves that will help their position because – gasp – they happen to be women who lack the requisite power to enact change or are second sons without a clear claim to the throne.

I never thought I would declare the goings on in Westeros to be boring, but here we are. Even at its worst, Thrones still managed to have compelling characters – and by the time the series was really in decline, we had spent more than enough time with the show’s central characters that we could understand their motivations even if we didn’t agree with their actions. Here, we still know far too little about our central characters to accept some of their more idiotic actions – which in turn means we will believe them to be as dumb as the show is showing them to be. Take King Viserys – a man who clearly loved his late wife, and genuinely has no real desire to take a new one a mere six months following her death. Completely understandable. However, the fact that he didn’t appear to understand that he would be required to do so – and that he would have offers of various much younger potential brides – doesn’t track. He can not want to marry, but he must also acknowledge that he will need to, regardless of his wants. That’s just what is required of a king in this world without a male heir. He can be squeamish at the thought of being presented with a 12-year-old potential bride (and, as the audience will also be freaked out, it’s a point where we can relate to the character), but he should also understand the political benefits of the match without needing his Master of Laws to lay it out for him (and yes, I know this was also for the benefit of the audience, but come on, this isn’t our first rodeo and we understand the reasoning behind tying the Targaryens to the Velaryons). And that’s not even getting into his inability to understand the threat to Westeros with the Crabfeeder or Daemon’s continued defiance out in Dragonstone. Viserys, it appears, will deserve the civil war he and his family are about to find themselves embroiled in, because he is unable to take the actions he needs to when called upon to do so. I guess there’s a reason he keeps getting cut by the Iron Throne – he’s not fit to sit upon it.

And then there’s Daemon. Yes, we’re supposed to see him as the hot-headed second son who lacks the vision for the throne. But my god, the stupidity of this man. Taking over Dragonstone, stealing an egg, claiming to take a second wife and lying that she’s with child, all so that his brother will come and confront him and see that he is powerful enough to be the heir? Or, better yet, that the realm will see this as a show of strength and want him to be named the heir? The idiocy of Daemon in this episode is truly stunning to see. If the writers want us to see him as anything other than a dangerous wild card whose sole purpose is to throw wrenches into the workings of King’s Landing via temper tantrums (which, since he has a massive dragon, have the potential to be pretty scary tantrums), they need to show us that he has some sense of understanding for how this world works. Perhaps teaming up with Corlys – one of the few characters, along with his wife Rhaenys*, who actually seems to have a grip on just what one needs to do to stay alive and keep this dynasty on the throne for decades to come – will give him the brain power he seems to be lacking. But at this point, I cannot understand what the writers want us to think about Daemon, other than that he’s a one-dimensional spoiled brat with an army at his disposal. Yes, he’s dangerous, but he lacks any depth or character traits beyond that. Which doesn’t make for a compelling character. Remember how bad Ramsay Bolton was? That was largely due to the fact that his sole character trait was his heinous violence. Daemon isn’t nearly that bad yet, but without some nuance and depth, he’s never going to become the key character the series needs him to be for it to work.

*At this stage of the game, I find that I’m most interested in what Eve Best is trying to do with Rhaenys – it’s clear she’s trying to inject some depth into the character, despite the writing not managing to provide any real characterization for her. Rhaenys, on paper, is an incredibly interesting character – the Queen Who Never Was, with two children to be used as potential pawns in the game of thrones, and a woman who can understand the nuance of political power in ways that the men around her seem incapable of doing. I understand not wanting to play out her role too quickly, but she could be such a valuable ally for any of those trying to wrest the power of the throne for themselves, yet no one seems to see it. Which is a real shame. And something I hope the series rectifies in the coming episodes. With her as an advisor, someone like Daemon would be unstoppable.

The only characters at this stage of the game who have shown a capacity for playing the game of thrones are the aforementioned Corlys and Rhaenys and Otto Hightower, who managed to successfully maneuver his 15-year-old daughter into the king’s bed. But, again, we know far too little about each of these three to really understand their motivations outside of a desire for power. Wanting power is all well and good – that’s the currency of a show like this one, where the quest for the throne is the all-encompassing goal – but we need to be shown why these characters want this power. Rhaenys feels she is owed power after being passed over, so she was willing to sacrifice her young daughter for a chance. Corlys has the same goal – but he also wants to protect his own financial interests and gain the ear of the king. Otto wants to cement his family’s place in King’s Landing – after serving as the Hand for King Jaehaerys and having a great deal of influence on decisions as the King’s health failed, keeping the ear of Viserys through the use of his daughter is a tactical move that will cement his role. But we need more character development than “wants the power of the Iron Throne at their disposal.” Yet, two episodes in, that’s all we know about every major character: They want power or they are willing to do something (marry a child off, be married themselves, challenge the King, go against the wishes of the throne to prove their mettle as the heir) to get that power. It’s, to be frank, boring.

Palace intrigue can be interesting. Varys and his little birds, Tyrion drinking and knowing things, Cersei scheming left and right, Littlefinger switching sides as necessary to get what he wanted – each of these characters were deeply developed, made clear choices for power, and were interesting in making each of their moves. By the second episode of Thrones, we already knew so much about characters like Cersei and Tyrion that we could understand their motivations and foresee their future moves. With the characters in Dragon, we know what they want (power) and we know what they’ll do to get it (whatever it takes), but we don’t understand the nuance of their needs. Why does Princess Rhaenyra want to be Queen? Simply because she thinks she deserves to be the heir? What does she think she can accomplish as Queen? Similarly, why does Daemon want the throne? Simply because he thinks he should be the heir? What kind of King does he want to be – what would he do to Westeros as its King? What is Otto’s goal with installing Alicent as the queen? What control over the throne is he seeking that he doesn’t already have as the Hand to a king who seems unable to make major choices without consulting him? What do Corlys and Rhaenys want with the throne, were they to get control or more influence? These are questions the series should be answering now – we need to know the whys with the wants. Power comes in many forms – how would each of these characters wield that power? What is happening in the realm outside of the Stepstones and King’s Landing where they could show their influence? Until we understand why each character covets power, we won’t be able to fully invest in the struggle for the Iron Throne.