Summary
Weeks afterHouse of the Dragon’sseason 2 finale,I’m finding myself mostly concerned for the future of HBO’sGame of Thronesspinoffs. First and foremost, I feel like it’s important to clarify that I mostly enjoyed the divisive second season and feel like many of the complaints about it were oversimplified or misplaced. Still, I’d be remiss if I didn’t address one aspect of theHouse of the Dragonseason 2 endingthat I see as a grueling issue that could continue to negatively impact future shows.
Aside fromHouse of the Dragonseason 3, HBO has several otherGame of Thronesspinoffs in development.A Knight of the Seven Kingdomsseason 1 is set to premiere in early 2025 and will be our next venture into Westeros.Aegon’s Conquesthas also been greenlit, but it’s still unclear how far away its premiere could be. Beyond that, several other shows are being worked on, but they’re in the early stages of conceptualization. I seeHouse of the Dragonhaving a domino effect on all of their success, which is partially why I’m concerned by the divisive response.
House Of The Dragon’s Ties To Game Of Thrones Raise Larger Franchise Concerns
Aegon’s Dream Continues To Remind Audiences Of Game Of Thrones Season 8
Daemon Targaryen’s Harrenhal plot line in season 2 was one of the show’s most critiqued, as the series arguably underutilized one of its most exciting talents in Matt Smith. The finale saw him envisionAegon’s Dream, finally convincing him to return to Rhaenyra’s side and support her in the coming war. It’s not the first time Aegon’s Dream has appeared in the show after first being introduced by Viserys Targaryen in the series premiere. In the season 2 finale, it directly shows imagery relating toGame of Thrones.
Aegon’s Dream banks on audiences knowing the plot ofGame of Thronesand seeing the Long Night as some sort of existential threat. Butit’s foreshadowing an event that we’ve already seen and that ultimately didn’t work, and continuous reminders of it are always going to be divisive. My biggest concern after season 2’s finale is thatHouse of the Dragonis using Aegon’s Dream as some sort of connective tissue to tie the shows together when the franchise should really be trying to distance itself fromGame of Thrones’reputation as much as possible.
Aegon’s Dream Was Utilized Well In HOTD Season 1 (But Not Season 2)
House Of The Dragon Didn’t Need To Bring Back Aegon’s Dream In The Season 2 Finale
On the one hand,Aegon’s Dream was an excellent way to connectHouse of the DragontoGame of Thronesin season 1. It served as the perfect connecting point between the two shows that simultaneously wasn’t obstructive to the Dance of the Dragons plot but was also notable enough for fans to understand the importance of the prequel’s events. In the sense of Aegon’s Dream being a plot device forHouse of the Dragon, it serves as a metaphor for the realm’s unity and for Targaryen self-importance.
Under Viserys and, subsequently, Rhaenyra, the realm is being led as a united front to protect itself against the Long Night. Thisheightens the risk of the Dance, because if the secret of Aegon’s Dream is lost in the war through Rhaenyra dying, then the realm ultimately won’t be prepared for the White Walkersand will end up in the state we see at the start ofGame of Thrones. But it also represents the idea of the Targaryen god complex, where the royal family considers themselves to be the only ones capable of defending the realm from evil.
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Limiting Aegon’s Dream to just that would’ve been genius. These are great ideas that raise the stakes of the Dance. On the contrary,the usage of the dream in the season 2 finale felt shoehorned in to show snippets ofGame of Thronesand yet was directly used to change the course of one of the main character’s arcs. Daemon already seemed to be leaning toward returning to Rhaenyra, and it felt wrong that the final reason that shifted him was a practically unrelated, supernatural element.
Aegon’s Conquest Spinoff Shouldn’t Continue To Explore Aegon’s Dream
Aegon’s Conquest Would Be Meaningful Without Game Of Thrones References
TheGame of Thronesspinoff I’m most concerned about isAegon’s Conquestbecause it seems more than likely that it will continue to utilize the dream.Having an entire show where a character is motivated by the potential future ofGame of Thronesseason 8 seems like a disaster, especially if it continues to loop more characters into the idea for more cohesion. For example, theories suggest that Aegon the Conqueror told Torrhen Stark about his dream, leading to his surrender.
I see no need forGame of Thronesspinoffs to be self-referential and webbed together as part of one larger story.
This theory seems like a possibility for the TV series to explore, as it would expand on this connective tissueHouse of the Dragoncreated. But theGame of Thronesfranchise doesn’t need that connective tissue. With no disrespect to Marvel or Star Wars, it’s explicitly not the same world as either of those franchises, asGame of Thronesgained its reputation as a culture-changing show by subverting typical expectations of fantastical media. I see no need forGame of Thronesspinoffs to be self-referential and webbed together as part of one larger story.
What Happened To House Velaryon In Game Of Thrones
House Velaryon doesn’t appear in Game of Thrones, but the House of the Dragon family isn’t new. Here’s where House Velaryon is by the time of GoT.
Game Of Thrones Spinoffs Should Explore Individual Stories
Game Of Thrones Shows Don’t Need To All Directly Connect
Part of whyGeorge R.R. Martin’sA Song of Ice & Firebook seriesis so prolific because of its immense world building. There are a plethora of stories to tell based on the seeds he’s laid in his world, and attempting to connect them all as some sort of franchise is entirely unnecessary. That’s whythe10,000Shipsseries is one of my most anticipated, as it will pull away from King’s Landing and the Targaryen dynastyand explore an equally compelling but far-away corner of Martin’s world. It would also be impossible for it to directly connect toGame of Thrones.
With everything that went wrong withGame of Thronesseason 8, future shows shouldn’t be trying to expand on that ending by adding context to it. The way forward for this franchise is to explore individual narratives and expand upon the mythology George R.R. Martin has created. There areso many fascinating stories that I’d love to see in his world that have nothing to do withGame of Thrones, and that’s okay.
Can Game Of Thrones Fix Its Franchise Problem?
The Only Hope Would Be A Show Set After GoT, But It’s Risky
As previously mentioned, the biggest problem with trying to franchiseGame of Thronesis that we already know the ending and its flaws. Theonly way to amend this and create more connections between the shows would be to create a show set afterGame of Thronesseason 8that could somehow expand on the ideas of the Long Night and the White Walkers. This would be incredibly risky, and I have no idea how they’d even go about it without it feeling shoehorned.
Perhaps, afterThe Winds of WinterandThe Dream of Springfinally release, there might be some additional material worth exploring toward the end of that timeline. TheJon Snowshow could’ve been a possibility, but again, it’s an enormous risk for little reward. HBO doesn’tneedall of these shows to connect for them to be successful. If they’re compelling fantasy dramas of their own, audiences will watch them and enjoy them. I just don’t want to seeHouse of the Dragonand theGame of Thronesspinoffs attempt to be something that they aren’t.
House of the Dragon
House of the Dragon is a 2022 fantasy drama set in the world of Westeros, chronicling the Targaryen dynasty at its height. The story revolves around King Viserys’s controversial decision to name his daughter Rhaenyra as heir to the Iron Throne, sparking tensions and divisions within the realm.
