House of the Dragon season 2’s strangest story reminds me of a classic arc from Game of Thrones, making me wish there had been more continuity between the two shows. House of the Dragon is just one of the many planned Game of Thrones spinoffs coming to HBO, with the network expanding its fantasy franchise based on the works of George R.R. Martin. But when the series first began over a decade ago, the idea of becoming a culture-changing multimedia franchise with several prequels in development was far from expected.
In a sense, all the Game of Thrones spinoffs will orbit the original series. The A Song of Ice & Fire book series is George R.R. Martin’s masterwork, and anything else built around that story is just supplementary material. Still, it’s strange to see different creators takes on Martin’s world offer such disparate interpretations of his world. I loved the early seasons of Game of Thrones, but they leave out many of Martin’s more mystical and prophetic elements. Meanwhile, House of the Dragon emboldens them and makes them crucial to its plot.
Game Of Thrones Should Have Set Up House Of The Dragon Season 2’s Harrenhal Storyline Better
Game Of Thrones Left Out The Mystical Side Of Harrenhal
I didn’t have such strong feelings against House of the Dragon season 2 as many audiences did, though I will agree Daemon’s narrative in Harrenhal was rather bizarre. The curse of Harrenhal was teased in some ways in Game of Thrones, but the extent of its mysticism is far from what we see in the original show. Daemon’s entire arc for the season is driven by highly evocative visions nearly driving him to madness, but not a single character in Game of Thrones seems to suffer from any such delirium during their time there.
Game of Thrones was willing to suggest that Harrenhal was “cursed,” but the show wasn’t willing to explore what exactly that might entail.
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Of course, Game of Thrones season 2 was so long before House of the Dragon that it can’t be held responsible, but the issues here speak to a broader issue I have with the original series. Game of Thrones was willing to suggest that Harrenhal was “cursed,” but the show wasn’t willing to explore what exactly that might entail. The Arya plot line in season 2 was original to the show regardless, so it’s not like examining more of the castle’s mythology would’ve obstructed a path set by the source material.
Game Of Thrones Season 2’s Harrenhal Subplot Feels Underwhelming In Hindsight
Arya & Tywin’s Scenes Are Great, But GOT’s Harrenhal Misses Out On Exploring One Of Martin’s Most Alluring Locations
Like many Game of Thrones fans, I consider Tywin and Arya’s scenes to be some of the best character-driven moments of the show. With that having been said, it’s easy to praise the early seasons as being better than the latter, but some of the seeds of the show’s downfall were laid out in those moments. By omitting the magical aspects of Martin’s world early on, the series struggled to handle those parts when they became necessary in the later seasons, specifically regarding the White Walkers.
Another example of this is Daenerys’ trip to the House of the Undying in season 2. It’s a fantastic scene, but it leaves out the prophecies established in its book counterpart, later setting up pitfalls for season 8 and the Long Night. Now, by ignoring the curses of Harrenhal in Game of Thrones season 2, when that location is revisited in House of the Dragon, it seems like a totally different place.