The House Of The Dragon Needs To Avoid These Got Mistakes

Okay, so House of the Dragon is here! It's got dragons, it's got Targaryens, it's got all that fiery drama we’ve been missing. We're all ready to dive back into Westeros, right? But, and this is a big "but," there are a few little dragon-sized pitfalls it really needs to steer clear of. Think of this as a friendly nudge, a whisper in the ear of the showrunners. We love you, but please, no more of that.

Remember how we all got super invested in Game of Thrones? The characters felt so real. Their struggles hit us hard. We were there for every single battle, every single betrayal. And then… well, you know what happened.

Let's start with the big one. Pacing. We love a good slow burn. We appreciate building tension. But remember season 8? Things went from zero to a hundred faster than a dragon on a sugar rush. Characters made decisions that felt… sudden. Very, very sudden.

House of the Dragon has a whole family tree to explore. There are lots of names. Lots of people with similar hair. We need time to get to know them. To care about their silly little dragon-riding lives. Don't rush their development. Give us moments of quiet before the storm.

Think about it. We need to see Princess Rhaenyra grow up. We need to see Prince Daemon be his charmingly chaotic self for a while. We need to see Queen Aemma have some meaningful screentime. Just a little. Before, you know.

And speaking of characters, let's talk about those rushed endings. We saw some characters we'd followed for years just… disappear. Or have their entire arcs unraveled in the blink of an eye. It felt like whiplash. A very cruel, very disappointing whiplash.

In House of the Dragon, please, oh please, let the character arcs breathe. If someone is going to have a major change, let us see the why. Let us see the journey. Don't just have them wake up one morning and decide to be evil. Or good. Or go on a sudden walkabout.

We want to understand their motivations. Even the bad guys. Especially the bad guys. A good villain is a villain you almost root for. Or at least one you understand.

Then there's the whole "convenient plot device" problem. Remember when a specific magic spell or a convenient piece of information just popped up when the plot needed it most? It felt a little too much like magic writing. Not in a good, dragon-fire way.

House of the Dragon is based on a book. That's a huge advantage. It's got a solid foundation. Let's stick to that foundation. Don't invent new plot twists that feel forced. Let the existing story unfold naturally. The drama is already there, folks.

We don't need extra, out-of-nowhere magical solutions. We've seen enough prophecies come true in the most literal, least interesting ways possible. Let's keep the magic grounded in the lore. Or at least, consistent.

And the battles! Oh, the battles. We love a good dragon fight. Who doesn't? But sometimes, the scale got lost. Or the strategy felt… questionable. Remember that one battle where everyone seemed to forget how to fight?

House of the Dragon has dragons doing their thing. That's a given. But let's see the humans involved. Let's see the tactics. Let's see the consequences of these massive aerial assaults. Who's commanding? Who's planning? Who's getting toasted?

We want to feel the chaos. But also the order within that chaos. A well-executed battle is a thing of beauty. A messy, confusing one… less so.

Now, let's talk about character deaths. This is a big one. In Game of Thrones, death was a constant, terrifying threat. Then, towards the end, it felt like certain characters were immune. Or their deaths were… anticlimactic.

House of the Dragon is about a civil war. People are going to die. Lots of them. And that's okay! It’s part of the story. But let the deaths matter. Let them have impact. Don't kill off important characters just for shock value and then forget about them.

We want to feel the weight of each loss. Who are we losing? Why is it important? How does it change the landscape of Westeros? Make us mourn. Make us rage.

And this might be an unpopular opinion, but let's not go too dark too quickly. Game of Thrones had its grim moments, absolutely. But it also had wit. It had moments of levity. It had characters we could actually laugh with.

House of the Dragon has potential for that. Think of the bickering between siblings. Think of the witty banter between advisors. Let’s not make every single scene a dreary march towards doom. A little sunshine, even in a land of perpetual winter (or fire), is nice.

We need characters to root for, even amidst the doom and gloom. Characters with humor. Characters with hope. Characters who aren't just miserable all the time.

Finally, and this is crucial, let's avoid the last-minute explanations. Remember when certain historical events or family lineages were suddenly explained in a rushed dialogue dump right before the credits rolled? It felt like homework being assigned on the fly.

House of the Dragon has a deep history. The Dance of the Dragons itself is complex. Sprinkle in the exposition naturally. Let us learn about the lore as we go. Don't dump it all on us in the final 10 minutes of the season.

Show, don't just tell. We’ve seen the maps. We know the houses. Let us piece things together. Let us feel like we’re discovering Westeros along with the characters.

So there you have it. A few friendly dragons’ breath-sized warnings. We’re so excited for House of the Dragon. We’re ready to be swept away by dragons and political intrigue. Just, you know, let’s not have a repeat of some of those… less stellar moments. We believe in you, Westeros!