House Of The Dragon Makes Rhaenyra More Like Daenerys In A Way That Terrifies Me

Warning: This article contains major SPOILERS for House of the Dragon season 2, episode 6, and Fire & Blood, the book on which the show is based.

Rhaenyra Targaryen’s storyline in House of the Dragon season 2 makes her more similar to Daenerys in a way that terrifies me when considering how Game of Thrones season 8 turned out. While Rhaenyra is not meant to be House of the Dragon’s version of Daenerys, the two characters share a lot of similarities. George R.R. Martin’s Fire & Blood covers the Targaryen civil war during which Rhaenyra had to fight for her birthright against her half-brothers and the rest of the Greens. Several generations later, Daenerys would also have to fight against usurpers for the throne.

The Dance of the Dragons is a relatively short war compared to how long it took for Daenerys to finally cross the Narrow Sea and make her claim to the throne in Westeros. An important difference between the journeys of Rhaenyra and Daenerys is that House of the Dragon is told from the perspective of multiple characters on both sides of the ongoing war, whereas Game of Thrones followed the Mother of Dragons for six seasons before she even arrived in Westeros. Still, Rhaenyra’s struggles in House of the Dragon season 2, episode 6 reminded me a lot of Dany’s story.

Rhaenyra’s Line About “Fear” Parallels Daenerys In Game Of Thrones Season 8

Daenerys Told Jon “Let It Be Fear Then” In Season 8

Rhaenyra telling Lord Celtigar that she regrets letting them forget to fear her after slapping him reminds me of Daeneyrs’ arc in Game of Thrones season 8, although with some important differences. Similar to what happened to Daenerys once she finally arrived in Westeros, Rhaenyra currently finds herself on the losing side of the war. While the Blacks technically have more dragons available since they control Dragonstone, the Greens have Vhagar. With Daemon’s goals still unclear and the difficulty in finding new dragonriders, Rhaenyra fears that she will lose the war before she even joins the battlefield.

This is very similar to the situation Daenerys found herself once when she arrived in Dragonstone and officially declared war against Cersei Lannister. Tyrion, Daenerys’ hand, asked countless times for her to be away from the battlefield. According to Tyrion, Daenerys was too important to be riding a dragon in the middle of the war. This is exactly what Rhaenyra’s council, including her son, has been telling her since the Dance of the Dragons started. Daenerys grew very frustrated from her lack of action in the war, which I fear Rhaenyra is experiencing too.

How Much Will Rhaenyra Become Like Daenerys In House Of The Dragon’s Future?

King’s Landing Will Welcome Rhaenyra But Turn Against Her Eventually

Daenerys’ turn happened very fast, which is part of the reason why Game of Thrones season 8 was so controversial. While the Mother of Dragons did suffer a lot of tragedies in a short time, Game of Thrones’ final season framed Dany as the ultimate villain. For such a risky twist to work, I believe Daenerys’ transition into a vicious character willing to burn down King’s Landing to get to the throne required more time and development. Regardless, Rhaenyra will go through something relatively similar before the end of the war in House of the Dragon.

Rhaenyra is expected to take over King’s Landing in House of the Dragon, which happens without too much bloodshed in the book. With Aemong, Vhagar, and Ser Criston Cole away from the capital, plus the Gold Cloaks secretly helping Daemon, there was not much that the Greens could do to stop Rhaenyra from taking over the city. Although Rhaenyra’s first few days of rule are positive, the war continues to escalate in Westeros, and the people of King’s Landing grow unhappy with their new leader. Rhaenyra even starts to be compared to Maegor the Cruel, and after the Riot of King’s Landing, she flees the city.

House of the Dragon

Taking place about 172 years before the events of Game of Thrones, House of the Dragon tells the tale of the rise of the Targaryens, the only family of dragonlords to survive the Doom of Valyria. The popular HBO spinoff show first starred Milly Alcock and Emily Carey as Rhaenyra Targaryen and Alicent Hightower before they were replaced by Emma D’Arcy and Olivia Cooke, who play the older versions of the characters. Also starring in the series is Matt Smith (Prince Daemon Targaryen) and Paddy Considine as Rhaenyra’s father, King Viserys Targaryen.

Cast

Jefferson Hall , Paddy Considine , Fabien Frankel , Ryan Corr , Eve Best , Gavin Spokes , Graham McTavish , Steve Toussaint , Olivia Cooke , Sonoya Mizuno , Bill Paterson , Matthew Needham , Emma D’Arcy , Matt Smith , Rhys Ifans , David Horovitch

Release Date

August 21, 2022

Seasons

2

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