House of the Dragonis HBO’s second attempt at bringing to life Westeros and its seemingly endless stream of stories. After a largely successful run with the critically acclaimedGame of Thrones,House of the Dragontook us 200 plus years back in time to the height of Targaryen power. While the original series adaptedGeorge R.R. Martin’s novel series,A Song of Ice and Fire, the prequel series adapts the events depicted in the historical account,Fire & Blood. The prequel’s creative choices have been challenged in some quarters, with the criticism being it simply isn’t faithful to the text. Following the reception of Season 2, one might have thought the series would lean towards appeasing the naysayers. That will not be the case.
Emma D’Arcy stars as Queen Rhaenyra Targaryenin the prequel series and the Dance of the Dragons sees her bannermen pitted against those of her half-brother, King Aegon II Targaryen (Tom Glynn-Carney). In bringing their contest to life, showrunnerRyan Condaland the rest of the creative crew have made a number of alterations to the source material to fit the story they wish to tell. Filming on Season 3 is currently underway, and followingthe sophomore season’s mixed reviews, the pressure is on for the third installment to perform. Going forward, D’Arcy, in a conversation with Awards Radar, discussed how the team will approach filming Season 3 and how they use the source material book. D’Arcy said the following:
“Any sort of historical document tends to be deeply subjective and requires context for understanding. I feel that part of our job is to offer some of that context. But it’s funny, I wouldn’t go back to the book now, possibly until we finish this journey.House of the Dragonnow needs to run its course.”
Criticism of Season 2 Means The Pressure Is On For ‘House of the Dragon’ Season 3 To Deliver
D’Arcy is simply driving home a point that has been quite clear from the very beginning. The prequel series provides a subjective contextualization of a fictional historical text. The show has longtaken creative liberties with the storylineand this seems poised to continue. The pushback to these changes, some of which are far-reaching, does not come from fans alone. Franchise author, Martin has been critical of some of these changes, taking exception to thehandling of the Blood and Cheese storylineat the start of Season 2. The famed author has also voiced his discontent with other aspects of the on-screen franchise that took liberty with his work.The Targaryen sigil has been a focus of his ire in recent times.
Martin’s criticisms have not gone unnoticed, withHBO releasing a statementin support of the creative team forHouse of the Dragon. The story is too far gone now for there to be any course corrections and, as D’Arcy rightly points out, the prequel series must forge ahead and craft its own part for better or for worse. A release date for the third season ofHouse of the Dragonhasn’t been announced by HBO. All episodes of the show are available to stream on HBO Max in the U.S. Stay tuned to Collider for more updates.
House of the Dragon
Source:Awards Radar
