House of the Dragon Season 2 has finally wrapped up and there were a couple of significant deaths in the show that are expected to push the story forward. However, there’s also a noticeable lack of consequences when it comes to the show’s casualties.
When Aemond Targaryen killed Lucerys Velaryon in the final episode of Season 1, it was meant to signal the beginning of the Dance of the Dragons. Rhaenyra Targaryen was supposed to exact her revenge, just as she did in the book, but what’s happening in the show is the complete opposite.
House Of The Dragon May Be Forgetting The Consequences Of Deaths
A fan from Reddit took notice of this trend that’s been going on in House of the Dragon ever since its premiere in 2022. They enjoyed the show but something seemed amiss: “the lack of consequences.”
Lack of Consequences
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They explained that in Game of Thrones, every character’s “dumb/unpopular decision was met with dire consequences,” such as when Ned Stark confronted Cersei Lannister about the parentage of her children or when Oberyn Martell became too confident in his duel against the Mountain.
In the prequel series, the fan argued that “people are just getting away with s—t they shouldn’t be getting away with and the excuse is always ‘Viserys is a weak king.’” Many punishable acts were left scot-free in the first season, and this trend continued towards the sequel.
Take, for instance, the death of Lucerys. Rhaenyra wanted to avenge her son in the beginning, but throughout the show, she kept looking for ways to make peace with Alicent Hightower. Rhaenys Targaryen’s death also left no impact and only made Rhaenyra more indecisive in her actions.
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Then, there’s Criston Cole who committed so many sins and is still not dismissed from his duty. Daemon Targaryen, on the other hand, killed Vaemond Velaryon. While he’s not a likable character, there must be a consequence for killing Lord Corlys Velaryon’s brother.
Ryan Condal Made Unnecessary Changes In The Show
Previously, showrunner Ryan Condal confessed that the scene between Rhaenyra and Alicent in the Grand Sept was not in the book. He decided to add this storyline because he believed the fans wanted to see Emma D’Arcy and Olivia Cooke in one frame again.
Rhaenyra sailing from Dragonstone all the way to King’s Landing disguised as septa to have a private meeting with Alicent defeats the logic of sending assassins to kill Aemond in Episode 1. The Prince Regent was not even reprimanded when he killed Lucerys, and worse when he attempted to murder his own brother, King Aegon – the latter case being a modification as well.
Perhaps the time jump was to blame for the lack of explanation in the first season, but the sequel had so many opportunities to address this. They could have actually used two more episodes to show the impact of the deaths of the characters instead of them being simply boxes that needed to be ticked off from the story.
House of the Dragon Season 2 is streaming on HBO.
