House of the Dragon will be one of the latest series from HBO and the first spin-off of the massive hit Game of Thrones. There is some reluctance for this series mixed in with the excitement because of the way that Game of Thrones ended. One of the biggest errors for some people was how quickly and ruthlessly Daenerys Targaryen fell into madness. There is some hope that House of the Dragon will be able to offer some additional insight into the Targaryens and their family’s curse.
House of the Dragon will follow House Targaryen during a high point in their reign, about 300 years before the events of Game of Thrones. The politics of the Seven Kingdoms will be on full display along with blood and dragon fire. Daenerys was not the first Targaryen to go mad, it runs in their family. The Targaryens are known to be quite mad, with the last Targaryen King before Robert Baratheon, King Aerys II, wanting to burn everyone alive. House of the Dragon can further develop this aspect of the Targaryens since there will be so many of them in the series.
It’s argued that in the final season of Game of Thrones, Daenerys’ descent into madness felt unearned and somewhat rushed. While there is some evidence throughout the series of her slow decline into rage and madness, it does become very accelerated as the show closes out. This leads to the question of why do the Targaryens go mad? Is it their connections to dragons, or simply they’re corrupted by absolute power? Daenerys endured a lot of suffering on her path to power, she may have relished in tormenting the people that she saw were responsible. House of the Dragon can show where this curse comes from by exploring more Targaryens.
There will be several notable Targaryens in House of the Dragon. These include King Viserys, Prince Daemon and Princess Rhaenyra. With so many members of House Targaryen present in the series, it may be easier to see the seeds of madness that are planted in each of them. House of the Dragon may address how their family is in danger of losing themselves to fear and anger, which leads to untold death and cruelty. Having more context for why the Targaryens are prone to madness may help to lend evidence to Daenerys’ own journey in Game of Thrones.
The Targaryens do have a close connection to dragons, the reason in the books is somewhat ambiguous, but it has to do with their connection to Old Valyria. This connection may influence the Targaryens as much as they influence their dragons. If the relationship is more symbiotic, then it may lead to the Targaryens feeling the rage of their dragons and causing them to go mad. It may also be more biological. Targaryens are known for incest. This may have caused something to change in their brains that led them towards mental instability. This may also be addressed in House of the Dragon considering the time period of the show.
House of the Dragon will be the first chance to really explore the lore of the Targaryens and their family lineage. They ruled Westeros for centuries, yet TV audiences know almost nothing about them past Daenerys. Seeing more of them on screen may help to lend context to Daenerys’ actions and the decisions she made. Understanding more about the Targaryens and their bloodline can help people make sense of why Daenerys fell prey to madness so quickly in Game of Thrones.
House of the Dragon premieres on August 21, 2022 on HBO and HBO Max.