After the Game of Thrones' final episode aired three years ago, fans have been clamoring for a project that would redeem the franchise. Rightfully so, because unlike the books George Martin wrote, the last couple seasons of GOT didn't live up to all the hype and expectations. Fortunately, the folks over at HBO are bent on correcting whatever went wrong by moving forward with House of the Dragon. The thing is, this show needs to stand out from its predecessor to be considered a success. For that to happen, these moves need to be made by the franchise's new series.
Unique ways House of the Dragon needs to differentiate from Game of Thrones
3. Focus more on the politics
When Game of Thrones first came out more than a decade ago, it blew minds away by taking elements of drama, suspense, medieval fantasy, and tragedy and mixing them all into one show. Right off the bat, people were invested in the Starks, Daenerys Targaryen, and the different Houses that made up Westeros back then.
Unfortunately, Game of Thrones dialed back on the political aspect of the show to focus more on the White Walkers, Jon Snow's true lineage, and Daenerys' journey from Essos. This decision led GOT's later seasons to suffer as the quality of the show declined.
The thing is, House of the Dragon can double down on what made Thrones successful – the drama and suspense generated by the desire to get the Iron Throne. Set a couple of centuries before the events of GOT, this era deals with House Targaryen at the peak of their power over Westeros and the Seven Kingdoms. But like its predecessor, there will be a central conflict surrounding the throne between different factions of the ruling House.
Without any unnecessary plot lines to distract the main one, House of the Dragon can focus more on its characters as they slug it out down the line. This will keep viewers invested in the show and it's definitely better than the convoluted story arcs that took the final two seasons of Game of Thrones.
2. Give the dragons sufficient screen time
Without a doubt, dragons are awesome. What's not, though, is seeing them not used to their full extent in a film or a popular show like Game of Thrones. While the latter seasons gave incredible scenes using Daenerys' dragons, there could have been much more done with them, especially during the final battle against the White Walkers.
This is something House of the Dragon can easily remedy. As mentioned earlier, this show revolves around the era when House Targaryen was at its most powerful because of the dragons it possessed. As the members of the ruling house go to war against each other, there's a pretty good chance that fans will see impressive dragon battles throughout the show.
This element should be given enough time to develop as these dragons are an integral part of this era of the Seven Kingdoms. When the opportunity comes, these battles must be done right so fans can really be in on the action. If this happens, House of the Dragon will transcend Game of Thrones in this regard.
1. Make House Targaryen stand out
Game of Thrones gave fans a chance to be familiar with Houses Stark, Lannister, Baratheon, and Tully. And while Daenerys was an awesome character to root for, her house is practically non-existent during the events of GOT. House of the Dragon should give fans a chance to know more about House Targaryen and how it rose above every family out there to become the premier power that kept the Seven Kingdoms for centuries.
Fortunately, House of the Dragon is the perfect way for people to see how awe-inspiring and terrible the Targaryens are. Since the focus would be on them and not on the other houses Game of Thrones featured, there will be enough time and opportunity for fans to learn how House Targaryen really is before they fell from power.
With House of the Dragon set to come out in less than a month, the hype surrounding this new series is building up. If it manages to set itself apart from Game of Thrones, expect the franchise to be infused with new life for years to come.
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