Warning! Spoilers ahead for House of the Dragon.
HBO has another ratings hit on its hands with the Targaryen-centric Game of Thrones prequel, House of the Dragon. For the most part, House of the Dragon has been widely praised by critics, but some aspects of the series have been met with a more mixed response. The episode-to-episode time jumps have affected the show’s pacing and the effectiveness of the character development.
These regular time jumps between episodes have resulted in major plot points being completely skipped over. From one episode to the next, characters gain new spouses, children, and royal titles.
Viserys Mourns The Loss Of His Wife And Baby
In the first episode of House of the Dragon, fans were introduced to King Viserys and his wife Aemma, who was expecting to deliver his long-awaited heir. But in a shocking turn of events, Aemma died gruesomely in a makeshift caesarian section procedure and the baby didn’t survive much longer.
The next episode skipped forward by half a year. Six months on, Viserys is still grieving, but his counsels are trying to get him back on the horse to sire a new heir with a new queen.
The Births Of Rhaenyra’s First Two Sons
The midseason 10-year time jump picks up with Rhaenyra – now played by Emma D’Arcy – giving birth to her third son. She is already the mother of Jacaerys and Lucerys, who were born during the time jump.
Laenor names their third child Joffrey after his lover who was beaten to death by Criston just prior to the decade-long time jump. Viserys won’t hear of it, but it’s heavily implied that Laenor is not the biological father of any of these boys.
Daemon’s Occupation Of Dragonstone
Following the six-month time jump between the first and second episodes of the show, Daemon illegally occupies Dragonstone with the help of his loyal City Watch guards. He uses this occupation to consolidate power in his bid to tear House Targaryen apart.
Daemon is confronted by Ser Otto and the Small Council – and eventually by Rhaenyra and her dragon, Syrax – before standing down. His initial invasion would’ve been a cool action scene, but this storyline was ultimately too short-lived to give too much screen time.
Viserys’ Marriage To Alicent
The second episode of House of the Dragon revolved around Viserys’ search for a new queen. After being set up with various potential suitors, he decided to marry Ser Otto’s daughter, Lady Alicent, who’d been secretly consoling him. But the actual wedding took place off-screen.
According to People, a wedding scene was filmed for Viserys and Alicent, but was ultimately cut from the series. Instead, the end of the episode focuses on Corlys proposing an alliance with Daemon in retaliation for the king rejecting his daughter’s hand in marriage.
The Majority Of The War For The Stepstones
There have been plenty of thrilling battle sequences in House of the Dragon, but the show skipped over the majority of the War for the Stepstones. The third episode picks up three years after Corlys allied with Daemon to embark on a daring military campaign.
The conflict escalated drastically in this three-year period before it culminates in the siege of Bloodstone. It’s as if Star Wars cut straight from Luke Skywalker joining the Rebellion to his final stand against the Emperor on the second Death Star. The War for the Stepstones could’ve filled an entire limited series on its own.
Ser Criston Sides With Alicent
After mistaking Joffrey’s peace offering for a threat, Ser Criston brutally beat him to death at the wedding of his lover Rhaenyra and Joffrey’s lover Laenor. Following his blood-soaked outburst, Criston went out to find a quiet place to take his own life. But just before he could do it, Alicent stopped him.
A decade later, Criston is a personal ally of Alicent’s who trains her sons in swordplay and keeps her up to date on all the goings-on in the kingdom.
The Birth Of Aegon
In the early episodes of House of the Dragon, the king’s counsels were concerned that he wouldn’t sire an heir any time soon and that Daemon might be able to seize the Iron Throne. But, in between the second and third episodes, Viserys and his new wife Alicent have a baby.
At the beginning of the third installment, they’re already parents to a baby boy. And not only that, they have another one on the way. Viserys plans a hunt to celebrate his son Aegon’s second birthday.
Rhaenyra Is Betrothed To Laenor
In the fourth episode of House of the Dragon, Rhaenyra is seen rejecting every potential consort that is offered to her. That episode ended up teasing a romance between Rhaenyra and her uncle Daemon as he took her to a brothel and tried to seduce her, but Viserys didn’t want the two to be married.
Between the fourth and fifth installments, Rhaenyra is betrothed to Ser Laenor Velaryon. The fifth episode ended with Rhaenyra marrying Laenor, but audiences never got to see their engagement.
Daemon’s Marriage to Laena
The fifth episode of House of the Dragon finally introduced fans to Daemon’s estranged wife, Rhea. Shortly thereafter, he murdered her and staged her death as a hunting accident so that he could inherit her properties. In the sixth episode, “The Princess and the Queen,” Daemon has a new wife.
Although they didn’t get to spend a lot of time together on-screen, it was clear from the offset that Daemon and Laena shared one of the most passionate romances in the series’ ensemble.
The Births Of Laena’s Daughters
Not only did House of the Dragon skip past Daemon and Laena’s wedding, but it also skipped past the births of their first two children: their daughters Baela and Rhaena. The sixth episode of the series begins with the family visiting Pentos.
Throughout the episode, Laena is expecting a third child. But, tragically, when she goes into labor, she finds herself unable to deliver the baby and orders her dragon to incinerate her so she can die a dragonrider’s death.
Source:gamerant.com