Rhaenyra Targaryen's Story in House of the Dragon: Comparisons with Daenerys Targaryen's Controversial Path
A terrifying truth surfaces as the story progresses in House of the Dragon: the HBO show runs the danger of echoing one of the most divisive events in Game of Thrones history: Daenerys Targaryen's explosive fall from Season 8. Although House of the Dragon is set centuries before Game Of Thrones's events, the natural connections between the characters and their paths produce an amazing sense of déjà vu.
Rhaenyra Targaryen and Daenerys Targaryen: A Two Targaryens Story
Compelling figures battling their birthright to the Iron Throne are Rhaenyra and Daenerys. Although their routes to inherit their legacy are different, their difficulties are rather similar. Like Daenerys' path in Game Of Thrones, the audience is aware of Rhaenyra's struggle to land her proper place. Both characters find great resonance in the weight of their Targaryen background and the demands of proving their value in a society run under men.
Rhaenyra Targaryen's Taking of King's Landing: An Echo of Daenerys' Behaviour
Rhaenyra's ultimate takeover of King's Landing, a turning point in Fire & Blood, reflects events of Game of Thrones season 8 in House Of The Dragon. Daemon Targaryen shares Rhaenyra's desire to act rather than wait passively for success, which reflects Daenerys' behavior in the last season of Game of Throne. Driven by a need to occupy her proper place, this forceful approach prepares the ground for possible similarities with Daenerys' sad end.
King's Landing: Rhaenyra's Triumph and Daenerys' Loss
The events surrounding Rhaenyra's triumph in King's Landing bear rather close resemblance to Daenerys' conquest. Both times, the lack of important people leaves the city open. King's Landing's lack of notable defense combined with Daemon's army make Rhaenyra's triumph rather simple. But great bloodshed and destruction accompanied Daenerys' conquest, which brought her down into madness and resulted in the later treachery of her closest allies.
Rhaenyra's Rule: Daenerys' Fate's Shadow
Though the smallpeople welcome Rhaenyra's first rule, tired of Aegon's rule, echoes of Daenerys' path still linger. Fire & Blood notes that Rhaenyra first sits on the Iron Throne and sustains a self-inflicted injury, among other sinister events. Reflecting the complexity of Daenerys' rule in Game of Thrones, this portends a possibly violent and demanding rule.
The ascent of the Targaryens and the legacy of the Dragon Dance
Set almost 172 years before the events of Game of Thrones, House of the Dragon chronicles the ascent of the Targaryens, the last dragonlords to survive the cataclysmic Doom of Valyria. The show depicts the key Dance of the Dragons, a Targaryen civil war that split the realm and prepared the ground for the dynasty's ultimate fall. Emma D'Arcy and Olivia Cooke replace Milly Alcock and Emily Carey as younger Rhaenyra Targaryen and Alicent Hightower for House Of The Dragon's older iterations. The riveting story gains even more complexity and mystery from Matt Smith as Prince Daemon Targaryen and Paddy Considine as King Viserys Targaryen.
