If you were to ask its most devout fans, House of the Dragon is perfectly paced with not so much as a stray filler sequence ruining its prospects. But the fact that the prequel show follows in the footsteps of a great predecessor and airs in roughly the same period as Amazon’s The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power was bound to draw comparisons sooner or later.
As audiences contemplate if this prelude revolving around the Targaryen dynasty should be funnier, other parts of the fandom are already busy determining Milly Alcock’s next big role, now that she’s being replaced by Emma D’Arcy as Princess Rhaenyra from this week forward. We have all of this and more for you in today’s roundup of Game of Thrones news, so read ahead without further ado.
There’s no stopping ‘House’ in viewing charts
If we’re being perfectly honest, there was nothing guaranteeing House of the Dragon‘s success after HBO dropped the ball on the final Game of Thrones season. And yet, it seems the prequel has managed to impress audiences to such an extent that it continues to shatter records day after day. Following the announcement that the series was averaging 30 million viewers in the United States alone, Nielsen has now reported that House amended its all too late season premiere in its second week by racking up 909 million minutes of watch time, not only stealing the first spot but also being the first series to achieve such a feat so soon after its debut.
Fans imagine Milly Alcock as Gwen Stacy and now we can’t get the picture out of our heads
Gwen Stacy is bound to pop up in the MCU in the near future, so what if the online community took it upon themselves to cast the perfect actress in the role? It certainly wouldn’t be the first time, but there’s something about this latest fan art that we just can’t shake off. Alcock has more than proven her acting chops by appearing in the first House of the Dragon season, portraying a nuanced character such as Rhaenyra Targaryen, no less, so a superheroine in MCU should practically be a walk in the park. The internet has spoken, Kevin Feige. Make the call!
Fans wonder if ‘House’ should be funnier, like ‘Game of Thrones’
Westeros has always been a grim dark world of treachery, backstabbing, and tragic incidents, but the original series used to maintain a comical undertone that balanced the seriousness of the drama. House of the Dragon has distinctively lacked such a flavor so far, but does it even need to incorporate it? Fans appear to be debating this point over at the official subreddit, though opinions vary. One thing’s certain; House will never be able to imitate Tormund Giantsbane’s comic relief one-liners, nor introduce a character half as charismatic as the free-spirited wilding.
Only two days remain until the sixth House of the Dragon episode, so as usual, make sure to tune in tomorrow for more updates on the world of Westeros.