Ever since House of the Dragon’s first season debuted on HBO/Sky, I have been diligently awaiting new episodes. The reason for this is not that I yearned for more Game of Thrones lore after the main series ended; in fact I was quite fed up with the lacklustre culmination of that show. No, if you’re a genre fan such as myself there are at least 17 good reasons (that we know of so far) to watch HOTD: a host of formidable, badass, epic dragons! Dragons such as we’ve never seen on screen before.
Dragons of many shapes and colors
It’s no secret that I am a dragon enthusiast; I have waxed lyrical on the fabled winged creatures on this blog before and talked about their significance to the classic fantasy genre. As abundant as dragons are in videogames especially, there are not as many great depictions of them in film to date. As someone who has watched most movies in existence that featured a dragon or dragons to any larger extent, I can say with confidence that most film makers have tried and failed at the task of not making a mockery of the subject matter.
Few exceptions naturally stand out, such as the Hobbit and Harry Potter (not counting animated movies). For older films with less CGI magicks at their disposal, we have the glorious Reign of Fire and Dragonslayer from 1981. And no, I did not like the dragon in Dragon Heart. That said, this is no commentary on the overall quality of these movies or the storytelling but strictly on how their dragons looked, felt and behaved.
Larry Elmore Art
When it comes to my personal preference, it’s the dragon aesthetic most widely populated by Dungeons & Dragons, notably by artists such as Larry Elmore, that ticks all the right boxes. Based on descriptions of western/medieval European mythology Elmore’s dragons are often horned with long necks and smaller, more snake-like (or reptilian) heads. The rest of the body is disproportionately larger and of course there’s the huge wings and fire/elemental-breathing ability which not all dragon mythos across the globe features equally.
It gets even better when storytellers allow their dragons to be more than just a scary endboss; when dragons have different personalities and features, different loyalties and personal intentions. This is where HOTD really shines. Not only does the show bring us a plethora of different dragons all at once, the dragons vary in size and looks as well as ability and character. They ally themselves seemingly at their own will (as viewers learn during the course of season 2) and they are distinct enough from one another that the internet has different HOTD fan clubs for different dragons. And yes, of course I too have a favorite one.
Then there are the dragon fights which are taking things to a whole other level. CGI or not, it’s a feat designing and animating credible fights between several flying dragons, all of which come with their unique fighting style and physiognomy. Based on the “A Dance with Dragons” material by G.R.R. Martin, I was excited for these particular scenes if not slightly apprehensive – but no need! Almost every new episode HOTD will show off its dragons in some way and it’s glorious every time. Season 2, including yesterday’s finale, has honestly been a bit of a snoozefest in many other regards but the dragons always deliver, so I am here for every minute of it!