‘House of the Dragon’ Finally Improved the Ultimate Fantasy Cliché
Found family. The hero’s journey. Forbidden, unrequited love. Insurmountable odds. They’re all tropes of the fantasy genre, common themes found across literature, television, film—from A Song of Ice and Fire to The Lord of the Rings, The Wheel of Time to Harry Potter. There is, however, one other prominent theme, one which the latest episode of House of the Dragon, titled “Smallfolk,” delved into: reluctant leadership, and the suitability of those who do not seek power, but find it seeks them.
Camped out at Harrenhal, Daemon Targaryen has spent much of Season 2 contending with the mysterious Alys Rivers, while ruminating over the crown, the throne, and his past mistakes through dreams and nightmares. The most recent episode saw his proclamation before a weirwood tree that Rhaenyra “… never even wanted it”, referring to the crown, to which Alys’ response is a great summation on the essence of this piece: “That’s perhaps why your brother gave the crown to her. Perhaps those who strive for it are the least suited to wear it.” The line taps into the respective suitability to power for both Daemon and Rhaenyra, while also standing as an elegant line of dialogue in itself.
It’s an idea that’s in-keeping with how House of the Dragon has portrayed Rhaenyra Targaryen when compared to her counterparts on the Green side: Aegon, and now Aemond, and indeed, to Daemon himself, but one that also taps into this wider theme that is prevalent across fantasy storytelling.