House of the Dragon episode 6 review: Time-jump recasting with mixed results

A creative decision looms House of the Dragon Since the show’s August premiere: A ten-year time jump in the middle of the show’s first season, marking a new actor taking on the lead roles of Rhaenyra Targaryen and Alicent Hightower.With a few exceptions — Lord Corliss Bellaryon (Steve Toussaint) children, each portrayed by three sets of actors throughout the season — Laenira and Aricent are the only two main cast members to swap performers after a time jump. This made the mid-season leap of the decade feel unusually heavy — and for the most part, House of the Dragon It’s not a big deal.

This is consistent with established practice.epic sweep of House of the Dragon It’s only subtly shown in the show. After the premiere’s on-screen text indicated that the events of the series take place “172 years before the birth of Daenerys Targaryen,” House of the Dragon Never frankly nod to the timeline again. Letters show the passage of time, how many years it has been — often for the benefit of the audience — but mad men, the time jumps in this show are frequent and unnoticeable. The time between one episode and the next is the time it takes for something else interesting to happen. Whether it’s 4 days or 4 years for him.

So it’s a bit overwhelming to see, even if it’s consistent House of the Dragon Introducing new versions of Rhaenyra and Alicent in a relatively mundane situation. We first meet Rhaenyra during her delivery (now played by Emma D’Arcy after Milly Alcock’s tenure as young Rhaenyra). The arrival of her son Joffrey is what the “princess and queen” hangs its structure, as Laenira chose to stop resting to bring her newborn son to court.

This is how we learn about the new status quo, which is strikingly similar to the old status quo. Viserys (Paddy Considine) survived last week’s disastrous collapse and still reigns as king, while Aricent (Olivia Cooke, who succeeds Emily Carey) has settled into her role as queen. Laenira has two sons besides Joffrey, so the place is always busy with children. According to Aricent, neither of her husband, Renner, looks like her Velarion (now played by John McMillan). Aricent’s son Aegon is now a punk-ass teen, and the center of Aricent’s long-simmering and silent conflict with Raenira, her apparent heir instead of her son.

Without prior knowledge of Targaryen history, House of the Dragon Dramatize, but this feels a bit repetitive. “Princesses and Queens” appears as her second pilot setting up the actual show. This is not necessarily a bad thing. The rest of the series means that these final five episodes have to prove essential to what’s to come, which could give undue weight to things like this cast change.

Putting those extant concerns aside, “Princesses and Queens” feels like a silent stage play built to build tension. (Fabien Frankel) is now Aricent’s loyal puppet, angered and jealous after Laenira spurns him to have a child with another Kingsguard knight, Ser Harwin Strong (Ryan Corr). was swallowed by ). These children were then passed off as legitimate sons of Laenira along with Laenor. When Kriston insults Harwin and the two get hit, a royal scandal goes public and worsens right under everyone’s nose.

Photo: Olly Upton/HBO

By the end of the episode, Aricent’s cold war heats up. Speaking with the cunning and shrewd Larry Strong (Matthew Needham), Harwin’s brother and son of the current Hand, Sir Lionel Strong (Gavin Spokes), Aricent reveals that she has been very protective of her I’m furious at Reynira’s disregard for politeness. Larry’s used this as an indirect to create some by offering to save their lives if convicted criminals were speechless and agreed to do his dirty work. Consider it an instruction.

of this new version House of the DragonAs its new leads, Emma Darcy and Olivia Cooke carry on from their predecessors almost seamlessly. – Cook’s resemblance to Emily Carey is so bizarre that Aricent’s recast feels redundant. In her own, scandal-prone way, she does her duty to produce heirs while trying to maintain a presence on the Small Council. I feel Because a girl who has come so close to her desired power at an amazingly young age is forced to wait and endure the threat to that power.

Players old and new are not just a little disorienting, but switch places around these two new central characters in a lively way. Even across the Sea of ​​Pentos, Daemon (Matt Smith) immolates himself with dragon fire when his new wife, Laena Bellaryon (now played by Nanna Blondell), loses her baby in childbirth. Sometimes, you find your self-imposed banishment upsetting. House of the Dragon It doesn’t seem subtle here, and we’re looking at versions of all these characters that would quickly collapse and reshape the next century’s map of Westeros.

“Princesses and Queens” is the kind of TV episode that makes you feel depressed when you watch it, but it adds depth when you stand back. That’s her hour on TV. House of the Dragon Episodes so far, obviously a trade game of thronesIt spreads for more focused research into entropy and how royal self-preservation conflicts with family ties. Investigate this in a rather nuanced way as it only sours over time until you get caught in a war that doesn’t exist. can stand