'House of the Dragon' Season Finale 'Accidentally' Creates a New Franchise-Wide Joke
No Conflict
i think hotd writers think “a grey conflict” means nobody is at fault and everything has to be an accident
— adina™ (@shehulkism) October 21, 2022
The problem with HotD is the writers want people to choose a team so they are changing intentional acts to accidents so that neither side is see as evil. Instead of it being a war for the throne it’s a series of misunderstandings that get out of control.
— Chloë (@MorozkosWitch) October 21, 2022
Some fans felt that the show was trying to hard to keep all the characters reasonably likable and relatable, at the expense of narrative conflict. They felt they could have continued "rooting for" the protagonists on either side even if they had display more ambition, lust for power or even murderous intent.
prevnextComparisons
one thing about the lannisters, you’ll never see them starting a war over a misunderstanding or kiIIing people on accident, trust that they meant that shit and they’d do it again #hotd pic.twitter.com/pWAuZ03x5Y
— sarah • hotd spoilers (@matteIcktras) October 22, 2022
It’s like HotD looked at the GoT feedback and went “we hear you, henceforth all atrocities will be committed on accident.”
Just give me my show about war criminals. How is this so hard?
— sen (@SenLinYuWrites) October 22, 2022
HOTD is too scared to have a great villain like Cersei! Everything is just an ‘accident’ or ‘misunderstanding’. They would have made Cersei “accidentally” kill Robert & Joff accidentally killed Ned in GOT S1 🤦♀️
— Queen D 🐉 (@fangirl783) October 22, 2022
Fans compared the motives of these characters to those of Game of Thrones, asserting that the early seasons in Westeros showed more scheming and backstabbing without worrying about audience reception quite as much. Some even felt like this might be an overreaction to the main series' controversial ending.
prevnextMore Accidents
The horse and the rock. Not daemon’s fault
— faedyа💃🏻 (@tesegarty) October 22, 2022
Fans joked about other events in the show that might retroactively turn out to be accidents – even willful acts of violence.
prevnextDefenders
HOTD SPOILERS///
Y’all are so stupid like you literally have zero media literacy. How were these miscommunications and accidents even allowed to happen in the first place? BECAUSE of the tension already created between the characters like 😭😭😭 pic.twitter.com/p3VrqUh66f
— bayo 3 anticipator (@rayofvenuss) October 22, 2022
Many fans defended the emerging "accidents" pattern, saying that it did not negate the years of tension and hostility built up between the characters. Some felt that Aemond's hesitation just before killing Luke humanized him without absolving him.
prevnextHistorical Accuracy
Ep 10 hotd spoilers \\\\
Okay but to be fair were there maesters up in the air documenting the fight?no
— House Hightower’s Lawyer 🙏 (@1eunoiaT) October 22, 2022
maybe it rlly was an accident 🤷♀️
As it stands, many fans also felt like it still makes sense that Fire & Blood remembers Aemond as a murderer. They figured that the one-eyed prince wouldn't admit to his hesitation when he reported to his king, and that even if he claimed to be remorseful, historians wouldn't believe him.
prevnextViral Status
can't believe this joke just became the new "dany kind of forgot" 😭 pic.twitter.com/jwa0yMFf61
— j || hotd spoilers (@INEJSKNlVES) October 22, 2022
As fans realized they weren't alone in this interpretation, they delighted in seeeing a new meme format emerge before their very eyes.
prevnextPredictions
So now they've set themselves up for criticism of the storming of the dragonpit when the Dragons can't escape the dragonpit for "reasons."
This episode was just a warning for future stupid writing decisions.
— RENAISSANCE 🇬🇲🇺🇸 (@ABackuptasha) October 17, 2022
Fair warning: this is a particularly spoilery area – fans began to extrapolate about major events in the book that are likely coming in future seasons of the show. Many felt that they were already being telegraphed as more "accidental" than they appeared on the page.
prevnextAnxious
HOTD is actually insane I'm simultaneously scared and obsessed while also being emotionally attached and severely invested this is peak entertainment and i don't want it to end pic.twitter.com/bBw9B3UU4z
— wafi⁷ (@wafiqa_fiqa) October 17, 2022
Finally, it's worth noting that most fans aren't giving up on House of the Dragon or writing it off altogether over these "accidents." Many noted their conflicting feelings and frustration but also their favorite moments of the season. When the show returns in 2024, it's unlikely to see an "accidental" drop in ratings.
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