Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 7/10
Cast: Emma D’Arcy, Olivia Cooke, Matt Smith, Ewan Mitchell, Simon Russell Beale, Tom Glynn-Carney, Fabian Frankel, Steve Toussaint, Rhys Ifans, Sonya Mizuno, Matthew Needham, Jefferson Hall, kurt Egyiawan, Eve Best, Paddy Considine, Paul Kennedy, Phil Daniels, Harry Collett, Max Wrottesley, Bethany Antonia, Anthony Flanagan, Phia Saban, Phoebe Campbell, Nicholas Jones, Vincent Regan, Freddie Fox.
It’s never what was is in the presentation, it is always what is excluded that leaves the viewer, the expectant fan aghast at the omission of what could have been, and the counter narrative that suggests a different conclusion to those paid, employed to deliver the freedom of the story in the best way they see fit.
Occasionally, for the most part, the collective can let certain omissions pass, they can see the difference between those trained, those who subjected themselves to rigorous attempts to produce a moving artist vision to the population, and the desires of those who believe they know better just because they are a fan of the original sources. Sometimes though the collective has a point as they go into detail all that is wrong with a series and paying no heed to what is determined right, what is emotionally fulfilling on screen.
The second season of House Of The Dragon on screen is lush, the accomplishment of bringing such intricate detail to the posture and the depth of the beasts themselves is alone a feat to be admired, the relationship fall out between Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen and her husband Daemon, the inclusion of the ever consummate Simon Russell Beale as Ser Simon Strong, and the acting chops of Olivia Cooke getting some seriously intriguing time for the viewer to enjoy; and yet…
What is not on screen dominates the thoughts, the lack of the unrelenting fear of battle that was conveyed so handsomely in the initial stages of the show’s illustrious predecessor, the absence of a true unhinged villain or clouded whisper that will consume all, the series relying on the machinations of experience rather than true dominion held by an iconic devil in human form.
The issue becomes one of substance, and in part the ethic is there, in true fashion the elements fuse as if welded with Tungsten, polished to form a marvel in the making…only to see the flaws of design the closer the eyes are allowed to stare; and once seen the disappointment, casual at first, then unnerving, sets in to the soul.
With the observance that there is a set time limit on the series and the audience is now half way through at this second series ending, there is hope that with a definite ending in sight the book upon which this series is based is given huge and overwhelming deference; it has the actors, it has the goodwill of the fans to deliver a rousing finale fitting of its parent original openings, and above all it has had its warning shots to not let standards slip again.
Ian D. Hall