Now comment | House of the Dragon has been accused of “wokeism”, but I can’t find it

Even before watching the first episode House of the Dragon the premise was clear: the spin-off follows the steps of the Targaryen family 200 years before Game of Thrones – series of events and the center is the king’s daughter Rhaenyra (Milly Alcock and Emma D’Arcy), who is fighting for his position as heir to the crown.

“House of the Dragon offers sex and violence like its predecessor, but with a woke twist”, Evening newspaper promised in August, and that’s what I expected to see.

After six episodes, however, it seems that HotD’s “woke-twist” is wearing thin.

Of course, if woke means that the series is not full of sexual violence, then the situation is different: the rape scenes that were shocking in GoT have been abandoned in the spin-off, there are no glimpses of genitals in every sex scene, and there seems to be less sex in general.

The position of women has been advertised as being stronger than In Game of Thronesbut in the first five episodes it comes out mainly through platitudes embedded in the lines, such as “men would rather burn the kingdom than see a woman on the throne”.

If you haven’t watched House of the Dragon and Game of Thronesat this point you should go and read HS’s main news, because you probably won’t be doing Pury with a cart. Also note that the story contains plot revelations from both series.

Series the preliminary setup was already so strongly known in advance that only after the middle of the season a turn occurs, which could not have been predicted beforehand on the home couch. By that time, it looked as if Rhaenyra would finally lay the crown on her white hair, as has been hinted from the beginning.

But when in the sixth episode we jump forward in time and the series changes to an adult cast, the position of boss lady is actually held by Alicent Hightower (Emily Carey and Olivia Cooke), on Rhaenyra’s maternal side and ex-bestie.

HotD has been marketed as focusing specifically on female characters, and Alicent and Rhaenyra are really interesting. However, the fact that women are followed is not enough for a “woke-twist”. See you already Even in Game of Thrones superior female characters.

For example, from GoT’s Sansa Stark (Sophie Turner) grows up over the course of eight seasons into what many consider to be perhaps the best character in the entire series. Not to mention the complex Cersei Lannister (Lena Headey) or about Daenerys, the future ruler of the Targaryen family (Emilia Clarke), who burns down an entire city when angered enough.

However, it must be taken into account that in GoT the characters had many seasons to grow and develop. I hope this is also the case with HotD, which is getting at least a second season.

A spin-off instead of female characters, the most interesting character is the king’s capricious brother Daemon (Matt Smith). The plot and tension of the series largely depends on what the tile brother comes up with next. So far, Rhaenyra’s displays of power have been limited to a few scenes where she’s flying a dragon.

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“Casting different people in a series with international actors is not wokeism, it’s normal.”

The familiar incest from Game of Thrones is even more present when Daemon and Rhaenyra are romping in the pleasure house. In GoT, the romance between the Lannister siblings was the driving force behind the series.

Statesidewhere the whole woke term has suffered a strong inflation and acquired a negative connotation, House of the Dragon has been criticized for “wokeism glued on” precisely because of its role.

Not all members of House Velaryon are white. For example, Lord Corlys and Lady Laena are played by brown people Steve Toussaint and Nanna Blondell. Emma D’Arcy, who plays the adult Rhaenyra from the sixth episode onwards, has said that she is transgender. However, D’Arcy plays the role of a woman. And we also saw Lady Brienne in GoT more than ten years ago (Gwendoline Christie), which deviates from traditional women’s fashion.

Of different kinds casting people in a series with international actors is not wokeism, it’s normal.

Perhaps “woke-twist” means that Alcock, who plays the role of young Rhaenyra, looks like Daenerys, who has been passed through a generation z generator with her personal face?

If Game of Thrones bingeing over and over again is getting boring, isn’t it House of the Dragon really nice to watch if you’re hungry for GoT.

The mocked “woke-twist” remains unclear in any case.

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