Is it wrong to admit that I didn't feel much of anything when a certain young royal was killed off in Sunday night's Season 1 finale of "House of the Dragon"? Beyond the political and cultural ramifications of his death — a civil war between the Targaryens, years of unrest and tons of material for forthcoming seasons of the "Game of Thrones" prequel — his demise had little emotion compared with the shock and horror triggered by Ned Stark's beheading in Season 1 of HBO's earlier blockbuster.
Am I a heartless monster? Probably, but that's a subject for another time. I'd prefer to lay the blame on "House of the Dragon's" decision to swap out cast members seemingly every other episode, making it difficult to become invested in their fates. (Even the loss last week of the man who'd sat on the Iron Throne all season, Paddy Considine's King Viserys Targaryen, felt more a means to an end than the loss of someone we'd come to know intimately.) That lack of character development is why, though the series has mostly been a thrill to watch, Sunday's finale had a hard time sticking the landing.
"The Black Queen" soared more than it idled, and offered a cliffhanger with just enough conflict, dragons and palace intrigue to keep audiences hooked. And there were many bright spots, such as Prince Daemon (Matt Smith) singing to a feral dragon in old Valryian, or the vision of Queen Rhaenyra (Emma D'Arcy) wearing her father's crown. But it could have been positively explosive if viewers had more time with the show's poor sods before they were killed off, or had been able to forge deeper connections with the folks who'll carry the show to the next season.
