Roughly four years since we last saw the platinum blonde wigs of the house of Targaryen, HBO is ready to return to Westeros—and it’s leading with the dragons this time. As we all remember, waiting for dragons to show up was a frequent fan joke in the first season of Game Of Thrones; well, none of that is happening this time.
“I hope you like dragons,” co-showrunner Miguel Sapochnik wrote in a letter to fans. Sapochnik, one of the original series’ best and most prolific directors, sat the panel out due to COVID.
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The new series begins at the absolute “pinnacle of the dynasty,” said co-showrunner Ryan Condal. “They have the most dragons they’ll ever have.” But the bloom is starting to come off the rose.
The extended trailer, shown exclusively at Hall H, showed the factors that get the Game going again. A family, a throne, and a whole bunch of dragons is, once again, driving wedges within a once grossly close family.
Taking a break from not finishing that final Song Of Ice And Fire book, George R.R. Martin was on hand to pump up the show with bonafides. Nothing probably lights a fire to protect your creation quite like a disappointing conclusion. Martin likened doing a show like this to giving his child up for “adoption,” and worrying whether they’ll be taken care of.
“I’ve been very fortunate here,” Martin said. “Ryan has done a great job of adapting the books so far, and our cast is amazing. Unfortunately, with COVID, I didn’t get to visit the set and hang around. I’ve seen nine of the 10 episodes and it’s pretty amazing. I’m really very happy.”
And as for the wigs, a “Targaryen rite of passage,” seeing them in action was the first time that Emma D’Arcy, who plays Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen, knew that she was really on the show. “It does all the work.”
Yes, the wigs fly the flag of HBO’s blonde era, even if they sit a little weirdly on Doctor Who’s head.
When asked what makes a good ruler, Martin weighed in. “Someone who regards being kind as a duty rather than a privilege that they’re entitled to,” said Martin. “If you actually lived in Westeros, I think you would be more concerned with a king that was building roads than starting wars.”
King Viserys Targaryen isn’t driven by glory, and even thinks his daughter could be queen. But considering, as Martin explained, the show is based on a real history of “The Anarchy,” a civil war in England that began when King Henry’s daughter, the heir to the throne, was usurped by her cousin upon her ascension, things may not turn out so well.
“My books are fantasies, but I do follow history. I take history and turn it up to 11,” said Martin. “I don’t think Westeros is more anti-women or mysogynistic than reality.”
One of the themes of the show, explained D’Arcy, is how do you lead if you are a woman, how do you convince people to go along with a woman’s leadership. A dragon probably helps.
