Kasumi: The characters and politics are really well explored. And you really get a good sense through the King Viserys’ daughter Rhaenyra of what it’s like to live at a time when royal women are more a dynastic chess piece than a person.
A: And then you’ve got King Viserys, and how heavy the mantle of kingship rests on his shoulders. That poor man is just in hell, really.
K: It also really gives you a good sense of how the seeds of destruction are being planted in the kingdom.
A: And how terrible the Targaryens are at parenting.
K: Absolutely, and...wait, what?
A: They’re truly incompetent parents.
K: I’m not sure I follow you here. Are you talking about how some of them get out of control towards the end, or...?
A: Look at their hair, Kasumi. It’s white!
K: And?
A: This isn’t an anime! It didn’t start out white. But all of the children’s hair is white...and what turns people’s hair white when they’re very young? Fear!
K: ...fear.
A: Yes, fear! And who could blame them? From the time they’re in the womb, they’re around big scary dragons that could eat them! That would scare anybody to the point of turning their hair white.
K: I’m pretty sure the white hair is supposed to be a sign of their Targaryen blood. Also, Rhaenyra’s children don’t have white hair, which is a clue that they’re illegitimate.
A: Yes, but Rhaenyra lives by the sea. That counteracts the fear of dragons. None of the other Targaryen children are so lucky.
K: But the Velaryons all have white hair, and Rhaenyra is married to one.
A: That’s just because they get exposed to the terror of the seas. That scares them into white hair too.
K: Now you’re making no sense! If the seas are terrifying, and the dragons are terrifying, then how come Rhaenyra’s children don’t have white hair?
A: That’s because the Velaryons don’t have dragons. The fear of the dragons and the fear of the seas cancel each other out.
K: Right...moving on, let’s talk about the worldbuilding.
A: And the truly terrible and unsustainable economy of the Targaryen kingdom.
K: Unsustainable?
A: The entirety of Targaryon power is based on dragons! And all dragons want to do is sleep and eat livestock.
K: Well, yes, but I’m not seeing how that becomes part of the greater economy.
A: It’s because the dragons want it to be. Think about it, Kasumi! The dragons need livestock to eat, which leads to an overproduction of livestock to feed the dragons. This shifts production away from other goods and services that can benefit the kingdom.
K: I think I’m following you.
A: But this also shifts the diet of the lower classes. Because they have to spend so much time raising livestock, they’re not growing and eating enough vegetables. This, in turn, impacts their health by forcing them into a more fatty, red meat-heavy diet, which in turn increases the likelihood of heart disease. This only benefits one segment of society.
K: So, what you’re saying is...?
A: The entire economy of Westeros is meat and dairy farmers, and cardiologists...because of dragons.
K: Wait, isn’t it a Medieval setting?
A: I didn’t say they were good cardiologists.
A: I didn’t say they were good cardiologists.
K: Right...let’s wrap up. Who’s your candidate for best girl?
A: The young Laena Velaryon.
K: Why just the young version?
A: Isn’t it obvious? She’s the cutest thing in the entire cast.
K: That...made more sense than I thought it would. Okay then, we liked House of the Dragon, and I guess one should never base one’s economy on dragons.
A: Unless you need to train lots of cardiologists.
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