Aquila: What a follow-up to House of the Dragon season 1!

Kasumi: The war between the Targaryens is just brutal, particularly once the dragons get involved.

A: The conflict does seem to be very good at reducing the number of both dragons and Targaryens.

K: Along with everybody else.  The escalation of the war is just heartbreaking.

A: You really get an understanding of the degree to which this is a tragedy that gets away from everybody trying to stop it.

K: I love the complexity of the characters, too.

A: It’s a pity the Targaryens aren’t a bit smarter.  Well, a lot smarter.

K: What, you mean their inability to find a solution to the succession problem that starts the war in the first place?

A: Oh, absolutely not.  I’m not sure anybody in that world would have been smart enough to avoid it.  I’m talking about something basic, something the Targaryens should have thought of long ago, something that would have saved at least one life already on-screen.

K: And what’s that?

A: Parachutes.

K: That makes...perfect sense.

A: And it’s not like it would be hard to figure out.  A parachute is just a big cloth with strings that you hold over your head.

K: I mean, it’s pretty obvious when you think about it.

A: And consider how many lives would be saved in the long run!  How many Targaryen heirs lost their lives during dragon training because they forgot to strap in, and didn’t have a parachute?

K: I think my head is starting to hurt.

A: And that’s not even considering some of the more important business and technological developments that anybody should be able to think of in a world where the ruling class rides and makes war with dragons.

K: Okay!  This is going to be something like building sized crossbows as an anti-dragon defense, right?

A: What?  No, that’s just silly.  I’m talking about flame-retardant materials.

K: That...also makes perfect sense.

A: I mean, you’ve got a world where the main means of fast transport for the royal family breathes fire whenever they’re angry, or gassy...or bored.  Building materials that don’t burn or melt are going to be of paramount importance, and whoever can invent the best one is going to get very rich very quickly.

K: My headache is getting worse.

A: And, there are plenty of military applications too, especially for anybody who has to fight the Targaryens.  If you can find a way to get around dragon fire, you nullify most of their advantage.

K: I think this may be a migraine.

A: It really is a flaw in the worldbuilding, when you think about it.  Any world in which a major power has dragons is going to develop countermeasures.  They’ll have to – there’s just no other choice.  And any power that is flying dragons is going to need a way to keep their pilots from falling to their deaths if their dragon has a problem, or even just to get through training.

K: This is definitely a migraine.

A: I mean, you just have to be logical about it.

K: And you’ve been very...logical.  Um, moving on, who’s your candidate for best girl?

A: Lady Baela Targaryen.

K: Um...wait, you mean Daemon Targaryen’s daughter, the dragon rider?

A: The same.  I think she’s positioned to punch far above her weight.

K: And not a dragon, or part of a castle, or a horse, or some animal or thing that only appears on screen for a single scene?

A: Why would I do any of those?  That would be ridiculous.

K: Yes...it would.  So, to sum up, we like House of the Dragon season 2, and I really need to get some headache pills.  So, I’m just going to do that right now...excuse me.

A: Wow...that was so easy!  I’d better make it up to her later.