Summary:
- The latest episode of House of the Dragon, “Smallfolk,” received the lowest rating in the show’s history due to backlash over a same-sex kiss and complaints about the season’s slow pacing.
- Fans are frustrated by the lack of action and story progression, fearing it may affect the show’s overall reception.
The most recent episode of House of the Dragon, “Smallfolk,” aired on Sunday, July 21. After being disappointed by the previous episode, “Regent,” we found “Smallfolk” thoroughly enjoyable. The episode utilized the show’s extensive character roster, paid off earlier plot setups (the riot scene was particularly gripping), and featured compelling character interactions.
Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen’s failed attempt to find a new dragonrider, Alicent’s heartfelt conversation with her brother Gwayne about her absent son Daeron, and Larys Strong’s surprising openness with King Aegon were standout moments.
However, despite these positives, “Smallfolk” has received the lowest IMDb rating of any House of the Dragon episode, a 6.3/10, significantly lower than the 9.6 achieved by “The Red Dragon and the Gold,” which featured an epic dragon battle. Why this drop, and what does it mean for the rest of the season and series? Let’s investigate. Beware of SPOILERS ahead.
#1 The Controversial Kiss
Towards the end of the episode, Rhaenyra shares a passionate kiss with her mistress of whisperers, Mysaria, marking a significant moment in their relationship. While we found this development intriguing and well-earned, it sparked backlash. Some viewers decried the scene as unnecessary and accused the show of pushing an agenda. This reaction, tinged with crypto-homophobia, likely contributed to the episode’s low rating.
When we saw that “Smallfolk” was getting bad reviews, our first thought was that it had something to do with the kiss. Indeed, reviews vented about the indignity of having to watch a character they thought was straight explore her sexuality. One one-star review lamented the scene as “unnecessary,” while another decried the previous Rhaenyra-Mysaria scenes as “sneaky bait & switch.” A review from Comic Book News dripped with contempt over Hollywood “injecting its own agenda into the characters and the show.” They thought the scene was unnecessary.
This all sounds like standard-issue crypto-homophobia to us. The only reason a character would be queer on TV is if it’s part of an “agenda.” There can only be a gay kiss if it’s “necessary.” With responses like this, we think it’s fair to assume that the low episode ratings are due in part to some fans being uncomfortable with the gay.
However, we don’t think that’s the whole story.
#2 Why Is House of the Dragon Moving So Slowly This Season?
Most negative reviews focused not on the kiss but on the season’s slow pace. Fans expressed frustration over the lack of story progression, yearning for the momentum and action of previous seasons. Characters like Daemon Targaryen have been languishing in unproductive plotlines, contributing to the sense of stagnation.
On these points, we are much more sympathetic. We think the show has definitely slackened its pace this season, starting right from the jump. Remember how season 1 ended with Rhaenyra learning about the death of her son Lucerys and turning to the camera in a murderous rage? Surely, we all thought, war was afoot.
But it wasn’t. Rhaenyra opened the season being the voice of temperance and caution in the room. And in the past three episodes, she’s spent at least one scene complaining of how frustrating it is to have to stay on Dragonstone rather than fly out and fight for the Iron Throne in person.
Daemon Targaryen has been at the crumbling castle of Harrenhal since the third episode of the season. He’s tried to raise an army of Rivermen but failed at every turn. In between, we’re treated to a parade of guest stars who march through his unquiet dreams.
Alicent Hightower is struggling with being put out to pasture by her son Aemond, who does not want her counsel in his new role as Regent. In last week’s episode, there’s a scene where she puts herself forward for the regent job and gets shot down by the men on the Small Council.
She is wounded by the indignity of it all. In “Smallfolk,” there’s a scene where Aemond effectively fires her. She is again wounded by the indignity of it all. We liked both of these scenes, but they did retread some of the same ground, which contributes to the sense that the season is repeating itself.
#3 Is House of the Dragon’s Slow Pace to Blame?
And we do think a brisk pace is important when you’re telling a story about war. Fans want character, they want theme, but they also want action and movement. And oftentimes character and theme are best expressed through action and movement, so let’s bring on the twists and turns.
We think part of the problem is that House of the Dragon seems unwilling to spend too much time away from Rhaenyra, Alicent and Daemon, even if they’re not the characters driving the plot at that particular moment.
On Game of Thrones, sometimes important characters like Jon Snow, Tyrion Lannsiter and Daenerys Targaryen would sit out whole episodes if they weren’t needed. We encourage House of the Dragon to adopt that strategy.
It’s also possible that HBO is encouraging the House of the Dragon team to stretch out the story so the series lasts longer. Season 2 is only eight episodes long while season 1 had 10 episodes.
We’ve heard reports that part of the story originally intended for the end of season 2, including a major battle scene, was moved to season 3. When asked about the reduction in episode count, producer Sara Hess hinted, “It wasn’t really our choice.”
So armies are marshalling on the borders of the show. Will they attack or be repelled? Much may depend on the final two episodes of the season, which air Sunday nights on HBO and Max.
