The game of Thrones Prehistory, House of the Dragonhas consistently shocked fans with its many spectacles but at the same time disappointed with its many storylines. Although fans had high expectations for season 2, the season left them massively disheartened.
While there were significant moments that stood out, fans are sad with the entire season, which seemed to be more of a filler-heavy piece. Part of the problem fans had with the season was the way Rhaenyra Targaryen was treated, and now they’ve found even more reasons to be angry after knowing who Ryan Condol focused on more this season.
House of the Dragon Season 2’s screen time will shock you
House of the Dragon While Season 2 promised some brilliant fights and jaw-dropping heroics, it failed to deliver on either front. Instead, the season seemed to drag on, with a premise that had a few good parts and little that was compelling overall. As such, the season disappointed fans and their high expectations, and was a mess overall.
While fans are angry, hurt, and dejected by the show’s many disappointing elements, they’ve found another reason to despise the season: the total amount of time each character is given. The amount of screen time the show gets is a shock, as it’s primarily based on the feuding Targaryens and their battle for the Iron Throne.
According to Reddit user @Acceptable_Mix_6264, the character with the most screen time was Emma D’Arcy’s Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen, which is shocking considering she barely got anything to work with and was largely inactive throughout the season. While it’s disappointing that Rhaenyra barely played a major role despite her 01:44:20 screen time, it’s even more disappointing that the character takes second place on this list.
With a screen time of 01:09:10, Olivia Cooke’s Alicent Hightower was the character who spent the most time on screen after her former best friend. Given how much fans disdain the character, it’s controversial that Ryan Condol chose to focus more on her. It’s a surprising decision considering how black-focused the show was supposed to be.
Fans are hurt because Alicent Hightower gets more screen time in House of the Dragon Season 2
Much of the events of the second season of House of the Dragon are about Ewan Mitchell’s Prince Aemond Targaryen, but the character doesn’t even make the top 5 characters with the most screen time. Instead, he comes in seventh on the list with just 27 minutes and 20 seconds of screen time. It’s shocking that Alicent Hightower gets more attention than him.
She is already a controversial character and has been pretty hated by fans since the beginning of season 2. The fact that she was “forced” into the storyline while the main character Rhaenyra Targaryen does next to nothing was already a point of contention among fans. So, when you look at all the screen time Alicent has received, House of the Dragon Fans are outraged at the show’s creator, Ryan Condal.
Honestly, there was absolutely no reason for Alicent to be number 2 on the list. Such a waste of time
— Dave (@Bewhatyoubejr) 11 August 2024
Alicent had no business spending so much time on screen. I love her, but her scenes were practically useless
— Paloma Diamond (@afterglowWitch) 11 August 2024
The fact that Alicent gets more screen time than Aemond and Aegon II combined is absolutely criminal. She is completely irrelevant to the plot of the dance…
— Nitin (@ngv_18) 11 August 2024
Alicent has more screen time than Aemond acrime!!!
Deamon had an hour of hallucination
Ryhaneyar had 1 hour to do nothing
That’s why this season is so shitty— xHx (@ItzESmith) 11 August 2024
Aemond deserved more screen time. No wonder season 2 was so boring
— Mystic Falls Archives || Fan account (@Darkseid241) 11 August 2024
Ryan Condal had told Den of Geek that the “children” in the second season of House of the Dragon and that their stories will be at the forefront. But when we see the screen time each character gets, we know that hardly seems to be the case. Even though much of the plot revolves around Aemond, the character barely gets enough screen time, while a supporting character like Alicent takes up most of the plot.
As House of the Dragon Although fans continue to protest, it is high time that the show starts responding to fans’ demands and works to meet their expectations, because after all, a show is nothing without a loyal fan base.
House of the Dragon can be streamed on HBO Max.
