The first season of House of the Dragon has, for the most part, lived up to the hype in establishing a prequel that matches well with the grittiness and brutality of Game of Thrones. While there haven't been as many battle sequences thus far, the violence and war scenes are still bloody and horrifying. Above all, this prequel is an operatic family drama in which characters are calculated and deceiving towards each other.
With all of its time jumps and focus primarily on the Targaryen family, House of the Dragon hasn’t taken as much time to develop the show’s other characters, making their decisions and motivations seem murky at best. Here are some of the characters and relationships that deserved more exploration and depth.
Corlys Velaryon and His Duties
After making such a great first impression in the pilot episode, the appearance of Lord Corlys Velaryon (aka the Sea Snake) has been inconsistently back and forth in this series. He is a loving husband to his wife and a caring father to his children. The scenes between him and his love Rhaenys Targaryen are poignant, especially considering how distraught Corlys feels that his wife didn't become queen of the Seven Kingdoms.
However, one of the most annoying aspects of the show is how quick the action sequences are, specifically the battle between Corlys' army and Craghas Drahar aka The Crabfeeder along with his men. Other than the fact that the Crabfeeder literally feeds his enemies to the crabs, has an intriguingly creepy physical appearance, and has disrupted sea trades in Westeros, Drahar is ultimately a one-dimensional villain who is easily taken down by Daemon Targaryen (a fight that wasn't even shown on screen).
Corlys made a strong argument to King Viserys Targaryen that it was adamant to go to war against the Crabfeeder, but the war strategies and the battle itself are barely explored nor given any depth. Corlys is not given enough screen time during the battle, which becomes a predictable excuse for Daemon (who has some good kills) to achieve a small successful victory to briefly impress his brother Viserys before resorting to more inexcusable behavior. Corlys and Daemon become good partners in taking down the Crabfeeder, but then their partnership discontinues, leaving many to wonder where their bond will go next.
House Hightower
The Hightower family (specifically Otto and his daughter Queen Alicent) is without question one of the most mysterious and conniving dynasties due to their unrelenting ability to maintain their stance alongside the throne (with Alicent being married to King Viserys and Otto being the Hand of the King). Otto is a useful and reliable guide to Viserys, but when the King fires him from his position, he doesn't appear as frequently compared to the first few episodes, getting limited screen time later on. There's also no explanation nor conversation as to why Viserys had Otto return as the Hand (even after the sudden death of Otto's replacement, Lyonel Strong).
It's clear that Otto continues to look out for Alicent and her children in order to keep their succession in line. However, like Prince Daemon, Otto and Alicent's true intentions (aside from the throne) are still not fully revealed, raising questions such as whether the Hightower family plans to go to war against the Targaryens sometime in the future. Alicent is especially mysterious in her behavior, feeling angry and tentative most of the time while also messing up her nails.
House Strong
The family with perhaps the most intrigue is the Strong family. Lyonel is a serious and blunt character who also becomes a serviceable Hand of the King (like Otto), but his backstory is not explored. His son, Harwin, ends up fathering Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen's children, but the ten-year time jump prevents viewers from seeing how Harwin and Rhaenyra developed their relationship.
Larys Strong, the other son, has his own father and brother killed, without hesitation, in order to serve and please Alicent (since they both believe Otto was undeservedly fired as the king's Hand). While Larys is an intriguingly cold and evil character, his devotion to Alicent raises questions about why he's really helping (or taking advantage) of her.
Other Characters and Relationships
Another relationship that was very short-lived is the marriage between Daemon and Laena Velaryon. While Daemon still cares mostly about his own interests, Laena appeared to be a comforting presence towards the self-centered prince, providing warmth and tenderness. Laena loved her children and, unlike certain female characters, she was not willing to rush and give her children off to marry wealthy and powerful men.
Daemon's other wife, Lady Rhea Royce of Runestone, is only briefly shown in one scene and is ultimately killed by her husband. The tension between them is expressed before her death, but their conflicted relationship is barely given any attention. Other family members, such as Hobert Hightower (the eldest brother of Otto) and Vaemond Velaryon (Corlys' younger brother and a navy commander for the Velaryon army) are tough and firm characters in each of their households, but these brotherly relationships aren't shown enough compared to the complex bond between Viserys and Daemon.
Of course, this is a prequel show with seven out of ten episodes shown so far this freshman season (with a guaranteed renewal for a second season), so several characters still have time to be fleshed out, including the children of Rhaenyra, Daemon, and Alicent. However, with the early deaths of certain characters and the slightly abrupt ten-year time jump, the showrunners may want to add some more depth to characters aside from the Targaryens in order to heighten the dramatic intensity of the series even further.
House of the Dragon airs Sundays at 9pm on HBO and HBO Max.