‘House of the Dragon’ Showrunners Reveal Why Season 1 Features Several Time Jumps
House of the Dragon is delivering another fantastic story within the Game of Thrones universe. However, the various time jumps the series has taken in its first season have caught some viewers off guard. Episode 6 featured the most abrupt time jump so far, but the House of the Dragon showrunners believe the jumps in time are crucial to the narrative of season 1.
‘House of the Dragon’ Episode 6 jumps 10 years ahead
Each episode of House of the Dragon Season 1 has jumped ahead a few years in the story. Episode 6 took the most significant leap to the future with a ten-year jump. Rhaenyra Targaryen and Alicent Hightower are now much older and are played by new actors, with Emma D’Arcy playing Rhaenyra and Olivia Cooke playing Alicent. Some actors stayed the same, like Matt Smith as Daemon and Fabien Frankel as Criston Cole, but their current stories are very different now.
Episode 6 felt like the beginning of a new season because so much has changed. There are new actors, new characters, and new advances in the narrative. Rhaenyra and Alicent both have several kids and are each battling to have their own lines inherit the throne. A war is brewing between the two, and the seeds are being planted.
‘House of the Dragon’ showrunners explain the significance of the time jumps
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, showrunner Ryan Condal explains why there are so many time jumps in House of the Dragon season 1. Condal reveals that everything is leading up to the Dance of the Dragon, the war between Rhaenyra and Aegon Targaryen over the Iron Throne. The showrunner says there are things like marriage and having children that needed to happen off-screen so it would all lead up to the generational war.
“I’m excited about the pace and the structure of the story that we’re telling in the first season. It’s very complex. It happens over a long period of time because children need to get married off and then grow up themselves and then have children of their own who grow up in order to tell the story of this generational war that is fought. HBO gave [showrunner Miguel Sapochnik] the creative latitude to tell this incredibly complex story in a really patient and character-driven way that sets up a first season so that it launches you into one of the most famous and bloody conflicts in the history of Westeros — if not the most.”
“It’s what makes this premium HBO content versus the thing we would have been forced to make at a different outlet. Most other places would not have had the patience and boldness to allow us to tell the story we’re telling. But this is how you tell this story correctly. We’re telling a story of a generational war. We set everything up so by the time that first sword stroke falls, you understand all the players — where they are and why they are. All the history is there instead of being told to you in exposition. This way you get to see it all happen.”
How many episodes will be in season 1 of ‘House of the Dragon’?
House of the Dragon Season 1 will consist of 10 episodes. It’s unclear if the series will continue to have massive time jumps, but it will slow down once the Targaryen civil war begins. In the novel Fire and Blood, on which the show is based, the war lasted around two years.
House of the Dragon is currently streaming on HBO Max.
