Recently, there’s very much been talk of House of the Dragon Vs Rings of Power. So, we’re here to discuss the two hit shows. We’ll voice our opinions on the rivalry and talk about the wider implications for big budget fantasy shows.
Our View
In terms of the two shows central premises, characters and themes, there’s not really a rivalry. However, what’s made it seem like there is one is that they’ve both had their first season’s run alongside one another. But the two hit shows haven’t really been in direct competition with one another. In the old days that might have been the case if they were on at a similar time, or even went out on the same day. Also, they are both fantasy but far from identical . . .
Similarities
Those who’ve watched both series will see there are some similarities. We reviewed the whole of season one of Rings of Power. We’ve also reviewed every episode so far of the first season of House of the Dragon, too. Anyone whose read those reviews will see both shows are heavy on character driven action. That’s what gives both their strength. For example, in Rings of Power we see the journey Galadriel (Morfydd Clark) begins, that culminates in her demeanour in Peter Jackson’s Lord of The Rings Trilogy. A standout character arc so far in House of the Dragon is that of Alicent (Emily Carey), who didn’t start as queen. Of course, that both worlds are from books is also a similarity.
Differences
There are some who thought it a bad idea to have both shows run concurrently. That’s part of what fuelled the House of the Dragon Vs Rings of Power debate/discussion. Again, whilst both shows have their fantastical elements, they don’t encroach on one another’s ideas. An obvious difference is that House of the Dragon is much more violent than House Rings of Power. So, Rings of Power attracted a wider audience, certainly it had some younger viewers. But violence wasn’t all that was different. Rings of Power wasn’t quite as psychological and was much less political, too.
Fantasy Revival?
The two shows both garnering a lot of attention can’t be a bad thing for the fantasy genre. Specifically, live-action shows. There will be some who are new to the genre. For example, those who haven’t read Lord of The Rings or seen Game of Thrones. Both shows look set to get more than just a second season, which is good news for fantasy fans. Other good news is that Willow begins at the end of November. This might pave the way for brand news series, or ones that are based on books that aren’t quite as well known. It looks like there is definitely a revival of the genre set.
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