Review: House of the Dragon, "The Princess and the Queen" | Season 1, Episode 6
An unprecedented time jump tests our investment in this world and its characters
On the one hand, “The Princess and the Queen” continues the trend of House of the Dragon largely revealing that Westeros’ past looks a lot like its future. Royal children straight out of a Clickhole quiz? Genetic mysteries easily answered by a simple glance at the company a mother keeps? A displaced queen feuding with her replacement, as those around her see opportunity to take advantage of her desperation to claim power of their own? While there may be more dragons this time around, the palace dramas surrounding House Targaryen bear a striking resemblance to those that will play out among the Baratheon/Lannister line of succession two centuries later.
On the other hand, however, this hour of television is a thing entirely unto itself, given the novelty of what transpires. It’s not like we’re surprised when the episode begins with a time jump: while I suppose there will be viewers out there who skipped the preview for this week’s episode, didn’t read any of the in…