Did the Rings take over the Dragons after season 2?

After a first round dominated by the Targaryens, Sauron regained momentum and struck hard in the second round which took place this summer. To the point of making his fantasy rival falter.

What is the best fantasy series? Even if Morfydd Clark And Matt Smith make films together and refuse to talk about rivalry, we like to oppose The Rings of Power And House of the Dragon. Tolkien's adaptation? Or Martin's adaptation? Which is the most successful? The long-distance fight between the two huge fantasy series resumed this summer, with an unexpected twist…

If the first round had been won hands down, in 2022, by House of the Dragonthere is clearly a match, while Round 2 has just ended. At a time when the balance sheet gong rings, the spin-off of Game of Thrones returns to his vacillating corner, reprimanded by his own camp and the remonstrances of the original coach, George RR Martin. At the other end of the ring, the serial version of Lord of the Rings can bulge the chest. She can take a breather having revived hope among her supporters.

And it was not won, as she had seemed sluggish in a depressing first round, weighed down by a serious lack of energy. Without denigrating its aesthetic qualities, already evident at the time, The Rings of Power was able to reintroduce rhythm into a much more exciting season 2. A narrative quality has finally been added to the flamboyant settings which owes much to the rise in power of Sauron, the surprising central character of the new episodes. From his brutal decline in the opening sequence to his impossible romance with Galadriel, Peter Jackson's elusive demon took a surprisingly human form in this chapter which knew how to advance the story intelligently, without denying Tolkien but by imagining new ideas. unexpected things.

Conversely, House of the Dragon already seemed to run out of ideas. While it didn't hold back its punches in an enterprising first season, daring big jumps in time – even if it meant changing the entire cast or almost halfway through – the HBO series suddenly seemed tired, hitting the void. Daemon in his cursed castle, Rhaenyra and the bastards, Alicent and her sociopathic offspring… This season 2 beat around the bush for 8 episodes to the point of going in circles. Even its greatest weapon, the little political game of alliances, so emblematic of the heyday of Game of Thrones, seemed too predictable, failing to knock us out by confining itself to limply filming restricted councils.

Between two exhausting discussions, House of the Dragon sometimes decided to take her winged creatures out of the stable. And it is true that every time they took to the air, these dragons impressed us. Episode 4, with the siege of Firerest, was spectacular, but it was one of the (too) rare moments of madness in a season 2 which was too often noted for its immobility, or rather its teasing strategy, igniting the fans without ever really attacking. Like an exceptionally frustrating finale, which spent an hour setting up the scene for an action… that we will only see in season 3.

On this point too, The Rings of Power demonstrated a certain superiority, for example devoting more than two hours to the siege of Eregion. Also assuming to bring on stage a Balrog (even for a few seconds), a Hill Troll or even a Gandalf.

It’s hard to fight that when it comes to fantasy. Yes, this year, the fantasy duel was undoubtedly won by the series of Lord of the Ringsmore impressive and more epic. But we feel that House of the Dragon has kept some aces up its sleeve and could quickly regain the upper hand during Round 3, which will be held in 2026…. as long as the spin-off decides to let go.