September and October of 2022 was a big moment for fantasy fans, as two of the most popular fantasy universes, Lord of the Rings and Game of Thrones, once again returned to the small screen in the form of The Rings of Power [ROP] and House of the Dragon [HOTD], respectively. Never before have the two big-name fantasies clashed head-to-head in the streaming wars.
HOTD and ROP have a lot in common – they are both prequels to acclaimed franchises, display females in prominent roles, and cover extensive time periods. As both of these franchises were airing at roughly the same time, this has naturally led to comparisons. Of course, the biggest question came: “Which show did it better?”
Short Verdict
Despite ROP having a higher budget and a wider potential audience, neither the money nor the hype can hold a candle to HOTD. ROP gets lost with its bland characters and meandering story. HOTD, in contrast, had complex characters that you both despise and route for, with a chain of events that build up organically.
All of ROP’s Characters Just Suck
The most crucial element in any story is its characters. What both shows like to focus on, in particular, are strong female leads and how they propel the story. The most contentious debate going on right now is how to update films for what is perceived as a modern audience. Rings of Power, however, has become the personification of how to do this poorly.
Exhibit A: Galadriel
For ROP, these characters suffer by simply not being good. They are merely self-inserts by the writers who really don’t know how to write them interestingly. For example, “Warrior Galadriel”, instead of the sage-like figure of wisdom, is now a sword-wielding Joan of Arc wannabe (no mention in the books). Making her a fighter wouldn’t have been a problem, except she solves everything just by punching and arguing and always gets her way. There is no tension if your hero, male or female, makes it through every obstacle effortlessly.
For some strong female characters like Starbuck from Battlestar Galactica, or Sandy Cheeks from Spongebob, it can work. They are aggressive characters, but they also have a solid commitment to their friends and have high conviction in their beliefs. They also can be funny and charming, people you’d want to be around, who are not restricted to one emotion. In addition, those characters are also can rely on friends and loved ones for support, so there was an explicit character dynamic with other people making them easier to connect with.
Compared to ROP’s Galadriel, none of this was done during the entire season. In every character interaction she’s involved with, she brings the energy of an edge lord with no sense of compassion. Even in moments where she’s supposed to be humbled in the finale, she is still rewarded for her actions despite getting loads of soldiers killed for no reason.
She leaves soldiers to die in the cold with little to no attempt to help and threatens even those who help her. Not once do we see her bond with friends or provide meaningful guidance. Even her sparring with the soldiers that are just used as a means to show off her power levels. Galadriel in this show doesn’t work because she has no real good qualities.
Perhaps her worst example was gaslighting Numinor to send an army into Mordor with no plan. The result gets numerous soldiers killed. The worst thing about this is that she faces no real consequences for her actions.
She is an absolutely entitled Karen Sue who wants to “literally” see the manager (IE, the King), and yet the writers want you to believe she’s the noble hero that “really” saved Middle Earth.
Some have argued that Galadriel’s behavior was intentional to show how flawed she is and how those flaws make her more interesting. However, those arguments don’t hold when you realize she was already flawed in the films when she was tempted by the ring. The moment she glances at the ring the temptation transforms her into the monster that was locked in her the whole time. The Galadrial of LOTR was wise and powerful, but she was not infallible which is an important quality for any protagonist.
I need to stress this next point: There’s a difference between a flawed character and an utterly unlikeable one. HOTD’s Rheanyra was flawed, Battlestar‘s Starbuck was flawed, and Galadriel in ROP was simply unlikeable.
Having good intentions doesn’t justify her constantly making mistakes that needlessly hurt others. She forced her fellow elves to roam the wilderness without any sign of compassion. She gaslights an entire kingdom to send an army to parts unknown without a plan. And when the orc leader Atar pleaded with Galadriel that orcs are people equally deserving of life and a place to call home, she was ready to slice his throat. This doesn’t make Galadrial a hero, or even morally grey; it makes her a complete villain.
And It’s Not Just Galadriel
Other character stories don’t seem to improve the situation. Bronwyn, in particular, scratches my head in several ways.
The issue I take is her becoming the leader of her fellow Southlanders with no explanation. So far as the audience is concerned, Bronwyn is just a village healer with no knowledge of how to lead an army or fight against orcs. Perhaps if she were the daughter of a village chief, her leadership would make more sense, but she’s just some woman. Warning her village and slaying an orc in her home doesn’t translate as being the next queen of your people.
The Harfoot girl, Nori, isn’t too bad, but her entire plot has nothing to do with the rest of the story, serving nothing more than a female Frodo, complete with a female Sam. This summarizes a large problem with ROP as a whole. It feels like a list of corporate checkmarks. Replace all the iconic roles in Lord of the Rings as females; no effort is put into developing them beyond that.
This could illustrate the laziness of the writers, but the problems go further than that.
The Age of Men Has Ended
To many fans of fantasy, Aragorn is the personification of masculinity.
He is a gruff ranger with a noble character who never wants to seek power and is forced into becoming king to protect all his loves. He also never backs down from a fight. Even when singlehandedly staring at an army of orcs, he faces them without hesitation. Throughout the trilogy, Aragon leads and befriends people alike, a perfect example of healthy masculinity. These traits have been increasingly lacking in our recent media.
This may be a stretch, but ROP falls victim to the same trends of recent Hollywood films that focus on empowering women at the expense of male characters and the story itself. Galadriel has now been put in the same realm as Rey and Captain Marvel, that’s been overpowered to the point they are completely unrelatable.
This might not have been so sexist if it weren’t for the fact that many male characters, when not just being flat-out evil, are portrayed as weak-minded or just generally lost. Even the more competent male characters like Elendil are constantly shoved to the side in favor of glorifying Galadriel as much as possible.
Let Me Be Clear
I understand and support changing gender roles to make the media landscape more equal. The original Lord of the Rings was a predominantly male-centric experience. As such, the need female characters in more prominent roles has become all the more urgent. But rings of power are not given equal treatment with their characters.
I can accept such moments happening if it was just one plot point or two. However, the fact that it’s happening to all in these plots is troubling. In ROP, in every storyline, the female protagonist is front and center and always framed as though they’re in the right, while nearly all the men are framed as in the wrong.
Many of the male characters are also either sidelined or made to be fodder. I don’t know about you, but I don’t think branding all men as incompetent is a healthy message for your audience. The idea of gender equality is that men and women are both powerful and, yes, subject to human flaws such as power.
How HOTD Approaches Female Characters
In contrast, HOTD works tirelessly to flesh out both its male and female characters. They all have flaws and good qualities that make us want to root for or against them.
In contrast, HOTD and Game of Thrones have both terrible and heroic people of both genders.
Neither Rhaenyra nor Alicent nor any of the characters are treated like royalty by the narrative. They are framed in a way where you have a hard time siding with either party. While there is a little more sympathy for the Blacks, you see the conflict around Alicent about going against her former friend or Aemond in how he desires to live up to his family history.
They are both characters that have contrasting personalities. They have flaws that drive the story, with Rhaenyra discovering her sexuality and Alicent being the polar opposite being stuck in traditional gender roles. They have set goals to ensure succession for themselves and, more importantly, their children. Rhaenyra and Alicent are characters who, whether you agree with their morals or not, are still well-written and exciting.
Additionally, while the men of HOTD are often portrayed as morally imperfect, they are still compelling in their own ways.
King Viserys, while viewed as a weak king, is clearly a man who loved his family and struggled to ensure his daughter’s inheritance. Daemon is an ambitious loose-cannon (who is also clearly a groomer) but still has a subtle love for his brother. Even Otto Hightower, who’s the main villain power-player you can argue desired stability, believing in his core that only a male successor can bring peace to the realm because of precedent. Otto is not a good person, but it’s hard to argue with his logic, considering this is a medieval setting.
This is the crucial difference: all of the characters in HOTD are identifiable and complex. You know what their motivations are and how their personalities drive the plot. In contrast, ROP’s characters are bare bones that aren’t given any depth. It’s like the character writing was done as a first draft that the filmmakers didn’t bother to revisit.
I understand the need to provide more gender equality in media since that wasn’t the case for eons, and we still struggle with it today. As much as we desire equality in our films, we can’t counter one toxic gender stereotype for another, as it undermines the concept of gender equality by implying women are superior in every way.
Conclusion
None of the problems listed would have been so evident if ROP’s characters were good, but they’re not. If the writers can’t hide their own politics with good stories and characters, they might as well not be in charge of a billion-dollar series.
