I’m Very Disappointed With The Starks In House Of The Dragon Season 2

Warning: Contains SPOILERS for House of the Dragon season 2, episode 1, “A Son for a Son.”

Summary

• Lord Cregan Stark’s debut in House of the Dragon season 2, episode 1, fell short of expectations.
• Cregan Stark’s role is far too brief, and it misses out on the chance to better develop both his character and Jacaerys Velaryon’s.
• The show also missed the opportunity to delve deeper into Cregan Stark’s book story, leaving out key details that could’ve enhanced the plot.

I was very excited to see Lord Cregan Stark debut in House of the Dragon season 2, but unfortunately, his appearance was a bit of a letdown. Throughout both the A Song of Ice and Fire books and Game of Thrones, the Starks are the main heroes, the good guys, the ones we follow and root for more than anyone else. And by the time of Game of Thrones’ ending, they’re the ones who emerge on top (albeit with a lot of heartbreak and loss along the way).

Of course, the Starks aren’t the focus of House of the Dragon (clue’s in the name), and the only appearance from one of them – Lord Rickon pledging allegiance to Rhaenyra – hardly registered. That was all supposed to change with the introduction of Cregan Stark and a return to Winterfell, and technically that’s true… there’s a lot more of House Stark than in season 1. But that doesn’t mean it’s what I’d hoped for.

Cregan Stark Is Fine In House Of The Dragon – But His Role Is Too Brief

There’s Not Enough Screen Time For Tom Taylor’s Lord Of Winterfell

Cregan (played by Tom Taylor) is about what I’d expected character wise. There’s maybe a little bit of a Stark tribute act about him, like he’s a stock template. Take a pinch of Ned, a sprinkle of Robb, a dash of Jon, and rely on the audiences’ knowledge of whom these guys are as a shorthand for his character. Talk about duty, honor, make him sound a little stern and say “Winter is coming” in a slightly ominous but vague way, and job’s a good ‘un.

We just barely begin to get settled at the Wall, to get a sense of who he is and the relationship with Jacaerys that’s apparently been developed off-screen, before there’s a raven, Jace has to go back home, and we’re done with the whole thing.

Sometimes playing the hits is fine, and that’s what we get here. It’s nice and familiar and comforting, and might not be a problem if it had, well, played more of them. I’ve read the book, I didn’t expect Taylor to suddenly step into House of the Dragon’s cast and become one of the main players. His role is small. I just didn’t think it would be 3-minutes small.

We just barely begin to get settled at the Wall, to get a sense of who he is and the relationship with Jacaerys that’s apparently been developed off-screen, before there’s a raven, Jace has to go back home, and we’re done with the whole thing. There’ll be bigger scenes to come later, of course: the Winter Wolves, Cregan’s “greybeards,” will fight in a few major battles, but probably not until House of the Dragon season 3.

Cregan himself likely won’t come back to it until near the end of the entire show, if it follows his book story. That means it could and should have taken this chance to make a more lasting impression. The North remembers, but will anyone else when season 4 rolls around in…2028?!

House Of The Dragon Left Out Almost All Of Cregan & Jace’s Book Story

There’s A Lot From Fire & Blood That Wasn’t Included In The Show

I’m not really asking for House of the Dragon to massively invent a storyline for Cregan out of nowhere, but instead to just take the outline from the book and expand upon it like it has for so many others. Fire & Blood presents three options for what happened with Cregan and Jacaerys: firstly, that they got on famously and hunted and drank and had a lovely little time. Secondly, Jace spent his time trying to convert Cregan to the Faith of the Seven. And thirdly, that Jace slept with – and then married – Cregan’s bastard half-sister, Sara Snow.

Show them forging the bond and having the discussions that would persuade the Lord of Winterfell to send 2,000 men to die for Rhaenyra’s cause.

Discounting the middle of those options, which even the book mostly dismisses, either of the other two (or some combination) could’ve made for great TV. Jace being tempted by this bastard Northern girl, but ultimately staying true to his betrothal to Baela, could’ve been compelling. Have him pal around for a few minutes with Cregan, allowing for something a bit lighter before the severity of, well, everything comes crashing down upon him. Show them forging the bond and having the discussions that would persuade the Lord of Winterfell to send 2,000 men to die for Rhaenyra’s cause.

If nothing else, detail the Pact of Ice and Fire. Cregan doesn’t just send men to their deaths for nothing, nor is it just for his good ol’ Stark honor. He and Jace make a deal, and in return for his loyalty and soldiers, Jace agrees to send his firstborn daughter to Winterfell as a ward, until she’s old enough to marry Cregan’s son and heir. It’s a crucial detail for the story and a neat Stark/Targaryen connection for the world. It would’ve taken just another minute to show, so I’m baffled as to why they didn’t do it.

More Cregan Stark Would’ve Better Connected To One Of HOTD’s Biggest Stories

The North Story Could Have Linked To Aegon’s Dream

Another reason I’d have liked more of Cregan Stark here is because of something introduced back in House of the Dragon season 1: Aegon the Conqeueor’s A Song of Ice and Fire, his prophetic dream of the White Walkers. The Starks have a role to play in that – Jon Snow is, of course, a song of ice and fire himself – and so, by expanding their role even just a little bit more, it could have more deeply connected to that theme.

It’s clear Jacaerys doesn’t know about Aegon’s dream. I’ll be interested to see how it does play out, but it’s a bit of a shame we couldn’t have him nod towards it here, in response to Cregan’s own warning of how the Wall was built to keep out “death.” It could still have remained a secret, but both sides acknowledging the greatest threat of all lies to the North, not the South, would have been fitting as a means of touching on a connective thread in the Targaryen tapestry that runs all the way from Aegon to Jon and Daenerys.

In the grand scheme of the season, it may not affect things too much. But Game of Thrones excelled in the details, in how it would spend time almost luxuriating in scenes and locations and characters. I appreciate House of the Dragon season 2 has a lot to pack in and more important stories to tell, but after a tease that winter was coming, I just wish – a bit like in Game of Thrones season 8 – it’d lasted a bit longer.

New episodes of House of the Dragon season 2 release Sundays at 9pm ET on HBO and Max.