Fifteen years on, House of the Dragon finally corrects a Game of Thrones Stark mistake
House of the Dragon finally points the camera north, giving the Starks of Game of Thrones lore their due — and the pay-off will raise a few Northern eyebrows.
For anyone who's still miffed about never seeing the Starks actually doing proper battle business in Game of Thrones, House of the Dragon has just done what its predecessor somehow never got round to. Fifteen years on from the original show’s debut – yes, it really has been that long – we’ve finally seen Stark men unleashed, and it's as grim and glorious as the legends always promised.
House of the Dragon first brought House Stark into play in its series two opener, "A Son for a Son," giving us Tom Taylor as Lord Cregan Stark – and series three's kept them in the thick of things, if not always centre stage.
The Starks – At Last – Unleashed
For those who’ve ever grumbled, 'They say the Stark banners are terrifying, but when do we ever actually see that on telly?', episode eight of season three, "The Treasons of Tumbleton", is a bit of a corrective. Ser Rodderick Dustin (Tommy Flanagan) leads the Winter Wolves, proud bannermen of the North, and this episode finally lets them off the leash. It opens with the lot of them doing a haka-style war dance that’s all menace and cold Northern pride; then, without a second’s hesitation, they’re off storming the walls, looking every inch the sort that’d make a Lannister wet himself. Seeing them absolutely throw themselves into the carnage makes me wonder why it’s taken this long for TV Westeros to show what we’ve all been told for years about Northern grit.
Fifteen years after Game of Thrones first aired, House of the Dragon serves up the first true Stark battle spectacle.
Why We Never Got Stark Battles in Thrones
Now, if you’re wondering why we never saw anything like this with Robb Stark’s army back in Game of Thrones, there is actually a bit of logic to it. Most of Robb’s big wins functioned more as a string of successful campaigns than as crucially distinct, cinematic showpieces. It was more important, in the scheme of things, that he just kept on winning. Plus, none of his battles were so pivotal in the plot that the showrunners felt compelled to drop in a big, sprawling set-piece. They left it as spoken legend: everyone around the fire telling you how mighty the Stark forces are, but never quite letting you see behind the curtain. There’s also a nod to the source material behind this – in the Song of Ice and Fire books, George R.R. Martin gave Robb no point-of-view chapters, making it feel a bit odd to pivot to his perspective just for a single battle.
By contrast, Tumbleton in House of the Dragon actually matters – it’s a true turning point, and seeing the Starks and their vassals in the thick of the carnage finally gives their on-screen reputation some proper muscle. Turns out you only need to wait a decade and a half for the North to get its due.
Cast Notes (and a Quick Primer)
- Set roughly 172 years ahead of Game of Thrones, House of the Dragon is all about the Targaryens' rise – the only dragonlords left after the Valyria disaster.
- Milly Alcock and Emily Carey kicked things off as young Rhaenyra Targaryen and Alicent Hightower. Emma D’Arcy and Olivia Cooke later took over as the older versions.
- Matt Smith brings the chaos as Prince Daemon Targaryen.
- Paddy Considine played King Viserys Targaryen, Rhaenyra’s father, back in the early stretch.