House of the Dragon's Episode 6 Time Jump Works Thanks to New Rhaenyra and Alicent

My immediate, no-spoiler reaction to House of the Dragon episode 6 is simple: the 10-year time jump works, and it works largely because of the two new actors stepping into the roles of Rhaenyra Targaryen and Alicent Hightower. Everybody knew the jump was coming, and going in there was really only one question worth asking, which was whether the stakes would still feel as high with new faces in the two biggest roles.

My answer is yes. Emma D'Arcy and Olivia Cooke both crush it and do a great job taking over as Rhaenyra and Alicent, continuing the story without missing a beat. I didn't question it once, it was a great casting choice. I do think a few of the actors who were kept in their original roles across the jump don't really look or age any differently, which stood out to me.

The Showrunners Call It Almost a Second Pilot, and I Agree

The showrunners themselves have described this episode as almost like a second pilot, and having watched it, I think that description fits. It is a 10-year jump with characters the audience already knows, but the politics have gotten more intense, the stakes are higher, and the relationships between everyone are very different now. Without giving anything away, I will say plainly that things go down in this episode.

What stood out to me is how well the episode resets the dynamic between the houses and the realm in general. The way it opens pulls you in with a bit of misdirection, making you think one thing is happening before revealing that it is actually something else, and it does that to the audience a few different times. After five episodes building tension, this one reintroduces everything 10 years later.

My Overall Verdict

I am loving this show and cannot get enough of it. I even said I went on a date with my wife the night this episode aired and still made sure to watch it afterward rather than go straight to sleep, calling it "must watch television for me." A full spoiler review was set to follow the next day.

Did the new casting of Rhaenyra and Alicent work for you, or did you miss the actors who played them before the time jump?