Why does “House Of The Dragon” hate its gay characters?
Spoilers ahead for the latest episode of House Of The Dragon, “We Light The Way.”House Of The Dragon, we have a problem.A spin-off of HBO’s wildly popular and occasionally problematic Game Of Thrones, this fantasy prequel had every opportunity to course-correct many of the original’s dubious choices.
And yet…Apparently, old habits die hard as House Of The Dragon found itself relying on the same unfortunate trope that plagued GoT—one that’s been all-too-common on television for years: Killing off LGBTQ characters.We see the trope— known as “bury your gays”—time and time again, from Buffy The Vampire Slayer to Grey’s Anatomy, where queer characters are treated as expendable and frequently offed as some sort of turning point for our (typically straight) heroes.Related: Bury Your Gays: 109 Dead Gay and Bisexual Male TV Characters, And How They DiedPreviously, on House Of The Dragon, we were introduced to Laenor Velaryon (Theo Nate)—a prince who made a pretty bad*ss entrance on the back of dragon—and Ser Joffrey Lonmouth (Solly McLeod), canonically queer characters from George R.R.
Martin’s source novels. Their arrival was an exciting one that boded well for a series still trying to find its footing.In the most recent episode, “We Light The Way,” Laenor and Joffrey’s romance was confirmed with a stirring love scene that gave queer fans hope for positive representation—but that didn’t last long.Laenor is preparing to marry Princess Rhaenyra (Milly Alcock)—also queer-coded—in an arrangement that will keep them politically aligned while allowing the two to enjoy their own relations outside of the marriage.
