One of my absolute favorite things about the Game Of Thrones franchise is the rich network of side characters. There are dozens and dozens of memorable non-mains in the first series, and House Of The Dragon is really starting to build on that legacy by layering in more and more fun and emotionally complicated new faces . Judging by social media, quite a few are really resonating with fans, but there’s one after Episode 7 that seems to be getting the most attention, both because he’s awesome and because he feels so reminiscent of a character from the OG series.
Oscar Tully became Lord Paramount of The Riverlands following the death of his grandfather Grover earlier in the season, and while Daemon initially thinks he can easily manipulate or intimidate him in between hallucinations , it turns out he’s not so easily pushed over. Despite his diminutive stature, lack of experience and age, he’s quite thoughtful and confident, and when he speaks, people around him, regardless of their ages, listen. His whole presentation is giving heavy Lyanna Mormont vibes , and House Of The Dragon fans are loving it. I counted three different tweets comparing the two characters that all had more than 35,000 likes on X, formerly known as Twitter. Here’s an example…
Now, you could easily just chalk these comparisons up to the two being underage white rulers with black hair and eloquence when they speak, but I actually think there’s more to it than that. Each of the actors (Archie Barnes and Bella Ramsey) has an understated confidence about them when they talk. They don’t shout, but they have a presence when they speak that makes you want to listen. It’s like they lean into certain words for emphasis that really accentuate their point without being too loud about it.
In addition, they also both feel so honorable, like they’re really determined to take the right path forward, despite long odds. That’s been mostly portrayed as a feature of their larger houses too. It’s not that every character with the last name Mormont or Tully is perfect. Prior to the events of Game Of Thrones , Jorah Mormont is forced to flee after he’s caught selling slaves (for his “expensive wife”), and Catelyn Stark (nee Tully) mistreats Jon Snow, but both of them feel deeply embarrassed by their actions and like they let their families down. Some fans have picked up on this with Oscar Tully too, as seen in this comparison…
Game Of Thrones proved throughout its run that if a character resonates enough with fans, they’re not opposed to giving them a more expanded role. Tully reportedly isn’t a huge character in the books, but given what we’ve seen before, it wouldn’t be a surprise for him to get a much larger role in the war to come.
You can watch House Of The Dragon ’s Season Two finale when it airs tonights on HBO or via other streaming options . The show has already been renewed for Season Three , but it’ll likely be well more than a year before we get it. So, fans should enjoy the last little bit as best as they can.
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