House Of The Dragon’s Jason Lannister Totally Lives Up To The Family Name
At least he doesn’t have a sister?
Game of Thrones was set after the fall of the Targaryen family that ruled for 300 years. With no established family holding the throne, the series was about all the different houses vying for the Iron Throne, a dozen in all. However, House of the Dragon is far less messy, with only Targaryens (and Hightowers) to contend with. But finally, House Lannister showed up in the form of Jason Lannister, who fits his family’s reputation to a tee.
Warning: Spoilers for House of the Dragon Season 1, Episode 3 follow. Until now, the Great Houses fans knew from Game of Thrones haven’t made their presence felt. Other than a brief appearance by Lord Rickon to swear allegiance to Rhaenyra at her father’s demand, House Stark has stuck to the North. (This tracks, as Northerners reminded Eddard Stark at every turn, his forefathers survived by staying well away from Targaryens.)
As for House Lannister, House Stark’s main rival, they’re a little more involved in Westeros’ power games. Episode 3 revealed that when Rhaenyra was young, Queen Aemma brought her to Casterly Rock to check out their available sons, Jason and Tyland. Tyland, the younger intellectual twin, has since joined Viserys’ Small Council as the Master of Ships. He doesn’t speak up much, letting Lord Corlys do the arguing, and viewers would be forgiven for not noticing him or realizing he’s a Lannister.
His twin brother, Jason, is the Lord of Casterly Rock. The bolder and more aggressive of the twins, he is one of those who remained unmarried to keep himself available for when Rhaenyra becomes of age. As Viserys reveals, he’s been drowning in proposal letters from every corner of the Seven Kingdoms, including Jason. A man with a (still working) gold mine under his castle has the means to keep Rhaenyra in the style to which she’s accustomed. And he’s the athletic type who would hunt with her and wouldn’t mind a dragon living in his keep for a wife to ride.
Rhaenyra’s first impression of Jason is far less favorable than his on-paper attributes. Receiving permission to court Rhaenyra gave him the impression she was already aware of his proposal. Even so, his immediate launch into how rich he is and how much space he has to house dragons was pretty presumptuous, as it suggested he took “permission to court” as “engaged to be engaged.”
That Lannister ego, and the supposition he’s at the front of the pack to marry directly into the Iron Throne, are in line with other Lannisters. (Recall Cersei assumed she would be Rhaegar’s bride, and then Robert’s, despite sleeping with her twin regularly.) As Rhaenyra says, he’s arrogant and self-serious, a description that fits Tywin and even Tyrion.
House of the Dragon Season 1 continues with new episodes every Sunday at 9 p.m. ET on HBO and HBO Max.
