Warning! This article contains spoilers for House of the Dragon season 2.
Summary
House of the Dragonseason 2’s brotherly Cargyll battle draws comparisons toGame of Thrones’Cleganebowl, but which fraternal clash was better?House of the Dragonseason 2 episode 2’s endingclimaxed with the duel between Erryk and Arryk. In the aftermath ofHouse of the Dragon’s Blood and Cheeseincident, both sides of the brewing Targaryen Civil War were affected. One character whose guilt was overwhelming was Criston Cole, who abandoned his watch of the Red Keep to fraternize with Allicent Hightower while assassins threatened the latter’s child and grandchildren.
With his guilt threatening to overcome him, Criston Cole began taking his anger out on other people, namely Arryk ofHouse of the Dragon’s House Cargyll. Arryk is the twin brother of Erryk, the former sworn to Aegon and the latter holding fealty to Rhaenyra. In retribution, Criston sends Arryk to pose as his brother and kill Rhaenyra, resulting in a duel between the twins and evoking the same feeling as Cleganebowl fromGame of Thronesseason 8. Although both fights are different in many ways, they also share some similarities and beg the question of which brother-on-brother battle was better.
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The Duel Of The Cargylls & Cleganebowl Are Very Different
House Of The Dragons Brotherly Battle Is Much More Intimate Than Cleganebowl
Firstly, it is worth exploring the differences between the two battles in order to make a fair comparison. The immediate evident difference between the Cargyll Duel and Cleganebowl is that the former is much more intimate, emotionally and physically. The Cargylls face off in the small confines of Rhaenyra’s bed-chamber - aHouse of the Dragonbook change- making the fight and its choreography much more claustrophobic than Cleganebowl. The battle between the Hound and the Mountain came as Daenerys was destroying King’s Landing inGame of Thronesseason 8, making it much bigger in scale.
From an emotional perspective, the Cargyll duel was more difficult to watch in the best way.Game of Thronesmade it clear that audiences were supposed to root for the Hound in Cleganebowl; he was the obvious protagonist and his evil brother was the antagonist, typified by his zombified appearance. Conversely,House of the Dragonhas been much more careful to make both sides of the Dance of Dragons sympathetic in different ways, extending to the Cargyll twins. The duel was infused with the brothers' anger and resentment, but also their love, making it much less black-and-white than Cleganebowl.
It was clear that the Mountain was an abusive older brother, and the Hound was the younger, victimized sibling…
In Cleganebowl, the two brothers made their utter resentment clear. From the beginning ofGame of Thrones, it was clear that the Mountain was an abusive older brother, and the Hound was the younger, victimized sibling. There was never a sense of any love or familial connection between the two, with their hatred of one another being clear from the beginning of the show. As such, Cleganebowl elicits a much less challenging emotional standpoint than the duel of the Cargylls; rather than being unclear of whom to root for in the latter, the former provides a clear sense of good and evil.
The intentional confusion of the identical Cargylls during the fight was used to evoke the feeling that audiences should not know who to side with.
The Duel Of The Cargyll Twins Worked Better In The Story Than Cleganebowl
The Cargyll Twins Directly Impact House Of The Dragon’s Overarching Story
Not only does the emotional aspect of the Cargyll twin duel make the scene more challenging to watch, but it also proves how the scene works inherently inHouse of the Dragon’s story. On the other hand,Cleganebowl had little impact onGame of Thrones' overarching narrative. Beginning with the latter, the fight was almost a moment of fan service due to the endless years of audiences desiring to see the two brothers come to blows.
Although Cleganbowl has been seeded in George R. R. Martin’sA Song of Ice and Firebook series,Game of Thronesfailed to include the battle in a way that was relevant to the story at hand. Daenerys' destruction of King’s Landing and the impact that had on characters like Jamie, Tyrion, Jon Snow, and Arya would have happened with or without Cleganebowl, with the duel between brothers simply serving as a way to cap off the Hound’s character arc. Narratively, Cleganebowl came later than it should have and should have been tied more inherently toGame of Thrones’plot.
The final two books of Martin’s series are yet to be released, meaning Cleganebowl - if it happens - could be very different than the one in Game of Thrones.
With the duel of the Cargylls, however,House of the Dragonweaved it into the brewing war on the horizon. On one side, Arryk was pushed into assassinating Rhaenyra by a guilt-ridden Criston Cole, a direct consequence of Blood and Cheese. On the other, Erryk was protecting a queen he had recently sworn an oath to. As such, the duel provides a manifestation of the Greens and Blacks; The two sides have love for each other in some ways, but that love has been shrouded by anger, resentment, jealousy, and hatred, leading to needless bloodshed.
Furthermore, Arryk and Erryk’s duel furthers to tip the scales toward war. After Daemon’s actions with Blood and Cheese, the Greens are ready to fight against Rhaenyra. With Arryk being sent for retribution, Rhaenyra will be tipped into doing what Daemon stated she should do and declaring all-out war, not to mention how her bannermen will react at the prospect of their queen almost being assassinated. In myriad ways, the duel of the Cargylls is one of the inciting incidents in theTargaryen Dance of Dragons, as will be shown inHouse of the Dragonseason 2’s coming episodes.
Cleganebowl Was More Entertaining To Watch Than The Cargyll Twins' Fight
Cleganebowl’s Narrative Drawbacks Make It More Purely Entertaining Than The Cargyll Fight
Where the Cargyll duel was harrowing to watch and tied toHouse of the Dragon’s narrative, Cleganebowl was simply a ridiculous, grand, and fun spectacle. In this sense, the latter is more entertaining to watch than the former. Admittedly, neither fight includes anything mind-blowing from a swordplay or choreography standpoint, butthe overall higher stakes ofGame of Thrones’story in contrast toHouse of the Dragon’s more intimate plotting allowed the Hound vs. the Mountain to be much grander in scale.
The Hound and the Mountain clash beneath the falling rubble of the Red Keep as Daenerys and Drogon torch King’s Landing. This alone makes for a stunning backdrop, complete with several almost biblical shots of the two giant warriors offsetting a hazy sun, a burning city, and a vengeful mad queen. This sense of spectacle gives Cleganebowl an inherent feeling of fun, despite its lack of narrative stakes. The benefit of having had the duel foreshadowed for eight years only aided this spectacle, making Cleganebowl one of the standout scenes ofGame of Thrones' divisive ending.
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Why The Duel Of The Cargylls Was Better Than Cleganebowl
Both Were Great, But The Cargyll Duel Has Clear Story & Character Advantages
Although both are standout duels in theGame of Thronesfranchise, the Cargyll duel slightly surpasses Cleganebowl. As alluded to, the latter has a fair number of narrative problems. Besides paying off the Hound’s character arc, it had little bearing onGame of Thrones' story and a small reason to exist beyond fan service. HadGame of Thronesincluded Cleganebowl earlier in a way that ties to the plot - like the Mountain vs. The Viper from season 4 - it would have been aided emotionally.
Had the Mountain still been a normal person rather than a zombified puppet of Qyburn, the brotherly clash could have had more individually poignant moments…
Furthermore, the storytelling choices made with the Mountain further stunted the emotional strength of the fight. Had the Mountain still been a normal person rather than a zombified puppet of Qyburn, the brotherly clash could have had more individually poignant moments rather than the emotionally cold monster vs. Hound. With the Cargyll duel, this cold feeling is absent. While neither of the twins has as investing stories as the Hound did inGame of Thrones, the emotion in the scene was much more prevalent, driven by the brewing civil war and the impact on the narrative.
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For these reasons, the Cargyll fight stands above Cleganebowl, though not by much. As mentioned, what the latter lacks in emotional and narrative stakes, it more than makes up for in epic action. The scene’s cinematography, the actor’s performances, and the benefit of eight years of build-up elevate Cleganebowl above most action sequences inGame of Thronesseason 8. That said, with the final season in question proving strong character arcs, a logical story, and narrative stakes outweigh nonsensical spectacle,House of the Dragon’s Cargyll duel goes down as the better bitter battle between brothers.
House of the Dragon
Cast
House of the Dragon is a 2022 fantasy drama set in the world of Westeros, chronicling the Targaryen dynasty at its height. The story revolves around King Viserys’s controversial decision to name his daughter Rhaenyra as heir to the Iron Throne, sparking tensions and divisions within the realm.
