In the Collider piece arguing that “House of the Dragon” should take itself seriously, the author described the humor of “Game of Thrones” as a necessary capitulation to the audience who might be turned off by the fantasy elements: “They hung a lantern on the fanciful, usually through Jim Halpert-esque nods or quips that said to the audience, ‘Yeah, we know this is a lot too.'”

Maybe those acknowledgements about the absurdity of the situation were necessary back in 2011 when adult fantasy TV wasn’t mainstream, but the 2022 TV landscape is a whole different place. “House of the Dragon” is written for an audience that’s already watched eight seasons of “Game of Thrones.” We’re already on board with the weird fantasy stuff. After you’ve seen the ice zombies, the Crabfeeder doesn’t require much suspension of disbelief. 

Not to mention that in today’s TV and film landscape, the constant knowing winks to the audience have gotten a little exhausting. Movies and shows today are constantly telling its audience “yes, we know this is a lot,” and it no longer feels like a relief when they do it. It feels like the writers are afraid of being earnest, that they feel the need to pre-emptively make fun of themselves in the hopes that no one else will. Telling a story that’s emotionally compelling requires vulnerability, a thing so many mainstream shows and movies have seemingly replaced with constant quips.