Loads of House of the Dragon fans think Helaena Targaryen is the easiest character to support for a long list of reasons.
Others feel like she’s totally forgettable and unimportant to the plot line.
Additionally, other fans feel like she’s actually quite problematic based on a few decisions she’s made.
The actress who plays Helaena is named Phia Saban, and she has been doing an incredible job bringing Helaena to life in each episode of the show.
There’s a lot of discourse on social media about Helaena as a House of the Dragon character. Fans seem to be divided.
Here’s what they’re saying.
One viewer launched a Reddit thread to say, “I don’t get the Helaena hype. She doesn’t do anything or advance the plot in any way. And let’s be real, she only has like three minutes of screen time. How interesting can she possibly be?”
Someone responded by saying, “I think a lot has to do with Phia Saban’s portrayal of her. Phia seems like a lovely, stand-up person, so I think a lot of people are projecting it onto Helaena.”
Another fan drew comparisons between Helaena and Aegon saying, “To be fair, Helaena isn’t a grapist like Aegon is. She’s not a drunkard, nor a lecher, nor a bully like Aegon is. She’s also a woman, who is unequivocally not in control of her life in this world. She’s a royal Targaryen yet holds no power, and can make no decisions for herself. That alone will inspire empathy for her situation, never mind that her child was murdered in front of her, nor that she is often paraded around by her mother for political gain.”
Someone else hit the nail on the head describing Helaena writing, “She also explicitly acknowledged the suffering of the common people as just as valid if not more valid than her own suffering. She’s empathetic and compassionate rather than callous and confrontational, she even forgave her mother for indirectly resulting in her child being killed.”
Someone who feels like the show might be a little better if Helaena had more screen time chimed in with, “She was interesting in the first two episodes since they actually focused on her a bit, but then she retracted back into just being there.”
Another fan joined the conversation to say, “Helaena suffers from a case of writers not knowing what to do with her or not knowing how to get more out of her. Audience members usually don’t care for characters like that. It becomes worse over time when the issue is not treated or remedied. She’s not a bad character, but not a particularly interesting one either.”
From their perspective, Helaena would be much easier to root for if the writers were doing a better job with character development.
Overall, a lot of fan reactions about Helaena are divided with some people calling her meek, boring, and forgettable.
Others are blown away by the fact that she has the ability to exist as a dreamer with interesting visions popping up in her mind all the time.
What do you think of Helaena as a character in House of the Dragon? Do you love or hate her? Or, do you feel like she’s a bit irrelevant? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below.
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