The war is now in full swing in House of the Dragon, but one of the best characters has gone MIA, and fans have noticed.
Otto Hightower played a major role in House of the Dragon Season 1, scheming his way through the Red Keep and playing his daughter right into the hands of King Viserys Targaryen.
From the very beginning of the Game of Thrones spinoff, fans praised Rhys Ifans’ mischievous and calculated performance as Otto, but it appears he’s gone missing from House of the Dragon Season 2. His absence hasn’t gone unnoticed, and many fans are wishing he would come back.
“I miss him. Good or bad, he got things done,” said one Reddit user. “The only one who actually knows how to strategize.”
Others have since jumped in to lament Otto’s status as a missing person. Clearly, while he’s a pretty despicable character, they miss his scheming ways.
“Also let’s be honest, the mistakes the Greens are making would not be happening in his watch,” another noted. “I almost want a scene of him pacing in Hightower cursing the direction of the war. ‘Who the hell paraded a dragon’s head through the city? And then closed the gates?'”
“I miss Otto the Administrator too. He really is the patriarch of a family that doesn’t really know how to love each other. A far cry from the Blacks,” said another.
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One pointed out: “Between him missing and Daemon just hallucinating in Harrenhal, I feel we lost every interesting dialogue the show had… Last episode was deada** boring.”
Of course, Otto’s absence isn’t out of the blue. In Season 2 Episode 2, he was fired as Hand of the King after hinting Aegon’s royal claim wasn’t 100% legitimate. As such, he was advised by Alicent to head home to Oldtown while Criston Cole stepped up as Hand.
Still, many House of the Dragon viewers think the show has suffered while he’s been away.
“It’s not a coincidence the episodes have gotten worse since he’s been off screen,” said one comment. “There is a serious lack of intelligent characters on screen at the moment vs. GOT. Otto and Larys are that character and Larys doesn’t have a huge role right now, but whenever he’s on screen it’s great.
“We had Little Finger and Varys both very active and HOTD is really missing that type of character atm.”
For more, check out our feature on why both sides of the Targaryen Civil War suck. We’ve also got guides on Hugh Hammer and Alys Rivers, for more characters and their backstories.
