Many fans were wary of a Game of Thrones spinoff after the beloved series soured in its final season, leaving audiences largely angry and disappointed. However, fresh blood in creative control of the prequel series House of the Dragon breathes new, exciting life into Westeros while honouring the best of its predecessor.
Writer Ryan Condal and director Miguel Sapochnik serve as House of the Dragon’s showrunners. Condal co-created the TV show Colony and is new to the Thrones world while Sapochnik is a familiar (and welcome) face. Sapochnik directed some of Thrones’ most impressive action-oriented episodes, including season six’s “Battle of the Bastards” for which he won an Emmy. Together, the duo offers a solid balance of new ideas and honed successes.
Set 172 years before the birth of Daenerys Targaryen, House of the Dragon looks at the fiery history of her Targaryen ancestors and their conflict of succession. The opening sequence reminds us of the firmly patriarchal nature of George R. R. Martin’s world, in which “men would sooner put the realm to the torch than see a woman ascend the Iron Throne,” to quote one of the characters.
With this precedent set, we zero in on the reign of King Viserys (Paddy Considine). Within the first episode he loses his wife and newborn son, falls out with his brother Daemon (Matt Smith), and formally names his daughter and only living child Rhaenyra (Milly Alcock) as his heir. The announcement is met with much consternation from the king’s council and from Daemon, the former heir-presumptive. Meanwhile, Viserys’ trusted King’s Hand, Lord Otto Hightower (Rhys Ifans), is already manipulating the course by secretly pushing his own daughter (and Rhaenyra’s friend) Alicent (Emily Carey) towards the king to secure a royal succession of their joined houses.
It may sound like a lot to take in, but sharp writing allows us to keep up as the show grounds us in this particular world and sets up the major players and budding conflicts. The first episodes indicate a more narrowed narrative focus than Thrones, which moved between characters in locations all across the map. So far in House of the Dragon, there are plenty of exciting characters and political intrigue to sustain this focus, although it does look to expand moving forward with the promise of more time jumps and an external villain: Craghas Drahar, aka the Crabfeeder (although how significant his role will be remains to be seen).
A series’ premiere lays the foundation of the show. With this in mind, and with nods to its predecessor, episode one pulled out all the stops: strong storytelling, big action, sex, violence, and dragons. Maybe it wouldn’t be Thrones without some brothel sex and gore, but it was also refreshing to hear Sapochnik confirm on “Inside the Episode” that they’re not looking to include violence simply for violence’s sake.
Episode two is quite different, though no less intriguing; it’s character-driven and dialogue-heavy, and although somewhat wanting for action, it maintains the vigour and narrative strength of the first episode. It also includes a long creative title sequence, a signature of Thrones, which the premiere did not.
Rhaenyra is particularly thrilling to watch as she seeks to establish herself and defy the patriarchal order. In her, we see hints of Daenerys; they share the same fierce spirit, determination and self-belief. She also has great chemistry with Daemon despite the ick factor that he’s her uncle, and they electrify their shared scenes. Rhaenyra’s shifting relationship with the not-so-innocent Alicent is also one to follow. Although the time jumps are necessary for the narrative scope of the show, it will be disappointing to lose Alcock later this season when the teenaged Rhaenyra is replaced by her adult counterpart.
House of the Dragon contains the same impressive world-building and production design as Game of Thrones, and honours the tone, spirit and narrative strength that Thrones demonstrated for much of its run. At the same time, the new series brings fresh perspectives, ideas and themes that enrich the world and invigorate the story.
Award-winning Game of Thrones composer Ramin Djawadi is also back helming House of the Dragon’s score, which means we can expect excellent new music as well as the integration of recognizable themes.
House of the Dragon airs Sundays at 9pm ET on HBO and HBO Max, and on Crave in Canada.
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