It’s no shock that Game of Thrones‘ lengthy awaited prequel is taking the world by storm, breaking viewership data for HBO and Sky, securing a season renewal after only one episode, and dominating social media once more. House of the Dragon guarantees to be on par with the first few seasons of GoT, so it is exhausting to not get enthusiastic about should-watch Sunday evening tv once more.
Set 172 years earlier than Daenerys Targaryen was born, The Heirs of the Dragon introduces us to younger princess Rhaenyra Targaryen (performed by Milly Alcock), who would a lot quite spend her time on the again of a dragon together with her buddy Alicent, wandering throughout the Narrow Sea, and consuming solely cake. Instead, she finds herself consistently confined inside King Viserys’ world, one the place the King, her father, is anxiously awaiting to have a son, the solely apparent selection for an inheritor. The solely different contender for such a place is none aside from his personal brother, Prince Daemon (performed by Matt Smith in a horrendous wig to remind us that these are Targaryens). Daemon is sleazy, slimy, cocky, and simply plain horrible, whether or not he’s mass murdering townfolks, celebrating household tragedies or crossing the traces throughout the Heir’s Tournament.
Much like the earlier seasons of Thrones (and sure, I promise to restrict the parallels as the season progresses), House of the Dragon goals to be a critical drama full of household woes, throne intrigue, and interesting conflicts primarily based on George R. R. Martin’s Fire & Blood novels. It’s secure to say that it succeeds on nearly each account with attractive visuals (hey, $200 million price range for one season), implausible performances throughout, and that candy, acquainted, goosebumps-worthy rating. It swaps out motion-packed realm wars for a household affair that’s simply as gripping and compelling, and it nonetheless does it in a method that delivers gory, darkish materials.
And sure, the premiere positive delivers on the goriness throughout the brutal start scene through which Queen Aemma Arryn is pressured to have her child delivered when King Viserys makes a deliberate option to sacrifice her life for the likelihood to have a boy. It’s an emotionally charged, horrifying sequence made all the extra surprising as it’s intercut with knights tussling for a cheering crowd at the Heir’s Tournament. The digicam would not draw back from these essential moments, purposely specializing in the Queen’s stomach because it will get sliced open with a blade, adopted by the overflow of blood all over the place. It all makes for a really surprising viewing expertise culminating with the reveal that each the Queen and the child boy die shortly after. Goodness grief.
It’s a pivotal second for the premiere and for Rhaenyra, who’s undoubtedly going to must be taught the methods of the throne as the present progresses. Alongside her is an ensemble of many desirable characters, together with Otto Hightower, the King’s Hand, Ser Criston Cole (a doable love curiosity?), and most intriguing to me Lord Corlys and Princess Rhaenys Velaryon, aka the Queen Who Never Was. The potentialities are infinite, and I can not wait to see Rhaenyra’s dynamic with every one of them.
It’s a wise transfer to middle a universe as expansive and epic as Westeros onto King’s Landing alone, and it grounds House of the Dragon in a method that’s a lot wanted. It’s rather more centered on the journey quite than the vacation spot, brilliantly shedding the gentle on only a small quantity of characters in its first episode whereas nonetheless giving Game of Thrones followers one thing meaty to chew on: Viserys’ reveal that the whole monarch has been sharing the secret that Aegon’s mission was to unite the realm towards the menace starting with Winter. It’s a spectacularly executed twist that feels rather more compelling than a easy cameo, not that we should always anticipate any Thrones’ characters to pop up on this present, and it ends the premiere on a wide ranging excessive observe: Rhaenyra Targaryen turning into the Princess of Dragons and inheritor to the Iron Throne.
Additional Thoughts from King’s Landing:
– Dragons! We see only a couple of them, together with the chills-inducing second Rhaenyra says “Dracarys”. Excited for extra sightings!
– “The gods have yet to make a man who lacks the patience for absolute power, Your Grace.” Wise phrases from Otto.
– I’m not saying that Princess Rhaenys Velaryon is already my favourite character, however I’m not saying she’s not after this quote: “It’s been 70 years since King Maegor’s end. These knights are as green as summer grass. None have known real war. Their lords sent them to the tourney field with fists full of steel and balls full of seed, and we expect them to act with honor and grace. It’s a marvel that war didn’t break out at first blood.”
– No, however critically, Matt Smith’s wig. Prison, honey.
– What are your ideas on the sequence premiere? Did it win you over instantly or do you want extra time to determine? Sound off in the feedback beneath!
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