House of the Dragon Ep 1: Game of Thrones

Review of House of the Dragon Ep 1: Game of Thrones Prequel Takes Off Smoothly on Targaryen Blood

Review of House of the Dragon Ep 1: Game of Thrones Prequel Takes Off Smoothly on Targaryen Blood

Three years have passed since we last saw the powerful Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke) succumb to the brutality of Jon Snow (Kit Harington) in the final season of the HBO series Game of Thrones.

In spite of the fact that many fans were disappointed with the way the iconic show ended, HBO assured them that they would return for the game of the iron throne via House of the Dragon.

As we approach the release of the long-awaited prequel, it is safe to say that the channel is bringing back the Game of Thrones Sundays (Mondays, in the case of India) with a bang.

Having a history class on the house of the mighty Targaryens is available at House of the Dragon.

Review of House of the Dragon Ep 1: Game of Thrones Prequel Takes Off Smoothly on Targaryen Blood

The story takes place in Westeros about 200 years before the events of Game of Thrones and opens with King Jaehaerys Targaryen picking his successor as his successor.

The king is torn between her only daughter, Princess Rhaenys Targaryen (Eve Best), and her cousin King Viserys I Targaryen (Paddy Considine), which leads him to call upon the Great Council of Harrenhal to help him determine who will be the next heir to the Iron Throne.

In a patriarchal world, King Viserys I Targaryen is referred to as the heir to the throne, and Princess Rhaenys is referred to as the Queen Who Never Was due to the patriarchal times.

There is then a time jump in the episode. At the moment, King Viserys I Targaryen is seated on the throne, and he is in the process of selecting his heir.

Review of House of the Dragon Ep 1: Game of Thrones credit by google

He is hoping that his pregnant wife will be able to give him a son in addition to having a daughter, Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen (the younger version is played by Milly Alcock) – a dragon rider.

The future of Westeros will be in the hands of his arrogant younger brother Prince Daemon (Matt Smith) unless she gives birth to a son.

As Game of Thrones fate has it, clearly things do not turn out the way King Viserys wanted, and we are left with the ultimate Game of Thrones ending.

Although I will refrain from giving away any spoilers, I would say that The House of the Dragon lives up to its expectations.

Aside from packing all the elements of its origin series into one series, House of the Dragons is fan service for those who have been following the series rigorously for several years.

Compared to the first episode of Game of Thrones, the first episode of Game of Thrones plays out in a completely opposite manner.

A spoonful of everything that constitutes the perfect recipe for Game of Thrones is added by director Miguel Sapochnik at the end of this hour-long episode – two brutal gore scenes with Matt Smith in the center of them, scenes in brothels, a painful birth scene (which honestly made me so uncomfortable that I wished it would end soon), betrayal, politics, and the breathtaking visuals — all of these elements combine to make up the perfect recipe for Game of Thrones.

I was very impressed with the VFX in this video, especially when the dragons were in focus. It is also worth mentioning that Fabian Wagner did a great job with the camera work.

There is a quick switch between making the audience feel as if they are a part of the scene and as if they are a spectator to it.

Nevertheless, it was difficult to concentrate on the visual appeal of the scenes because of the ill-fitting wigs.

There is no doubt that Matt Smith is the star of the first episode in terms of his acting skills. With ease, he transitioned from playing one Prince in The Crown to another in House of the Dragon, and I am already rooting for him to succeed in this series.

The performance of Paddy Considine as the weakling King makes you feel all kinds of emotions, and not just the good ones.

As far as I am concerned, Milly Alcock is a poor version of Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen. While other characters such as Sophie Turner’s Sansa Stark, Lena Headey’s Cersei Lannister, Maisie William’s Arya Stark, and Daenerys Targaryen’s Emilia Clarke hold such strong screen presence, right from their first episode, Milly seems to fall short of this standard.

The role of Rhaenyra Targaryen will be taken over by Emma D’Archy in the upcoming episodes, so hopefully, the character will become stronger with the development of the characters.

The bottom line is that House of the Dragon brings back the Game of Thrones Sundays in all their glory. Do not hesitate to dive into this episode without thinking twice.

Related Posts