Ever since the colossal flop of the 8th season of Game of Thrones, the series has been looked down in a rather negative light. All the cultural relevance that Game of Thrones once had essentially disappeared overnight along with its once adamant and loyal fans. Game of Thrones seemed to go dormant.
The majority of those left who are actively invested in the world of Game of Thrones are the fans of the books who have been patiently waiting for over a decade for the next installment of the series. I consider myself to be a part of this as the “Song of Ice and Fire” series is one of my favorites. That being said, I was very intrigued when I heard that a new Game of Thrones prequel was in the works. I was equally excited and fearful when I heard that the series would be about the Targaryen dynasty 200 years before the events of the books/series. Would the series redeem the failure of the original show? Would the events of the show be accurate to the lore of the books? Would George R. R. Martin be at all involved with the production of the show and if he was, to what extent?
To my delight, the premiere of the show blew my expectations completely out of the water and reignited my hope for the future of Game of Thrones.
The premiere began with a prologue that set up the world leading the events of the show. I believe this choice was extremely smart regarding the fact that the world and lore of Game of Thrones has gone stale in the minds of fans. The prologue also established the main idea of the show that there is an entirely new cast of characters, an entirely new plot, and an entirely new conflict.
The series centers around the struggle for power within the house of Targaryen during the Targaryen dynasty. The main plot and conflict of the show is between Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D’arcy/ Milly Alcock), the eldest daughter and sole direct descendant of the current king, Viserys I (Paddy Considine), and Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith), the nephew of the king and closest male descendant. As Viserys I suffers from health problems, tensions rise as Westeros looks to see who will inherit the Iron Throne.
The House of the Dragon so far appears to be a very well-crafted show with a promising future. The cinematography of the show combined with the set, costume, and world design, creates an absolutely stunning visual experience. The writing has proven itself to be intriguing and reliably parallel with its source material. This makes sense of course as George R. R. Martin has had a prominent role in the production of HotD which is frankly why I was so hopeful and excited for this show.
I personally enjoy the show very much but that does not mean that I have some criticisms of it. I believe that the first few episodes of the show have been rather slow in their pace and some parts could be considered dull by some. Political intrigue takes up a large amount of the plot of the show and at times can seem lackluster in its energy, especially when compared to Game of Thrones. I do think that the show is quite different in its energy than that of Game of Thrones and those who expect it to be the exact same will likely be disappointed.
Another criticism I have of the show so far is how the writers attempted to tie together the plots of The House and the Dragon and of Game of Thrones. I can’t dive into too much detail in order to avoid spoiling the show, but the gist is that because of the unimaginably lackluster and disappointing final season and finale of Game of Thrones, the House of the Dragon feels like it doesn’t have as much at stake than what the writers intended. Despite these critiques, I do have a very positive opinion of the show as of now.
The House of the Dragon is definitely worth the watch, especially for veterans of Game of Thrones. I would personally recommend that newcomers watch the original show in order to gain more enjoyment from the new series because they would better appreciate and understand the lore and plot of the show. For those willing to put aside some extra time, I would highly recommend reading the A Song of Ice and Fire series because reading the original source material of the shows will heighten the experience of the shows. The book series is certainly a commitment that will take some time to get through, but I believe those who do read it will not think that their time has been wasted. In conclusion, it is my belief that there is an incredible amount of potential for House of the Dragon and those who have any interest in Game of Thrones should watch it.
