"House of the Dragon": what was the first episode of the "Game of Thrones" prequel and what awaits us next?
August 22 premiered "House of the Dragon" - the long-awaited prequel to "Game of Thrones," which is set 200 years before the events of the original.
We tell you what was shown in the first episode, share our impressions and wonder what will happen next.
What was shown in the first episode?
The first title without a detailed backstory reveals to the viewer the chronotope of the "House of the Dragon" - events unfold 181 years before the birth of Daenerys, the "mother of dragons" and the holder of a dozen other titles. The Targaryens rule Westeros thanks to the mighty fire-breathing creatures. In the prologue, the incumbent King Jaquerys I (Michael Carter) convenes a Great Council after the death of his sons. To avoid a Civil War, the Lords themselves will choose an heir, who will subsequently sit on the Iron Throne. There are a dozen and a half contenders, but only two are real - the king's eldest grandson Viserys (Paddy Considine) or his cousin Rhaenys (Eve Best). The lords choose the man.
After nine years, Viserys's wife Aymma (Shan Brooke) prepares to give birth - the king is expecting a boy. The couple's only child, daughter Rhaenyra (Millie Olcock), is not considered an heir, though the princess, like all Targaryens, is excellent with a dragon and masterful at riding. For now, the official successor is the king's younger brother, Damon (Matt Smith), chief of the Gold Cloaks, the city guard of King's Landing. However, after the death of Ayma and an infant during childbirth, members of the Small Council recommend that Viserys strip his unpredictable and cruel brother of his heir status.
The king apologizes to Rhaenyra for never considering her as his successor and announces her as the new heiress. But the king's right-hand man Otto Hightower (Rhys Ivans) insists that Viserys remarry. The right hand of the ruler even has a suitable candidate: he sends his daughter Alicenta (Emily Carey) and part-time best friend Rhaenyra to comfort the widower.
First impressions.
"Game of Thrones" rises from the ashes. After the disastrous and disappointing finale of the original, which managed to erase the series from pop-cultural discourse, it seemed that neither the prequel nor George Martin's novels would bring back the fervent love of "Game of Thrones." After just the first hour of "House of the Dragon," it became clear that wasn't quite the case. It turns out that over the past three years, viewers have had time to pine for Westeros, prophecies, dragons, political conspiracies, dysfunctional families and ambiguous characters. It's too early to tell how much we'll be gripped by the infighting in House Targaryen, but it's clear that the return to the "A Song of Ice and Fire" universe is far more exciting and satisfying than we expected.
"Marvel, for instance, spends an average of $25 million an episode, and the new season of House of the Dragon cost Netflix a staggering $30 million an episode. An episode of "House of the Dragon" cost a little less - about 20 million, but the series looks impressive. Particularly striking is the attention to detail and scope - hundreds of elaborate costumes and armor, hairstyles and utensils; grandiose crowd, bringing to life this really chamber series; and most importantly - a huge number of special effects, which are not inferior in quality to Hollywood blockbusters (confused except slightly clumsy animation of dragons). However, no less important is the directorial work - "Battle of the Bastards" director Miguel Sapochnik is equally thrilling at shooting brutal action and sluggish office disputes.
...But at the same time, it's not big enough. So far, the main drawback of "House of the Dragon" many viewers call the localism of the events - instead of the heroes from different houses scattered all over Westeros, the Targaryen family tensions are waiting for us. On the one hand, this is really embarrassing - we want to diversify: to "visit" the Wall again, or at least find out how things are at Winterfell. On the other hand, modesty should benefit the series, at least because each of the main characters will get enough screen time.
The characters of "Dragon House" will be interesting to follow. The first episode introduced viewers to a dozen new characters, and almost all of them already give the impression of complex and ambiguous characters. The only exception is Rainira, who seems to be somewhat naive and innocent heiress so far, but we can be sure that this is just the starting point of the princess' transformation. No less curious looks Alicenta, accustomed to the second roles: the Hand's daughter is very likely to have an open confrontation with her yesterday's friend. Separately, we should also mention the charismatic Damon, who seems to be the public favorite: Matt Smith has already managed to show his character as vicious and cruel, but at the same time vulnerable Targaryen.
What happens next?
One of the major downsides of "House of the Dragon" is the ability to peek at the fan wiki page of the universe and find out how the conflict will end. For those who have not yet forgotten what George Martin's books look like, there is a more complicated option: read the novel "Flame and Blood," published also in Russian. The book is written on behalf of a learned Maester, who in the format of a dry chronicle recounts the history of the Targaryen dynasty. The series is based on only one of its episodes, the Civil War, which was called the Dance of the Dragons.
In the first episode, events jumped forward nine years. This is not the last move - the first season will be built on such leaps. According to Western critics who have managed to watch six episodes, this is one of the main disadvantages of the series. What do these moves mean to regular viewers? First, young heroes and heroines will at some point be replaced by age-appropriate actors and actresses. We know, for example, that in future episodes the roles of Rainier and Alicenta will be played by Emma D'Arcy and Olivia Cook, respectively. Secondly, there will be new characters, which will be the key to the series. Thirdly, the series will be very dynamic - chronological leaps will help the creators to focus on the most high-profile events of "Dance of Dragons": the conspiracies, conflicts and battles.
If you believe the statistics, the pilot of "House of Dragons" has the best series debut in 2022 among American households, and on HBO the premiere was watched by almost 10 million viewers - the numbers, which "Game of Thrones" achieved only by the seventh season.
The George Martin universe is returning to pop culture, so expect tons of memes, discussions, arguments, and disgruntled, hype-weary people with comments: "Am I the only one not watching 'House of the Dragon'?" On the other hand, the prequel could be a great entry point into the franchise for those who avoided "Game of Thrones" and ultimately decided not to watch the series because of the criticized finale.
What's more interesting, though, is how the series will prove itself in comparison to "Rings of Power" coming out in two weeks. So far it seems that the brainchild of Amazon, which is considered to be the most expensive series in history, has no chance against Dragon House.
This article was sponsored by Simona Bares
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