Is appointment television viewing back? HBO’s House of the Dragon is off to a solid start, heightened by its willingness to stand on the shoulders of the giant that was Game of Thrones.
Episode: “The Heirs of the Dragon”
Runtime: 66 minutes
Original Air Date: August 21, 2022
Director: Miguel Sapochnik
Plot (via HBO)
Viserys hosts a tournament to celebrate the birth of his second child. Rhaenyra welcomes her uncle Daemon back to the Red Keep.
Best Moment: The Targaryen secret
“The Heirs of the Dragon” was a strong pilot throughout, introducing interesting characters including Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen, Prince Daemon Targaryen, and King Viserys Targaryen and laying the groundwork for how the rest of the season and series will unfold with a Targaryen civil war. It felt very connected to Game of Thrones throughout, but the connections were taken up a notch for the final scene, with King Viserys telling his daughter Rhaenyra that she would be his heir (almost out of necessity at this point given that he had no son and his wife tragically died during childbirth, and that his brother Daemon could not be trusted to become King) and then revealing the Targaryen secret that’s been passed down from king to heir for generations. The secret came from a dream of Aegon the Conqueror, who foresaw a dark threat from the North that the people of Westeros must band together to fight:
When the Great Winter comes, Rhaenyra, all of Westeros must stand against it. And if the world of men is to survive, a Targaryen must be seated on the Iron Throne. A king or queen strong enough to unite the realm against the cold and the dark. Aegon called his dream “The Song of Ice and Fire.” This secret, it’s been passed from king to heir since Aegon’s time. Now you must promise to carry it and protect it.
It appears Viserys and Rhaenyra are the only two people aware of this secret, so that ups the stakes moving forward ahead of the civil war. Aegon’s dream also is a hint that might confirm that Jon Snow was “The Prince That Was Promised”, as he was a Targaryen that rallied together the houses of Westeros to stop the Night King in the Battle of Winterfell 200 years later—though an argument can still be made for Arya Stark, who ultimately delivered the fatal blow to the Night King with the catspaw dagger; and for Daenerys Targaryen, who agreed to help Jon in the Great War as his necessary ally.
Best Quote
“The gods have yet to make a man who lacks the patience for absolute power, your grace.” – Otto Hightower
Notable Character Deaths
-Aemma Targaryen
-Baelon Targaryen
MVP: Rhaenyra Targaryen
King Viserys obviously had to deal with a lot throughout the episode (a bickering small council, his brother Daemon’s ruthless actions while leading the City Watch, and most of all the death of his wife and newborn son), and he finally made up for the lack of attention toward his daughter while craving a male heir for years. But Rhaenyra is the MVP of the first episode. After the prologue, the series starts with Rhaenyra riding her dragon Syrax, and the first episode ends with her officially being named heir to the Iron Throne while learning about Aegon’s dream and the Targaryen secret. The princess also seems to have a firm grasp on the status of things and a good head on her shoulders even at a young age, and she delivered the first “Dracarys” of House of the Dragon to light the funeral pyres of her mother and brother.
Everything Else:
-The prologue was excellent, and it was smart to have a nod to the future by making it clear to the audience that this current story took place 172 years before the birth of Daenerys Targaryen, who is one of the most beloved television characters of all-time.
-The credits listed Ryan Condal and George R.R. Martin as the series creators; but Miguel Sapochnik, who directed some of the most epic Game of Thrones episodes and directed this pilot, is also a showrunner. It’s great that Sapochnik has the connection to Game of Thrones, and he helps deliver that same feeling to this successor prequel series. And having Martin, who started this entire thing by publishing A Game of Thrones in 1996, heavily involved is a major positive.
-It is also fantastic to have composer Ramin Djawadi overseeing the music in House of the Dragon, just as he did for Game of Thrones. The amazing use of the track “A Song of Ice and Fire” for the end credits was probably intentional—it was the same end credits song used for the final episode of Game of Thrones, which many believe was unfairly criticized by a vocal faction of critics online. Sapochnik—who, again, directed this HOTD debut—is notably among those that have defended Season 8.
-The Game of Thrones world has mostly gray-area characters, which is reflective of how things are in real life. After “The Heirs of the Dragon”, it looks like we’ll see a lot of politics throughout this series. Daemon Targaryen (played by Matt Smith) really stood out in Episode 1, displaying his deplorable tendencies—while also stepping up and showing a bit of a softer side during the funeral scene. Also, Hand of the King Otto Hightower is more ambitious than expected, and he’s already using his daughter Alicent as a pawn for power.
-The tough-to-watch birth scene will no doubt bring a lot of controversy, just as Game of Thrones had controversial moments that brought heat on co-creators David Benioff and Dan Weiss.
-The Valyrian steel catspaw dagger eventually used to kill the Night King is another direct connection to Game of Thrones. You just have to wonder how it eventually falls from House Targaryen into the hands of Littlefinger, and we’ll see if that question is eventually answered in House of the Dragon.
-There were no opening credits, but one would think that there will be moving forward considering the first episode kicked things off with a prologue, perhaps instead—and considering that the Game of Thrones theme is the most iconic in television history.