The first episode of House of the Dragon dropped today, and fans can’t stop praising it. Based on George RR Martin’s book Fire & Blood, the series is a prequel to Game of Thrones (2011-2019). The 2022 series stars Paddy Considine as King Viserys I Targaryen, Milly Alcock as Young Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen, Matt Smith as Prince Daemon Targaryen, Emily Carey as young Lady Alicent Hightower, Rhys Ifans as Ser Otto Hightower, Steve Toussaint as Lord Corlys Velaryon, Eve Best as Princess Rhaenys Velaryon, and Fabien Frankel as Ser Criston Cole.
In House of the Dragon Episode 1, titled ‘The Heirs of the Dragon’, we witness many astonishing and chilling events. King Viserys I Targaryen’s wife and newly born son die, Daemon is asked to leave the Seven Kingdoms, and mainly, Rhaenyra becomes the heir to the throne. The ending teased us with something major and threatening to expect in the upcoming episodes.
After dropping the first compelling episode, HBO dropped a video called ‘Weeks Ahead Trailer’. In this trailer, the makers have given us a glimpse of everything to expect in the fantasy drama. The trailer features dragons, disappointment, war, fire, blood, the conspiracies for thrones and the unacceptance of Rhaenyra as the heir.
In the preview video of the House of the Dragon, Rhaenyra Targaryen says, “From my blood, come the prince that was promised, and his will be the song of ice and fire.” The trailer also features the lines that gave us all goosebumps at the end of Episode 1. King Viserys I says, “The burden of this knowledge is larger than the throne. It is larger than you.”
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There are speakers in the background who say that even though the king chose Rhaenyra as the heir, the realm will not accept her. Rhaenys Targaryen, who was the opposing candidate to Viserys to succeed King Jaegaerys tells young Rhaenyra that men will burn their realm to ashes, but won’t let women sit on the iron throne.
Adult Rhaenyra Targaryen claims she will be the queen of the Seven Kingdoms. However, her words don’t sit well with Alicent Hightower. Alicent attempts to attack Rhaenyra with a knife. King Viserys I also holds a knife on his younger brother Daemon Targaryen’s throat. An angry Viserys says, “You are no conqueror. You’re a plague!”
So far, we know that Daemon would do anything to sit on the throne. His fascination for the throne is such that he even called his brother’s dead son an ‘heir for a day’. While we see scenes of war and terror in the trailer, Daemon says something intriguing. He says, “Dreams didn’t make us kings. Dragons did.” Another exciting part of the trailer is the number of dragons it features. What happened to these beastly creatures until we get to the era of Daenerys Targaryen? We can’t wait to find out.
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Well, it looks like the upcoming episodes of House of the Dragon will have plenty of drama, deaths, conspiracies, fire, blood and war. Will HoTD be better than GoT? Only time will tell.
Watch House of the Dragon Weeks Ahead Trailer
House of the Dragon Episode 2 will release on September 29, 2022, on Disney+ Hotstar at 6:30 am IST. On HBO MAX, it will be available at 9 p.m. EST on September 28.
Watch episode 1 here.
What do you think of the first episode? Do let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
Also Read: House of the Dragon Episode 1 Review: The Beginning of the End (No Spoilers)