On Sunday nights, Game of Thrones was mandatory watching for devotees. Millions used to tune in to see Jon Snow, Daenerys Targaryen, Cersei Lannister, and other great characters over the course of eight seasons. It was a vast fantasy realm based on George R.R. Martin’s books that dominated popular culture.
House of the Dragon is now attempting to rekindle that magic—and eliminate any lingering resentment over how Game of Thrones ended. The spin-off series is set two centuries before the events of Game of Thrones, during the Targaryen civil war known as the Dance of the Dragons. The friendship of Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen and Alicent Hightower, the daughter of the king’s hand, will be central to the show.
The politics, on the other hand, will revolve around who will succeed King Viserys I (Paddy Considine) on the Iron Throne.
The program skips ten years in the middle of the season, switching from the younger to the older versions of the protagonists. “This is how you tell this narrative, right,” Ryan Condal, one of the showrunners, noted. “We’re telling the narrative of a generational conflict. We set everything up so that by the time the first sword stroke lands, you know who everyone is.”
Daemon (Matt Smith) and Rhea Royce (Rachel Redford) finally meet. Rhea is suspicious of her husband, yet she sees something ominous in his eyes. Viserys intends to propose marriage to Rhaenyra and Laenor Velaryon, son of Corlys and Princess Rhaenyra. Rhaenyra’s romance with Criston Cole (Fabien Frankel) makes Viserys feel like a “whore” in episode 3 of “Game of Thrones,” and Alicent’s father, Otto, blames her for his banishment from King’s Landing. Larys Strong, Lyonel’s hobbling, Littlefinger-like son, reappears in episode 3 to inform the queen about the strange cup of tea she was served the night Otto was fired.
Viserys seeks therapy for his different ailments in this week’s episode. As he goes through another
Viserys seeks therapy for his different ailments in this week’s episode. He mulls on his legacy with Lyonel while he undergoes another leech bath. “Isn’t it preferable to live in peace than to have songs written about you after you’ve died?” The mating of Rhaenyra and Laenor will usher in “the second age of dragons in Westeros.” Daemon has moved on from Laena Velaryon and now finds himself dancing with Criston, whose passionate connection is immediately apparent.
Criston challenges him to cut through her father’s kingsguard in order to compel her to return to Dragonstone. Viserys collapses to the ground shortly after the union is consummated with an awkward kiss. A Westerosi wedding would be incomplete without bloodshed.
House of the Dragon Episode Schedule
The first two episodes were seen by nearly 10 million people, making it the most watched new HBO original series ever. The ten-episode first season of House of the Dragon on HBO and Disney+ Hotstar is listed below.
House of the Dragon Episode 1: “The Heirs of the Dragon”: Sunday, August 21
House of the Dragon Episode 2: “The Rogue Prince”: Sunday, August 28
House of the Dragon Episode 3: “Second of His Name”: Sunday, September 4
House of the Dragon Episode 4: “King of the Narrow Sea”: Sunday, September 11
House of the Dragon Episode 5: “We Light the Way”: Sunday, September 18
House of the Dragon Episode 6: “The Princess and the Queen”: Sunday, September 25
House of the Dragon Episode 7: “Driftmark”: Sunday, October 2
House of the Dragon Episode 8: “The Lord of the Tides” premieres on Sunday, October 9;
House of the Dragon Episode 9: “The Green Council” premieres on Sunday, October 16
House of the Dragon Episode 10: (season finale): “The Black Queen”, Sunday, October 23rd.
