House of the Dragon Review
- Nov 21, 2022
- 2 min read
After the massive success of HBO's Game of Thrones, which spanned eight seasons and dominated the pop culture industry from 2011 to 2019, the directors returned in 2022 to take viewers through the world of Westeros again in the prequel "House of the Dragon."
In the past, I have seen a few episodes of "Game of Thrones" when my family would watch it, but I wasn't a massive fan of the amount of graphic violence and animal cruelty displayed in the episodes. So as someone who lacked interest in watching GOT despite all of the hype and popularity, I was genuinely surprised when "House of the Dragon" finally inspired me to dive into the original HBO series.
Taking place nearly 200 years before "Game of Thrones" events, "House of the Dragon," tells the backstory of the notorious House of Targaryen. There is political tension over the succession of King Viserys Targaryen as to who will head the Seven Kingdoms and continue the Targaryen legacy.
Rhaenyra Targaryen is the princess and the only daughter of Viserys Targaryen; she is a witty and cunning young woman. Meanwhile, Daemon Targaryen is Viserys' only brother, a bold and reckless strategist. Then comes Aegon Targaryen, the eldest son of Viserys, who "should" be named heir, but underlying issues may prevent that from occurring.
What drew my attention to "House of the Dragon" was the amount of drama, betrayal, and political affairs between the Houses of Targaryen, Velaryon, and Hightower. All the events in the show will eventually lead to Dance of the Dragons, a civil war within the Targaryen family that leads to the extinction of dragons.
What impressed me the most was the character development, political aspects, and the amount of "flip-flopping" emotions I felt for choosing different sides of the family throughout various points of the series.
My only criticism of the show is the massive time jumps that occur throughout the ten episodes of season one. If a critical issue arises, you rarely see the full impact of the results, as it will flash forward to the future years later. You have to get a grip on what has occurred since the time jump, and it feels like you are watching a new season as some characters are recast.
On the one hand, the time jumps enable the storyline to move quicker, cutting out unnecessary fluff. But, on the other hand, it takes a while to adjust to the following plot and get used to the characters' changed personalities and growth.
Despite this, I would strongly suggest giving "House of the Dragon" a chance as you will become invested in the characters and the backstory of the Targaryen family. You may choose different sides or want to watch "Games of Thrones."
P.S. The end of the season one finale shook me to my core, and I cannot wait to see how explosive season two will be!!!
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