Warning: This article contains spoilers forHouse of the Dragon.
HBO’s newGame of Thronesspin-off,House of the Dragon, has matched its predecessor’s success as a hit with both critics and audiences. The prequel series has received mostly positive reviews and so many people watched the pilot when it dropped online that HBO Max crashed for many users. One possible reason for the spin-off’s success – besides its connection to one of the most popular shows in the history of television – is that it’s more accessible than the flagship series.
Jumping all over Westeros with an expansive ensemble cast madeGame of Thronesdifficult to follow for casual viewers. There were a bunch of houses, each with their own agendas and infighting problems, all vying for control of the Seven Kingdoms. Anyone who didn’t have the benefit of familiarity withGeorge R.R. Martin’s denseA Song of Ice and Firenovels had a tough time taking stock of every character on the board and all the intricately interconnected storylines they were involved in.House of the Dragon’s singular focus on the history of the Targaryens means its storylines are a lot easier to keep track of.
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AlthoughHouse of the Dragontakes place two centuries before the events ofGame of Thrones, stylistically, it picks up right whereGame of Thronesleft off. The spin-off deftly recaptures what madeGame of Thronessuch a joy to watch. Like its predecessor,House of the Dragonhas its cake and eats it, too, with a nice balance of taut medieval drama and anything-goes NSFW romp. There’s plenty of subtle dialogue, nuanced acting, and thought-provoking themes, but there’s alsoplenty of sex and bloodshed. And there are fully fledged dragons from the very beginning, so viewers don’t have to wait for eggs to hatch and babies to grow up to see some dragon action.
While the style ofHouse of the Dragonis virtually indistinguishable fromGame of Thrones, its story has a much narrower focus. It’s not about everybody in the world getting into a simultaneous blood feud; it’s about a single blood feud that affects one family in a particular corner of that world. Set atthe height of House Targaryen’s reign, 172 years before Daenerys was born, the series will chronicle the outbreak of the civil war among the Targaryens that ultimately brought the family to its knees.
With all its different settings and character clusters, watchingGame of Thronesfelt like watching several different shows all at once, like the TV split-screen that Marty McFly watches in the future inBack to the Future Part II. Viewers had to stay up to date with the Targaryens, the Starks, the Lannisters, the Baratheons, the Tyrells – the list goes on. The whole series was tied together by various political powerslaying claim to the Iron Throne. But there were so many people who felt entitled to sit upon that throne for so many different historical reasons that it was easy to get lost in the complex web of story arcs. InHouse of the Dragon, everyone who wants to sit on the Iron Throne hails from just one family.
House of the Dragonhas been compared toa different HBO series,Succession, with the Targaryen family taking the place of the Roy family in its tale of bitter tensions and infighting within a powerful clan. King Viserys is being pressured to find a new queen to give birth to an heir following the tragic loss of his wife and child. Prince Daemon is the dark horse of the family trying to consolidate power that the king’s counsels don’t trust him with.Princess Rhaenyra is being set upas the first female heir to House Targaryen.
Following these characters and their interpersonal conflicts is a lot breezier than the challenge of charting the sprawling ensemble of dozens of characters inGame of Thrones.House of the Dragonisn’t a simplistic story by any means. There are political rivals and influences coming from left and right. Rhaenys is bitter after being passed over due to her gender,Ser Otto will do what he mustto keep Daemon out of power, and the Velaryons are desperate to get their foot in the door. But its complexity is a lot more manageable than that ofGame of Thrones. Viewers ofGame of Throneswere always on the verge of losing the plot;House of the Dragonis a much more comfortable viewing experience.
Anybody who sets out to binge-watchGame of Thrones(ifthe vitriolic response to the final seasonhasn’t put them off the show altogether) needs to have a pencil and paper ready to learn everyone’s names and how they’re all related and why they believe the Iron Throne belongs to them. AsHouse of the Dragonbegins its more concentrated narrative, they can just sit back and enjoy the ride.
House of the Dragonis airing on Sundays on HBO and HBO Max.
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