by The world premiere of House of the Dragon, the prequel to the acclaimed Game of Thrones, has taken place! And it immediately broke several records for views. It’s premature to draw conclusions about the series from one episode, but you can get a general idea of the atmosphere and style of storytelling-and therefore adjust your expectations. In this article, I will tell you what the creators did, what potential problems the series has, and whether the fans will be satisfied. And also about what chances the “House of the Dragon” has in a clash with the main rival -“The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” (The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power).
What were we waiting for
Fans need not worry; the book is completely written and the overall story is unlikely to change much. However, the devil is in the details. We all remember the sad end of Game of Thrones, when the series from our time’s most popular show devolved into a yawning action, with each new episode becoming more tiring than surprising.At the same time, the books’ author, George R. R. Martin (George RR Martin), claimed that the ending was entirely consistent with his original concept.
One could only hope that the creators learned from the failure and understood their mistakes. The scandalous writers who were most blamed for the failure of Game of Thrones were indeed removed, which is already “a serious reason to smile.”
What did we get
There will be ten episodes in the season; the show promises to be large-scale and will reveal the history of the Targaryens thoroughly and in detail. Events are developing rapidly, so it looks like it will do without filler episodes. This gives some idea of what to expect from The House of the Dragon.
Already in the first series they showed the oath of the lords of Rainier, the conflict of Viserys with Damon, Kristen Kohl, and as many as two dragons.
We know from the trailers that Season 1 of TV Show will feature an adult Rhaenyra, the “close” relationship with Uncle Damon hinted at in Episode 1, and even one of Queen Alycent’s adult sons, the one-eyed Aymond Targaryen. It is strange that there is not a single frame of Aegon himself—Rhaenyra’s main rival. However, it is unlikely that the canon has been changed in any way—the prince will definitely be.
According to first impressions, the series has become much less cluttered with unnecessary dialogue. This allows you to focus on the main characters. You will almost immediately remember the names and get the initial information about the motives of each character. Definitely, the entry threshold has become much lower; this should attract those viewers who found Game of Thrones boring and uninteresting in the first hours.
The same atmosphere is back. The show no longer looks like a farce with a series of unexpected twists and turns. Anyone who liked the first seasons of Game of Thrones will be more likely to be satisfied. One opening scene of a dragon flying over the rooftops of King’s Landing is head and shoulders above the entire eighth season of the original series.
On the spot and the famous cruelty. Cleaning the streets before the tournament looks brutal and real. Close-up of genitals cut off are also present. The tournament itself, where Damon and the still unknown Kristen Kohl meet, pleasantly pleases with a well-choreographed fight. Weight is felt in armor and swords, and the heavy blows of tired knights are felt, excuse me, at the fingertips. We can make an unambiguous conclusion that you should not worry about the action. There will be much more of it than in the predecessor series, and it is even better made.
Unfortunately, in the first series, the beginnings of problems appeared. Perhaps this is an erroneous opinion—only time will tell. The show can turn into a demonstration of the strength of the weaker sex, where one ambitious princess tries to defeat another queen. and thus reduce the multifaceted history of the great house to the usual medieval feminism. I hope this doesn’t happen.
The characters deserve a few words. They have yet to reveal themselves. However, even after the first series, there is something to discuss. Viserys turned out great. Paddy Considine (Patrick George “Paddy” Considine) managed to show more emotions in an hour than Jon Snow in the entire series. The king is truly canonical and combines the pragmatism of the monarch with humanity towards family and friends.
Unfortunately, due to attempts to increase the inequality of women, the storyline was completely lost, in which the king had already been preparing Rhaenyra as his successor for some time. In the series, the girl only pours wine at meetings of the small council, and the choice of Viserys in favor of her daughter seems hasty and forced, although in the book it was not so.
The origin of the conflict between the king and Prince Damon is excellently shown. Viserys often defended his brother in front of the members of the council, but the act of the prince crosses everything out and becomes the basis for many years of enmity. Overall, Matt Smith is great as Damon. He is an experienced fighter and does not hold back his emotions well, but he is smart and cunning enough to mock the King’s Hand several times at once in a tournament. The character before us is one of the best in the upcoming epic, the development of which will be interesting to watch.
Finally, the little princess herself—Reynira—looks very organic. In the book, the girl is about eight years old, while the actress is already 21. But in the frame, the difference is almost not felt. At one point, “Game of Thrones” significantly aged the main characters. Jon Snow and Daenerys didn’t look like 13–15-year-olds. Now this problem has been fixed.
The rest of the characters did not play a significant role in the first series, but there is no doubt that they will surprise in the future. This time, most of the characters are in the same location—in King’s Landing—so the plot will not jump across the entire continent. The more interesting are the individual lines of heroes that develop in parallel but almost immediately influence each other.
The music for “House of the Dragon” is written by Ramin Djawadi, already familiar from the “Game of Thrones”. So far, only rethinking of old compositions has sounded, but the maestro is famous for his original tracks, so we should expect many memorable musical themes in the future.
It was disappointing that there was no opening melody on the screensaver, as there was in the Game of Thrones-and the introductory video itself as a whole. The Targaryen coat of arms looks cool at the beginning, but with modern screensavers for a whole minute, or even several minutes, it can not compete. It is hoped that the creators saved the spectacular opening credits for subsequent episodes.
***
House of the Dragon is the perfect return to George Martin’s beloved universe. The first series showed that the writers treat the canon with attention and love, cutting off everything superfluous to keep the pace of the story. The actors are beautiful in their images, the scenery and graphics are impressive, and the music gives you familiar goosebumps. It remains to be hoped that the high bar will continue throughout the season, and the “Rings of Power” should only wish good luck. The HBO Dragon is ready for battle like never before.
