TV Series Review — “House of the Dragon” Season 1 (2022)

House of the Dragon is set 172 years before the birth of Daenerys Targaryen i.e. it’s a prequel to the events that captivated global audiences in Game of Thrones.

This much awaited series had fans anticipating for more, after the debacle and unsatisfactory rushed ending of Game of Thrones. Focused specifically on the Targaryen family, you know you will see far more Dragons in this series than it’s successor with very unpronounceable and difficult to remember names. Politics, deceit, backstabbing, throne grabbing with sufficient amount of nudity & violence are all present in this one albeit to a lesser extent but this is what defines this epic fantasy genre created by George R. R. Martin.

While comparison is inevitable between them, you would need a fresh perspective to view this as a standalone series, while keeping in mind of how this connects to Game of Thrones and how different families are interconnected. It sorts of brings back the nostalgic memories of how we eagerly awaited for every episode and avoided social media for spoilers till we have seen the latest episode with our own eyes. Every Sunday night these episodes were released in US Time zone and I used to watch them on Monday Night Local Time.

The only sad part is whenever Aegon’s Dream is mentioned, it talks about an incoming Enemy from North, we already know who they were (Night King & White Walkers); how they were defeated and who ultimately sat on the Iron throne. This series also has a Time Jump occurrence (10 years jump) to advance the plot, it’s rare for a major series to feature such a thing.

After the broadcast of final episode of season 1, this prequel series finally emerges from Game of Thrones’ shadow and could be at the level of Game of Thrones (if not more) as the signs are promising. You could say it could be like how “Better Call Saul” was for “Breaking Bad”.

In conclusion House of the Dragon Season 1 sees the civil war in the Targaryen dynasty as Aegon II and his half-sister Rhaenyra both claim the Iron Throne of Westeros. The season finale laid the grounds for the war that is about to come with Rhaenyra’s coronation and a death out of nowhere (spoiler). Unfortunately, we would need to wait longer for next Season as it’s stated for release in 2024.

One interesting thing happened with this series was “The Battle of Prequels”.
House of the Dragons clashed with another prequel “Rings of Power” (Prequel to Lord of the Rings & The Hobbit).
House of the Dragons emerged victorious with it’s ratings & viewership count in this battle.

Verdict is 9/10 and a “MUST WATCH” recommendation, especially for all those Game of Thrones fans who were left with a bittersweet taste after a dampening finale.

Watch it online here →

Paid Subscriptions →

https://www.hotstar.com/in/tv/house-of-the-dragon/1260110208

https://www.hbo.com/house-of-the-dragon

Or by any other means by which you can get your hands on it.