Winter is coming.
The iron throne.
Dracarys!
Whether it be a repeated quote, a glorified chair or a made-up language, at least one – if not all – of the above things are recognizable to most.
The Game of Thrones series is iconic, to say the least. Even the UF band plays the theme song at every football game.
Based on a set of (unfinished) books by author George R. R. Martin entitled A Song of Ice and Fire, the show spanned 8 seasons — airing from 2011 to 2019. Though a fantasy show at its core, the series is much more complex than that. It is gruesome and tragic, while also brilliant and incredibly detailed. Everything that happens in GOT is on purpose. For instance, a single line may come back to mean something three or four seasons later. Because of this, the show grew in popularity as storylines developed and hidden truths were unraveled. Beyond its unique nature, GOT is a cinematic masterpiece and has some of the best on-screen acting seen in a long time.
Fans were devastated with its abrupt, quick-paced ending back in 2019. Though the show lives on, GOT lovers begged for prequels, sequels and everything in between.
And, well, they got their wish: House of The Dragon is the new Game of Thrones prequel on HBO Max.
This new series is set 172 years before the rise of Daenerys Targaryen, who is portrayed by Emilia Clarke in the original series. The show first aired on HBO Max on August 21, 2022. A new episode is released each week on Sunday around 9 p.m. (ET) / 6 p.m. (PT).
House of the Dragon follows the Targaryen dynasty when the family was still sitting atop the iron throne. In the first season of Game of Thrones, we see that the Targaryens have lost their power but are not told how, why or when. As the show progresses on, details are uncovered, and the fall of the Targaryens is somewhat explained. Still, there are years and years of Targaryen leaders that go unnamed or are only briefly mentioned. That’s where House of the Dragon comes in.
Without giving too much away, House of the Dragon is yet another adaptation of the infamous “game of thrones” that is the central plotline in the original series. In other words, the characters are fighting for the iron throne. In this prequel, though, it is the Targaryens fighting more amongst themselves than with neighboring houses. Iconic house names such as Stark and Lannister are only briefly mentioned (so far) in this series.
The fight for the throne is between the Targaryens and the Hightowers, as well as the Velaryons (who are cousins to the Targaryens). To provide a brief overview, Viserys Targarayen is king at the start of the series. His daughter, Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen, is named heir to the throne. This causes an uproar in the kingdom as women have never inherited the throne. This is further challenged when Viserys remarries and has a firstborn son, Aegon Targraryen, son of Viserys and Alicent Hightower. This is the core of the problem: Should the named heir, Princess Rhaenrya, inherit the throne, or should the kingdom stay true to tradition and name Aegon king? Not to mention, there is a third party involved in the chaos: Viserys’ brother, Daemon Targaryen. Daemon is the lovable villain of the show, causing trouble and distress everywhere he can.
To compare this to the original series, Game of Thrones follows several houses. The main four houses are House Baratheon, House Stark, House Lannister and House Targaryen. There are several other houses, or families, involved. Game of Thrones jumps from one storyline to another each and every episode, never settling on one true main character. While House of the Dragon does explore a few different characters’ stories, they are much more intertwined. The story takes place under one roof for the most part, whereas GOT has plotlines in 10 different places at a time. This is thrilling in the original series because you don’t know when stories will overlap or connect — which they always do. This does, though, make House of the Dragon slightly less confusing.
There are many questions as to what series a person should watch first if they’ve seen neither. In my opinion, I’d still watch Game of Thrones first, despite the fact that House of The Dragon is a prequel. It was meant to be viewed this way. I believe many gaps in GOT will be filled with this new show. Game of Thrones has so much (fictional) history that it is hard to keep up at times. I know many people who have watched the series several times and swear they pick up on new pieces of information with each watch. With that, House of the Dragon is the perfect opportunity to fill in some of the blanks about how the fight for the iron throne really began.
Is one better than the other? That’s a really unfair question. Game of Thrones is… Well, Game of Thrones. There are few series as iconic as it is. And, House of the Dragon is hardly through season one. GOT spanned eight seasons and told dozens of characters’ stories, whereas the prequel is projected to be much shorter.
Still, the classic GOT magic is there and makes this new series a must-watch. House of the Dragon is intense, dramatic and completely captivating. There is more violence and manipulation with every episode. The show began on the slower side as things were explained and the story was set but has progressed substantially since the pilot.
If you are not yet a part of the GOT fan club, I highly suggest you join in. I can never conceal my over-dramatic gasp when I hear a person hasn’t watched the series. It is truly a masterpiece. And now, there’s a bonus reason to watch: a whole other series to obsess over when you finish!
You can find both Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon on HBO Max.
Hurry to it, because winter is coming.