House of the Dragon (2022-)

[Hollywood Heidi]

House of the Dragon
Official Discussion Thread

Premiere: August 21, 2022

Network: HBO

Genres: Action, Adventure, Based on a Book, Drama, Prequel, Spin-off

Stars: Rhys Ifans, Fabien Frankel, Matt Smith, Graham McTavish, Paddy Considine, Bill Paterson, Eve Best, Jefferson Hall, Steve Toussaint, Sonoya Mizuno, Matthew Needham, Olivia Cooke, Emma D'Arcy, Gavin Spokes, Milly Alcock, Emily Carey, David Horovitch, Kurt Egyiawan


Synopsis: An internal succession war within House Targaryen at the height of its power, 172 years before the birth of Daenerys Targaryen. (IMDb)


Trailer:

[Kristi Lynne]

Everything You Need to Know Before "House of the Dragon":

[Kristi Lynne]

Episode 1 Easter Eggs:




Episode 2 Easter Eggs:

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Episode 3 Easter Eggs




Episode 4 Easter Eggs:

[Kristi Lynne]

Episode 5 Easter Eggs:



Episode 6 Easter Eggs:

[Kristi Lynne]

Episode 7 Easter Eggs:



Episode 8 Easter Eggs:

[Kristi Lynne]

Episode 9 Easter Eggs:

[Kristi Lynne]

Do the Time Jumps Help or Hurt The Show? 

[Kristi Lynne]

A lot of people were hesitant about this show, including myself, because of the disappointment with the final season of "Game of Thrones." But it turns out I was ready to be hurt again!

I have no clue what happens in the "Fire and Blood" series of books, and from what I've read, this isn't totally following the books. But this takes place around 200 years before the events of "Game of Thrones" in the height of the Targaryen dynasty, and shows the events that precede the civil war over the Iron Throne. I'm excited for the season finale this Sunday, and I think it's been done really well so far. 

It's great to see Westeros locations that we already know like King's Landing, Dragonstone, and the haunted Harrenhall. There are family names we already know like Baratheon and Lannister and Martell. I love the costumes; they're absolutely gorgeous and so detailed like armor and dress sleeves that look like dragon scales The first five episodes are spent with a young Rhaenyra and Alicent before we jump 10 years into the future to find them grown with families of their own. I don't love the time jumps; like the video above, I think it makes us miss out on a lot of story and character development. HBO is clearly invested in the series and could have allowed more time rather than rushing to the breakout of war.

Every character is pretty much morally gray. The writers are trying really hard to make us hate Queen Alicent, but i can sympathize with why she does what she does. There aren't any characters that I hate, except maybe Larys Strong. He's got the cunning of Littlefinger but none of the charm. Aegon II is fairly useless as well, and his sadistic streak and power tripping makes me fear that he's another Joffrey. Standouts in the cast are definitely Paddy Considine who's just trying to be a good king and keep peace in the realm, Eve Best as Princess Rhaenys aka the Queen That Never Was who accepted long ago that a woman would never rule Westeros, and Matt Smith as Daemon the Rogue Prince. Smith basically owns every scene he's in, even an extended battle sequence in episode 3 that had no dialogue at all, and you can tell he's having a blast being the bad guy. 

Did I mention the dragons? There are a lot of them, including Vhagar the biggest and oldest dragon that was there when Aegon originally conquered Westeros. They're all different colors and sizes and temperaments. The weight, the texture, the sound -- they feel very real. Actually moreso than the boar and the stag that appeared in an earlier episode.

So I'm excited for this show, it's been fun to return to the Red Keep, and I hope others will get to see it soon.

[Kristi Lynne]

Episode 10 Easter Eggs