The first season of House of the Dragon has just ended. The battle with The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power has been won and audiences have been delighted with the cast, atmosphere and story. But has the new series surpassed the original Game of Thrones? Partially. It’s funny, but Targaryen’s tragedy could be much more appealing to viewers who didn’t get Song of Ice and Fire. We’ve decided to round up 11 reasons why you should watch HBO’s hit, if the history of the Starks, Lannisters, and Targaryens ever didn’t interest you.
The plot became clearer
What is Dragon House about? You can understand that from the first episodes. The famous civil war between the Targaryens, the “Dance of the Dragons”, had very ordinary and even trivial assumptions. The king gave the throne to his daughter, but a little later he had a son from his new wife. Anyone who is at least somewhat familiar with the Middle Ages knows that for a long time the inheritance was exclusively through the male line. So it turns out that on one side of the scale is the word of the king, and on the other – ancient customs.
It’s not hard to understand this dispute, especially since the entire first season of House of the Dragon is the prehistory of that same war. We literally get to see what happened and why, before Princess Rhaenyra and Prince Aegon decided to kill each other.
And now let’s remember the beginning of the “Game of Thrones”, where King Robert Baratheon comes to visit his old friend Ned Stark. And there were strange, blue-eyed white zombies in the snow, the execution of a deserter, discussion of the consequences of a coup, and Lannisters who loved each other so much that sometimes too much. Getting confused in this flood of information, places, names and events, to say the least, is as easy as peeling pears.
House Stark in the first episode of Game of ThronesIn addition, this had a very indirect relationship with the main plot, because soon Daenerys Targaryen and her brother appeared on the screen, dreaming of returning to Westeros and for some reason considering themselves rulers.
It’s not hard to imagine how shocked the unprepared viewer was. While a person found out who is who and gradually remembered the names, half of the heroes had already been killed. At the same time, those same zombies, the so-called white walkers, only started to take on any significance in the last few seasons, and there are a whopping eight!
Fewer locations
The locations in which the plot of the “House of the Dragon” unfolds are several times smaller than in the first season of the “Game of Thrones”. Most of the time we will be in the Red Castle and Dragonstone, but every now and then we end up somewhere else. It could be argued that this makes the series look poorer, but we believe such a decision is fully justified.
King’s LandingAs with the first point, it’s easier for viewers to focus on the characters and their characters when most of the action takes place in familiar places. In addition, and this is especially important, it is easier to show temporary jumps, of which there are quite a lot in the “House of the Dragon”. The unchanged environment and small details make it much easier to show that a lot of time has passed and the characters have aged.
All eyes on key characters
Game of Thrones’ running time was saturated with many scenes featuring completely unimportant characters and their day-to-day problems. These scenes added to the atmosphere but distracted from the main characters.
Now absolutely everyone who appears on the screen is doing something important and moving the main story forward. Even if the character seems small at first glance, rest assured that he will play his part.
It’s also helpful that almost all the characters are members of the same family. They are shown for a long time, so we know exactly who is communicating and how, and why.
Well written characters
Despite all the versatility of the characters, in the “Game of Thrones” you understand very quickly that the Starks are good and the Lannisters are bad. The same distribution applies to other heroes and noble houses. It’s only towards the end, when Daenerys suddenly “goes mad,” ambiguity appears in the story. All characters sooner or later chose a clearly defined side, if not on the screen, at least in the perception of the audience.
Are you paying your debts?This is one of the main issues of Game of Thrones, which initially aimed to show gray morals and spark interest in both sides of the conflict, but in reality it only offered a few “chaotic heroes” like Tyrion or Jaime.
In “House of the Dragon”, the writers spent a lot of time demonstrating “their truth” to all participants in the conflict. By the end of the tenth series, you may have favorites, but you’re unlikely to really hate anyone (except the one-eyed goat).
Moreover, the script itself is structured in such a way that each party is convinced of its own right. Rhaenyra certainly knows her father’s wishes, while Queen Alycent has misinterpreted Viserys’ last speech and sincerely believes her husband has changed his mind in favor of Aegon.
many dragons
Dragons in Game of Thrones were a feast and one of the main features shown only in the most special moments. Three years after the release of the eighth season, the budget has increased, so now huge lizards have become commonplace.
Damon dragonFans wouldn’t forgive HBO if the Targaryens were shown without deadly pets, so the creators did everything they could to make the dragons look as natural as possible. Each of the lizards has an individual appearance and habits.
Of particular note is the epic battle in the air, which the audience saw in the last episode. However, this is just the beginning. In Dragon Dance, the lizards will fight and “dance” regularly. Such a large-scale spectacle was missing from the “Game of Thrones”, especially in the first season.
What turned out to be the most difficult for you?
cool fights
A few words deserve a sword fight. Many viewers scolded the “Game of Thrones” for its low dynamics, when the series could consist entirely of dialogue.
The novelty also has plenty of conversations, but the number of brutal hand-to-hand combat has increased. As a result, the concentration of events increased. It’s just more fun to watch what’s going on.
Less vulgarity
Despite all the claims that “House of the Dragon” will be no less depraved than its predecessor, this is not the case. Several scenes show only the bare minimum, which is unlikely to impress even a child.
For many, this is a plus, as Game of Thrones has been criticized for abusing excessive nudity at the most unexpected moments.
no mysticism
Someone will say that the dragons themselves are already something fantastic, but the new product is completely missing white walkers, and that’s a good thing. There are still many years before their invasion, so the plot focuses on the world of the living.
Those same walkers are aggressive zombies from the Middle AgesThe rare appearances of mysterious monsters in the original were just confusing, especially when you remember how it all ended. Now the storyline is focused on the essentials and attention is not distracted with incomprehensible “Chekhov’s guns” that will fire only after a few years.
Attention to canon
Fans familiar with George RR Martin’s novels will know that the first series had many minor and minor changes. Some of them are justified, others have completely broken the images of the characters. In the new project, HBO decided not to abuse trust, so all events are in accordance with the literary source. Some moments are shown a little more clearly than in the books, but these are just nuances.
George Martin himselfNow “House of the Dragon” is rightly considered one of the best adaptations, and the author takes an active part in its production.
Telling quick stories
Anyone who didn’t like Game of Thrones because of its slow pace will be happy. The first few episodes constantly move events several years into the future. They even chose two versions of the actresses for the main roles of Alicente and Reinier – young and older.
The plot develops by leaps and bounds, not a second that will leave you relaxed or bored. It’s hard to imagine how the creators plan to fit a two-year civil war into a whopping five seasons, if they don’t slow down a bit.
viserys
Mad and inadequate rulers are one of the main themes in George Martin’s novels. Viserys was very different from most who sat on the Iron Throne. He ruled peacefully and fairly, and devoted himself more to tournaments than to intrigue and military conflict. In the book, the king had problems with being overweight, which made him look more like an obese good man than a ruler. In the series, the picture was slightly changed. Much credit for this to the actor Paddy Considine (Patrick George “Paddy” Considine), who performed his task so perfectly that even Martin admired the result.
Epic scenes aren’t just battlesBefore us appeared in his own way the wise, honest, very kind and noble Viserys, endlessly adoring his own family. Oddly enough, but it was the king who gave audiences one of the most, if not the most emotional scenes of the entire season. There has never been such a powerful character in Game of Thrones, no matter what anyone says. This is definitely one of the main advantages of the new project, which sets it apart from all the other characters and subplots.
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“House of the Dragon” fully lived up to the high expectations and brought the fashion back to the “Game of Thrones”. Before us lies a great project and one of the best works about the mistakes in the history of modern television. Even if you didn’t like the original series, try watching a new George Martin fairy tale. We are sure that the novelty will not disappoint you.
Have you seen Dragon House?
Source: VG Times
Gregory Robert is a sports aficionado and a writer for “Social Bites”. He provides in-depth coverage of the latest sporting events and trends, offering a unique and knowledgeable perspective on the world of sports.