‘House Of The Dragon’:First Episode Of ‘Game Of Thrones’ Prequel Is Out

The prequel that drops Monday in the UAE brings in more diversity but don’t worry, the dragons are still around.

The moment is finally here when the Game Of Thrones fans quench their thirst for blood, gory action and dramatic battles for the throne. The first episode of the HBO show, House Of The Dragon was released on August 22, 2022. Although it was released early in the morning, ardent fans managed to watch the entire episode.

First and foremost, ‘House of the Dragon’ is based on George R.R. Martin’s (GRRM) highly acclaimed ‘Fire and Blood’, a book that narrates the story of House Targaryen. Who doesn’t love Targaryens and their dragons, and of course, Daenarys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke), at least before she went haywire and ordered Drogon to spew fire upon Kings Landing. If you consider this a spoiler, please step out of the cave.

Additionally, if we recall, ‘Game of Thrones’ was at its peak when it followed GRRM’s plotline. Nothing came close to its premise, the setting, and the way things unfolded. That explains why fans were hooked on a show that had hour-long episodes running for eight years. And that also justifies why fans were disappointed over a meagre ending. In ‘House of the Dragon’, the story follows that of ‘Fire and Blood’, so chances of having unfinished storylines are next to zero unless they pull a David Benioff or a D.B. Weiss, creators of GoT.

‘Game of Thrones’ showed three dragons, that we know of, from start till end. And that was when the show covered all the major houses of Westeros, including the Starks and the Lannisters. Now that we have an entire show focusing on the Targaryens, it is safe to assume fans will be seeing more of these fire-breathing, mythical flying creatures.

But don’t get us wrong, even if we are comparing the two shows, ‘House of the Dragon’ is not a remake of ‘Game of Thrones’, instead it has its own new characters and plotlines. The new show, as it begins, aptly mentions we are placed 172 years before Daenarys Targaryen. Viserys Targaryen, played by Paddy Considine (‘Dead Man’s Shoes’), is chosen over his older cousin Princess Rhaenys Velaryon, played by Eve Best, as heir to the Iron Throne. Fast forward to the time when Viserys faces the dilemma of choosing his own heir; his daughter Princess Rhaenyra (Milly Alcock as the younger version before Emma D’Arcy takes over), or his enigmatic, light-blonde haired younger brother, Daemon Targaryen, played by Matt Smith (‘Doctor Who’).

The first episode starts with everything we have seen in all of ‘Game of Thrones’. There’s blood, dragons, socio-political turmoil, high-intensity drama, more blood, and some more dragons. That means, ‘House of the Dragon’ is wasting no time in making a statement.

And for that we have to thank showrunners Ryan Condal and Miguel Sapochnik, who gave us some of the best ‘Game of Thrones’ episodes, including ‘Hardhome’ and ‘Battle of the Bastards.’

The vital point here is that we are returning to Westeros. Yes, there are new characters and additional houses, but there’s just something about returning to Kings Landing in the first episode that struck a happy chord in us. The effects, camera angles, and scenery, somehow managed to bring back all the love we had for the show. As nostalgia hit us, our hopes for the series grew stronger. Perhaps that, and new storylines and characters from our favourite house, and some more fire-breathing flying creatures, is why we are looking forward to more of ‘House of the Dragon’.

Apart from promising the usual dose of drama, action and sex from Game Of Thrones, the prequel also promised an exciting journey with the dragons along with a new set of intriguing characters vying for power. Ahead of its release, fans were worried if House Of The Dragon could live up to the hype and extravagant impact that Game of Thrones created over the years.