Paddy Considine and Milly Alcock in “House of the Dragon.” Image/Ollie Upton/HBO/TNS
By Victor Mays, Entertainment Editor
After nearly four years off the air, smash hit Game of Thrones returns with a new prequel series. HBO’s political and historical fantasy drama show comes back more fantastical than ever with House of the Dragon.
The story about the infamous Targaryen family, who conquered and rule Westeros, is set 200 years before the “Game of Thrones.”
This show and its predecessor are all about different factions trying to gain power by getting as close to the Iron Throne as possible. The Iron Throne is a chair in the great hall in the city of kings landing that is filled with the swords of people that have been killed and conquered by the Targaryen family. House of the Dragon is based on the book Fire and Blood.
King Viserys sits upon the Iron Throne and is seemingly unfit to do so. The Irone Throne is a metal seat that is infused and melded with swords of conquered people. One of my favorite plot points of the book series is that the Iron Throne will cut anyone who is unfit to rule if they sit on it. The show is quite similar to the books in that sense.
House of the Dragon has an all-star cast full of British on screen heavyweights. Paddy Constantine plays the King of Westeros. The king is a genuinely nice guy that has a tendency to let his subjects and his brother walk all over him. Matt Smith of Doctor Who fame, plays the king’s brother Daemon Targaryen. This is where the majority of the conflict in this show comes from.
Daemon thinks that he can rule the kingdom better than his brother. In an act of spite, Daemon decides to anger the King and ends up ruining his chances of being named heir to the throne. This show while being called “House of the Dragon” shines more when the Dragons are not present. The morally gray humans are what makes “Game of Thrones” what it is.
Many times in fantasy shows the characters will be black and white. Usually you can tell a bad guy from a good guy but with Game of Thrones all the characters are too complex to put in a good or bad category. It’s a part of the charm.
Angry Comics, located at Fayetteville, NC, is a small comic store that has merchandise, books and game nights. Several of the locals from the area were excited about the new prequel.
“If you’re looking for the same wit and sharp dialogue of the earlier seasons of Game of Thrones then House of the Dragon is for you,” Sam Lentworth said. This show just has an energy to it that makes it so shocking. The choices of words and the outright audacity of some characters actions make this must watch television just like its parent series.
“You put a Dragon in my face and I’ll watch anything” said Jacob Henderson. Fans note that many characters share the same family names as other famous characters from Game of Thrones. This results in a fast-paced introduction that will leave you wanting more. I would say that these first two episodes are riveting and stunning to look at. However, because this show is a prequel, you will not need any knowledge of “Game of Thrones” to understand the show. I would recommend it to all fantasy fans.
