'House of the Dragon' Premiere Recap: Dragons, Power Lust, Gore and Devastating Heartbreak

Mar. 15, 2025

Warning: This post contains spoilers for season 1, episode 1 ofHouse of the Dragon.

House of the Dragonopened quite differently fromGame of Thrones, which thrust casual viewers unfamiliar with the works of creatorGeorge R. R. Martininto a brand-new world with zero explanation about what was occurring.GoTwas cold. It was scary. And, at first, it was confusing.

House of the Dragon, on the other hand, opened with a voice-over setting the scene for the HBO prequel series — a move very much reminiscent of the introductory voice-over forThe Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. Here,Dragonwent out of its way to illustrate the world where the series takes place, a world nearly 200 years beforeThronesthat’s centered on the history of House Targaryen.

Courtesy HBO

In the series premiere titled “The Heirs of the Dragon,” viewers learn King Jaehaerys Targaryen (Michael Carter) convened a Great Council to choose his successor, as he had no surviving sons. Prince Viserys I (Paddy Considine), his oldest grandson, was selected to rule; Princess Rhaenys (Eve Best), his oldest grandchild, was overlooked purely because of her sex.

After a fast-forward in time,Dragonpicked up in the familiar King’s Landing, with Viserys now ruling and apparently keeping the peace. An indecisive leader, Viserys is more concerned with having a son for succession than any other business in his kingdom.

His Hand, Ser Otto Hightower (Rhys Ifans), made it clear that he does not like the king’s brother, Prince Daemon (Matt Smith), Commander of the City Watch, and wants him ordered back to his wife in the Vale. Viserys refused, but after a brutal roundup of the criminals in King’s Landing — all of whom had body parts cut off or are killed — Viserys told Daemon to tone down his brutality. Daemon loves his brother, but it was clear from the start he wants the throne for himself and makes clear he hopes his brother never has a son.

Ollie Upton/HBO

Sadly, in one of the most heartbreaking scenes in any of theThronesseries, Daemon got his wish when Queen Aemma Arryn (Sian Brooke) died giving birth to their son, who then also died. Viserys made the decision for his wife to undergo a knowingly fatal Caesarean section because he was so obsessed his first son survive.

Viserys does have a daughter, Princess Rhaenyra (Milly Alcock) and she is clearly more than capable. She was introduced in the series riding her dragon, Syrax. Rhaenyra is best friends with Otto’s daughter, Lady Alicent (Emily Carey). Both women are shown to be quite taken with Ser Criston Cole (Fabien Frankel) a handsome, low-born knight who actually managed to defeat Daemon in a jousting match.

HBO

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House of the Dragonairs Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on HBO.

source: people.com