Set nearly two centuries before Daenerys Targaryen stepped out of the fire with her little baby lizards, House of the Dragon shows there is still a contest for the big spiky metal chair. As per. Prince Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith), the younger brother of the current King Viserys (Paddy Considine), is the heir presumptive to the Iron Throne - an incredible warrior and fearless dragon rider. Yet, Viserys' eldest, Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D'Arcy), is highly aware that she is just as fearsome in the skies and her role as Viserys' only surviving child has weighed heavy on her mind for all of her life. Her ploy for the throne would be infallible, if she was a man.
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While the Targaryens look inward, the remainder of the great houses work out how they'll make the most of the conflict as it shakes out. Olivia Cooke plays Lady Alicent Hightower, Rhys Ifans plays Ser Otto Hightower, Steve Toussaint plays Lord Corlys Velaryon, Eve Best plays Princess Rhaenys Targaryen, Sonoya Mizuno plays Mysaria, and Fabien Frankel plays Ser Criston Cole. There are problematic faves aplenty in House of the Dragon and the audience are lapping it up based on these excellent audience scores for the first episode. The Game of Thrones prequel is blowing away both critics and fans, with an enviable 85% and 89% score on Rotten Tomatoes respectively. That's hot.
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"It's powerful, it's visceral, it's dark, it's like a Shakespearean tragedy," said author George R R Martin in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter. "There’s no Arya - a character everybody's going to love. They're all flawed. They're all human. They do good things. They do bad things. They're driven by lust for power, jealousy, old wounds—just like human beings. Just like I wrote them." Was that a dig at the end of Game of Thrones there, George? Well, let's hope this show sticks the landing.
Featured Image Credit: HBOTopics: Game Of Thrones, TV And Film