Heavy is the pinnacle that wears the crown. Within the opening moments of Home of the Dragon, a Sport of Thrones prequel that debuts Sunday, Viserys Targaryen inherits monumental accountability when he is topped Ruler of the Seven Kingdoms. It is becoming that a lot of the present’s first season revolves round a king who struggles to reside as much as his predecessor, as Home of the Dragons’ burden is to comply with Sport of Thrones, one of the vital celebrated TV reveals of all time.
Solely time, and the next seasons it brings, will inform if Home of the Dragon can scale these lofty heights. However after watching the primary six episodes, it is clear Home of the Dragon no less than has a shot. It is wonderful TV, a fantasy drama that does not require Sport of Thrones fandom to take pleasure in.
Home of the Dragon streams on HBO from Sunday Aug. 21. The present begins 172 years earlier than the dying of “The Mad King” Aerys Targaryen and the delivery of Daenerys. Chronicling the height and ensuing fall of the Targaryen Dynasty, Home of the Dragon relies on Fireplace and Blood, a quantity of fictional historical past George R.R. Martin wrote on the Targaryens. Yep, Martin wrote a 900 web page e-book on the Targaryens. Nope, we’re by no means getting Winds of Winter.
A lot of Sport of Thrones centered on the combative homes of Westeros vying to grow to be the dominant clan. In distinction, Home of the Dragon is all concerning the internecine battle generated by completely different Targaryens all laying declare to the identical Iron Throne. It begins with such a contest. Within the opening minutes of Home of the Dragon, following the dying of Jaehaerys, the Nice Council holds a vote on succession that pits Prince Viserys in opposition to his cousin, Princess Rhaenys.
Viserys wins as a result of the Lords of Westeros will not settle for a lady as ruler. That does not cease him, later within the opening episode, from naming his daughter Rhaenyra Targaryen as his successor. Viserys was evidently a progressive man for his day — however the state of affairs is difficult when he remarries and his new spouse births him a son, Aegon. Viserys says the arrival of his son adjustments nothing, however an ominous query looms: If Viserys died, who in Westeros would assist a lady’s declare to the throne over a person’s?
The connection between Viserys and Rhaenyra is a spotlight, largely due to the actors that painting them. Paddy Considine is robust in his position as a decent-man-turned-average-king, a fellow who struggles to steadiness the wants of his household and Westeros concurrently. However the shining star of Home of the Dragon’s opening episodes is unquestionably Milly Alcock as Rhaenyra. She’s obtained an enchantingly expressive face — a easy squinting of the eyes or a pursing of the lips can betray the vary of feelings that accompany king’s courtroom politics.
You may discover, if you happen to peruse Home of the Dragon’s Wikipedia web page, that Alcock performs “younger Rhaenyra Targaryen” — she’s considered one of two individuals who play the character. The place Sport of Thrones went vast, spreading its focus amongst completely different households all through the continent, Home of the Dragon goes lengthy. There are gaps of time in between episodes that fluctuate from months to years. That is smart, because the e-book it is based mostly on spans 300 years of historical past, in comparison with the a lot shorter timespan depicted in Martin’s A Track of Ice and Fireplace novels.
Having seen six episodes of the present, Home of the Dragon’s scope continues to be mysterious. It is clearly constructing to The Dance of the Dragons, a Targaryen civil warfare that is well-known in Ice and Fireplace lore. However when it will get there, and the way a lot additional the present delves into the 172 years of historical past that separates it from Thrones, is tantalizingly unclear.
The quicker tempo of Home of the Dragon helps it really feel completely different to Sport of Thrones, which is useful. Comparisons with Sport of Thrones are unfair. Thrones was well-known for complicated characters, heartbreaking surprises and indulgent setpiece battles, every of which took years to construct to. Followers who weren’t dissatisfied by the present’s controversial ultimate season could have excessive expectactions for Home of the Dragon, and followers that had been dissatisfied will demand one thing excellent to win them again.
However as unfair as these comparisons are, they’re additionally inevitable. As the primary episode of Home of the Dragons completed, I requested myself whether or not it was as charming as Sport of Thrones’ first. I puzzled if any character was as compelling as Ned Stark, or if politics throughout the king’s small council would attain Littlefinger versus Varys ranges of intrigue.
That modified midway by the second episode. As an alternative of reminiscing concerning the Starks and the Lannisters, my focus grew to become solely mounted on the Targaryens. Home of the Dragon could by no means be the subsequent Sport of Thrones however, from the six hours I’ve seen, it seems to be poised to no less than step out of the enormous shadow its predecessor casts. That is an achievement any king — or queen — may crow about.
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