House of the Dragon (Game of Thrones prequel)

There's not much to Viserys I himself, but his death is what kicks of the gigantic civil war that is the Dance of Dragons between his daughter Rhaenyra Targaryen and his son Aegon II is a gigantic and highly dramatic event that is most definitely what they're adapting.

The Dance of Dragons is what also fits better with the title of the show. House of the Dragon obviously refers to House Targaryen, but more specifically to their association with dragons. The Dance of Dragons is when a tremendous amount of dragons and dragon eggs perish during the conflict, kicking off the beginning of the end for the Targaryen dynasty as they lose their main resource and the last dragon (before Daenerys's comeback) dies shortly thereafter.

So the title becomes ironic, as the Dance of Dragons is also the last time where they are truly "The House of the Dragon" (fighting one another, ironically).

Edited by Gaon on Oct 14th 2020 at 3:04:57 AM

The fate of one dragon in the Dance in particular, Aegon II's Sunfyre, is symbolic of what happens to House Targaryen as a whole in the Dance.

As a fun thought exercise I was wondering how I'd structure the show hypothetically, following the 10-episode-season pattern of GOT and typical "episode 9 whammer". This breakdown will contain spoilers (though really even GOT itself already acknowledges how the Dance of Dragons will go). Some events are chronologically reshuffled a bit for the sake of smoother flowing:

Season 1:

• Covers the last days of Visery I's reign.
• Viserys passes early in episode 8 and the Blacks (Queen Rhaenyra) and Greens (King Aegon II) sides shape.
• Episode 9 has the two sides recruiting allies and setting up the stage. Episode ends with Lucerys Targaryen (and his dragon) being murdered by Prince Aemond, marking the point where diplomatic solution is unattainable and paralleling with Ned's execution.
• Episode 10 is Rhaenyra and Aegon II reacting to that and gearing up for war. Rhaenyra decides to Pay Evil unto Evil and contracts Blood and Cheese to murder a child of Aegon II.

Season 2:

• First episode already clocks with Blood and Cheese infiltrating the Red Keep and killing Aegon's child in front of his mother.
• Season covers the Riverland war between the Blackwoods and Brackens and Prince Daemon taking Harrenhal and on Creston Cole's counter-offensive.
• Focus on the Cargyll twins, two twin knights who end up Kings/Queensguard serving opposite sides (one Aegon and one Rhaenyra).
• Episode 9 has the Battle of Rook's Nest, Aegon II and Aemond in their dragons vs Rhaenys in hers, ending in Rhaeny's death and Aegon being at death's door.
• Episode 10 deals with the aftermath of Rook's Nest has the Cargyll twins in their tragic sword duel which ends in a Mutual Kill.
• Season ends with Rhaenyra deciding to start the Dragonseeds after the loss of so many dragonriders and Aemond taking over The Greens while Aegon recovers.

Season 3:

• Dragonseeds make their debut (although I'm imagining their members would be introduced beforehand) as well as Dalton Greyjoy.
• Nautical campaign focus on Admiral Corlys Velaryon (Blacks), Dalton Greyjoy (Blacks) and Admiral Sharako Lohar (Greens).
• Episode 9 has the Battle of the Gullet and the deaths of Jacaerys Velaryon and Viserys II. (not really)
• Episode 10 deals with the aftermath of the bloodshed at sea and in the Riverlands. Season ends with everyone switching back to the land theater.

Season 4:

• Dalton Greyjoy "The Red Kraken" makes his splash and we cover his campaign setting the Westerlands ablaze, taking Lannisport and besieging Casterly Rock. I'd honestly have him kill Jason Lannister for the sake of simplicity as well.
• Rhaenyra takes King's Landing and Rook's Nest and begins her reign in the first half.
• Focus on Rhaenyra's reign.
• Episode 9 is the infamous Butcher's Ball and the death of Criston Cole as its main setpiece.
• Season ends with the Blacks pretty much on their highest point and the Greens at their lowest, but unrest brewing among the commonfolk of King's Landing and the Dragonseeds contemplating betrayal.

Season 5:

• Dragonseed betrayal and Black fortunes being instantly subverted. First Battle of Tumblestone.
• Rhaenyra has taken King's Landing but can she hold it? Attacks coming from everywhere and we are introduced to The Shepherd, Ser Perkins the Flea, Wat the Tanner and Trystane Truefyre turning KL in a powder keg.
• Episode 9 has the climatic setpiece being the duel between Aemond and Daemon mid-air, concluding in their deaths.
• Episode 10 ends with the Fall of Dragonstone and the death of Maester Gerardys and a shitload of other dragons (Blacks).

Season 6:

• Second Battle of Tumbleton as the Blacks protect King's Landing from outside attacks.
• Queen Haeleana Targaryen commits suicide, the powder keg of King's ignites.
• Season covers King's Landing unraveling wholesale at the hands of the Shepherd, Perkins, Wat the Tanner and Rhaenyra attempting (to no avail) to quell the revolt.
• Episode 9's main setpiece is the Storming of the Dragonpit and the death of pretty much all of Rhaenyra's dragon (plus another son) at the hands of the commonfolk.
• Episode 10 has Rhaenyra flee to Dragonstone where Aegon II promptly captures her. Season ends with Rhaenyra's Defiant to the End death at Aegon's hands. I'd have her manage to kill Sunfyre while being eaten for the sake of drama (since he just dies of his wounds a few weeks later without much fanfare).

Season 7:

• Moon of Three Kings gets the main focus as we have the interplay between Gaemon Palehair's mothers, The Shepherd, and Perkins the Flea warring over King's Landing.
• Basically the season of the commonfolk while Aegon licks his wounds and the Blacks recover from the death of their Queen.
• Lord Cregan Stark makes his splash (though again, he'd probably be introduced in season 1-2) with the Winter Wolves coming South to avenge Rhaenyra.
• Episode 9 has Aegon II reclaim King's Landing and kill the pretenders, ending the Moon of Three Kings.
• Episode 10 has The Shepherd's execution (and Dying Curse) taking main spot while the Winter Wolves are basically at King's Landing's gates in a Roaring Rampage of Revenge.

Season 8:

• Aegon II has the throne, but can he keep it? The Blacks are at his doorstep and they are pissed. He eventually gets assassinated by his own court.
• Dalton Greyjoy's rule comes to an end as his throat is slit, his men fall into a bloody civil war and the Lannisters pay their proverbial debts.
• Final showdown between the Blacks and Greens at the Battle of Kingsroad in which the Greens are decimated.
• Episode 9 is The Hour of the Wolf as Cregan Stark takes KL and goes about executing everyone he sees fit and cleaning shop on King's Landing before leaving back to the North.
• Episode 10, series finale, ends with Aegon III (Rhaenyra's kid) ascending to the throne and Viserys I being revealed as Not Quite Dead.

Some random notes:

• It was not my plan for this to have 8 seasons (like GOT did) but here we are.
• I'm of the mind to make Cheese of Blood and Cheese a Ascended Extra and have him as one of the main lowborn guys in the show responsible for a bunch of other assassination that occur in the story (such as Dalton Greyjoy's).
• Composite Character would be required a lot given the ridiculous amount of names that both sides have. Off the top of my head I'd collapse most of the Winter Wolves commanders into just Cregan Stark.
• Speaking of Cregan Stark, they should totally get Sean Bean to play him given Cregan's shtick is "Ned, but he actually succeeded at everything he set out to do and lived happily ever after".

The difference between Cregan and Ned is that Cregan had his army with him when he went to KL.

Moral of the story? Don't visit KL without an army.

Edited by M84 on Oct 16th 2020 at 4:34:07 PM

Really that can apply to every situation.

Never do anything major without a sizable force at your immediate backing.

Also known as Big Army Diplomacy.

It's especially helpful if your sole reason for visiting KL is to lop off heads. A lot of heads.

Yeah, Cregan Stark was a great Hand specifically because he did what needed to be done, then got out.

Helps that the Winter Wolves were probably the most successful force in the whole war.

It says something about how bad things had gotten that Cregan was considered one of Westeros' best Hands of the King even though all he did as Hand was kill people who needed killing.

TBF, he ultimately only executed (personally as Starks do) two people in the end. The others all chose to take the black.

Edited by M84 on Oct 20th 2020 at 3:34:47 AM

Dance of the Dragons is pretty much everything people wanted from Go T and also has a perfect ending already known.

Teaser's up. It sounds great so far.

For reference :

This is going to face an uphill struggle to overcome the antipathy left by GOT's final season.

It looks like it could be good and I personally have hopes for it but in general terms it's going to be a tough sell I think.

Yeah, they'll have to REALLY make it clear that Benioff and Weiss are NOT involved, that the Dance of Dragons has already been written out, and that Martin is helping.

No thanks.

They should open it up with Daenerys being resurrected by the Red Priests and hearing the story of her ancestors.

I am kind of looking forward to this, if only because I can't wait to see the audience reaction to the first episode introducing like 30 characters that all look the same and have very similar names.

Ah royalty.

This looks pretty solid.

It'll definitely be a big change for Matt Smith, too. He's normally been more known for playing lighthearted, goofy characters that sometimes have a serious side. Daemon Targaryen is the first truly serious role I've heard from him.

Nah. Smith can play serious roles. As a huge fan of the 11th doctor.

He's Apperley really good as Charles Manson in Charlie Says and he played musical version of Patrick Bateman.

Edited by miraculous on Oct 6th 2021 at 7:31:26 AM

Also, he famously played Prince Philip.

Yeah, I'm still questioning the entire business decision behind this show, especially since we're now so spoiled for choice when it comes to big-budget fantasy/sci-fi drama, but we'll see.

I do think Matt Smith kinda fit the role as Prince Targaryen though.

Edited by Bubblepig on Oct 6th 2021 at 4:31:42 AM

To quote Jenny Nicholson why does it look like an SNL skit?

It's the Targ hair. It always looks fake, no matter how good the wig is.