Like many, I found the last season of Game of Thrones disappointing, so I was a bit wary about the prequel series, House of the Dragon. Luckily for me, I was pleasantly surprised by HOTD's first season
HOTD adapts part of the spinoff novel Fire and Blood, which chronicles the history of the Targaryen Dynasty. It covers the civil war known as the Dance of the Dragons, and the first season shows how Rhaenyra Targaryen and Alicent Hightower went from best friends to bitter enemies. The story is a bit of a Foregone Conclusion, especially if you recall a throwaway line by Joffrey in S 3 E 4, but it's still entertaining to watch.
Those familiar with F&B may recall that the story is essentially a history account, which has two significant implications for the adaptation. First, the show shows the events in greater detail; a scene from the show that lasts several minutes might be based on a few sentences or paragraphs from the book, whereas a scene from GOT might be an entire chapter. Second, HOTD removes much of the ambiguity caused by an Unreliable Expositor, although it does end up making some changes to the characters and setting, like other adaptations do.
The pacing is rather different from GOT. In HOTD, episodes are often set years apart, often with an obligatory line mentioning how long it's been since the most important event of the previous episode. It's appropriate for a show that spans decades, with the birth and maturing of children being plot points, but the first half of the series, prior to the 10-year Time Skip, is a somewhat Slow-Paced Beginning.
HOTD's characters are generally an interesting and morally complex lot, even if not many of them are as memorable as the cast of GOT. Unfortunately, there are no clear "good guys" in the struggle between the Blacks and the Greens, Rhaenyra and Alicent's respective factions, unlike how GOT had the Stark and other relatively heroic characters. Both the Blacks and the Greens have understandable reasons for their actions but also engage in morally questionable behavior and include unsavory people among their ranks.
Like GOT, HOTD has some excellent soundtracks and good action scenes and effects. That being said, it has yet to be seen whether it will fall into GOT's trap of spectacle over substance; the later seasons had more epic battles and worse storytelling.
Also like GOT, HOTD has plenty of graphic violence, disturbing sex scenes and strong language(up to and including Country Matters), so it's not for the faint of heart or easily offended.
All in all, HOTD's first season isn't as good as GOT was at its peak, but it's well worth watching if you enjoyed the first half of GOT.
Season 1: A Promising Start
Like many, I found the last season of Game of Thrones disappointing, so I was a bit wary about the prequel series, House of the Dragon. Luckily for me, I was pleasantly surprised by HOTD's first season
HOTD adapts part of the spinoff novel Fire and Blood, which chronicles the history of the Targaryen Dynasty. It covers the civil war known as the Dance of the Dragons, and the first season shows how Rhaenyra Targaryen and Alicent Hightower went from best friends to bitter enemies. The story is a bit of a Foregone Conclusion, especially if you recall a throwaway line by Joffrey in S 3 E 4, but it's still entertaining to watch.
Those familiar with F&B may recall that the story is essentially a history account, which has two significant implications for the adaptation. First, the show shows the events in greater detail; a scene from the show that lasts several minutes might be based on a few sentences or paragraphs from the book, whereas a scene from GOT might be an entire chapter. Second, HOTD removes much of the ambiguity caused by an Unreliable Expositor, although it does end up making some changes to the characters and setting, like other adaptations do.
The pacing is rather different from GOT. In HOTD, episodes are often set years apart, often with an obligatory line mentioning how long it's been since the most important event of the previous episode. It's appropriate for a show that spans decades, with the birth and maturing of children being plot points, but the first half of the series, prior to the 10-year Time Skip, is a somewhat Slow-Paced Beginning.
HOTD's characters are generally an interesting and morally complex lot, even if not many of them are as memorable as the cast of GOT. Unfortunately, there are no clear "good guys" in the struggle between the Blacks and the Greens, Rhaenyra and Alicent's respective factions, unlike how GOT had the Stark and other relatively heroic characters. Both the Blacks and the Greens have understandable reasons for their actions but also engage in morally questionable behavior and include unsavory people among their ranks.
Like GOT, HOTD has some excellent soundtracks and good action scenes and effects. That being said, it has yet to be seen whether it will fall into GOT's trap of spectacle over substance; the later seasons had more epic battles and worse storytelling.
Also like GOT, HOTD has plenty of graphic violence, disturbing sex scenes and strong language(up to and including Country Matters), so it's not for the faint of heart or easily offended.
All in all, HOTD's first season isn't as good as GOT was at its peak, but it's well worth watching if you enjoyed the first half of GOT.