House of the Dragon has had an admirable offering of episodes, but a handful of these have stood out even against some of the best episodes of Game of Thrones. This franchise, as a whole, has been well received. Though we could endlessly debate the way that Game of Thrones ended, it can’t be denied that this show was a success. Now, House of the Dragon is smoothly carrying this forward.
For years, audiences watched Game of Thrones and heard about Targaryens and their dragons. The family had all but come to extinction in the central series, but we knew there was a time when the Targaryens were in undesputed power with dragons by their sides. House of the Dragon has finally begun to show us what the end of this dynasty looks like. This has resulted in some truly strong episodes.
8
“The Heirs Of The Dragon”
House Of The Dragon, Season 1, Episode 1
After the massive success that was Game of Thrones (and the mass disappointment surrounding its ending), all eyes were on House of the Dragon during its first episode. It was important that the spinoff series hook audiences from the very start, which isn’t always easy to do when setting the stage for a new story. Regardless, House of the Dragon‘s first episode rose to the challenge.
What’s interesting about “The Heirs of the Dragon” is that it depicts a Westeros we hadn’t really seen on screen before. The leadership in King’s Landing is strong, the people are happy, the Targaryens have maintained their status, and there is ample hope in the air. Of course, Queen Aemma’s death foreshadows all the blood and darkness that is to come.
7
“Second Of His Name”
House Of The Dragon, Season 1, Episode 3
Just a couple of episodes into House of the Dragon, and the action was really turned up a notch. “Second of his Name” marked the series’ first big time jump, following up Alicent’s marriage to King Viserys with the birth of their son, Aegon (Second of his Name). Of course, the knowledge that this little baby would eventually become Rhaenyra’s enemy only adds to the experience.
The tensions within the royal family are still covert at this point in House of the Dragon, and the stars of the series did spectacularly bring this to the screen even without a word. Of course, Daemon’s frustration is far more palpable, and his big action scenes break up all that tension established by the Targaryen politics. Then there is Viserys’, perhaps, naive hopefulness, which puts a maddening spin on the whole thing.
6
“A Son For A Son”
House Of The Dragon, Season 2, Episode 1
It’s interesting to compare the tone of House of the Dragon season 2’s premiere episode with that of season 1. This time around, tension is at an all-time high, and the relative peace we saw in the previous installment is entirely out the window. Rhaenyra’s heartbreak over Luke’s death was difficult to watch, but that’s nothing compared to the repercussions of Daemon’s attempts at revenge.
The crowning performance in House of the Dragon season 2, episode 1, came from Phia Saban’s Helaena, who was forced to watch in dissociative terror as her toddler son was beheaded. This episode of the Game of Thrones spinoff was criticized for not showing the horror on screen, but there was something about hearing it rather than seeing it that made the whole thing even more intense.
5
“The Red Sowing”
House Of The Dragon, Season 2, Episode 7
House of the Dragon season 2 spent a lot of time establishing the Targaryen bastards that would become dragonriders, and episode 7, “The Red Sowing,” finally delivered the outcome. Though this episode was a bit slower in some regards, it was with the goal of building up some tension. We watched with bated breath to see if the dragons would accept these riders, and the payoff was spectacular.
“The Red Sowing” is also a satisfying turning point for the war in House of the Dragon, which meant we got to see some spectacular moments from Emma D’Arcy as Rhaenyra. There’s a significant contrast between how this queen emotes in private compared to moments of leadership, especially in terms of confidence.
4
“Driftmark”
House Of The Dragon, Season 1, Episode 7
“Driftmark” is another turning-point episode in the House of the Dragon series and one of our first looks into the violence that would arise between the Greens and Blacks. We can’t help but cheer for the younger Aemond as he attempts to claim Vhagar, and that first big ride certainly didn’t disappoint. Of course, this character losing his eye kicked off a drastically different vibe.
It’s evident in this season 1 episode that the characters are teetering on disaster, and watching King Viserys attempt to pull his family from the edge (while we know its hopeless) is almost hard to watch. However, it’s impossible to take our eyes off of Olivia Cooke’s Alicent as she begins to show her true colors. D’Arcy’s Rhaenyra’s controlled response just drives the whole thing home.
3
“The Black Queen”
House Of The Dragon, Season 1, Episode 10
House of the Dragon season 1 had a strong finish with “The Black Queen.” Picking up shortly after Viserys’ death and the essential start of the war, there’s plenty of intriguing Game of Thrones-style politics. Good performances were to be had from all fronts. However, it’s the first big dragon battle of the series that made this such an outstanding episode.
We all tuned in to House of the Dragon for some dragon battles, and the conflict between Aemond and Luke was an excellent way to get that specific ball rolling. HBO turned up the tension by holding off on the high-tempo musical score. We watched in near silence as the mountainous Vhagar flew through the stormy sky, stalking Arrax. When Luke and his dragon finally met their end, it was in a quiet, clear sky above the storm.
2
“The Lord Of The Tides”
House Of The Dragon, Season 1, Episode 8
Viserys was often regarded as a weak king, but House of the Dragon season 1, episode 8, “The Lord of the Tides,” demonstrated a unique sort of strength for this character. It can’t be denied that Viserys doomed his daughter by his lack of action, but this episode demonstrates that he fought as hard for her as he knew how. It’s essentially Viserys’ final act as a ruler, and House of the Dragon made it powerful.
Viserys’ big entrance and arduous walk across the throne room should have been slow and painful to watch. However, the powerful, inspiring musical score carried the moment. Very few words were said by the surrounding characters, but their facial expressions varied between shame, concern, disgust, fear, and everything in between. Top it all off with Daemon aiding and recrowning his brother, and there are few better moments in the entire Game of Thrones franchise.
1
“The Red Dragon And The Gold”
House Of The Dragon, Season 2, Episode 4
The best of Game of Thrones brought high action and high emotion, combining the intensity of those visually stunning battles and conflicts with the spectacular performances the series was known for. By season 2, House of the Dragon had already proven it could keep up with the latter aspect. However, it took “The Red Dragon and the Gold” to show us just how much this spinoff could outstrip the original series.
We had always heard the risks of bringing dragon against dragon on the battlefield, and House of the Dragon season 2, episode 4 finally allowed us to see firsthand. Taking Sir Criston’s perspective in this regard was valuable since all his previous battle experience went out the window. Of course, watching him realize that no one would ever win this war was deeply satisfying.
Finally, we can’t talk about this episode of House of the Dragon without discussing Rhaenys’ death. This queen that never was knew she could not survive against two dragons, but the fight she put up was stunning all the same. The moment we saw acceptance on Eve Best’s face as Rhaenys watched the life leave Meleys’ eye was easily the most powerful moment in House of the Dragon (and Game of Thrones).
House of the Dragon
8/10
- Release Date
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August 21, 2022
- Network
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HBO
- Directors
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Clare Kilner, Geeta Patel
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Fabien Frankel
Ser Criston Cole
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