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- HBO
- Aug 21, 2022
- HBO
- Aug 21, 2022
Summary Set 200 years before the events of “Game of Thrones,” the prequel focuses on House Targaryen that includes King Viserys Targaryen (Paddy Considine), his younger brother Prince Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith) and the king's daughter Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D’Arcy).
Created By: Ryan J. Condal
- HBO
- Aug 21, 2022
- HBO
- Aug 21, 2022
Summary Set 200 years before the events of “Game of Thrones,” the prequel focuses on House Targaryen that includes King Viserys Targaryen (Paddy Considine), his younger brother Prince Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith) and the king's daughter Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D’Arcy).
Created By: Ryan J. Condal
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Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 43 Critic Reviews
69
67% Positive
29 Reviews
29 Reviews
30% Mixed
13 Reviews
13 Reviews
2% Negative
1 Review
1 Review
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 43 Critic Reviews
69
67% Positive
29 Reviews
29 Reviews
30% Mixed
13 Reviews
13 Reviews
2% Negative
1 Review
1 Review
While honoring the legacy and look of the original series, the spinoff wisely adopts subtle changes in tone and approach while introducing a fresh world of characters and storylines. ... The exchange between mother and daughter, and the artful contrast of dueling knights and dutiful midwives, are powerful enough on their own to render the first episode a smashing success and show that “House of the Dragon” has a depth of understanding of its female characters that “GoT” took years to find. But it doesn’t stop there. ... Engrossing.
It is less sprawling and dense, and there is no wit-spouting equivalent to fan favorite Tyrion Lannister. But the confident storytelling and the epic setting may be immersive enough to sway even those still bitter about the “Game of Thrones” finale. Is it as good as “Thrones”? It’s too early to say, but the first episodes are compelling in their own way — think “Succession” with sharp swords instead of sharp words.
User Score
Mixed or Average
Based on 623 User Ratings
5.2
52% Positive
322 Ratings
322 Ratings
7% Mixed
45 Ratings
45 Ratings
41% Negative
256 Ratings
256 Ratings
User Score
Mixed or Average
Based on 623 User Ratings
5.2
52% Positive
322 Ratings
322 Ratings
7% Mixed
45 Ratings
45 Ratings
41% Negative
256 Ratings
256 Ratings
House of the Dragon is the best show of the year. HBO has done such a successful job this year that no other project can compete. They taught us all about how to adapt. And gave us another classic we will be ready to follow for some years.
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SEASON 1
A great show that really does take some of the bad tastes out of the last season of Game of Thrones. This is a bit of a different beast though. I love Game of Thrones. And possibly love it slightly more than House of the Dragon, but this is a much different told story. Essentially, where it focuses on one family and one rather small group of main characters that are regularly in contact with one, it gives a much different vibe from the Game of Thrones storytelling that has characters that are much removed from one another for seasons, or maybe never met at all. Overall, this has a lot of very good storytelling through character development, and some truly great environment and CGI (the dragons look amazing!). Be careful though, if you are looking for nonstop action, this isn't that. I love action as much as the next person, but this is a season built primarily of story/world building. Be prepared for dialogue, intrigue, and yes, some action. Overall, a perfect show.
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SEASON 1
House of the Dragon isn’t good; it’s great. ... House of the Dragon is definitely the show Game of Thrones fans want, full of drama, fire, and blood. Oh, and lots of dragons.
So the show wants the relationship between Rhaenyra and Alicent to take center stage. But the early episodes bungle their dynamic, with an unspecific friendship that's relegated to the sidelines. The drama heightens when clear battle lines get drawn. ... Dragon doesn't soar immediately, but no House was built in a day.
HBO has followed the majesty of "Game of Thrones" with what might be called "games of throne" in "House of the Dragon," a series whose epic visual grandeur belies a smaller and less addictive power struggle, more narrowly focused on the Targaryen line. It's not bad, and there are dragons aplenty, but it doesn't produce the sort of characters that defined and elevated its predecessor to prestige-TV royalty.
As an exploration of the social contract in a decadent monarchy and an allegory for a grab bag of modern ills, including patriarchal sexism and the corrosive effect of weapons of mass destruction, “House of the Dragon” is reasonably smart and well put together. ... That seriousness of purpose doesn’t translate into engaging drama, however. There’s a lot of sitting around tables and talking.
It ultimately is more interested in fan service—offering up more dragons, more gore, more surprise murders, a more expensive historical re-enactment—than it is in developing scenes that ring true. ... It’s as hollow and brittle as the massive scale model of the kingdom that Viserys takes pride in building.
The cinematography is definitely a step-up from the early episodes of Game of Thrones, but the dialogues and writing are all much more mediocre so far. The "blackwashing" was definitely not needed and I don't see how it won't break the plot since the protagonists' (the Targaryens) obsession with their pure-bloodedness is a key element in the books. That is if the producers care about the source material at all.
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SEASON 1
Doesn't feel unique in any way, feels more like they're consciously trying to recreate what they think we loved about GOT. brutal violence? check. Profanity? check. an orgy scene? check. petty squabbles for power between family memebers? check. Feels all too familiar and uninspired. I do like Milly **** though, even if it feels like they're trying to give us another Arya to root for.
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SEASON 1
Have watched all 10 episodes in hope of it getting to the point where I can understand the great reviews. But it fails utterly. This is no GoT but a much more slow paced history of the realm. The pace of the whole thing is so slow and boring. I think it can be said what someone said about The Hobbit and The Rings of Power: Sightseeing of the places great stories have been told. But nothing more imo.
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SEASON 1
An overly-saccharine, hyper-focused adaptation of an overly-dry, intentionally vague never-to-be-finished series, House of the Dragon spends so much time setting up weirdly post-processed shots that half a dozen characters have already been written out of existence a third through the story, and the ones that remain are so hilariously miscast and melodramatic that one has to wonder whether the showrunners care less about the source material or its dwindling fan base.
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SEASON 1
