The long-awaited first episode of ‘The House of the Dragon’ is here and what it proposes is a synthesized version of everything that worked so well in ‘Game of Thrones’ at the time, especially in its first seasons. Because the new series on HBO Max has chosen for its presentation to present a new game to gain control of the Iron Thronewith special emphasis on the palace goings-on to achieve it.
That yes, those responsible for ‘The house of the dragon’ are aware that the public surely also wants those doses of great show that in ‘Game of Thrones’ were appearing little by little. For example, hence the presence of that imposing dragon that for now has been more of a luxury addition to the decorations than anything else, but also a reminder that Warner has left himself well with money here.
Beware of spoilers for the first episode from here.
Placing the pieces
Of course, here the game to gain control has a more limited scope by focusing exclusively on the Targaryens, because in ‘Game of Thrones’ several key families of Westeros were affected. Here the power of the Targaryens is indisputable and it is from within that family that problems arise when it comes to determining who should be the person who succeeds King Viserys I played by Paddy Considine.
Already in ‘Game of Thrones’ the idea of a woman occupying the Iron Throne was investigated, but in ‘The House of the Dragon’ it is an especially unprecedented idea in that society, hence it has a greater weight to the point of become one of its great dramatic axes. And it is that initially even the character played by Milly Alcock she sees herself comfortable in the role she occupies instead of being driven by ambition.
This is where two realities arise, the first finalized forever in this episode and the next one that will undoubtedly have a great weight in episodes and even future seasons. On the one hand, we have that sequence that George RR Martin had compared to The Red Wedding in a somewhat exaggerated way, since it is a moment with great dramatic force, especially when Viserys decides to sacrifice his wife for the benefit of a son who has just died. dying shortly after, but so early in the series it is impossible that he had the same impact capacity.
In addition, it is also perceived that ‘The house of the dragon’ is not going to leave aside certain issues, no matter how thorny they may be. I am also thinking, for example, of the sex scene in matt smith with a prostitute, where this prequel to ‘Game of Thrones’ prefers not to indulge more than necessary in the female nude, but without forcing either to avoid it.
Smith’s Daemon Targaryen is precisely the other theme that promises to have a longer run, since it is his evident ambition to seize the Iron Throne that adds a dose of uncertainty for now that suits the series quite well. It is true that his character is a bit one-dimensional, but it is an essential aspect so that the episode does not end up becoming too bureaucratic when dealing with the succession.
In addition, he has also given us some joy like that competition that he wants to win at all costs -for him the honorable is something that matters very little- and in which he ends up defeated at the last minute, without forgetting that face to face against Viserys in which the always right Considine shows an impetus that until then his characters had lacked.
For the rest, a lot of introduction and placing the characters, something logical in the case of a first episode. Perhaps a cliffhanger as powerful as the one in the first episode of ‘Game of Thrones’ is missing with Jaime Lannister throwing Bran Stark into the void, but it is a good first touch piece that recovers what had worked best in its predecessor and compresses it to make it clear that if you really enjoyed that one, you will do it again here.