End of GOT and Release of House of Dragons

House of the Dragon released August 21, 2022 following a wait of more than three years since the last Game of Thrones episode was released. Serving as a prequel to Game of Thrones, it follows the Targaryen family in their fall from power that gives rise for Robert Baratheon and Circe Lannister to take power to begin the Game of Thrones series. There was mounting apprehension with the release of House of the Dragon after what many people viewed as an abysmal ending to Game of Thrones, arguably one of the greatest series of all time. For context, Game of Thrones is based on a best-selling book series written by author George Martin. However, beginning in the 6th season, the episodes began exceeding the published books for which the series was based and instead were made using outlines of Martin’s unpublished final books and collaboration with George Martin himself. Yet as a result of deadlines pushed by HBO Max in order to maximize profits, the ending of Game of Thrones felt very rushed and undid all of the character development that had been worked towards so far.

Without spoiling the ending for those who haven’t finished the series, the ending of Game of Thrones almost completely destroyed the character profiles with sudden 180-changes of personality and an ending that left one of the central protagonists in the same place they started and one of the others dead. As a result of all this, people weren’t necessarily optimistic about the beginning of the House of Dragons series that also wouldn’t be based on George Martin books.

House of Dragon Reviews:

Michael Donaho- Rating: 8/10

“I’m excited for the potential of this season. It’s similar to Game of Thrones in that its build up is slow and has the audience excited for more.”

Katherine Nguyen- Rating: 7.5/10

“I think the overall characterization of everyone is really good and the dialogue is reminiscent of the old Game of Thrones. There’s a few cringey scenes and one really bad CGI fire blip but the costuming, direction, and cinematography are really good and I have high hopes for the show.”

Turner Orvin – Rating: 8/10

“I like Daemon a lot.”

Reviewing House of Dragons First Two Episodes

Game of Thrones is characterized by raw, violent scenes. This too is the case of the first House of Dragons first episode with one of the hardest scenes to watch that I’ve seen in both series. That said, it was still a great episode that left me genuinely excited to watch the rest of the series. The series introduces prominent characters King Viserys Targaryen, Prince Daemon Targaryen, Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen, and Alicent Hightower. Without revealing too much, the pilot creates the initial conflict the series will follow over who will serve as heir to the king. Ending in an exciting twist that seems to be building over the course of the episode, it serves as a central point around which much development and conflict will be based. It also manages to include exciting, action packed scenes with the tournament taking place.

In the Second Episode, the writers continue to develop the initial conflict developed in the first episode over the strife regarding who will succeed King Viserys and rule the Iron Throne. The episode is significant in that it adds a lot of character development to Princess Rhaenyra, as she is portrayed as very mature and responsible, having been forced to step up. The second episode also gives the audience another look at some of the new dragons in the series which is very exciting as the new series is supposed to introduce eight new dragons with a different look than those seen in the later seasons of Game of Thrones. All in all, I am stoked to watch the rest of the series. 

Ransome Hudson – Rating: 7/10

“It’s promising but I will need more to know if I like it or not.”

Molly Schweickhardt – Rating: 9/10

“My favorite character so far is Rhaenyra and I am excited to see what happens with her. I also think Daemon is really annoying. I am also excited to see the Queen Who Never Was and her whole house and to learn more about the Crab Eater. The dialogue is a lot like older Game of Thrones, that was really good.”

Carolyn Selvidge- Rating: 8/10

“I love the costumes and the way they have styled all their hair. I hate Daemon, and I hate his hair, I think he needs a better wig. It was a lot like of season one of Game of Thrones, but with a much higher budget. But, when the King talks to Rhaenyra about the destiny of the House, it was kind of a slap in the face given the end of the Game of Thrones series.”