HBO's House of the Dragon is a political drama, a tragedy, a family saga, and the prequel to a very well-known property. All of those things work in its favor in Season 1, Episode 1, "The Heirs of the Dragon," except its association with Game of Thrones. The iconic franchise doesn't carry the same weight as it did before the show's finale disappointed fans and critics. That failure is House of the Dragon's burden to bear. Even though the show valiantly tries to establish itself as a separate entity, it struggles to escape the shadow of its predecessor.
In truth, House of the Dragon wears its Game of Thrones connections on its sleeve, much to its detriment. It doesn't matter how many years before Daenerys Targaryen this takes place because using Daenerys as a benchmark means reminding us that, no matter how much we try to separate this particular tragedy from that of Danaerys, they're all part of the same story. There's no joy to be found in rooting for the Targaryens They always lose, as does the audience.
There is something kind of poetic about the way that the show frames the fall of House Targaryen around the notion that, in the end, Targaryens could never lose against an outside enemy. Instead, "the only thing that could tear down the House of the Dragon was itself." This is true of this tale and The Game of Thrones. But the best way to enjoy this story is to separate what's happening in House of the Dragon from what will happen in Game of Thrones. It is difficult to make this distinction when there's also a girl with platinum blonde hair at the center of this tale. Rhaenyra Targaryen isn't as compelling a protagonist as Daenerys, but she's still likable, particularly considering there's no way for modern audiences to divorce themselves from modern ideas as they watch. For fans, Rhaenyra is the rightful heir, whether she ends up having a brother or not.
Spoiler alert, she doesn't, but there's still a sense of unfairness to her position as the future Queen. After all, her father Viserys only ended up on the throne above his older cousin Rhaenys because he was a man, which means the right political decision would have been for him to name his brother Daemon as heir, not his daughter Rhaenyra. But where there are Kings, there are schemes, and sometimes war can be traced back to just one decision.
The first episode is pretty much all exposition. It begins with Rhaenyra as a carefree child who yearns to be her father's favorite and still enjoys her freedom. It ends with the weight of the crown on her shoulders. But the episode also establishes her relationships with the people who will come to define her story: the mother she loses way too soon, the father who reluctantly makes her his heir, the best friend who will one day become her most bitter enemy, and the uncle who will one day become her greatest ally.
Milly Alcock shines as Rhaenyra, particularly when she shares scenes with Emily Carey's Alicent Hightower, her closest friend and the daughter of Otto Hightower, the Hand of the King. As King Viserys loses his wife and Otto Hightower puts his daughter in the right place at the right time to catch the King's eye, the show does a great job showcasing how young both Rhaenyra and Alicent are. A majority of the political machinations going on at this early stage are out of their control. Matt Smith's Daemon Targaryen, a character that could have been creepy, annoying, or worse, instead ends up almost likable on the strength of a performance that does its utmost to keep the character grounded. Whether that holds going forward is anybody's guess, but horrible wig aside, House of the Dragon has more than enough good acting to carry it.
It might still not be enough for some viewers to forget the end of Game of Thrones, but it's hard to fault HBO for trying to start anew. And, if everyone involved has learned that coherent journeys are more important than shocking endings, then perhaps there's still room for a satisfying ending -- if not a happy one.
The first episode of House of the Dragon aired Sunday, August 21st on HBO and is now streaming exclusively on HBO Max.