It’s no surprise that people still feel burned by the eighth and final season of HBO’s Game of Thrones. For fans, the last season felt like a slight on those who spent years absorbing every minute of the series. If you were a fan, you were familiar with every piece of lore the show gave you. You knew the well-known lines, you geeked out over the Battle of the Bastards, and you theorized how the series would end. You also insisted that those who didn’t watch it were missing out, as it was the greatest show – at least, it was. As a fan, you always have to give the disclaimer that it’s still a great show – the last season was just terrible.
House of the Dragon Started Off Strong
So, it’s understandable that people would be a little skeptical that HBO would give us a prequel show. They couldn’t get the finale right, so why would they get a prequel right? It’s only been one episode (or two by the time this article is published) of House of The Dragon, but already it’s gotten a second season. And already people are on board. It feels like a familiar world, but they’re all completely different characters. So, there is some adjusting.
Which House Should They Have Focused On?
There’s many different ways a spin-off show could have gone. We could have followed Arya post-GOT on her adventures. We could have gotten a Stark spin-off or anything – there’s so many characters and different lore behind GOT that the possibilities were endless. Remember, we were going to get a spin-off starring Naomi Watts that was ultimately scrapped. Instead, we got House of the Dragon, and I think choosing a show based on the Targaryens was extremely smart.
There were loads of houses in Game of Thrones, but one house was mostly mentioned and despite that house not really being present, it always loomed over the story of GOT. House Targaryen and the events that happened prior to the start of Game of Thrones is essentially why we had Game of Thrones. The story of a house that was once grand, descending into madness so bad to the point where it needed to be overthrown has only been told and never shown. Yes, I know – Daenerys was the last Targaryen. And we did get a little bit of her brother Viserys in the beginning of the show. I’m not even counting Jon Snow. That was…the worst “twist” I’ve ever seen.
Finally Getting to Meet the Targaryens
So, while we heard a lot about the Targaryens and what they were like and how they ruled, we never got to see this house. We never got to see how they operated. And having eight seasons worth of hyping up this house could be a lot of pressure on a show like House of the Dragon. Can they live up to all we’ve heard? So far, I think it’s really good. I think it was smart for HBO to show us the Targaryens, knowing that we all really wanted to know more about this house that ruled over the seven kingdoms. Can they live up to all the stories we’ve heard about them?
To be honest, anything they had had planned prior – such as the Naomi Watts-led show – didn’t sound all that interesting (sorry Naomi, I love you, it just didn’t sound like that exciting of a show). But, the Targaryens? Yes, I want to see that. A house full of dragon-riding characters who boast about how great they are is giving me everything I thought they’d be. We can see why Viserys felt so confident in who he was as a Targaryen in Game of Thrones and the similarities he shared with his ancestors. It’s extremely interesting to see the seven kingdoms under their rule, as opposed to the Baratheons and later, the Lannisters.
A Good Compliment to Game of Thrones While Being It’s Own Thing
The first episode of House of the Dragon already made a powerful impression, and I just hope that it continues to deliver everything us Game of Thrones fans loved about the show. Because, while this series focuses on the Targaryens, it’s for us who loved GOT and hopefully, those who are watching House of the Dragon without having watched GOT will then go watch GOT. And if you do, please remember, no one counts season eight. So…just skip it.
Have you watched House of the Dragon? Let us know!
House of The Dragon airs every Sunday at 9pm ET on HBO.
A girl with too many fandoms to count.
