Game of Thrones fans are in for a treat with House of the Dragon. This series very much takes what worked with GoT from the start and gives it to us. It is filled with characters vying for the throne, nudity, blood and gore, and dragons.
Can someone completely new to the series not be completely lost? Absolutely. This is technically a prequel. There are last name drops and mention of locations in the seven kingdoms, but you don't need to recognize them.
Milly Alcock plays young Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D’Arcy will be taking over at some point in the season) and Matt Smith portrays Prince Daemon Targaryen. While there are many other characters involved, these two are at the forefront of the story -- and they are AMAZING.
The first episode circles heavily around the ability of women to lead, and while we all know what happens in the future, it is intriguing to see it starting here. This is the story of House Targaryen, and we are all along for a wild ride.
As with any pilot episode of a new series, there are some flaws. While the main plot is extremely intriguing, there is a lot of (necessary) character building taking place which slows things down quite a bit. There are some times spent away from the main story that are sure to pay off later, but for now drag things down.
House of the Dragon welcomes viewers back to Westeros with everything they know and love about the Game of Thrones series.
4 out of 5