Set 172 years before the birth of our beloved Game of Thrones character, Daenerys Targaryen, HBO’s House of the Dragon is about ‘the beginning of the end of the Targaryen dynasty’. The fantasy series is based on the book Fire & Blood by George R.R Martin, who then created the TV show for HBO alongside Ryan Condal.
House of the Dragon Season 1 was executive produced by George R.R. Martin, Ryan Condal, Miguel Sapochnik, Ron Schmidt, Jocelyn Diaz, Vince Gerardis, and Sara Hess. It was filmed primarily in the United Kingdom with several places in Portugal, Spain, and the United States serving as additional production locations. GRRM, Bastard Sword, HBO Entertainment, and 1:26 Pictures Inc. are the production companies that handled the filming of the US$300 million dollar show. Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution is the distributor of House of Dragon. House of the Dragon Season 1 is a ten-episode season that premiered in August 2022.
Here is everything else we know about House of the Dragon Season 1 (NO SPOILERS).
House of the Dragon Plot
House of the Dragon begins with the crowning of King Viserys I Targaryen as the fifth king of the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros. The fantasy series proceeds with the naming of Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen, a woman, as heir to the throne, a decision that goes against over a hundred years of tradition. King Viserys made this decision out of love and defeat after the death of his wife, Queen Aemma Arryn, before she could give him a male heir.
The King, however, later remarries and has a son named Aegon. House of the Dragon is about the fight for the Iron Throne between Princess Rhaenyra and Prince Aegon II, which leads to the Dance of the Dragons, an infamous Targaryen civil war in Westeros History.
In relation to the popular series, Game of Thrones, House of the Dragon shows the backstory of the Long Night, a terrible winter that would swallow the Seven Kingdoms and be the end of mankind in Game of Thrones. House of the Dragon shows the importance of House Targaryen being the ruling family of the Seven Kingdoms, guarding the secret of the Song of Ice and Fire. It is the only way the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros can be saved from the Long Night.
House of the Dragon Cast
The main cast of House of the Dragon include:
- Paddy Considine as King Viserys I Targaryen, King and Protector of the Seven Kingdoms
- Milly Alcock and Emma D’Arcy as teenage and adult Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen respectively, the Princess of Dragonstone and heir to the throne
- Matt Smith as Prince Daemon Targaryen, brother of King Viserys
- Emily Carey and Olivia Cooke as teenage and adult Lady/Queen Alicent Hightower respectively, Princess Rhaenyra’s best friend, and later King Viserys’ wife and queen consort.
- Rhys Ifans as See Otto Hightower, Hand of the King, later relieved of his position, and Queen Alicent’s father
- Steve Toussaint as Lord Corky’s Velaryon, Master of Ships on King Viserys’ small council, and head of one the most powerful families in the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros. Also known as the Sea Snake.
- Eve Best as Princess Rhaenys Targaryen, the King’s cousin, and Lord Corlys’ wife.
- Fabien Frankel as See Cristin Cole, Princess Rhaenyra’s sworn, protector and paramour.
House of the Dragon Release Date
George R.R Martin’s highly anticipated fantasy series began filming in April 2022, and wrapped up February 2022. Finally, after much anticipation and marketing, House of the Dragon Season 1 premiered on August 21, 2022, its first episode garnering almost 10 million views on its first day in the US alone. House of the Dragon was viewed by so many people that the HBO Max streaming platform crashed. The series was also the most pirated series worldwide in the month of September.
So far, seven episodes have been released. Here are the release dates for the remaining three episodes of House of the Dragon:
- Episode 8: October 9, 2022
- Episode 9: October 16, 2022
- Episode 10/season finale: October 23, 2022.
Will there be House of the Dragon Season 2?
House of the Dragon was renewed for season 2 five days after the premiere of its first season on August 21. Season 2, which was announced on August 26, 2022, is expected to begin filming during the spring of 2023 in Spain.
House of the Dragon Ratings and Reviews
As with other series, many people found House of the Dragons Season 1 acceptable while others did not. Some fans of Game of Thrones loved seeing familiar GOT families, theme songs, dragons, and the events that preceded the Song of Ice and Fire TV adaptation, Game of Thrones. Others complained about the lack of suspense in House of the Dragon and unnecessary violence and sex.
I have to agree it was always obvious what was going to happen next. Even when you think the closing scene of an episode gives you the ‘what’s going to happen next’ jitters, it ends up being only slightly important in the next episode. There’s also the fact that time passes very fast across the episodes. One episode might end with a dangerous alliance, and the next just picks up four years later. As a matter of fact, House of the Dragon Season 1 Episode 6 begins ten years after episode 5.
Despite not giving much in the way of suspense and slow-building, the fantasy series is entertaining. I enjoyed narrowing my eyes at all the incestuous matches, laughing during several absurd scenes, and wondering what in the Seven Kingdoms Queen Alicent’s deal is. Anyway, House of the Dragon has generally commendatory ratings. It has a rating of 8.6/10 on IMDb, 86% on Rotten Tomatoes, and 9/10 on IGN. Additionally, a 69/100 on Metacritic, and an audience rating of 4.3 out of 5 stars on Google.
Do you have to watch Game of Thrones to understand House of the Dragon?
The answer is no. As it is both an independent series and a prequel, you don’t have to watch Game of Thrones to understand House of the Dragon.
Where to Watch House of the Dragon
House of the Dragon is available on HBO Max for people in the US. The first episode of the fantasy series was also released to YouTube on September 2, 2022. That is the only episode available for free, and on YouTube. House of the Dragon is also available internationally on the following platforms:
| Country | Network/Streaming Platform |
| Canada | Crave, and HBO |
| New Zealand | SoHo TV channel, and Neon |
| India | Disney+ Hotstar |
| Australia | Binge, and Foxtel |
| Philippines | SKY |
| UK, Italy, Ireland, Germany, Switzerland, and Austria | Sky Atlantic, and Now |
People in other countries can watch House of the Dragon on any streaming platform using a VPN. There’s also the fact that it was the most pirated TV series just last month if you get what I mean.
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