American fantasy drama television series, House of the Dragon, a prequel to the television series Game of Thrones (2011–2019) has just kicked off.
The series captured the story of the Targaryen civil war that took place about 200 years before events portrayed in Game of Thrones.
The prequel series was created by Martin and Ryan Condal for HBO and is based on portions of Fire & Blood. Condal and Miguel Sapochnik are showrunners for House of the Dragon.
The series, set 200 years before the events of Game of Thrones, chronicles the beginning of the end of House Targaryen, the events leading up to and covering the Targaryen war of succession, known as the Dance of the Dragons.
In October 2019, House of the Dragon received a straight-to-series order with casting beginning in July 2020 and principal photography starting in April 2021 in the United Kingdom. The series premiered on August 21, 2022. Its first season will consist of ten episodes.
The first episode of House of the Dragon set the stage for a Targaryen clash, introducing a cast of new characters that will hopefully one day become as legendary as those that lived and died in Game of Thrones.
The series takes place nearly 200 years before the events depicted in Game of Thrones, which means those eager to check in with their favorite surviving characters are out of luck, as none of them have been born yet.
House of the Dragon is all about the Targaryens, who ruled Westeros for 300 years before “The Mad King” Aerys Targaryen was toppled by Robert Baratheon.
Beginning at the end:
House of the Dragon kicks off with a pre-opening credits vignette that sets the tone for the chaos soon to ensue.
In recent history, according to CNET, King Jaehaerys Targaryen is among Westeros’ most illustrious rulers: His reign lasted over 60 years, the longest ever. With both of his sons dead, Jaehaerys convened a council to decide who would be the heir to his throne.
The deliberations of this council is the first scene we see — House of the Dragon’s equivalent to the White Walkers slaying Night’s Watchmen in the Game of Thrones opening.
There are two main contenders: Princess Rhaenys Targaryen and Prince Visyrs Targaryen. Not content to allow a woman to rule, the council conferred the crown onto Visyrs. The narrator tells us that the wise Jaehaerys’ goal in organizing the council vote was to avoid a Targaryen civil war over the crown.
“It is now the ninth year of King Viserys I Targaryen’s Reign. 172 years before the death of the Mad King, Aerys, and the birth of his daughter, Princess Daenerys Targaryen.” (Vanguard)