The Hairs of the Dragon – As the first episode of House of the Dragon begins, the narrator talks about the first century of the Targaryen dynasty. The health of the old King Jaehaerys was failing. During those days, House Targaryen had 10 adult dragons under its yoke so no power could stand against it. King Jaehaerys (Michael Carter) ruled over 60 years of peace and prosperity. Since tragedy had claimed both of his sons, his succession was in doubt. In the year 101, the Old King called a Great Council to choose an heir. Over a thousand lords made the journey to Harrenhal and 14 succession claims were heard. Only two were really considered with one being Princess Rhaenys Targaryen and her younger cousin Prince Viserys Targaryen). Prince Viserys is to be made Prince of Dragonstone. A woman, Rhaenys, would not inherit the Iron Throne. Instead, the Lord picked the narrator’s father Viserys.

The Council was called to prevent a war being fought over the King’s succession. He knew that the House of the Dragon is the only thing that could tear down itself. The events take place 172 years before Daenerys Targaryen. The dragon Syrax lands before Princess Rhaenyra (Milly Alcock) dismounts. She talks to Alicent Hightower (Emily Carey) about the dragons. They go inside where Queen Aemma (Sian Brooke) reminds Rhaenyra that she doesn’t like her flying when she is in this condition. Rhaenyra checks on her mother since everyone else is tending to the babe. She is told she’ll lie in this bed soon enough since this discomfort is how they serve the realm. She’d rather serve as a knight and ride into battle. The child bed is their battlefield so they must learn to face it with a stiff lip. Her mother tells her to take a bath because she stinks of dragon.

King Viserys (Paddy Considine) is told that the growing alliance between the free cities has started styling itself the Triarchy. They are currently ridding the Stepstones of its pirate infestation. The King tells Lord Corlys that sounds look good news. A man called Craghas Drahar has styled himself as the prince admiral of the Triarchy and they call him the Crabfeeder due to his inventive methods of punishing his enemies. Rhaenyra joins them and is quickly reminded that she is late. The King is told they’ve put significant capital into retraining and reequipping Prince Daemon’s City Watch. He is urged to convince his brother to fill his seat and provide an update on his progress as the commander of the Watch. Since he is likely busy with his current endeavors, the King tells Lord Beesbury (Bill Paterson) he should consider his gold well invested. Lord Corlys continues pushing the King to do something about the Triarchy.

Otto Hightower (Rhys Ifans) turns the conversation to the upcoming Heir’s Tournament. The King asks Mellos if the maesters’ name day prediction will hold. Mellos believes the forecast is as accurate as can be. Lyman argues that the cost of the tournament is not negligible. They talk about the upcoming birth of the King’s son even though there is no guarantee it will be male. Rhaenyra meets with her uncle without her father knowing about it. He is sitting on the throne since it could be his one day, but she says that won’t happen if he is executed for treason. Prince Daemon (Matt Smith) is there because he heard the tournament was being held in his honor. Rhaenyra says it is being held for the King’s heir. He reminds her that they’re all stuck with him until her mother births a boy. He gives her a Valyrian steel necklace. Daemon puts it around her neck and says they both own a piece of their ancestry now.

After that, Rhaenyra sits with Alicent who wants to make sure she read the book. She is warned Septa Marlow will be furious if she doesn’t know the names. Alicent believes she is always disagreeable when she is worried. She is worried that her father is about to overshadow her with a son. Rhaenyra claims she only worries for her mother and hopes for her father that he gets a son. She wants to fly with Alicent on dragon back, see the great wonders across the Narrow Sea, and eat cake only. She shows Alicent that she knows the history before ripping a page out of the book and saying screw the Septa. A young on the King’s back is inspected. He is told they haven’t found out what it is yet.

Viserys believes it is a small cut from sitting on the throne and nothing else. Otto wants to make sure it is kept quiet. Mellos (David Horovitch) asks the master to leech it again only to be told the wound refuses to heal. Cauterization is recommended. The King is fine with that even though it will be painful. He checks on his wife who is in the bathtub. Aemma reveals Rhaenyra has already declared that she is to have a sister and she already named her Visenya. The King confirms there has been no word from his brother since he named him Commander of the City Watch. He thinks his brother will be there for the tournament though. Aemma hopes he realizes that nothing will make the baby grow a penis if it doesn’t already possess one. The King is convinced it’ll be a boy as he says the dream was clearer than a memory. Aemma believes this has to be the last time and she might’ve failed to give him an heir.

Captain Randyll Barret (Frankie Wilson) yells that the Commander is on the floor. Daemon tells them they were stray mongrels when he took command of the Watch. He says his brother’s city has fallen into squalor and crime of every breed has been allowed to thrive. That will end tonight because King’s Landing will learn to fear the color gold. The Watch goes out into the street and begins attacking people. They stop a man in the street, call him a raper, and castrate him. Daemon gets involved and beheads a man. Next, Daemon finally joins the council as the King is told he cannot be allowed to act like this. They begin arguing about Deamon’s use of the Watch. Daemon claims he is protecting the people who are coming for his brother’s tournament. He says much of King’s Landing is seen by the small folks as lawless and terrifying. They agree the city should be safe for everyone, but the King hopes he doesn’t have to maim half the city to achieve this. Corlys believes the criminal element should fear the City Watch.

Otto mentions the Prince’s wife who hasn’t been seen for quite some time. The Prince believes his bronze woman is happier for his absence, but Otto reminds him that Lady Rhea is his wife and she is a good, honorable lady of the Vale. The Prince would be happy to give her to Otto if he needs a woman to warm his bed. He mentions that Otto’s wife passed recently. The King asks Otto not to indulge his brother. Then, the King warns the Prince that any more performances like last night’s will be answered. Once the Prince leaves, Viserys says King’s Landing has been in decline for a long time so the new Watch might be a good thing. Daemon tries to have sex with Mysaria (Sonoya Mizuno) but can’t perform. She offers to bring in a maiden with silver hair to help. She tells him that the King cannot replace him. Then, the King opens the games and announces that King Aemma has begun her labors. The jousting begins.

Lord Baratheon prepares for his turn while Rhaenys talks to Alicent about a possible upcoming marriage. As the competition continues, Rhaenyra asks Harrold about Ser Criston Cole (Fabien Frankel). He heard that he is the common-born son of Lord Dondarrion’s steward. He has just unhorsed both of the Baratheon lads. Daemon comes out and gets to pick his first opponent. He picks Gwayne Hightower of Oldtown. Daemon trips the horse causing it to throw Gwayne forward face first onto the ground. Daemon believes he can win the games. He tells Alicent that her favor would ensure it. The King has to go back inside to learn that the baby is in breach and all attempts to turn it have failed. Two competitors end up fighting. Princess Rhaenys and her husband wonder if this is how they should be celebrating the new heir. She says the knights are as green as grass since none of them have experienced a real war.

The fight turns deadly. Mellos tells the King that it is sometimes essential for the father to make an impossible choice during a difficult choice. He is told about the process of cutting directly into the womb to save the infant while risking the wife. Criston Cole and Daemon are set to compete against one another. The King tells Aemma that they’re going to bring the babe out now. They begin cutting into the womb as Aemma screams. Daemon is knocked off his horse by Cole before he yells for a sword. Daemon celebrates before he is attacked by Cole. The baby is pulled from Aemma’s body.

Daemon is forced to yield. Cole asks for the Princess’s favor and Rhaenyra quickly obliges. The King is told he has a boy. The baby dies as well. A ceremony for both is held a short time later. Rhaenyra wonders if having a boy for a few hours allowed her brother to finally found happiness. Daemon tells her that her father is going to need her more now than ever. She calls for Dracarys moments later. The dragon burns the bodies. In the council room, Otto tells Viserys that they should discuss the matter of his succession. Lyonel Strong (Gavin Spokes) believes it is already set by precedent and by law. Mellos worries that Daemon remaining the uncontested heir could destabilize the realm. Otto mentions what Daemon did with the gold cloaks and how he has an army now. The King reminds him that he picked that solution for Daemon. Otto is adamant that Daemon should be far away from the court.

The King reminds them that Daemon is his brother and blood so he will have a place at the court. Daemon listens from outside as they discuss the possibility that he could kill his brother to take the throne. The King doesn’t think Daemon has ambition for the throne because he doesn’t have the patience for it. Otto says the Gods haven’t created a man who lacks the patience for absolute power. Mellos suggests the king can make a successor. When Strong asks who else would have a claim, Otto says the King’s firstborn child. Lyonel doesn’t like the idea of making Rhaenyra the Queen, but Otto thinks they must protect the realm from Daemon. The King doesn’t want to choose between his brother and daughter. Corlys says he wouldn’t have to since others would have a claim. He is asked if he is talking about his wife. He reminds Lyonel that Rhaenys was the only child of Jaehaerys’ eldest son.

Viserys yells that his wife and son are dead so he will not sit here and suffer crows that come to feast on their corpses. Otto wants to send a raven to Oldtown straight away before Alicent approaches him. He asks about Rhaenyra and says he found himself thinking of her mother today. Since the King is low, Otto thought she could go to him and offer him comfort. Although she doesn’t seem eager to do it, Otto urges her by saying he’ll be glad to have a visitor. He also recommends wearing one of her mother’s dresses. She visits him with a book later. Alicent says people only spoke to her in riddles after her mother died. She only wanted someone to say they were sorry for what had happened to her. She tells him she is sorry. Daemon is approached by Mysaria who calls him the King’s sole heir. They want the Prince to speak so they make everyone else shut up. Otto tells the King that he has a report he feels compelled to share with him.

He tells him that Daemon bought out one of the pleasure houses on the Street of Silk last night to entertain officers of the City Watch. Daemon tells everyone in the building that the council is trying to replace him. Otto tells the King how he toasted Prince Baelon styling him as the heir for a day. Daemon is brought in front of the King who is sitting on the throne. Viserys wants to know if he said The Heir for a Day. Daemon says they must grieve in their own way. The King yells at him for celebrating his own rise instead of being with him or Rhaenyra. Daemon accuses him of trying to send him away for 10 years instead of letting him be by his side. He goes on to say he sees Otto Hightower for what he is. The king calls him honorable, but Daemon says Otto doesn’t protect him from himself as he would. He tells the King he is weak and the council of leeches preys on him for their own ends. Viserys is going to name a new heir while Daemon should return to Runestone and his wife at once.

Viserys ends up cutting his finger as his brother leaves. Viserys asks Rhaenyra about the dragons. She sees them. Everyone says the Targaryens are closer to gods than to men, but they say that because of their dragons. Viserys says the idea that they control the dragons is an illusion and they’re a power that  man should’ve never trifled with. It brought Valyria its doom and they must remember this to be king or queen. He apologizes for wasting the years since she was born waiting for a son. Viserys believes her mother knew that she could be a great ruling queen. Daemon wasn’t made to wear the crown, but he believes she was. They have a ceremony to make Princess Rhaenyra the named heir. Viserys warns her that the Iron Throne is the most dangerous seat in the realm. Daemon shows Mysaria one of the dragons.

Viserys tells his daughter there is something else she must know. Their histories tell them that Aegon looked across the Blackwater from Dragonstone and saw a rich land ripe for the capture. Ambition alone is not what drove him to conquest. It was a dream. Just as Daenys foresaw the end of Valyria, Aegon foresaw the end of the world of men. It is to begin with a terrible winter gusting out of the distant north. He saw darkness riding on those winds. Whatever dwells within will destroy the world of the living. When that winter comes, all of Westeros must stand against it. A Targaryen must be seated on the Iron Throne for man to survive it and to unite Westeros against it. Aegon called his dream The Song of Ice and Fire. The secret has been passed from king to heir since Aegon’s time so she must agree to do the same. Rhaenyra is officially named an heir to the Iron Throne.

 

House Of The Dragon Review

The first few seasons of Game of Thrones were spectacular so House of the Dragon had a lot to live up to. It is hard to imagine how they could go wrong considering the cast is filled with the likes of Paddy Considine, Matt Smith, Rhys Ifans, Bill Paterson, and others. Even Milly Alcock has been competent during her young career. Plus, the source material should be easily adaptable as was previously proven with Game of Thrones.

While there are glimpses of magic and awe in the first episode, House of the Dragon often feels like an ambitious copy that can’t quite pull it off. The first episode went straight from the narration to the action without properly introducing or building the characters. Without that, the characters are hollow and viewers have little reason to cheer for them or care about their plights.

The dialogue leaves a lot to be desired. Anything humorous fell flat in the first episode while the lines were often delivered without any emotion like some were just reading them from the script. Certain lines like the dragon smell and cursing at points were cringe. The gore might’ve worked and it still can, but it didn’t in the first episode because it was primarily used as a cheap trick to shock viewers who knew nothing about the characters losing their privates, arms, and even heads. As a result, those scenes were without substance.

The scenery and dragons didn’t look spectacular in the first episode. They would’ve looked great in a video game, but they looked out of place here. It is only the first episode so this may very well get better as it goes. There is plenty of time for that to happen, but it isn’t the masterpiece that Game of Thrones was in the early days. Right now, it is like a dragon that can’t breathe fight.

The episode scores a 6 out of 10. Recaps of House of the Dragon can be found on Reel Mockery here. Learn how to support our work at this link.