Episode Grade: (8.7/10)
The season premiere of House of the Dragon (HOTR) does an excellent job of setting up an intriguing landscape in Westeros. And while the primary focus of the show will clearly be on the internal struggles of the Targaryen family, the show writers have already planted the seeds for legitimate external threats to the Targaryen rule. They also aptly connect the dots between HOTR and GoT through a mix of direct callouts and subtle mentions.
Plot (41/50)
The storyline development was crisp. The episode didn’t feel disjointed at any point in time even though it featured a solid 18 scenes. The opening sequence that featured King Viserys’ rise to power added an important extra layer to the power struggle within the Targaryen family before introducing the central issue that is Viserys’ succession. Still, there were hints at potential outside threats such as Craghas Drahar, the prince admiral of the Triarchy, as well as just about any member of the small council. There were some excellent subtle details that showed consistency to Game of Thrones (hints of Baratheon dissent, mentions of the impending Long Winter, appearance of the Valyrian steel dagger that played such a critical role in the fight against the Night King). There was a good deal of intrigue as well, especially surrounding the Viserys’ cut that isn’t healing. I expect that to be a recurring issue as the season progresses. Other intriguing storylines include the emergence of the Triarchy and most importantly, the conflict surrounding the line of succession. There wasn’t any originality to note in this episode. In fact, I took a point off for repetitiveness for the seeming repeat of the Daenerys storyline with Rhaenyra. In Daenerys, I’ve already seen an arguably worthy female ruler struggle for acceptance in Westeros as she confronts the deeply rooted gender discrimination across 8 full seasons of television; I don’t need any more of that. I certainly don’t need to see it a third time through Rhaeyns. I understand that gender discrimination will play a part in both Rhaenyra and Rhaeyns’ storylines, I just don’t want that to be the extent of their characters. To be fair, it’s only been one episode, so maybe I’m jumping to conclusions too quickly. I suppose time will tell. The main weakness of this episode, especially when compared to the first episode of GoT, was that is was rather predictable. I don’t think this will be much of an issue moving forward, but it was certainly the case here. Irrespective of the predictability and repetitiveness, this was excellent drama in a show that promises to have plenty of it.
Character Development (14/15)
Much of the character development in this episode focused on King Viserys, and through his interactions with just about every major character, the complexity of his character is quickly established. The scenes between him and his wife, Queen Aemma, were fantastic. Showing us how much he cared about her and how much she’s struggled to bear him a child over the last 10 years added immense gravity to his decision to try to save his unborn child at the expense of his beloved wife’s life. Tragically, that decision cost him both his newborn son and his wife. On the other hand, his interactions with the small council, Daemon, and Rhaenyra painted him as a flawed yet reasonable ruler who might be too “weak” for the position he holds. There was a good deal of focus on Rhaenyra as well, but she just comes off as Daenerys 2.0 (more on that later). I hope they don’t that route with her, but it sure seems like it from what we’ve seen so far. Daemon was painted as this ruthless, power-hungry tyrant, but there were a couple instances that surprisingly highlighted his insecurity. His character development will be very interesting to watch. Other interesting characters include Otto Hightower, who takes on the role of the shady advisor, Alicent Hightower, who displays a high level of maturity after her father puts her in an awful situation, and Rhaeyns, older cousin to Viserys and early dark horse in the battle for the Iron Throne.
Theme/Messages (5/5)
- In which instances is it appropriate to choose friends over family?
- Do the ends justify the means? How much is too much?
- Difficult sacrifices must be made when you’re in any position of power.
- The wheel of life keeps turning; no one person is so significant that they might stop it.
- How one perceives power is generally a good indication of whether or not they would abuse their power if they ever got any.
- Gender discrimination…
Acting (14/15)
Paddy Considine (King Viserys) absolutely steals the show with his incredibly dynamic performance. His scenes with Sian Brooke (Queen Aemma) – who also does a fantastic job with the little time she gets- were intense and impactful. Matt Smith (Prince Daemon) and Rhys Ifans (Otto Hightower) already own their characters. Everyone else plays their role well.
Cinematography (14/15)
The overall theme of the shots seemed darker and edgier than that of GoT which is fitting considering the focus is on the Targaryens. There were plenty of great shots and effects as well:
- Cool shot of a crumbling hall with all the lords gathered around King Jaehaerys (1:49)
- Fadeaway of the text in the introduction leaving the words “172 years before Daenerys Targaryen” as if to remind viewers that all the Targaryen might was eventually reduced to nearly nothing (3:50)
- Nice contrast of black horses, black dragon statue, and gray wagon against the light background of the stone structures in the city (6:30)
- Behind the wagon, there are two riders, one on a black horse and one on a white horse as if to signify the battle battle good and evil (6:38)
- Striking shot of a wagon carrying away mutilated body parts (21:27)
- Nice bit of imagery with the horses (again) as Ser Criston Cole rides a white horse and Daemon rides a black horse when they do battle (36:12 onwards)
- Excellent attention to detail with the armor of Criston that’s basic with rusting steel while Daemon’s is extravagant which is appropriate given Criston is a commoner and Daemon is royalty (36:12 onwards)
- Striking image of Queen Aemma dead with blood all over the sheets (41:58)
- Nice imagery with the dragon sitting watch, the water crashing against the rocks, everyone gathered, and the Red Keep in the background with the sun shining (43:00 onwards)
- Fitting image of Daemon lurking in the shadows (47:10)
- Cool effect of the King’s voice echoing (55:00 onwards)
- Symbolic detail of one of the swords of the throne cutting the King’s finger (57:48)
- Casual mention of the title of the books “The Song of Ice and Fire” (1:03:09)
- Great consistency with the King’s hand on his dagger (presumably the same one used against the Night King) as he tells Rhaenyra about the Long Winter (1:03:11)