Courtney Balcombe – Sports Editor

clb6264@psu.edu

Before approaching the Iron Throne at King’s Landing, one must acknowledge the cautionary yellow hazard sign: “Warning: Risk of Impalement.”

While fans were disappointed with how the HBO series “Game of Thrones” (“GoT”) ended its eight-season  run, many were excited to return to the land of Westeros when HBO announced its prequel. “House of the Dragon” is set to take place 200 years before the start of “GoT,” focusing primarily on the House of Targaryen civil war. While we do see some of the other houses, they are only minor moments compared to how often we saw them in “GoT.”

Now, this prequel does everything right that you would expect from “GoT.” This season seems to have a concrete structure with episodes one through five focusing on Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen as a teenager before marriage and childbirth. During the first episode, we meet her as a 15-year-old girl who has no other siblings. While her mother is pregnant, Rhaenyra’s sibling is murdered by the end of the episode in conjuction with the queen. With no other heirs to the Iron Throne, Viserys names her the heir to his throne rather than his brother Daemon. Now, what would “House of the Dragon” be if there were no family drama? Oh, don’t worry it all picks up by episode three.

When we first meet the Princess and her best friend, we are essentially introduced to two seemingly inseparable young women in Alicent Hightower, Emily Carey, and Rhaenyra Targaryen, Milly Alcock. However, this is just the beginning of their long-winded and twisted futures together. You’re probably wondering why Alicent might make any kind of relevance, well she is tasked with “comforting” King Viserys, Paddy Considine after his wife dies in childbirth. From there you can probably just assume that the forty-something-year-old king marries and makes children with her. 

That’s not the only strange relationship to happen in these first few episodes, the relationship that might cause quite a stir in Westeros takes root in the pilot as Rhaenyra is noticeably close with her uncle Daemon, Matt Smith. Well by episode three, there is so much happening between these two that the plot just continues to create that normalcy that we know as “GoT.”

Along with the various battle scenes that are coming in the next few episodes, the first five are creating such an entertaining background that contributes to the story that “GoT” gives to the Targaryen family. This series is worth the watch and has earned a high ranking from me at an 8/10 since there’s still more to the season, this was just the beginning of all that drama.