Review: HBO's "House Of The Dragon" Episode 1

With the first episode of HBO’s House of the Dragon now in the books, the tales of Westeros are singing again, and the world is better for it. And while the inaugural episode of the prequel is definitely good, it doesn’t quite capture the magic of the original. And that’s not a knock against the show, because it works well, with a capable cast and a compelling set up, but in many ways, if feels like a pale imitation of what was once the most talked about program on TV.

Make no mistake, there is far more good than bad, but the missteps are all the more glaring because of the inherent comparisons. The biggest issue seems to be with the apparent lead: Rhaenyra Targaryen as portrayed by Australian actress Milly Alcock, who appears with stark parallels to the Mother of Dragons herself, Daenerys Targaryen. Both characters have undeniable charisma and play their characters with a simmering inner fire. But while the Khaleesi had a natural leadership quality that brought characters to her throughout the run of Game of Thrones, Rhaenyra has none of that. She appears equal parts petulant and arrogant, though nowhere near the levels of say, a Joffrey. Even so, audiences can’t help but see the character as a mirror image of Dany, but just after one episode, it’s clear to see that differences between the two are vast.

And that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Rhaenyra should be her own character, with a unique voice that audiences can learn to love. The underlying problem is that she doesn’t seem like a very good person, as Dany was throughout the majority of GoT. So, rather than comparing her to a character like Daenerys, who started off the series as undeniably good intentioned, if extremely naïve, Rhaenyra is actually more like Sansa. She grew up with her every want fulfilled and really only knows desire. There has been no struggle for her, and it’s made her cold. Just look at her reaction during the funeral segment. Rather than mourn with her father, she took issue with him. She was angered that he grieved the loss of his son and wife. And why wouldn’t he? In that moment, her dark character shone as brightly as the dragon she quickly called for to torch the remains of her kin.

This kind of reaction is one born from her life of privilege and sets her up as a character much more like Sansa in the early seasons, before her years of captivity and abuse at the hands of the Lannisters and their vassals. The problem here is that Rhaenyra is already basically an adult, and likely more set in her ways, whereas Sansa was a child and had the time to see to errors in her thinking. Moreover, by the end of the episode, Rhaenyra is handed the Queenship of the Seven Kingdoms on a silver platter, which will likely go far in cementing the flawed ideals she holds. Either way, the trajectory of her character is compelling, even if the initial comparisons to prior characters misses the mark a little.

Further on the positive side, the visuals were excellent and the CGI with the dragons is even better than it was before. For instance, watching Daemon (himself the character with the most promising arc in the first episode) show his dragon off to a prostitute he had feelings for was both intense and intimate. It was clear this wasn’t something he did with just anyone and she was able to showcase the proper awe of the moment. And while scenes like this were standouts, they were few and far between. The first episode suffered from far too much talking and not enough action.

In a lot of ways, episode one of House of the Dragon felt like the title crawl of a Star Wars film or series, just one that never ended. From the small counsel CONSTANTLY discussing the issues of the King’s lack of an heir and their misgivings about Daemon, to Rhaenyra bouncing between confidants with her litany of complaints, it made the episode drag at times. But this was largely a necessity of world building and can easily be forgiven if future episodes lean into the intrigue and action the franchise is known for and accept that they’ve had enough exposition to establish the premise.

But the real standout of the first episode is Rhys Ifans (The Amazing Spider-Man) as the world-weary Hand of the King, Otto Hightower. The casting here is pitch perfect, with Ifans lending a level of gravitas to the proceedings, much like Sean Bean did in season one of GoT. And the comparison between Otto and Ned Stark feels very apt, as both characters are attempting to put the benefit of the Seven Kingdoms at the forefront, while most others in the ruling class are far more selfish. The difference here is that Otto seems more able to play the game than Ned ever was, as seen when he sends his daughter to “check in” on the King after the loss of his wife and newborn son. The inference is clear as is the political move. If his daughter begins a romantic relationship with the King, there is every chance that she could become Queen, or at least get pregnant with a bastard child. Either way, the stock of House Hightower would rise. It’s a calculating move that he knows he has to make, for the betterment of all involved. It’s also the type of thing that Ned Stark would never do, but perhaps that’s the reason why Otto has more of a chance to be successful as Hand of the King.

All things considered the first episode of House of the Dragon is unquestionably a success. The comparisons between it and Game of Thrones are undeniable, and while it isn’t quite as good of a start as the progenitor series had, it shows plenty of promise that it could one day reach those heights. Moreover, the episode does a lot of heavy lifting in terms of world-building. The first episode might have been a little slow at times, but it paved the way for future episodes to hit the ground running. This season should be a barn burner and there are plenty of intriguing characters at play in the episode and interesting plot threads to satisfy even the most hardened of skeptics.