On Sunday, October 23, House of the Dragon wrapped its first season. It’s time to look closely at the best episodes in House of the Dragon Season 1.
It was good for long-term Game of Thrones fans to return to Westeros and the usual drama involving the Iron Throne. Yet, it will be a while before HBO releases some new content from the Game of Thrones universe as the sophomore season of House of the Dragon won’t likely premiere until 2024. So, let’s delve into House of the Dragon Season 1 to see what worked best and what didn’t. Do not keep reading unless you watched the freshman season of House of the Dragon.
10) The Princess and the Queen (Episode 6)
The biggest issue House of the Dragon Season 1 had was time jumps. George R.R. Martin’s Fire & Blood, the show’s literary source, is pretty vast and covers all of the Targaryen family’s history. The show opted to focus solely on the Dance of the Dragons, perhaps one of the most exciting moments in House Targaryen’s history, together with Aegon’s Conquest. Yet, it’s elementary for a book to jump from one place to another or from a specific event to subsequent years. For a TV show, it’s more complicated than that and needs much craft. Episode 6 was all about who’s who since the actors for some of the main protagonists (Queen Alicent Hightower and Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen in front of them all) changed. The funny thing is that some new actors were brought in again before the season finale.
9) Second of His Name (Episode 3)
Time-skips, again. Worst of all, HBO’s flagship series didn’t even bother to show the fans that some time had passed but went with the classic “three years later.” What saved this episode is the final part, where Daemon kicked Crabfeeder’s ass and conquered the Stepstones, proclaiming himself “King of the Narrow Sea.” The Crabfeeder storyline was disappointing, to say the least, after making his big stage debut as the big, nasty villain, and ending up doing virtually nothing.
8) The Rogue Prince (Episode 2)
A little bit of action here and there, but nothing truly memorable. Daemon Targaryen occupied Dragonstone and acted against his brother’s will, but eventually had to compromise with Otto Hightower. The story showed these two characters couldn’t get along no matter what and offered a better look at Mysaria, who would later be better known as “White Worm.”
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7) We Light the Way (Episode 5)
The installment followed ser Criston Cole’s descent into madness after Rhaenyra had refused to escape with him to Essos. The episode’s finale was pretty intense, showing Criston brutally killing a knight from Laenor Velaryon’s guard, and Laenor’s lover, during the betrothal celebration of House Velaryon’s heir with Rhaenyra. The showrunners took a different route than Martin’s book, and, as also happened with Game of Thrones, the solution didn’t look too brilliant.
6) The Green Council (Episode 9)
Well, the expectations for a ninth episode in the Game of Thrones series were pretty high. For example, that’s when Ned Stark lost his head. Or that’s when the Red Wedding occurred. Nothing genuinely exceptional happened in House of the Dragon Episode 9, though. In the aftermath of Visarys’ death, Alicent and the Greens took over the Iron Throne. Rhaenys put on a spectacular and unlikely escape from King’s Landing astride her dragon, Meleys, but opted not to kill the usurpers.
5) Driftmark (Episode 7)
Narratively, this episode is arguably the best in House of the Dragon to date. Visually, however, is maybe the worst. Many things happened in “Driftmark,” as Aemond Targaryen claimed Vhagar but lost an eye, Alicent went inches away from stabbing her childhood friend Rhaenyra, Rhaenyra and Daemon celebrate the Black Wedding, and more. Too bad that half of these things weren’t clearly visible on the screen due to some unholy decision to shoot everything with a very, very dim light. Should House of the Dragon fans be forced to adjust the brightness of their screens to watch the show?
RELATED: House of the Dragon Explained: Why Is Vhagar So Important?
4) King of the Narrow Sea (Episode 4)
The fourth installment showed why Matt Smith’s Daemon would have been one of the story’s main protagonists, and rightfully so. The episode showed the “chemistry,” — let’s put it like that — between Rhaenyra and her uncle, Daemon. Game of Thrones incessantly repeated Targaryens used to sleep with and wed their family members, and House of the Dragon put it on display. (Unless we don’t want to consider Jon Snow bedding Daenerys, but they were unaware of their kinship). After watching Daemon and Rhaenyra, maybe Game of Thrones fans will be more merciful to Cersei and Jamie Lannister.
3) The Heirs of the Dragon (Episode 1)
It was finally time to get back to Westeros. Fans waited more than three years to have some new Game of Thrones content following the mothership series’ (disappointing) finale. To make everyone sure that dragons would be a pivotal part of the story, House of the Dragon opened with a nice view of Rhaenyra soaring on her Syrax. In addition to the dragons, all the characteristics that made Game of Thrones such a beloved show were finally back, including King’s Landing, the Hand of the King and the Small Council, tournaments, Lannisters, and plots to seize power.
2) The Black Queen (Episode 10)
Fans expected fireworks from the season finale, and they weren’t disappointed. The large and convoluted war involving Westeros was started by what looked like an incident. During a highly spectacular chase in the skies, Aemond and his dragon, Vhagar, ended up smashing one of Rhaenyra’s sons, the poor Lucerys Velaryon, after his dragon attacked the much older and battle-proven Vhagar. Apparently, Aemond didn’t want to kill his nephew and couldn’t control his dragon, but consequences are more important than intentions in Westeros. Eight seasons of Game of Thrones and one of House of the Dragon made sure that fans are aware of that. Hands down, one of the best episodes in House of the Dragon Season 1.
RELATED: Explained: What Happened in the House of the Dragon Season 1 Finale?
1) The Lord of the Tides (Episode 8)
The best episode in House of the Dragon Season 1 and one of the best episodes in the Game of Thrones universe. Following another time jump, Viserys is barely walking and breathing. Yet, his final wishes are to see his family finally reunited. Rhaenyra, Alicent, and the others put their hostilities asides for a while to dine together in front of a smiling Viserys. For a glorious, brief moment, it appeared everything would be all right in the Seven Kingdoms. Yet, it was just the quiet before the storm. Paddy Considine deserves all the praise for the way he portrayed the dying pater familias of House Targaryen.
