Warning: There are spoilers ahead for House of the Dragon episode 1!
Ever since Game of Thrones came to an unsatisfactory end, former fans said that they would never watch one of HBO’s spinoffs. They also claimed that no one cares about the prequel series, House of the Dragon. However, the series premiere’s 9.99 million viewers across all platforms suggests that many fans do care. Whether they will all come back for episode 2 remains to be seen. But the new age has begun, and we want to know what the Superhero Hype community thinks about it! This post is a place for all of you to leave your own reviews, thoughts, or anything else you want to say about House of the Dragon episode 1.
172 years before Daenerys Targaryen was born, the Targaryen family faced a dilemma about the line of succession. Since King Jaehaerys’ sons were dead, he named his grandson, Viserys Targaryen, as the new king. In the process, Jaehaerys snubbed his own daughter, Princess Rhaenys Targaryen, and prevented her from claiming the throne. Nine years later, Viserys prepares for the birth of his son while relegating his daughter, Princess Rhaenyra, to serving as a cupbearer at the Small Council meetings.
Viserys’ younger brother, Daemon Targaryen, secretly arrives in King’s Landing and uses his command of the City Watch to terrorize the poor people in town as a show of force. The Hand of the King, Otto Hightower, is furious about Daemon’s actions, but Viserys excuses his brother’s actions for now. Instead, Viseryes focuses on the upcoming tournament to celebrate his son’s birth.
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During the tournament, Daemon humiliates Otto by asking for the favor of his daughter, Alicent. However, Daemon is ultimately defeated by a relatively unknown warrior, Criston Cole. Meanwhile, Queen Aemma’s delivery of Viscerys’ son quickly turns tragic. On the advice of the Maester, Viscerys agrees to put Aemma through a very deadly cesarean section to save his son. Aemma has no choice in the matter as she is graphically cut open before bleeding to death. However, Viscerys’ son only survives a short time after his birth.
Sometime later, the Targaryens and the royal court assemble for the funeral of both Aemma and her son. While Daemon is outwardly supportive of Rhaenyra, he soon eavesdrops on a Small Council meeting where Otto attempts to convince Viscerys to remove Daemon from the line of succession. Viscerys angrily refuses, much to Daemon’s delight. Daemon celebrates with his men at a pleasure house, and mockingly toasts his deceased nephew as the “heir for a day.”
After Otto informs Viscerys about what Daemon said, he chastises his brother and tells him to leave King’s Landing. Viscerys then reconciles with Rhaenyra and names her the new heir to the throne. He also shares the prophetic dream of a Song of Ice and Fire. For the seven kingdoms to survive, a Targaryen must be on the Iron Throne when the ultimate evil arises. Shortly thereafter, most of the major houses pledge their loyalty to Viscerys and his chosen heir, Rhaenyra.
We still want to know what you think. So make sure to leave your reviews for House of the Dragon episode 1 in the comment section below!
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