House of the Dragon episode 1 review: A visually stunning follow-up to TV's greatest

A still from House of the Dragon (Image via HBO)

The highly anticipated House of the Dragon is all set to make its premiere on TV on August 21, 2022. The first episode of the Game of Thrones spinoff was a supremely tasty treat for viewers left disappointed by the rather underwhelming ending to HBO's most-watched series of all time. This new spinoff has almost everything that made the initial seasons of Game of Thrones some of the greatest in its generation.

From the starting frame, where the show introduced its timeline, it never ceased to impress with its grand visual effects, great character establishment, and overall mood, something that is very reminiscent of the original HBO show. It would be unfair to say that everything was perfect in the one-hour journey into Westeros, but this show is perfectly capable of being something incredible with the upcoming episodes.

Note: The article below contains spoilers.

Read on for a detailed review of House of the Dragon episode 1.

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House of the Dragon episode 1 review: Much of the glitz and glamor of Game of Thrones, but not the massive anticipation

The moment the aerial camera took a look at the city below, it became nearly impossible to not be reminded of the magnificent Game of Thrones, a show that heavily relied on these stylistic tricks to set itself apart from historical or mythological shows before it. However, House of the Dragon did lack the extremely intriguing hook that set Game of Thrones apart.

It would be wrong to say that the new spinoff has no hook, but it's just that the first episode is relatively slower and more focused on the characters rather than the storyline itself. Nevertheless, the pacing of the show is not weak at all as it may simply be a creative choice to keep the first episode limited to just establishing the universe.

From the very beginning, the show started establishing the central struggle: The choosing of a new heir. Unfortunately, King Viserys' (played by Paddy Considine) choices were rather limited. It was between his impulsive and reckless brother Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith) and his oldest-born daughter Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D'Arcy). The hope of an upcoming child, who could be a boy, surrounded and drove the entire episode, ultimately culminating in a double tragedy.

The first episode took its time navigating through the multi-dimensional characters and ended in a ground-breaking decision that would go on to form the backbone of the entire storyline. This slow and steady character development is a signature of the HBO series, which was previously very well done in the first episode of Game of Thrones.

House of the Dragon was further supported with brilliant acting by both Matt Smith and Emma D'Arcy. Their on-screen contrast is incredible from the very first moment Daemon appeared. It was well balanced by some great performances from other characters like Olivia Cooke (playing the beautiful Alicent Hightower).

The end of the first episode was rather slow and predictable, with no visible twists that could act as a hook to the upcoming episodes. But the setting itself is quite eerie and it looks like it will be just a matter of time before the series bursts into high-adrenaline action, especially with the controversial decision of succession already in place.

If one were to compare the first episode of House of the Dragon to that of Game of Thrones, they may be mildly disappointed. But in all honesty, this is quite a great start for the prequel to a famed franchise and it looks like the series will build up in a very fascinating way in the coming weeks.