We’re just under a week away from the premiere of HBO’s House of the Dragon, the prequel series to Game of Thrones. With premieres in LA and Europe taking place during the last two weeks, a lucky few have already gotten a taste of the highly anticipated show and are sharing their first impressions of the show on Twitter.
Set 200 years before the events of GoT, House of the Dragon is based on George R.R. Martin’s Fire and Blood, chronicling the story of the House Targaryen at the height of their power. The show will explore the Targaryen civil war of succession for the Iron Throne. Also known as the Dance of the Dragons, this intense conflict devastated parts of Westeros and drove dragons to extinction, as fans learned in GoT.
Full of betrayal, political feuding, family drama, and, yes, lots of dragons, this prequel series to GoT is highly anticipated by fans. But will House of the Dragon live up to the hype and redeem the original series’ terrible ending?
Initial reviews for House of the Dragon are overwhelmingly positive. Sometimes the first episode of a series like GoT can be tough to watch and enjoy when you’ve got numerous characters and families with rich histories being introduced to you, but Brandon Katz, a senior reporter from The Wrap, says that’s not the case with House of the Dragon:
An IndieWire film journalist went as far as saying it’s better than GoT and Breaking Bad:
They also followed their tweet up with this eyebrow-raising remark:
Christina Radish, a senior reporter for Collider says the show intimately shows House Targaryen’s dysfunction while still making the show feel grand in scale:
Additionally, those who, like fans, hated the final season of Game of Thrones are saying it’s worth watching. Steven Weintraub, editor-in-chief for Collider, says:
BaldMove.com says the first episode will “easily rope curious fans back in” after that messy final season of Game of Thrones:
House of the Dragon stars Paddy Considine, Emma D’Arcy, Matt Smith, Olivia Cooke and Rhys Ifans. George R.R. Martin serves as a co-creator alongside Ryan Condal. Martin also serves as an executive producer. GoT alum Miguel Sapochnik (“Hardhome,” “Battle of the Bastards,” “The Winds of Winter“) serves as showrunner alongside Condal as well. GoT composer Ramin Djawadi also returns to score the new series.
You can catch the House of the Dragon premiere on August 21 at 9 PM ET on HBO or stream it on HBO Max. Will you be watching? Make sure to check back in for Bookstr’s weekly Twitter reaction round-up for each episode!
In the meantime, Valar Morghulis.