‘House of the Dragon’ Season Review: Television’s Return to Westeros

For viewers who have not yet seen “Game of Thrones” or “House of the Dragon,” spoilers are revealed below.

“House of the Dragon” — the highly anticipated prequel to “Game of Thrones” — has made headlines. The mini-series’ 10 hour-long episodes examine the backstory of the dreaded, notorious House Targaryen, setting up the storyline for the original show.

“House of the Dragon” brings us back about two centuries to the height of House Targaryen’s control over the Iron Throne and its claim to power in Westeros. The series, which explores the importance of bloodlines, broken friendships, naivete, and the legitimacy of one’s heirs, throws us right back into the bloody, merciless world of “Game of Thrones.”

Like “Game of Thrones,” “House of the Dragon” spans many years, continuously building towards the inevitable conflict of the ending. In the very beginning, the two main characters, Rhaenyra (Milly Alcock/Emma D’Arcy), the later-announced heir to the Iron Throne, and Alicent (Emily Carey/Olivia Cooke), the future queen, are the best of friends. Over the course of the series, however, the two friends grow apart and eventually become foes, as each tries to ensure the safety of their children and their future as leaders of Westeros.

To deal with the significant time jumps between episodes, the producers of “House of the Dragon” decided to impose major cast changes, with only a few actors appearing throughout the entire season.

In such intricate shows, cast changes often spark debates about character growth and continuity. With multiple actors playing the same role, it can often feel as if each actor is not given adequate time to develop their relationship with the audience. Additionally, fitting over 10 years’ worth of action into a roughly 10-hour series is naturally going to result in the omission of some story elements, potentially sacrificing character development for the plot. The producers of “House of the Dragon,” however, were able to smooth out the edges to make the series fluid and coherent. Furthermore, the cast changes, while abrupt, make the evolution of each individual more realistic.

Notably, the characters whose actors changed in the series were also the characters who evolved the most. For example, the old King Viserys (Paddy Considine), his younger brother, Prince Daemon (Matt Smith), and the hand of the king, Sir Otto Hightower (Rhys Ifans), retained the same actors throughout the entire series. Was this because their age differences could be portrayed by the same actor? Or, was it because these characters generally retained the same positions and qualities throughout the entire series — emphasized by their lack of physical change? Indeed, this directorial choice allows the audience to pay more attention to the other characters.

Furthermore, double casting for the roles of Princess Rhaenyra, Queen Alicent, and their children was particularly effective. These changes accentuate Princess Rhaenyra and Queen Alicent’s extreme separation and the hate they begin to have for each other as time passes. Because the characters’ children also start out as friends, the audience witnesses them growing apart from one another as well. In the final scene featuring Carey as young Alicent and Alcock as young Rhaenyra, Alicent enters wearing green, the color of her family’s war banners — a bone-chilling moment that foreshadows the division in store for the future of House Targaryen. While these two actors did not return in subsequent episodes, this was a perfectly subtle, encapsulating finale for the two: Their era of friendship was over. “House of the Dragon”’s ability to ensure viewers’ investment in the characters and plot despite these turnovers is a testament to the quality of the show.

Overall, each episode effectively builds upon the last, with limited but carefully curated action scenes that suggest the imminence of a final battle. However, after patiently watching each episode in anticipation for a final throwdown, viewers might be disappointed to learn that the whole series only sets the scene for the next season, or maybe even the next couple of seasons. With only a slight idea of what’s to come from watching the original “Game of Thrones,” all I can now say is: Let the “Dance of the Dragons” begin.