Now is the winter of no Game of Thrones content made glorious summer by the return of House of the Dragon. Wait, wrong writer! Still, you may be forgiven for having flashbacks to English class; if any show demands a refresher course, it’s this one. Season one of House of the Dragon featured multiple time jumps, major characters played by two or even three actors, and a whole bunch of names that were nigh indistinguishable from one another. (If you have a psychosomatic reaction to the “ae” diphthong, this may not be the series for you.) So for anyone who needs to bone up on all things Dragon, here’s your chance.
Set roughly 170 years before the events of Game of Thrones, House of the Dragon tells the story of the Targaryen civil war known as the Dance of the Dragons. It’s adapted from Fire & Blood, George R.R. Martin’s 2018 book of Song of Ice and Fire lore, but while that was written as a fictional history tome, HOTD purports to show what really went down.
The Dance was born out of a succession crisis that occurred in the reign of the well-meaning but ineffectual King Viserys I (Paddy Considine), which HOTD’s first season had to devote much screen time to explaining. After years on the throne, Viserys had no sons, only a daughter, Rhaenyra (Milly Alcock and Emma D’Arcy), whom he named as his heir to prevent his ne’er-do-well little brother, Daemon (Matt Smith), from taking the throne. This might have been fine had the widowed Viserys not remarried: His second wife was the much younger Alicent Hightower (Emily Carey and Olivia Cooke), daughter of Hand of the King Otto Hightower (Rhys Ifans) and Rhaenyra’s childhood bestie. (And maybe more, if you pay attention to certain corners of the internet.) She gave Viserys a son, Aegon (Ty Tennant and Tom Glynn-Carney), and more children besides, which split the court in half. Those who supported Rhaenyra’s claim — a number that would include Daemon, the powerful admiral Corlys Velaryon (Steve Toussaint), and his wife, the dragonrider Princess Rhaenys (Eve Best) — were known as the Blacks. Young Aegon’s faction, which included the Kingsguard commander Ser Criston Cole (Fabien Frankel), were called the Greens.
But those are just the broad strokes. Read on to remind yourself of all the incest, betrayal, and childhood blood feuds you may have forgotten.
Background Reading | Episode One | Episode Two | Episode Three | Episode Four | Episode Five | Episode Six | Episode Seven | Episode Eight | Episode Nine | Episode Ten
Background Reading
House of the Dragon, Explained
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So, Uh, What Is House of the Dragon, Anyway?
A beginner’s guide to the who-what-when-where-why of it all.
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Season-One Review: House of the Dragon Is Built on a Shaky Foundation
“House Targaryen’s words are fire and blood, and they should be what House of the Dragon delivers in this Game of Thrones prequel about the silver-haired royals who ruled Westeros for centuries, emerged victorious from myriad wars, and quite often married one another. Blood, the series has, in graphic and gory bursts and splatters. Fire, though, is harder to conjure.”
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Who’s Who in Westeros: A House of the Dragon Character Guide
Seven kingdoms, one Iron Throne, and a whole lot of people with odd names to keep track of: It’s the Game of Thrones formula, and House of the Dragon is following suit. The good news is that Dragon features way fewer houses to keep track of; it tells the tale of a budding conflict and eventual civil war within the ruling family of House Targaryen. The bad news is that everyone is someone else’s aunt or uncle or brother or cousin or spouse — often more than one at once — and most of them share the same surname. It’s a lot for even a maester to keep track of.
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Previously, on Days of Our Dragons
While House of the Dragon’s focus on Targaryen infighting is comparatively petite, even quaint, compared with its predecessor’s sprawl, the first season aired on HBO nearly two years ago and packed more than 20 years of narrative into ten episodes. There are a lot of relationships to remember, all of them informing an extended-family conflict that’s much more complex than a simple Team Green–Team Black dichotomy would suggest.
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Get to Know House of the Dragon’s Royal Air Forces
From middle-earth to Westeros, dragons are no joke. That’s what makes the prospect of a full-scale Targaryen civil war in season two so frightening — not just to the defenseless small folk but to the wiser members of the opposing Team Black and Team Green themselves. It also makes the question of who controls which dragons as crucial to the conflict as sizing up your enemy’s nuclear stockpile. A dragon’s size, age, temperament, temperature, combat experience, rider, and perhaps even their relationships with other dragons all play a part in determining their effectiveness in battle.
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What to Expect Next on House of the Dragon
For any viewers who thought House of the Dragon lacked action in its first season, rest assured: There’s potential for battle after battle that could blow Blackwater, Hardhome, and the Long Night out of the water — plus enough character deaths to make Game of Thrones seem downright merciful. George R.R. Martin has said it will take four ten-episode seasons to tell the full story of the Dance of the Dragons, and while Warner Bros. may not have committed to a 40-episode run yet, we’ll assume GRRM is right.
Episode One
‘The Heirs of the Dragon’
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Episode Recap: A Song of Ice and Fire
A Targaryen-centric prequel begins in typical Game of Thrones fashion: well acted, violent, revolting, CGI’d to the max, and more than a little horny.
➼ Who Did It Better — House of the Dragon or Game of Thrones?
➼ The Most Expositional Lines of the House of the Dragon Premiere, Ranked
➼ Ranking the Half-Ponytails of House of the Dragon
➼ Interview: Milly Alcock Confirms Riding a Horse Is a Lot More Fun Than Riding a Dragon
Episode Two
‘The Rogue Prince’
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Episode Recap: The Westeros Wing
In an episode with low fornication and ever lower stakes, Viserys names Rhaenyra his heir and makes overall reasonable decisions. That is, until he decides to wed Alicent Hightower. Meanwhile, Daemon causes trouble on Dragonstone.
Episode Three
‘Second of His Name’
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Episode Recap: Green-Eyed Monster
Viserys may swear to Rhaenyra, “On your mother’s memory, you will not be supplanted,” but Daemon is still out there waiting in the wings to make a move for the Iron Throne.
➼ Interview: House of the Dragon’s Resident Lannister(s) Had to Forget What Game of Thrones Taught Him
Episode Four
‘King of the Narrow Sea’
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Episode Recap: The Second Sex
Daemon doesn’t get the girl or the throne. Congratulations to House of the Dragon for finding a way to make sex further the narrative and character development!
Episode Five
‘We Light the Way’
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Episode Recap: One Wedding and Two Funerals
Rhaenyra proposes a marriage loophole, blood is spilled, and a pack of new menaces arrives just in time to broaden the show’s reach.
➼ Interview: Fabien Frankel on Ser Criston Cole’s Wedding Woes
➼ Interview: Theo Nate Could Ride a Dragon All Day
Episode Six
‘The Princess and the Queen’
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Episode Recap: A Bad Egg
Ten years later, the legitimacy of Rhaenyra’s brown-haired children is questioned, and the stakes of child’s play are high for these little Targaryens.
➼ House of the Dragon’s Brutal Birth Obsession Isn’t Realism. It’s Cruelty.
➼ The Casting Challenge Behind House of the Dragon’s 10-Year Time Jump
➼ What Is Time on House of the Dragon?
➼ Interview: Matthew Needham Is Playing Larys As a Hero
Episode Seven
‘Driftmark’
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Episode Recap: Bastards and Broken Noses
The various dispersed Targaryens descend on Driftmark and bring their genetically endowed abilities to be uniquely awful.
➼ Wow, It Kinda Sucks to Be a Velaryon Right Now, Doesn’t It?
➼ House of the Dragon’s Big Twist: A Happy Ending
➼ Why Did That Episode of House of the Dragon Look So Bad?
➼ One Simple Trick Can Fix House of the Dragon’s Lighting Problem
➼ Interview: John Macmillan Filmed Laenor’s Escape From Westeros on His First Day
Episode Eight
‘The Lord of the Tides’
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Episode Recap: A Cozy Little Mêlée
The Targaryen and Velaryon families are not the kind of kinfolk whose problems can be solved over the dinner table. King Viserys is dead, long live the queen — but which one?
➼ Is Queen Alicent Acting in Bad Faith?
➼ Interview: Paddy Considine Had His Eye on Viserys’s Dagger
Episode Nine
‘The Green Council’
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Episode Recap: Pawn, Queen, King
After Viserys dies, a misinterpretation pushes Otto and Alicent to put Aegon on the Iron Throne, but they need to find him first. Rhaenys escapes.
➼ What’s Going on With House of the Dragon’s Mysaria?
➼ Interview: Eve Best on Rhaenys’s Huge Dragon Moment: ‘It’s the Intelligent Choice’
Episode Ten
‘The Black Queen’
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Episode Recap: Blood of the Dragon
At season’s end, Rhaenyra learns that the Hightowers have usurped her throne. Daemon, as usual, wants war. Lucerys and Aemond have a fateful confrontation.
➼ A Few Questions for That House of the Dragon Finale
➼ House of the Dragon’s Biggest Book Omissions
➼ Imagine House of the Dragon With These Deleted Scenes Included
➼ What If House of the Dragon’s Viserys Married Laena Velaryon?
➼ Interview: House of the Dragon’s Director Wants You Asking Questions About Daemon
➼ Interview: House of the Dragon’s Two Queens Would Rather Co-Rule Westeros
