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House of the Dragon

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Photo: Courtesy of HBO

Almost two centuries before the Long Night, Red Wedding, or the Battle of the Bastards, another massive conflict wreaked havoc across Westeros. The first of many planned spin-offs of HBO’s landmark series Game of Thrones goes back to an era when the Targaryens ruled the Seven Kingdoms and dragons were plentiful.

Based on material from George R. R. Martin’s book Fire & Blood, House of the Dragon tells the story of the Dance of Dragons and the events leading up to the brutal civil war. King Viserys I Targaryen rules over an unprecedented time of peace, but questions about his succession threaten to send the realm into chaos. Will Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen sit on the Iron Throne, or is Westeros not ready for a queen?

House of the Dragon was developed by Ryan J. Condal and Miguel Sapochnik. It stars Paddy Considine, Emma D’Arcy, Matt Smith, Olivia Cooke, Rhys Ifans, Sonoya Mizuno, Milly Alcock, Emily Carey, and a whole lot of dragons.

  1. Episode 10 The Black Queen
    House of the Dragon Season-Finale Recap: Blood of the Dragon The dragons are about to eat one another alive.
  2. Episode 9 The Green Council
    House of the Dragon Recap: Pawn, Queen, King The king is dead! Long live the king! … If the Hightowers can find Aegon and pull off this coup.
  3. Episode 8 The Lord of the Tides
    House of the Dragon Recap: A Cozy Little Melee The Targaryen and Velaryon families are not the kind of kinfolk whose problems can be solved over the dinner table.
  4. Episode 7 Driftmark
    House of the Dragon Recap: Bastards and Broken Noses The various dispersed Targaryens descend on Driftmark, and bring with them their genetically endowed abilities to be uniquely awful.
  5. Episode 6 The Princess and the Queen
    House of the Dragon Recap: A Bad Egg Like it was for the Starks in early Game of Thrones episodes, the stakes for child’s play are high for these little Targaryens.
  6. Episode 5 We Light the Way
    House of the Dragon Recap: One Wedding and Two Funerals A pack of new menaces has arrived just in time to broaden the show’s reach.
  7. Episode 4 King of the Narrow Sea
    House of the Dragon Recap: The Second Sex Congratulations to House of the Dragon for finding a way to make sex actually further the narrative and character development.
  8. Episode 3 Second of His Name
    House of the Dragon 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.
  9. Episode 2 The Rogue Prince
    House of the Dragon Recap: The Westeros Wing Viserys actually makes pretty good decisions for a Targaryen king, which leads to boring ol’ stable politics. Luckily, there’s a dragon face-off.
  10. Episode 1 The Heirs of the Dragon
    House of the Dragon Series-Premiere 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.
  1. Episode 3 The Burning Mill
    House of the Dragon Recap: Forgotten History Rhaenyra won’t be able to avoid war for much longer.
  2. Episode 2 Rhaenyra the Cruel
    House of the Dragon Recap: Brothers In Arms Have you seen anyone fail upward as spectacularly as Ser Criston Cole?
  3. Episode 1 A Son for a Son
    House of the Dragon Season-Premiere Recap: Rat Race Well, it looks like peace won’t be an option, thanks to Daemon.

Interviews

Latest on House of the Dragon

  1. a song of light and fire
    House of the Dragon Loves LampWhoever upped the budget for candles, lanterns, and sconces this season, we thank you.
    By Roxana Hadadi and Kathryn VanArendonk
  2. fire & blood & points
    House of the Dragon Scorecard: Double TroubleSo far this season is two for two on bungled murder plots.
    By Brian Grubb
  3. sibling rivalry
    House of the Dragon’s Identical-Face-Off Deserves a Second LookThe Cargyll twins slash their way across the thin line between tragedy and comedy.
    By Roxana Hadadi
  4. it’s not tv it’s not hbo it’s max
    House of the Dragon Season Two Was Max’s Best Streaming Day EverBut a 20 percent decrease in viewership overall from season one.
    By Bethy Squires
  5. a son for a son
    How Long Has This Been Going On, Alicent and Ser Criston?We have some theories … about Daeron Targaryen.
    By Savannah Salazar
  6. rawr
    Olivia Cooke’s House of the Dragon ‘Animalistic’ Sex Scene Got Cut“It was messy as fuck. It wasn’t beautiful, and that was really fun to do.”
    By Alejandra Gularte
  7. team meme
    House of the Dragon Memes Light Up the InternetStifle the pain of child death with laughter!
    By Savannah Salazar
  8. cue ramin
    The House of the Dragon Title Sequence Is a Targaryen History LessonBasically like the Westerosi equivalent of Crash Course.
    By Savannah Salazar
  9. a son for a son
    House of the Dragon Scorecard: Bad Plan, Worse ExecutionAs bad omens go, a ratcatcher kicking a dog is up there.
    By Brian Grubb
  10. a son for a son
    House of the Dragon’s Blood and Cheese Moment Should Have Been NastierWithout the source material’s Sophie’s Choice torment, it’s just another scene of violence in a show full of scenes of violence.
    By Roxana Hadadi
  11. a long talk
    House of the Dragon’s Two Queens Would Rather Co-Rule WesterosEmma D’Arcy and Olivia Cooke relive Rhaenyra and Alicent’s season-one arc: “The whole series is about trying to get back to each other.”
    By Roxana Hadadi
  12. rebecca is a food critic now
    You Probably Shouldn’t Eat All of This House of the Dragon FoodBut you can. And I did!
    By Rebecca Alter
  13. fire and blood
    How to Watch House of the Dragon When You Know NothingIt’s totally fine if you can’t remember the houses, the dragons, or anything else.
    By Jen Chaney
  14. fire and blood
    House of the Dragon Soars to New HeightsOh, we’re dancing now.
    By Nicholas Quah
  15. fire and blood
    Everything That Happened on Season One of House of the DragonIncest, betrayal, blood feuds, and dragons. A lot of dragons.
    By Nate Jones and Basma Bedawi
  16. fire and blood
    Who’s Who in Westeros: A House of the Dragon Character GuideKeeping up with the Targaryens.
    By Sean T. Collins
  17. here are my dragons!
    Get to Know House of the Dragon’s Royal Air ForcesAhead of season two’s full-scale Targaryen civil war, let’s review the airborne arsenals Teams Green and Black are working with.
    By Sean T. Collins
  18. coming soon
    House of the Dragon Schemes Its Way to Third SeasonThe plots to take the Iron Throne never cease.
    By Zoe Guy
  19. family feuds
    Previously, on Days of Our DragonsBefore House of the Dragon returns, let’s untangle the bonds that unite — and the grudges that divide — Teams Green and Black.
    By Roxana Hadadi
  20. profile
    Is This Your King?House of the Dragon’s Tom Glynn-Carney is so good at playing pathetic you almost forget you’re supposed to hate him.
    By Roxana Hadadi
  21. announcements
    Join ‘House of the Dragon Club’ and Watch the New Season With UsMayhaps we’ll take the Iron Throne if we work together …
    By The Editors
  22. a bad idea worth considering
    It’s Not Too Late to Fix House of the Dragon’s Color WarsIt should be Team Gold versus Team Red.
    By Kathryn VanArendonk
  23. summer preview 2024
    33 TV Shows We Can’t Wait to Watch This SummerHit the beach or hit play on any number of new shows — you can’t go wrong either way.
    By James Grebey and Ben Rosenstock
  24. legally blonde 2
    House of the Dragon Goes ‘To War Then’Breathing fire back into Sunday nights starting June 16.
    By Jason P. Frank
  25. with prosecco
    Let Emma D’Arcy and Olivia CookAnother House of the Dragon press tour, another chance for a negroni sbagliato moment.
    By Savannah Salazar
  26. 2023 emmys in 2024
    The Bear Isn’t Catching Any Emmys for ‘Fishes’ Just YetThe Television Academy is still on season one.
    By Jason P. Frank
  27. the industry innit
    How House of the Dragon Can Keep Filming Amid the SAG StrikeIt’s all about those local union rules.
    By Jennifer Zhan
  28. fire deal
    House of the Dragon Is Throwing in 5 More Dragons With Season TwoFire-breathing pets are so hot.
    By Jason P. Frank
  29. fire and blood
    Imagine House of the Dragon With These Deleted Scenes Left InA lot of Daemon moments hit the cutting-room floor.
    By Savannah Salazar
  30. buffering
    HBO’s Big Dragon Bet Paid Off“My No. 1 feeling is relief,” says HBO chief Casey Bloys.
    By Josef Adalian
  31. fire & blood
    House of the Dragon’s Biggest Book OmissionsSeven Fire & Blood details that could’ve made these characters’ bonds more tangible, their romances more sensual, and their losses more tragic.
    By Roxana Hadadi
  32. fire and blood
    House of the Dragon’s Director Wants You Asking Questions About DaemonGreg Yaitanes on Rhaenyra’s coronation, Daemon’s betrayal, and that dragon chase: “Something horrible happening in the midst of somewhere beautiful.”
    By Sean T. Collins
  33. finales
    A Few Questions for That House of the Dragon FinaleExposition, dragons, and more excruciating childbirth leaves us with the promise of bigger and bloodier things to come.
    By Jen Chaney, Roxana Hadadi, and Kathryn VanArendonk
  34. fire and blood
    What If Viserys Married Laena Velaryon?Predicting a House of the Dragon future in which the Blues usurped the Greens in the Dance of the Dragons.
    By Nate Jones
  35. fire & blood
    What’s Going on With House of the Dragon’s Mysaria?Her fate in the season’s penultimate episode is as confusing as everything else about this character.
    By Roxana Hadadi
  36. close read
    The Fantasy-Prequel ProblemHouse of the Dragon and The Rings of Power have been presented as shining new jewels in the streaming pantheon. They also belie a lack of imagination.
    By Kathryn VanArendonk
  37. emergency discussion
    What Is Time on House of the Dragon?The series’ frantic rush forward tests the efficacy of the TV time jump — and viewers’ ability to keep up.
    By Jen Chaney, Roxana Hadadi, and Kathryn VanArendonk
  38. chat room
    House of the Dragon’s Paddy Considine Had His Eye on Viserys’s Dagger“They were like, ‘No, no, that’s a really important knife,’ and I go, ‘Yeah, I know. That’s why I want it.’”
    By Roxana Hadadi
  39. fire and blood
    Is Queen Alicent Acting in Bad Faith?The presence of a certain seven-pointed star adds an intriguing new wrinkle to House of the Dragon’s Targaryen-Hightower power struggle.
    By Roxana Hadadi
  40. hello lgbt community
    House of the Dragon’s Emma D’Arcy Brings You the New Drink of the SeasonAnd why is the internet going mad for it?
    By Bethy Squires
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