“House of the Dragon” is an American HBO series created by George R. R. Martin and Rayn Condal. The show is a prequel to “Game of Thrones” and takes you 200 years back before the happenings of the original series. The series is based on the novel ‘Fire & Blood.’ It portrays the beginning and end of one of the major houses, ‘House Targaryen.’
House of the Dragons revolves around the events of the Targaryen civil war, known as the “Dance of the Dragons.” The first episode of season one premiered on August 21, 2023, and the first season consisted of 10 episodes. The filming for the second season of House of the Dragons is said to begin in early 2023. However, no premiere date for the second season has been announced.
The show features an ensemble cast of well-known actors portraying iconic roles for the series.
- Patrick George Considine portrays the fifth king of the Seven Kingdoms, “King Viserys.“
- Matt Smith is starring as King Viserys younger brother, “Prince Daemon Targaryen.”
- Emma D’Arcy portrays “Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen,” the daughter of King Viserys.
- Eve Beast is playing the role of “Rhaenys Targaryen.” The older cousin of King Viserys.
- Steve Toussaint as The Lord of Driftmark & head of House Velaryon “Lord Corlys Velaryon.”
- Rhys Ifans portrays “Ser Otto Hightower.”
And many other iconic personalities have been cast to play different characters in the show House of the Dragons. However, the plot of the series and gallery of characters is exceptionally complicated, and it may be challenging to keep track of who is who. Luckily, ExpressVPN has created an infographic that depicts the tangled family relations among Targaryens. Take a look at the infographics, and let’s dig into the plot of the series.
What is the Plot of the Series About?
House of the Dragons is set 172 years before the birth of Queen Daenerys Targaryen. The series focuses on the history of the Targaryen family. Targaryens are known to be the legendary dragonriders in all of Westeros. They were the rulers of all the Seven Kingdoms and were the most powerful among all other ruling families.
The show starts with a brief history of the mighty Targaryens ruling the seven kingdoms because of their great ancestor, “Aegon The Conqueror.” Jaeherys I, the grandson of Aegon, took the throne and became the ruler as a king. But the unexpected happened; Jaeherys I faced the crisis of not being capable of producing an heir for the throne.
So Jaeherys I had to select an heir for the throne and chose his grandson Viserys to be the king. The era of King Viserys begins, and unexpectedly he faces the same problem as his grandfather. His wife died with his newborn son during childbirth and left Viserys only with his daughter Rhaenyra. A council forms to decide the next heir for the throne after Viserys.
There were only two candidates for the succession of King Viserys throne. The first was Viserys’s daughter “Rhaenyra” and the second was Viserys’ brother “Daemon” (played by Matt Smith). Rhaenyra is the protagonist of the House of the Dragons series. Her personality resembles the iconic character of Daenerys Targaryen.
Princess Rhaenyra is presented as a smart, talented girl and an excellent dragonrider. Even though she’s a woman, she has all the abilities to succeed her father and take over the throne. Her goal is to “create a new world order.”
On the other hand, Rhaenyra’s uncle Daemon the second candidate to become the next heir, is the total opposite. He’s the city watch commander but is seen around the brothels throughout the series. He doesn’t attend the council meetings. He even harasses and kills random people on the streets. King Viserys is aware of Daemon’s doings, and such behaviour infuriates him and the Hand of the King.
After much thinking, King Viserys decides that the most deserving person to rule the seven kingdoms is Rhaenyra. Declaring Rhaneyra as his heir to the throne infuriates Daemon. The story moves on, and King Viserys marries Alicent, the daughter of Otto Hightower. Alicent’s sons are after King Viserys’s throne, and they challenge Rhaneyra to claim the throne.
King Viserys dies. Alicent believes that Viserys, in his last breaths, suddenly declared Aegon (Viserys & Alicent’s eldest son) his heir instead of Rhaneyra. Aegon is declared king of the Seven Kingdoms by the Hightower. On behalf of Rhaneyra, Daemon prepares for a war to get back the throne from Aegon.
But Rhaneyra accepted Hightower’s offer to surrender to Aegon and avoid unnecessary violence. The war is prevented from breaking out. Behind the scenes, Rhaneyra secretly planned to take back the throne which rightfully belonged to her. She allowed her children Lucerys & Jacaerys to be her envoys in the other houses.
At Storm’s End, Lucerys meets Alicent’s second son “Aemond.” Aemond always hated Lucerys & Jacaerys because of a childhood incident. When they were children, Lucerys, in self-defense, gouged Aemond’s right eye to save his brother from him.
Lucerys tries to escape Storm’s End by riding on his dragon “Arrax.” Aemond, on his gigantic dragon Vhagar, chases after him. Aemond’s blind thirst for revenge against Lucerys causes him to lose control over his dragon Vhagar. Vhagar bites Arrax’s body, which leads to the death of Lucerys and his dragon.
Rhaneyra gets informed of her son’s fate in the final sequence of the season, and she bursts into a rage. The struggle to take the throne was all in vain and cost Rhaneyra her son’s life.
The first season ends with the tragic death of Lucerys. The story will continue with a second season, and its production will start very soon, in early 2023. Fans are excited to see how Rhanyera will face the challenges in the next season of House of the Dragons.
Final Words
House of the Dragons is the prequel to the most popular series, Game of Thrones. The series has mixed reviews, but most of them are positive. We highly recommend you watch it and decide for yourself.
Article by Born Realist