House of the Dragon

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.

SEASON:

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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.

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.
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.
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.
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.

fire and blood Imagine House of the Dragon With These Deleted Scenes Left In A lot of Daemon moments hit the cutting-room floor. By Savannah Salazar
fire and blood Who’s Who in Westeros: A House of the Dragon Character Guide Keeping up with the Targaryens after episode eight. By Sean T. Collins
fire & blood House of the Dragon’s Biggest Book Omissions Seven Fire & Blood details that could’ve made these characters’ bonds more tangible, their romances more sensual, and their losses more tragic. By Roxana Hadadi

Interviews

Eve Best on Rhaenys’s Huge Dragon Moment: ‘It’s the Intelligent Choice’ By Sean T. Collins
House of the Dragon’s Paddy Considine Had His Eye on Viserys’s Dagger By Roxana Hadadi
John Macmillan Shot Laenor’s House of the Dragon Escape on His First Day on Set By Sean T. Collins

Latest on House of the Dragon

the industry innit July 19, 2023

How House of the Dragon Can Keep Filming Amid the SAG StrikeIt’s all about those local union rules.

By Jennifer Zhan
fire deal Mar. 8, 2023

House of the Dragon Is Throwing in 5 More Dragons With Season TwoFire-breathing pets are so hot.

By Jason P. Frank

buffering Oct. 27, 2022

HBO’s Big Dragon Bet Paid Off“My No. 1 feeling is relief,” says HBO chief Casey Bloys.

By Josef Adalian
fire and blood Oct. 26, 2022

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
a long talk Oct. 25, 2022

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
legally blonde 2 Oct. 24, 2022

House of the Dragon Is Getting a Second Season of Fire, Blood, and BlondesKeep those dragon eggs warm for season two.

By Jason P. Frank
finales Oct. 24, 2022

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
fire & blood & spoilers Oct. 24, 2022

What to Expect Next on House of the DragonStrap in, we’re spoiling everything that happens in the Dance of the Dragons.

By James Grebey
fire and blood Oct. 23, 2022

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
fire & blood Oct. 19, 2022

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
close read Oct. 13, 2022

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
emergency discussion Oct. 12, 2022

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

fire and blood Oct. 9, 2022

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
hello lgbt community Oct. 9, 2022

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
last night on late night Oct. 6, 2022

Trevor Noah Is Mad About How Dark That House of the Dragon Episode Was TooWhile he still has a platform, Noah is going to be fighting for what really matters.

By Bethy Squires
dinner party Oct. 5, 2022

One Simple Trick Can Fix House of the Dragon’s Lighting ProblemAnd any other shows that look like they were shot during an eclipse.

By Tirhakah Love
yikes Oct. 4, 2022

George R.R. Martin’s Co-authors Are Not Fit to PostRise of the Dragon co-author Linda Antonsson has repeatedly critiqued the casting of people of color on Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon.

By Rebecca Alter
fire and blood Oct. 3, 2022

House of the Dragon’s Big Twist: A Happy Ending“Driftmark” subverts book canon for a character send-off that might just be the last nice thing that happens in this series.

By James Grebey
fire and blood Oct. 3, 2022

Why Did That Episode of House of the Dragon Look So Bad?Possible explanations, not excuses, for why you couldn’t see anything.

By Kathryn VanArendonk
fire and blood Oct. 3, 2022

Westeros Weddings Ranked by How Much Fun a Guest Would HaveSome of these unions are just not worth the RSVP.

By James Grebey
fire and blood Oct. 2, 2022

Wow, It Kinda Sucks to Be a Velaryon Right Now, Doesn’t It?More money, more incest-caused problems!

By Roxana Hadadi
fire and blood Sept. 30, 2022

The Casting Challenge Behind House of the Dragon’s 10-Year Time JumpHow the series’ casting director navigated a time-lapsed, multigenerational plot.

By Sean T. Collins

buffering Sept. 29, 2022

Dragons vs. Elves: Who Has the Better Release Strategy?Streamers say time slots are irrelevant. Maybe they’re wrong.

By Josef Adalian
tv ratings Sept. 29, 2022

The Rings of Power Ratings Are In, and They’re GoodNielsen weighs in on the Lord of the Rings versus Game of Thrones battle.

By Josef Adalian
close read Sept. 26, 2022

House of the Dragon’s Brutal Birth Obsession Isn’t Realism. It’s Cruelty.In three separate instances, the Game of Thrones prequel reduces a birthing woman to the limits of her body.

By Kathryn VanArendonk
chat room Sept. 26, 2022

House of the Dragon’s Matthew Needham Is Playing Larys As a Hero“He might seem completely mad, but it’s very methodical.”

By Sean T. Collins
fire and blood Sept. 20, 2022

Theo Nate Could Ride a Dragon All DayAs his House of the Dragon role is aged up and recast, the British actor reflects on Laenor Velaryon’s bravery on and off the battlefield.

By Sean T. Collins
chat room Sept. 18, 2022

House of the Dragon’s Fabien Frankel on Ser Criston Cole’s Wedding Woes“He has to go in like, I’m going to f - - - ing give it everything I’ve got, and let it be what it is after that.”

By Roxana Hadadi
house of the dragon Sept. 14, 2022

So Is Incest Taboo in Westeros, or What?The Targaryens’ whole deal, explained.

By James Grebey
close read Sept. 8, 2022

The Rings of Power Looks on the Bright SideThe unfailingly well-lit fantasy series’ radiant beauty is illuminating both figuratively and literally.

By Roxana Hadadi

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Interviews

Latest on House of the Dragon