The Heirs of the Dragon

Last updated

"The Heirs of the Dragon"
House of the Dragon episode
Episode no.Season 1
Episode 1
Directed by Miguel Sapochnik
Written by Ryan Condal
Featured music Ramin Djawadi
Cinematography by Fabian Wagner
Editing by Tim Porter
Original air dateAugust 21, 2022 (2022-08-21)
Running time66 minutes
Guest appearances
Episode chronology
← Previous
—		Next →
"The Rogue Prince"
List of episodes

"The Heirs of the Dragon" is the series premiere of the HBO fantasy drama television series House of the Dragon , an adaptation of the second half of George R. R. Martin's book Fire & Blood . The first episode of the first season was written by series co-creator Ryan Condal and directed by co-showrunner and executive producer Miguel Sapochnik. In the United States, the episode aired on August 21, 2022, on HBO.

Contents

As the first episode of the series, it introduces the setting and the main characters of the show. The episode received highly positive critical reviews, with praise going towards Sapochnik's direction, the jousting scene, cast, and performances, particularly that of Matt Smith.

Plot

In 101 AC, [lower-alpha 1] King Jaehaerys I Targaryen, having outlived all his children, convened a Great Council to select an heir and avoid a potential war of succession. While Prince Viserys, Jaehaerys' oldest grandson, was chosen, several lords supported Princess Rhaenys, Jaehaerys' oldest living descendant.

Nine years into Viserys's reign, [lower-alpha 2] his wife, Queen Aemma Arryn, is again with child. After many failed pregnancies, Viserys is certain Aemma will bear a healthy son. A great tournament is organized to celebrate the impending birth. Ser Otto Hightower, the Hand of the King, insists that Prince Daemon, Viserys's brother and heir presumptive, is unfit to rule, citing his brutal methods as Commander of the City Watch, but Viserys ignores his advice.

At the tournament, Viserys's only living child, Princess Rhaenyra, and her companion, Lady Alicent Hightower, Ser Otto's daughter, are intrigued by Ser Criston Cole, a handsome, common-born knight who defeats the popular Daemon in both jousting and melee. Meanwhile, Aemma suffers a breech birth that drastically risks both her life and her baby's. Viserys allows Grand Maester Mellos to perform a cesarean section, hoping to save the child, though knowing the procedure will kill Aemma. The infant, named Baelon, dies hours after his mother. Rhaenyra's dragon Syrax cremates their remains during the funeral.

At Ser Otto's request, Alicent makes a condolence visit to Viserys. Ser Otto later informs the Small Council that, at a local brothel, Daemon mockingly referred to the deceased Baelon as "the heir for a day." When confronted, Daemon says Viserys never supported him and claims he is a weak king manipulated by others, particularly Ser Otto. Outraged, Viserys removes Daemon as his heir in favor of Rhaenyra and banishes Daemon from King's Landing.

Viserys tells Rhaenyra a secret passed down through the generations: their ancestor Aegon the Conqueror dreamt of a threat from the North that Westeros can only defeat if a Targaryen sits on the Iron Throne. The lords of Westeros swear fealty to Rhaenyra as crown princess, while Daemon and his lover, Mysaria, depart atop his dragon, Caraxes.

Production

Miguel Sapochnik made his return as director. Miguel Sapochnik by Gage Skidmore.jpg
Miguel Sapochnik made his return as director.

Writing and filming

"The Heirs of the Dragon" was directed and written by showrunners and executive producers Miguel Sapochnik and Ryan Condal, respectively. It marks Sapochnik's return to the Game of Thrones franchise and his seventh directorial credit in the franchise. He previously directed the Game of Thrones episodes "The Gift", "Hardhome", "Battle of the Bastards", "The Winds of Winter", "The Long Night", and "The Bells".

Casting

The series' starring cast members include Paddy Considine, Matt Smith, Emma D'Arcy, Rhys Ifans, Steve Toussaint, Eve Best, Fabien Frankel, Milly Alcock, Emily Carey, Sonoya Mizuno, and Graham McTavish. D'Arcy was credited for narrating the episode's opening scene, but they did not make an on-screen appearance.

Considine's casting was announced on October 5, 2020. [1] In the same year, the casting of Smith and D'Arcy were announced on December 11. [2] In 2021, Ifans, Toussaint, Best, and Mizuno were announced to have joined the cast on February 11, [3] followed by Frankel on April 15, [4] and Alcock and Carey on July 6. [5]

Reception

Ratings

"The Heirs of the Dragon" had 9.99 million viewers, which made it the biggest series premiere for HBO. [6] The size of the audience caused HBO Max in the US and Crave in Canada to crash for some users. [7] Downdetector reported 3700 instances of the application not responding. [7] HBO said the viewership represented the largest single-day viewership for a series debut in HBO Max's history. [8]

On August 26, it was mentioned by HBO that the viewership number has risen to 20 million across the United States. [9] After one week of availability, the viewership rose to nearly 25 million in the U.S. across all platforms. [10]

According to Nielsen, the episode had a viewership of 327 million minutes or an estimated 5.03 million viewers on HBO Max in the U.S. during its first day. [11] [lower-alpha 3] It later estimated that the episode was watched by 10.6 million viewers on HBO Max in the first four days, with the number increasing to 14.5 million when including the viewership on the main HBO channel. [13] Samba TV meanwhile stated that 4.8 million U.S. households streamed the episode in the first four days. [14]

On HBO alone, an estimated 2.17 million viewers watched the premiere episode during its first broadcast. [15] For the four broadcasts of the episode during premiere night, the viewership was 3.2 million. [16] In the United Kingdom, the episode was watched by 1.39 million on Sky Atlantic and became the biggest drama launch ever on Sky. [17]

Critical reception

Matt Smith received critical acclaim for his performance in the episode. SDCC 2015 - Matt Smith 2.jpg
Matt Smith received critical acclaim for his performance in the episode.

The episode received highly positive critical reviews. On the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, it holds an approval rating of 85% based on 155 reviews, with an average rating of 7.6/10. The site's critical consensus said, "Bearing the weight of a hallowed TV lineage, 'The Heirs of the Dragon' won't fully fire viewers up for another Game of Thrones, but solidly sets the board with plenty of blood." [18]

Writing for IGN , Helen O'Hara gave the premiere episode a rating of 8 out of 10 and said, "House of the Dragon's premiere marks a strong, well-cast start to the Game of Thrones spin-off. This feels very close to its predecessor in tone and content, but immediately establishes a struggle for power around an amiable, weak-willed king, and vivid new characters to fight those battles." [19] Alec Bojalad of Den of Geek gave it a four out of five stars and deemed it as "in many ways better [than 'Winter Is Coming'] as it's a far more focused experience," and further praised the acting (particularly Smith's) and the jousting scenes. [20] Rebecca Nicholson of The Guardian , in her review for the first six episodes, called the first episode "spectacular" and that "it rattles through everything that made its predecessor, Game of Thrones, such a titan of the small screen." [21] Grading the episode with a "B", Jenna Scherer of The A.V. Club described it as "If this first episode is anything to go on, House of the Dragon will be a more staid affair than Game of Thrones, for better or worse." However, she criticized the production design, particularly "the outfits, technology and jargon", for being "identical to the ones in Game of Thrones" despite taking place two centuries earlier. [22]

Accolades

YearAwardCategoryNomineeResultRef.
2023 Art Directors Guild Awards Excellence in Production Design for a One-Hour Fantasy Single-Camera Series Jim ClayNominated [23]
Costume Designers Guild Awards Excellence in Sci-Fi/Fantasy Television Jany Temime Won [24]
Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Fantasy/Sci-Fi Costumes Jany Temime, Katherine Burchill, Paul Yeowell, Rachel George, and Joanna LynchWon [25]
Outstanding Production Design for a Narrative Period or Fantasy Program (One Hour or More) Jim Clay, Dominic Masters, and Claire Nia RichardsNominated [26]

Notes

  1. ↑ In this world, the calendar system is based on the conquest of Westeros by Aegon I Targaryen, with AC meaning "After the Conquest."
  2. ↑ A card of on-screen text appears after the cold open, stating that it is now nine years into Viserys's reign, and specifically 172 years before the birth of Daenerys Targaryen (thus about 188 years before Game of Thrones Season 1)
  3. ↑ Nielsen measures linear viewership in number of viewers while streaming shows are measured in number of minutes. [12] According to Nielsen, the episode had a viewership of 327 million minutes or an estimated 5.03 million viewers on HBO Max in the U.S. during its first day. [11] It later estimated that the episode was watched by 10.6 million viewers on HBO Max in the first four days, with the number increasing to 14.5 million when including the viewership on the main HBO channel. [13] Samba TV meanwhile stated that 4.8 million U.S. households streamed the episode in the first four days. [14]

Related Research Articles

<i>Game of Thrones</i> American fantasy drama TV series (2011–2019)

Game of Thrones is an American fantasy drama television series created by David Benioff and D. B. Weiss for HBO. It is an adaptation of A Song of Ice and Fire, a series of fantasy novels by George R. R. Martin, the first of which is A Game of Thrones. The show premiered on HBO in the United States on April 17, 2011, and concluded on May 19, 2019, with 73 episodes broadcast over eight seasons.

Clare Kilner is an English film and TV Director.

"Cripples, Bastards, and Broken Things" is the fourth episode of the first season of the HBO medieval fantasy television series Game of Thrones, which first aired on May 8, 2011. It was written by Bryan Cogman and directed by Brian Kirk. In this episode Lord Eddard Stark, the new Hand of the King, investigates the sudden death of his predecessor. Jon Snow, Eddard's bastard son, defends a new recruit who has just joined the rangers at "the Wall". Exiled prince Viserys becomes increasingly frustrated as the Dothraki horde he needs to invade Westeros and win back his crown continues to linger at Vaes Dothrak. The episode ends with Eddard's wife Catelyn arresting Tyrion Lannister on suspicion of attempting to murder her son Bran.

"A Golden Crown" is the sixth episode of the first season of the HBO medieval fantasy television series Game of Thrones. The teleplay was written by Jane Espenson and series creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss from a story by Benioff and Weiss, and directed by Daniel Minahan, his directorial debut for the series. It first aired on May 22, 2011.

<i>The Princess and the Queen</i> 2013 fantasy novella by George R. R. Martin

The Princess and the Queen, or, the Blacks and the Greens is an epic fantasy novella by American novelist George R. R. Martin, published in the 2013 Tor Books anthology Dangerous Women. The novella is presented in the form of writings by the fictional historian Archmaester Gyldayn, who is also the "author" of Martin's 2014 novella The Rogue Prince, a direct prequel to The Princess and the Queen. The plot of both The Princess and the Queen and The Rogue Prince is later expanded further in the 2018 novel Fire & Blood, which also spawned a television series in 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Daenerys Targaryen</span> Character in A Song of Ice and Fire

Daenerys Targaryen is a fictional character in the series of epic fantasy novels A Song of Ice and Fire by American author George R. R. Martin. She is a prominent point of view character, and is one of the series' most popular characters. The New York Times cites her as one of the author's finest creations.

The Rogue Prince, or, a King's Brother is a novelette by George R. R. Martin, published in the 2014 Bantam Spectra anthology Rogues. It is set on the continent of Westeros of Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series, hundreds of years before the events of A Game of Thrones (1996) during the reign of King Viserys I Targaryen.

<i>Fire & Blood</i> (novel) 2018 book by George R. R. Martin

Fire & Blood is a fantasy book by American writer George R. R. Martin and illustrated by Doug Wheatley. It tells the history of House Targaryen, the dynasty that ruled the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros in the backstory of his series A Song of Ice and Fire. Although originally planned for publication after the completion of the series, Martin has revealed his intent to publish the history in two volumes as the material had grown too large. The first volume was released on November 20, 2018.

House of the Dragon is an American fantasy drama television series created by George R. R. Martin and Ryan Condal for HBO. A prequel to Game of Thrones (2011–2019), it is the second television series in the A Song of Ice and Fire franchise. Condal and Miguel Sapochnik served as the showrunners for the first season. Based on parts of Martin's 2018 book Fire & Blood, the series begins about 100 years after the Seven Kingdoms are united by the Targaryen Conquest, nearly 200 years before the events of Game of Thrones, and 172 years before the birth of Daenerys Targaryen. Featuring an ensemble cast, the show portrays the events leading up to the beginning of the decline of House Targaryen, a devastating war of succession known as the "Dance of the Dragons".

"The Rogue Prince" is the second episode of the first season of the HBO fantasy drama television series House of the Dragon, named after George R. R. Martin's 2014 novelette. The episode first aired on August 28, 2022, and was written by series creator Ryan Condal and directed by Greg Yaitanes.

"The Princess and the Queen" is the sixth episode of the first season of the HBO fantasy drama television series House of the Dragon. The episode is named after George R. R. Martin's eponymous 2013 novella. Written by Sara Hess and directed by Miguel Sapochnik, it first aired on September 25, 2022.

"Second of His Name" is the third episode of the first season of the HBO fantasy drama television series House of the Dragon. It first aired on September 4, 2022. It was written by series creator Ryan Condal and writer Gabe Fonseca, and directed by Greg Yaitanes.

"King of the Narrow Sea" is the fourth episode of the first season of the HBO fantasy drama television series House of the Dragon. It first aired on September 11, 2022. It was written by Ira Parker, and directed by Clare Kilner.

"We Light the Way" is the fifth episode of the first season of the HBO fantasy drama television series House of the Dragon. Its title is the motto of House Hightower, one of the fictional noble families featured in the series. It was written by Charmaine DeGraté, and directed by Clare Kilner, and was first aired on September 18, 2022.

"Driftmark" is the seventh episode of the first season of the HBO fantasy drama television series House of the Dragon. It first aired on October 2, 2022. It was written by Kevin Lau, and directed by Miguel Sapochnik.

"The Lord of the Tides" is the eighth episode of the first season of the HBO fantasy drama television series House of the Dragon. It first aired on October 9, 2022. It was written by Eileen Shim, and directed by Geeta Vasant Patel.

"The Green Council" is the ninth and penultimate episode of the first season of the HBO fantasy drama television series House of the Dragon. It first aired on October 16, 2022. It was written by Sara Hess, and directed by Clare Kilner.

"The Black Queen" is the tenth and final episode of the first season of the HBO fantasy drama television series House of the Dragon. Written by Ryan Condal and directed by Greg Yaitanes, it first aired on October 23, 2022. Two days before it aired, the episode leaked online and was shared among many fans on illegal torrent websites.

<i>House of the Dragon: Season 1</i> (soundtrack) 2022 soundtrack album by Ramin Djawadi

House of the Dragon: Season 1 is the soundtrack album for the first season of the HBO television series House of the Dragon, an independent prequel to Game of Thrones (2011–2019). Ramin Djawadi, who composed for Game of Thrones, returned to score for the series. Djawadi wanted the score to "keep the DNA alive from the original show", hence he created some cues based on the themes from the original show, but included new themes for the characters involved. He also experimented with instrumentation to create a minor difference from the original show. The album was led by four singles — "The Prince That Was Promised", "Protector of the Realm", "Lament" and "Fate of the Kingdoms" — released on August 18, October 9 and 16, 2022. The 44-track score album was released by WaterTower Music on October 24, 2022, a day after the season finale premiered.

References

  1. ↑ Otterson, Joe (October 5, 2020). "'Game of Thrones' Prequel Series 'House of the Dragon' Casts Paddy Considine". Variety. Retrieved February 9, 2023.
  2. ↑ Low, Elaine (December 11, 2020). "'Game of Thrones' Prequel 'House of the Dragon' Adds Matt Smith, Olivia Cooke, Emma D'Arcy". Variety. Retrieved February 9, 2023.
  3. ↑ Andreeva, Nellie (February 11, 2021). "'House Of the Dragon': Rhys Ifans, Steve Toussaint, Eve Best & Sonoya Mizuno Join HBO's 'Game of Thrones' Prequel". Deadline. Retrieved February 9, 2023.
  4. ↑ Hibberd, James (April 15, 2021). "'Game of Thrones' Prequel 'House of the Dragon' Casts Fabien Frankel in Key Role". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved February 9, 2023.
  5. ↑ Petski, Denise (July 6, 2021). "'House Of The Dragon': Milly Alcock & Emily Carey Join 'Game Of Thrones' Prequel Series". Deadline. Retrieved February 9, 2023.
  6. ↑ Hailu, Selome (August 22, 2022). "'House of the Dragon' Premiere Draws Nearly 10 Million Viewers, Biggest HBO Series Premiere Ever". Variety. Retrieved August 22, 2022.
  7. 1 2 Lukpat, Alyssa (August 22, 2022). "HBO Max Crashes for Thousands in the Minutes After 'House of the Dragon' Premieres". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved August 22, 2022.
  8. ↑ Hailu, Selome (August 22, 2022). "'House of the Dragon' Premiere Draws Nearly 10 Million Viewers, Biggest HBO Series Premiere Ever". Variety . Retrieved August 23, 2022.
  9. ↑ Katz, Brandon (August 26, 2022). "HBO's 'House of the Dragon' Premiere Viewership Soars to 20 Million". TheWrap . Retrieved August 27, 2022.
  10. ↑ Lash, Jolie (August 29, 2022). "House of the Dragon Episode 2 Ratings Rise 2% to 10.2 Million". TheWrap . Archived from the original on August 30, 2022. Retrieved October 31, 2022.
  11. 1 2 Porter, Rick (September 15, 2022). "'House of the Dragon' Scores Big in Streaming Debut". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on September 15, 2022. Retrieved October 31, 2022.
  12. ↑ Adalian, Josef (October 27, 2022). "HBO's Big Dragon Bet Paid Off". Vulture . Archived from the original on October 27, 2022. Retrieved October 27, 2022.
  13. 1 2 Hayes, Dade (September 29, 2022). "'Lord Of The Rings' Claims Nielsen Streaming Ring, Topping 'House Of The Dragon' When Linear Is Subtracted". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved October 31, 2022.
  14. 1 2 Katz, Brandon (September 9, 2022). "Who's Winning the 'Rings of Power' vs. 'House of the Dragon' Viewership War? It's Complicated". TheWrap . Yahoo! News. Archived from the original on September 11, 2022. Retrieved October 31, 2022.
  15. ↑ Salem, Mitch (August 23, 2022). "ShowBuzzDaily's Sunday 8.21.2022 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals". ShowBuzzDaily. Retrieved August 23, 2022.
  16. ↑ Hailu, Selome (September 7, 2022). "'House of the Dragon' Falls by 1 Million Cable Viewers With Episode 3 on Labor Day Weekend". Variety . Retrieved October 31, 2022.
  17. ↑ Ritman, Alex (August 23, 2022). "'House of the Dragon' Becomes Sky's Biggest U.S. Drama Launch in U.K., Beating 'Game of Thrones'". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved August 27, 2022.
  18. ↑ "House of the Dragon: Season 1, Episode 1". Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved January 31, 2023.
  19. ↑ O'Hara, Helen (August 19, 2022). "House of the Dragon: Series Premiere Review". IGN . Retrieved August 21, 2022.
  20. ↑ Bojalad, Alec (August 21, 2022). "House of the Dragon Episode 1 Review: The Heirs of the Dragon". Den of Geek . Retrieved August 23, 2022.
  21. ↑ Nicholson, Rebecca (August 22, 2022). "House of the Dragon review – this Game of Thrones prequel is gorgeous, opulent television". The Guardian . Retrieved August 23, 2022.
  22. ↑ Scherer, Jenna (August 21, 2022). "House Of The Dragon kicks off with a bloody, brutal premiere". The A.V. Club . Retrieved August 21, 2022.
  23. ↑ Haring, Bruce (January 9, 2023). "Art Directors Guild Sets Nominees For 27th Annual Excellence In Production Design Awards". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved January 9, 2023.
  24. ↑ Pedersen, Erik (February 27, 2023). "Costume Designers Guild Awards Winners List". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved February 28, 2023.
  25. ↑ White, Peter (January 7, 2024). "Creative Arts Emmys Nights 1 & 2: The Complete Winners List". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved January 7, 2024.
  26. ↑ Cordero, Rosy (January 7, 2024). "Creative Arts Emmys Nights 1 & 2: The Complete Winners List". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved January 7, 2024.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.