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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 8 The Queen Who Ever Was
    House of the Dragon Season-Finale Recap: Family Matters This was a very good episode of TV and a terrible season finale.
  2. Episode 7 The Red Sowing
    House of the Dragon Recap: An Army of Bastards Did the bastard massacre in the dragon pit remind anyone else of Jurassic Park?
  3. Episode 6 Smallfolk
    House of the Dragon Recap: How to Train Your Dragon Velaryons are in the ascendancy this week.
  4. Episode 5 Regent
    House of the Dragon Recap: Just Meat To more dragons! The cause of, and solution to, all Targaryen problems.
  5. Episode 4 The Red Dragon and the Gold
    House of the Dragon Recap: You Win or You Die We begged for a dragon fight all season. We just had to see dragons fighting.
  6. Episode 3 The Burning Mill
    House of the Dragon Recap: Forgotten History Rhaenyra won’t be able to avoid war for much longer.
  7. 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?
  8. 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. by the book
    George R.R. Martin’s Blog Was Briefly a House of the DraggingHe has removed a post that was critical of differences between House of the Dragon and his book Fire & Blood.
    By Jennifer Zhan
  2. coming soon
    House of the Dragon Schemes Its Way to Third SeasonShowrunner Ryan Condal says a highly anticipated battle is definitely en route.
    By Zoe Guy and Alejandra Gularte
  3. fire & blood & prophecy
    House of the Dragon Showrunner Promises War “Comes to a Head” in Season ThreeBut more important, we’ll finally meet Daeron Targaryen.
    By Savannah Salazar
  4. backstories
    The Dragons Should Sound ‘Like You Can Pop Them on the Nose’House of the Dragon’s Paula Fairfield imagines dragon anatomy, embeds secret phrases in Caraxes’s growl, and is terrified for season three.
    By Roxana Hadadi
  5. endings
    House of the Dragon Has a Prophecy ProblemRaising questions that really should be answered by now, like: What is this show even about?
    By Kathryn VanArendonk
  6. the foreseeable future
    House of the Dragon’s Next MovesVisions of the future events we can expect to see in season three.
    By James Grebey
  7. fire & blood & points
    House of the Dragon Season-Finale Scorecard: IntermissionThings are going to get bloody and burny in the very near future but… not yet. So now we wait. And give out points.
    By Brian Grubb
  8. ruh roh
    House of the Dragon Fans Should Avoid Social Media, Reading Fire & BloodHBO is “aggressively” removing leaked clips of season two’s finale.
    By Jason P. Frank
  9. fire & blood & points
    House of the Dragon Scorecard: Ride or DieYou can’t make an omelet without cracking a few eggs, and you can’t fight a dragon war without charring a few commoners.
    By Brian Grubb
  10. chat room
    Dragon Diplomacy and Daddy IssuesClinton Liberty on what Addam of Hull’s new role means to someone who at heart “just wants a relationship with his dad.”
    By Roxana Hadadi
  11. fire and blood
    What About Laenor?Seasmoke has some explaining to do on House of the Dragon.
    By Savannah Salazar
  12. fire and blood and points
    House of the Dragon Scorecard: Whispers and SandwichesThis war’s most successful battle yet is won without a single dragon.
    By Brian Grubb
  13. chat room
    House of the Dragon’s Mysaria/Rhaenyra Moment Was Not in the Script“It was unknown where the scene was going to go,” says Sonoya Mizuno, “but it just felt right.”
    By Zoe Papelis
  14. drip king
    Simon Russell Beale Deserves the FancamsThe legendary theater actor is commanding House of the Dragon stans’ attention and making a dour series more tolerable to watch.
    By Fran Hoepfner
  15. about face
    You Know Who This Guy IsNo matter the role, Freddie Fox is playing your new favorite unlikable snot.
    By Brian Grubb
  16. chat room
    Gayle Rankin Was ‘Struggling Every Day’ to Define Alys RiversBut we should know more of the Witch Queen of Harrenhal’s story before HOTD’s season ends, she teases.
    By Roxana Hadadi
  17. close read
    Daemon the DisappointingHouse of the Dragon doesn’t know what to do with the Prince Who Pouts.
    By Nicholas Quah
  18. number one boy
    House of the Dragon Just Made Incest Taboo AgainWhen it comes to Oedipal ick, Daemon told Robin Arryn, “Hey kid, hold my breast milk.”
    By Roxana Hadadi
  19. fire and blood and points
    House of the Dragon Scorecard: Burn NoticeWhile everyone else is raising armies and rounding up dragons, Mysaria will fight the battle of hot gossip.
    By Brian Grubb
  20. chat room
    House of the Dragon’s Harry Collett Applauds Jace’s ‘Genuinely Good Suggestion’“If it was going to be anyone, it was going to be Jace, because no one would have the balls — or or even the mind — to suggest that to Rhaenyra.”
    By James Grebey
  21. fan theories
    Where’s Nettles?House of the Dragon has slowly been seeding important new characters, but one book favorite is still missing.
    By Nate Jones
  22. fire fight
    Some Burning Questions About DragonsExactly how hot is their blood and other issues raised by House of the Dragon’s battle at Rook’s Rest.
    By Roxana Hadadi
  23. miss you already
    Rhaenys Could End You With One LookAnd so could her dragon, for that matter.
    By Dee Lockett
  24. here are my dragons!
    Get to Know House of the Dragon’s Royal Air ForcesAs the Dance of the Dragons heats up, let’s review the airborne arsenals Teams Green and Black are working with.
    By Sean T. Collins
  25. fire & blood & points
    House of the Dragon Scorecard: Crown RoastDaemon is going to be so, so mad when he learns he missed a dragon fight.
    By Brian Grubb
  26. chat room
    Eve Best Saw Rhaenys’s ‘Kamikaze Mission’ As a ‘Relief’“To me, that’s pure whatever she is — Arthurian knight, Lancelot, samurai.”
    By Roxana Hadadi
  27. vulture lists
    Westeros Twins Ranked by Real Twins the Lucas BrothersMaybe George R.R. Martin secretly wants to be a twin?
    By The Lucas Bros
  28. the girls aren’t fighting
    Let House of the Dragon’s Women Be EvilThere’s gotta be a happy medium between legendary cruelty and benevolent naïveté.
    By Nate Jones
  29. something to chew on
    13 TV Conversation Starters for Your Fourth of July BarbecueSpecifically about The Bear, House of the Dragon, The Boys, and The Acolyte.
    By Jesse David Fox
  30. 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
  31. chat room
    House of the Dragon’s Ewan Mitchell Wanted His Nude Scene to Shock You“All of these people in front of him? They mean nothing.”
    By Sean T. Collins
  32. fire & blood & points
    House of the Dragon Scorecard: A Failure to CommunicateIf Viserys and Alicent had named their son Larry, this all could have been avoided.
    By Brian Grubb
  33. fire & blood & points
    House of the Dragon Scorecard: Double TroubleSo far this season is two for two on bungled murder plots.
    By Brian Grubb
  34. chat room
    House of the Dragon’s Phia Saban on Playing Helaena’s Worst-Case Scenario“She’s still very much in the beginning of processing her own grief, and suddenly she’s just an object for the people’s grief to be projected onto.”
    By James Grebey
  35. 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
  36. 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
  37. 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
  38. 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
  39. team meme
    House of the Dragon Memes Light Up the InternetStifle the pain of child death with laughter!
    By Savannah Salazar
  40. cue ramin
    The House of the Dragon Title Sequence Is a Targaryen History LessonBasically like the Westerosi equivalent of Crash Course.
    By Savannah Salazar
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