In retrospect, I should’ve paused on Sex Education when I finished posting my season 1 reviews because the premiere of House of the Dragon was right around the corner. I’d initially planned on holding off on the Game of Thrones prequel until I got through all of Ncuti Gatwa’s stuff, but the pull was too strong. And now, halfway through the season, I’m pretty all in. So, rather than continuing to sit on them, I’m going to start posting my House of the Dragon reviews for Other Doctor Lives—we’ll get back to Sex Education in approximately ten episodes!
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Well, it’s here! I was never an intense fan of Game of Thrones, but I did like it a lot in its better seasons. While I’m going into the prequel knowing very little outside of the trailer, some of the cast members, and a few basics, I’m prepared to see where the series is going to take us. Plus, Matt Smith!
Nearly 200 years before the events of Game of Thrones, House Targaryen is at the height of its power, with the dragons to back it up. As King Viserys eagerly hopes his wife’s latest (difficult) pregnancy will finally bring him a male heir, his one surviving child, daughter Rhaenyra, prefers the skies to life at King’s Landing. But the king’s ambitious brother Daemon has been causing trouble for the crown, and an unexpected tragedy throws everything at court into uncertainty.
By the way, for the foreseeable future, I’ll be referring to IMDb for the characters’ names/spellings. Although, at least this time I’m familiar with more of the actors going in—with Game of Thrones, I bet it took more than half the first season before I could reliably identify Jon, Robb, and Theon. But even though I again feel thrown into the deep end of a complex story and am still finding the footholds I need for assorted character connections, the pilot does a decent job of laying out the present state of affairs. I’m particularly comfortable within the immediate royal family. The stuff with the king and queen, Rhaenyra, and the king’s brother all makes sense to me, with groundwork laid here for the conflicts to follow. I also like Rhaenyra’s close friend/lady-in-waiting(?) Alicent and Ser Criston, a knight who defies everyone’s expectations at a tournament held in honor of the coming baby.
Also? Dragons! Obviously.
Besides that, we also get plenty of the stuff that could make Game of Thrones uncomfortable to watch. The misogyny and violence against women is hard to take. Given the misogyny on display in Game of Thrones, I was hardly expecting a series set almost two centuries prior to that show to depict a world that was slightly less dangerous and dehumanizing for women, and a main thread of the story is clearly going to be about Rhaenyra’s place as an eldest daughter in a society built on male primogeniture. But it gets visceral. It’s brutal and horrifying, and in addition to the usual eye-rollingness of the “historical accuracy!” argument, it’s just a lot to take.
Before we get to the Matt Smith of it all, I want to shout out some of the other actors. So far, Milly Alcock is doing a nice job as the steady, resolute Rhaenyra. She’s hard because she often has to be, but I like the scenes where she can let her hair down with Emily Carey’s Alicent. Likewise, I’m not familiar with Fabien Frankel, but I like him in his first scenes here as Ser Criston. Paddy Considine, who I’ve liked since In America, is an interesting choice for King Viserys. In early scenes, he comes across like a mostly well-meaning king and a mostly-loving husband/father, but the rot of Westeros runs deep, and his obsessive desire for a son overtakes his better qualities. Bill Paterson and Rhys Ifans make appearances on the king’s small council, with Ifans’ character serving as the Hand. While watching, I couldn’t figure out where I knew Sian Brooke, who plays Queen Aemma, and I ultimately had to turn to IMDb—turns out I’ve seen her in a few things, but what I was most thinking of was Sherlock, where she played Eurus in series 4.
Smith plays Daemon, Viserys’ brother and Rhaenyra’s uncle. Though the king loves his younger brother and wants to set a place for him at court, the small council doesn’t trust him. As long as Viserys remains without a son, Daemon is his heir apparent, serving as the commander of the City Watch, and before the events of the series, he’s been away from the palace for some time.
Daemon most definitely isn’t being set up to be a good guy, but Smith’s performance is a treat to watch. The small council thinks him impulsive and volatile, and he’s certainly dangerous, but to me, there’s a steadiness to Daemon that belies their opinion of him. Smith plays the role with this intensity—he’s shrewd and observant, and when he fixes someone in his gaze, I’m reminded of a predator on the prowl.
At the same time, he has this spark of charisma that comes out when he’s being contrary. Again, like a predator, as if he’s playing with his food before he strikes. And as envious as he is of Viserys’ throne, he at least considers himself to be a loving brother. There’s a scene towards the end of the episode where he argues with Viserys about his Hand’s intentions, insisting, “He doesn’t protect you. I would!” When Viserys asks what he needs protecting from, Daemon simply responds, “Yourself.”
So there’s episode 1 under my belt. First impressions:
Accent Watch
RP, no surprise there.
Recommend?
In General – Maybe. If you liked Game of Thrones, it’s certainly delivering more of that style. I want to see more of where it’s going before I decide fully.
Matt Smith – Yes. Just from the first episode, I’m fascinated by this character and excited to see more. So far, Smith is one of my favorite parts of the show.
Warnings
Graphic violence, sexual content, language, drinking, and strong thematic elements.
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