The hype train has officially left the building on House of the Dragon, HBO’s upcoming prequel to Game of Thrones. Set some 200 years before the original show, it tells the story of the Dance of the Dragons, a brutal civil war fought between rival factions of the Targaryen dynasty, which was then at the height of its power. Get a taste below:
One of the great things about Game of Thrones was how detailed the in-world history was. The events of House of the Dragon were mentioned on multiple occasions by the characters, so even fans who have never read George R.R. Martin’s book Fire & Blood will be going into this show with some familiarity.
For instance, there’s a scene in the third season where Joffrey shows Margaery around the Sept of Baelor and gets way too excited talking about some of the brutal events of the Dance. (You can watch the scene here, but be warned: there are spoilers.) Later, in one of the show’s saddest scenes, little Shireen Baratheon tells Davos Seaworth all about the Dance, which she’s been reading about. (This would be just before her father Stannis burns her at the stake; god, that scene is hard to watch.)
Game of Thrones meets House of the Dragon in fan-made super-trailer
One enterprising fan cut her narration together with the new House of the Dragon. It gives a good overview of the tragic scope of this story:
“It was a disaster for the Targaryens,” Shireen says. “They never truly recovered.” You don’t know the half of it.
I also love how HushHodor spliced in little snippets from Game of Thrones, like glimpses of Daenerys approaching the Iron Throne. I got involuntary chills, honestly, because I am a sucker for this stuff.
House of the Dragon premieres on HBO and HBO Max on August 21.
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