House of the Dragon behind-the-scenes video shows new dragons

There’s less than a month to go until House of the Dragon premieres on HBO and HBO Max. Fresh off the heels of a jam-packed Comic-Con where we got a brand new extended trailer for the show, HBO has decided to release another new video. This one is a behind-the-scenes featurette that gives us our biggest peek behind the curtain yet of the long-awaited Game of Thrones prequel series:

New House of the Dragon video shows Meleys and Vermithor!

“The Targaryens are the fascinating dynasty that we don’t really know much about from the original books because by that point they’ve all died out,” teases co-showrunner Ryan Condal. “There was this once great day where there were dozens of Targaryens running around, and a bunch of dragons, and they ruled over Westeros. It was a time of peace and prosperity. And everybody knew that if you messed with the Targaryens, you would get the dragons, so nobody dared to overthrow them.”

"This period in Westeros was a very decadent time. So you get to see what the realm looks like before it descents into detritus and post-decadence of war that you see in the original series."

There’s a lot of good stuff in this teaser, including some scenes, characters, and dragons we haven’t gotten a look at yet. Some highlights:

• There are a ton of great shots of the various props of the show, from the Valyrian steel catspaw dagger to the melted swords lining the steps to the Iron Throne to close-ups of sumptuous costumes. The look of the show is just amazing.
• One scene we see from a few different angles features a bunch of the Targaryens standing in a field all decked out in black clothing. There are pyres, and on the hilltop above a dragon perches with a rider. Based on who’s in attendance, there’s a pretty good chance this is during the funeral sequence for Jaehaerys. That would most likely make the dragon  is Vermithor, Jaehaerys’ mount who was known as the “Bronze Fury.” It’s hard to tell who’s on Vermithor’s back, but it looks a bit like Viserys. We know that Viserys never rode a dragon again after his own died years earlier, but perhaps an exception had to be made just for the sake of lighting his grandfather’s pyre.
• We also get our best shots yet of Laena Velaryon (Savannah Steyn), both on dragonback and on foot. In the dragonriding sequence, it looks like she’s being chased by Meleys, Princess Rhaenys’ mount which is known as the “Red Queen” on account of its brilliant crimson scales. That could make this a training scene of some kind, or perhaps mother and daughter are just flying together for fun.
• The Red Keep looks incredible. The show built a lot of the castle as one big interconnected set, and this teaser gives us a great look at the castle from the front courtyard.
• There’s an ominous shot of the catspaw dagger slipping from someone’s fingers to clatter onto the ground. Alicent?
• One shot shows Rhaenyra clutching a brown-haired boy to her side while another cowers behind her, both with bloody faces. This is our first real look at her sons Jacaerys and Lucerys, likely after their fateful encounter with their cousin Aemond where he lost his eye.

Those are the things that popped out most to me, although there’s plenty more to ogle in this teaser. What stood out to you?

House of the Dragon premieres on HBO and HBO Max on August 21.

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