House of the Dragon vs Game of Thrones: Which had the better series premiere?
Now that House of the Dragon has aired its first episode, the Game of Thrones comparisons will really start flying. Is pitting the two HBO series against one another a matter of comparing apples to apples? Both shows are adapted from the detailed books of author George R.R. Martin, who is involved in both series.
While acknowledging the superior quality of both “Winter is Coming” and “The Heirs of the Dragon,” one can still try to gauge the effectiveness of their stories using traditional criteria. Both episodes will be compared by opening sequence, character introductions, story setup, action and best moments.
Who did it better, HotD or GoT?
Opening Sequences
Game of Thrones: “Winter is Coming” opens with a rising gate at Castle Black as three brothers of the Night’s Watch, Ser Waymar Royce, Gared and Will, travel through the ice tunnel to embark on a scouting mission north of the Wall. There have been reports of wildling activity in the vicinity.
Before we see a hint of a main (human) character, “Winter is Coming” opens with humdrum banality and then yanks us into a realm of otherworldly horror, a frightening action sequence involving symbolic butchery, a reanimated wight child, more wights and a shadowy but ghastly White Walker.
Although the audience doesn’t know it yet, Game of Thrones has introduced a terrifying, supernatural herald of the Night King. Viewers glimpse important elements of the upcoming story, including the Wall, wildlings, the Night’s Watch and the frozen environment of the north.
After the credits, the episode shifts back to “normal” life south of the Wall, and Winterfell.
House of the Dragon: “The Heirs of the Dragon” fades up from black into a vastly different opening than its predecessor. The proceedings are narrated by the older Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D’Arcy), the daughter of Viserys I Targaryen, the man to be named as King Jaehaerys I Targaryen’s successor.
The lords assembled at Harrenhal for this great council have chosen Viserys over his elder cousin, Princess Rhaenys Velaryon (later known as “The Queen who never was”) because too many of them are unwilling to allow a woman to inherit the Iron Throne. Jaehaerys, having lost both his sons, has called the council to name a legitimate successor and prevent a conflict after his death.
Situated in the dark, ruined throne room of the once mighty Harrenhall, the council sequence is tense, fueled by the anxiousness pulsing between Viserys and Rhaenys and the gravity of the aged Jaehaerys. Rhaenyra’s narration introduces the backstory of the show and ends on an ominous note when she says that King Jaehaerys “knew that the only thing that could tear down the House of the dragon … was itself.”
Which episode has the best opening sequence?
Both opening sequences are atmospherically excellent and, in many ways, reflect the different natures of the stories they promise to tell. The Game of Thrones opening is cinematic and visceral with an action punch, while House of the Dragon chooses a more cerebral start, allowing the shattered grandeur of Harrenhall and the uneasy succession issue to lay the groundwork for the conflicts to come.
While both sequences offer clues to what’s coming, the Game of Thrones opener is ultimately the better pure cinematic hook; its ominous foreshadowing of the great evil on its way makes the remainder of the episode feel like it just awoke from a nightmare. Score one point for the Game of Thrones.