House of the Dragon vs Game of Thrones: Which had the better series premiere?
Story Setup
Both shows are about a war of succession for the Iron Throne. But while Game of Thrones features multiple families fighting each other, House of the Dragon features one family fighting against itself. Since HotD is about civil war between relatives, the political loyalties, backroom betrayals and conspiracies take on a distinctly intimate and savage intensity, and the show wastes no time digging in.
With no living male heirs, Viserys’ obsession with the birth of his son Balon is understandable, especially because he anticipates the trouble to come if he fails to produce a boy. Once the important Rhaenyra/Alicent friendship is established, the girls end up in Queen Aemma Arryn’s birthing chamber, where the three most significant women (and royal wombs) of the story discuss the importance of motherhood (Alicent just listens).
The story moves into the world of the men and the small council, where they’re worrying about Prince Daemon. The close relationship between Rhaenyra and her uncle Daemon is established and her attachment to Alicent is further cemented in the scene by the weirwood tree. Even with Daemon’s troublemaking, everything proceeds on a relatively even keel until the queen and her infant die, and then the end of the Targaryens begins.
Game of Thrones: “Winter is Coming” does a good job of presenting the normal life of the Starks while injecting the looming creepiness that suffused the opening sequence: the Night’s Watch deserter speaks of White Walkers and an elk has been felled by a direwolf mortally wounded in their struggle, though direwolves are rarely seen (or birth pups) south of the Wall.
After the excellent Northern teaser, the episode swings through Winterfell, King’s Landing and back again, where King Robert Baratheon names Ned as Hand to the King before moving on to Pentos to introduce us to Daenerys and Viserys II Targaryen. Halfway through the episode, the narrative has set up three main plotlines: the North and the coming of the Long Night, Ned and the upcoming succession chaos at King’s Landing, and the beginning of Daenerys’ difficult climb to power (with her dragon eggs) in Essos.
On the night of the King’s feast, Ned and Catelyn learn that Jon Arryn may have been murdered by the Lannisters, making Ned’s future in King’s Landing much more perilous.
Which episode has the best story setup?
Both “Winter is Coming” and “The Heirs of the Dragon” have well-crafted setups. The Game of Thrones premiere reflects the wide sprawl of its story while House of the Dragon‘s initial installment is far tighter in scope.
It’s tough to pick a winner in this situation because both shows execute their setups very well. “Winter is Coming” can afford to establish elements more gradually. “The Heirs of the Dragon,” on the other hand, must do what it needs to do under a time squeeze, because the story is going to jump ahead into the future where we may need new setups.
With the skilled interlacing of its personalities, the armor-crunching Heir’s Tournament and the earthshaking main narrative blow of Queen Aemma and Balon’s deaths, “The Heirs of the Dragon” nudges its way into the winner’s circle. Score one point for House of the Dragon.