It seems strange to say it, but House of the Dragon season 1 is over. After years of speculating and praying to the old gods and the new that the show wouldn’t suck, it finally came out, and it didn’t. House of the Dragon’s season 1 finale was the most-watched season finale of any HBO show since the original Game of Thrones ended. The fervor surrounding Dragon surpassed all projections and expectations.
By focusing on a family saga and employing ambitious time jumps and impressive dragon designs, House of the Dragon managed not only to feel like a worthy to follow-up to one of the biggest shows of all time, but to differentiate itself enough to stand on its own two dragon legs. That sound you hear is a million nerds breathing a sigh of relief.
Now that the first season is behind us, the time has come to look back and rank all the episodes from worst to best. Because as good as House of the Dragon season 1 was, not all episodes were created equal. Starting with…
10. “The Rogue Prince” (Episode 2)
“The Rogue Prince” goes at the bottom of the list not because it’s bad in any way, but simply because it doesn’t stand out.
The highlight of “The Rogue Prince” is undoubtedly the showdown between Daemon and Otto on the bridge of Dragonstone; Rhaenyra’s entrance on Syrax might just be her best dragonriding moment of the season. But on the whole, much of the rest of the episode is basically set up for everything else that’s to come.
A large chunk of “The Rogue Prince” centers around King Viserys I Targaryen trying to decide who next to marry after his advisors pressure him to pick a new queen following the death of his wife Aemma Arryn. It’s to the shows credit that it doesn’t rush this beat, but I doubt I’m alone in saying that it’s not one I’ll particularly look forward to rewatching. Viserys and Alicent’s conversations are surprisingly heartfelt, but the awkward walk-and-talk date with little Laena Velaryon was a cringeworthy moment if ever there was one. At least Viserys cringed along with us.
The other main beat of “The Rogue Prince” is Princess Rhaenyra grappling with the gravity of her new position as heir to the Iron Throne. Again, I wouldn’t have the show change a single thing about it, and her Dragonstone visit was fantastic. But much of what happens is in service to what will come next.
“The Rogue Prince” isn’t bad, but simply doesn’t quite sing the same way the rest of the season does.