I don’t know if it happened on purpose, but at some point over the past few years HBO has become a network best known for opulent dramas about rich people trying to get one over on each other. What was Game of Thrones if not a story about super-wealthy elites waging war for their own ends, sometimes with dragons? Soon after, Succession brought that battle into the 21st century, as rival members of the ultra-rich Roy family tried to outplay each other to become top dog. You could even argue that The White Lotus hits on these themes.
Game of Thrones ended in 2019, but HBO returned to Westeros this year with House of the Dragon, about rival members of the ultra-rich Targaryen family trying to outplay each other to sit the Iron Throne. Is Succession a 21st century version of House of the Dragon or is House of the Dragon a fantasy version of Succession? Both? Neither?
If anything else, the Succession intro sequence pairs very well with House of the Dragon, as the video below illustrates:
Succession returns for season 4 sometime in the spring of 2023
This is terrific. I particularly like the bit where we cut form a shot of King Viserys’ model of Valyria to the actual gates of Dragonstone. And of course any intro to a show about high-powered schemers needs shots of pieces being moved around a board.
House of the Dragon won’t return with new episodes until 2024. However, Succession season 4 should be out this year, so we’ll get another taste of the super-rich tearing each other to shreds before long.
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