The opening credits to Game of Thrones became iconic almost immediately after the first episode aired on HBO in 2011. Accompanied by a sweeping score from composer Ramin Djawadi, the intro sequence soared over a map of Westeros, cluing viewers in to which locations we would be visiting that week. It was informative, cool and exciting, a great opening credits sequence:
When HBO debuted the Game of Thrones prequel series House of the Dragon in 2022, they kept Djawadi's score but opted for completely new visuals. This time, instead of the credits rolling over a map, they ran over a stone model of Old Valyria, with rivulets of blood running through grooves meant to represent the history of the Targaryen family, the dragon-riders at the center of this story. You can watch those credits at the top of this post.
The new idea was neat, but most fans agreed that it didn't have the punch of the old Game of Thrones opening credits. Some wondered whether HBO would retool things for the second season of House of the Dragon, which premieres on Sunday, June 16. Now that reviews are starting to come in, we know the answer is yes.
House of the Dragon season 2 changes up the opening credits
Some reviews refer to the new opening credits sequence obliquely. Empire begins its review by saying, "New opening credits, who dis?" Rolling Stone is more explicit about what to expect:
"The dull Season One opening credits sequence, which followed literal trails of blood through a stone structure, has been replaced with new animation that shows a tapestry of Targaryen family history being woven before our eyes. It’s still not close to the all-timer GoT intro, but it’s much livelier and more overtly speaks to the conflicts this show is dramatizing."
That definitely sounds like a better opening credits sequence to me. I never really took to the trails-of-blood thing; it looked kind of dim and ruddy compared to the sprawl of the Game of Thrones opening sequence, not to mention harder to follow. And you might say that it's unfair to compare the sequence, but I'd argue that HBO invited comparisons by using the same theme music.
Given that the second season of House of the Dragon will take us to a new locations and introduce a lot of new characters, I wondered if maybe House of the Dragon would bring back the map from Game of Thrones, but I think a tapestry sounds like a cool idea. House of the Dragon is more focused on one particular family than Game of Thrones was, so it makes sense for the intro to highlight their history, preferably in visually entertaining way.
Will the new opening credits be as unskippable as the one from Game of Thrones? We'll find out very soon.
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