dragon house episode 1
The long-awaited show Dragon House finally released its first episode. The episode set up many main characters and the tone of future episodes. So let’s get into some of the best moments from the first episode.
1. Princess Rhaenyra opens and closes the first episode fiercely
The episode begins with Princess Rhaenyra riding her majestic dragon Syrax to the Kingdom. She immediately emerges as a fierce and fearless Targaryen with Valyrian blood running through her veins. She is a rider of dragons and professes her desire to wield swords on the battlefield. Throughout the episode, she is repeatedly neglected, especially by her father, King Viserys. However, at the end of it, Rhaenyra Targaryen, Princess of Dragonstone is named heir to King Viserys and the Iron Throne and the members of the court swear allegiance to her.
2. The King chooses between his wife and the unborn heir
King Viserys proved to be a gentle and generous king who ruled with compassion. However, his desire to have a male heir led him to make a brutal and heartbreaking decision that also hinted at the inhumanity within him. To save his unborn child, he decides to open Aemma and retrieve the baby. This scene was scary, with Aemma screaming and the horror in her eyes. What made it even better was the King’s Tournament joust to celebrate his tune. The scene kept building up as the jousting grew more violent and reached a crescendo.
3. Otto Hightower sends his daughter to the grieving king
While the episode initially establishes Alicent Hightower as a dear friend to Rhaenyra, all is not as it seems. The King who has just lost both his wife Aemma and his son Baelon is inconsolable. Otto Hightower, the Hand of the King, sends his daughter to comfort him in his private chambers. She got dressed, wearing her mother’s dress and her intentions then seem pretty clear. In other words, no one can be trusted.
4. We get our big bad wolf in Prince Daemon
Prince Daemon is the ambitious and power-hungry brother of King Viserys. Devoid of ethics, morality and any respect for human life, he is easy to hate. With Matt Smith playing him to perfection, Daemon was established as a villain. This was especially after he, along with the City Watch, slaughtered criminals at The King’s Landing and made a public display of it.
5. The council full of vultures
After Aemma and Baelon died, King Viserys was understandably shaken. Nevertheless, he held a council meeting to deal with an urgent matter, naming the heir to the Iron Throne. Several names are thrown around, including Prince Daemon, Princess Rhaenyra and even Princess Rhaenys or The Queen who never was. However, things quickly get nasty as everyone shows their true colors. King Viserys finally cracks and unleashes the anger and grief within him.
6. A mother’s funeral, a daughter’s cry
A funeral was held for Aemma and Baelon, the newborn heir who died hours after birth. At the funeral, Princess Rhaenyra is comforted and supported by Prince Daemon as they speak to each other in High Valyrian. A broken King Visery hadn’t even said a word to him after his mother died. Nevertheless, Princess Rhaenyra showed great courage and firmness. She gave the command “Dracarys” which in High Valyrian meant Dragonfire, essentially commanding the dragon to immolate the dead.
7. Impeccable jousting scenes
These scenes take a lot of time and effort to create and doing it like magic is commendable. The stuntmen did a brilliant job and one of them even got injured. This shows the level of commitment required to achieve such scenes. From the game itself to the moment the camera turned to the audience watching the tournament, it created the perfect atmosphere.
There was a lot more that the first episode of House of the Dragon did well. The dragons were as beautiful as we expected. The first scene of Syrax flying through clouds and low skies is enough to know that the cinematography will be mesmerizing. Milly Alcock as Princess Rhaenyra and Matt Smith as Prince Daemon stole the show and shone throughout. I’m already looking forward to seeing where House of the Dragon goes next.
