# House of the Dragon, an HBO prequel series to Game of Thrones **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** tv-shows-scripted, hbomax-wb-dc\ **Created:** [May 6, 2021, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-of-the-dragon-an-hbo-prequel-series-to-game-of-thrones/941521 "2021-05-06T13:17:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2022, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-of-the-dragon-an-hbo-prequel-series-to-game-of-thrones/941521/81 "2022-08-23T21:44:27Z")
One thing that changed in the 170 years between the shows was, wasn’t Harrenhal in ruins when Stannis(?) made it his base of operations? Here it was newer looking. Also it may have been my imagination and wishful thinking but King’s Landing looked a little smaller to me. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2022, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-of-the-dragon-an-hbo-prequel-series-to-game-of-thrones/941521/82 "2022-08-23T21:49:52Z")
The Red Keep definitely looked smaller and a bit different. ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Burden](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/958977/32.png) [@Jack\_Burden](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Burden)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2022, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-of-the-dragon-an-hbo-prequel-series-to-game-of-thrones/941521/83 "2022-08-23T23:11:28Z")
> [@Quimby](#): > > One thing that changed in the 170 years between the shows was, wasn’t Harrenhal in ruins when Stannis(?) made it his base of operations? Here it was newer looking. Also it may have been my imagination and wishful thinking but King’s Landing looked a little smaller to me. Harrenhal was torched by Aegon I during the Conquest, so if anything, should look better in House of Dragon than in GoT due to being 100+ years younger ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2022, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-of-the-dragon-an-hbo-prequel-series-to-game-of-thrones/941521/84 "2022-08-24T01:46:57Z")
Just watched it. I thought it was pretty good. No spectacular performances, but then we don’t have cast members like Peter Dinklage, Lena Headey, Charles Dance, Diana Rigg, Sean Bean, etc. But no bad performances either, so there’s potential. It had all the elements—palace intrigue, sex, scheming, family squabbles, ambition, stakes, etc. Strange for a Game of Thrones fan to say, but I’m a bit squeamish and I don’t like gore, but I suppose I’m in the minority, so there was enough there to satisfy. I also had to mute the audio for all the birthing scenes, because … ach, poor woman. I haven’t seen Matt Smith since Doctor Who, so that was interesting. He was sufficiently scary. I thought the narration at the beginning was useful and effective. No complaints about Emma D’Arcy. I thought Paddy Considine was quite good. I cheered when I saw Rhys Ifans and Bill Paterson on the Small Council. Looking forward to this. And hoping they don’t D&D\* this series. - Maybe I should say B&W? Do we have a term for spectacularly botching a show? ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2022, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-of-the-dragon-an-hbo-prequel-series-to-game-of-thrones/941521/85 "2022-08-24T02:42:29Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > I think that this is such a trope, it would really be great to see a show mention it in some fun way. They could mention something they don’t have(a healing medicine or something) and we could say, “Hey, they had that in Game of Thrones…oh!!!” Normally I’d agree, but in this case that’s like asking why Rome in 600 AD doesn’t look nicer and more asvanced than Rome in 400 AD. The empire running the place fell. ---
**Author:** ![nate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nate/32/13085_2.png) [@nate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nate)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2022, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-of-the-dragon-an-hbo-prequel-series-to-game-of-thrones/941521/86 "2022-08-24T05:55:28Z")
I didn’t have any expectations for this show as I, like many others, didn’t care to see a prequel to a great show that ended up being ruined like fine looking birthday cake being slobbered all over by a kid trying to blow out the candles. But I liked it. I think I’ll keep watching. It reminded me of the non-Disney seasons of GoT where the main characters are not good guys nor all bad. Where you wonder if Daemon is getting the shit end of the deal here and being worked over by the Hand. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2022, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-of-the-dragon-an-hbo-prequel-series-to-game-of-thrones/941521/87 "2022-08-24T16:46:45Z")
I’m out of town, but I finally saw the episode yesterday. It was interesting enough and I think I understand what they’re setting up, in terms of a succession battle between the king’s daughter and his brother. The daughter seems like she would make a better ruler but she is fighting against traditional. (And the daughter of the Hand of the King was obviously being pushed by her father to romance the widowed king and perhaps birth a male heir.) I saw all of the original series and I remember that this world supposedly has period of winters lasting years. Or does that not happen and this was a reference to the dream of the age of men ending with a terrible winter? Because I imagine that a winter lasting a year or more is going to result in many deaths, particularly that of the peasants. (Just how much grain can they store in anticipation?) Do the books ever describe these winter periods? And yes, the original series seemed to have much better actors than this thing does. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2022, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-of-the-dragon-an-hbo-prequel-series-to-game-of-thrones/941521/88 "2022-08-24T16:55:05Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > I saw all of the original series and I remember that this world supposedly has period of winters lasting years. Or does that not happen and this was a reference to the dream of the age of men ending with a terrible winter? Because I imagine that a winter lasting a year or more is going to result in many deaths, particularly that of the peasants. (Just how much grain can they store in anticipation?) Do the books ever describe these winter periods? Yes, winters can last years. Also, summers can last years. The length of the seasons is unpredictable. The books do talk about some of the preparations and systems in place for dealing with long winters. At the start of _Game of Thrones_, it has been summer for seven years. There isn’t a whole lot of detail, because, really, that kind of a seasonal system would be (1) difficult to explain with respect to the actual physics, and (2) result in a very, very different ecological system. Really, the whole summer-winter thing is best left to magic. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2022, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-of-the-dragon-an-hbo-prequel-series-to-game-of-thrones/941521/89 "2022-08-24T16:57:52Z")
Someone upthread suggested that this world seems stagnant compared to the world of Game of Thrones, set roughly 200 years in the future. Perhaps in part those winters cause stagnation, what with the resulting deaths and lack of progress? ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2022, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-of-the-dragon-an-hbo-prequel-series-to-game-of-thrones/941521/90 "2022-08-24T17:10:45Z")
It makes sense the long winters and ensuring societal disruption could impead technological progress; conversely necessity is the mother of invention so it could also stimulate progress. Then there’s the matter of the Citadel and it’s archives. Not only could the maesters be deliberately keeping secrets it’s possible they could be sitting on advanced knowledge and technology lost in their archives without even realizing it. IIRC they have a mobile of their solar system hanging in the Citadel’s main hall. This hasn’t really been explored much, at least on the show. ---
**Author:** ![ISiddiqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/97f17d/32.png) [@ISiddiqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ISiddiqui)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2022, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-of-the-dragon-an-hbo-prequel-series-to-game-of-thrones/941521/91 "2022-08-24T17:32:10Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > No complaints about Emma D’Arcy. That was Milly Alcock, who plays young Rhaenyra (her friend Alicent Hightower is also played a ‘young’ version - Emily Carey; the older version will be played by Olivia Cooke). There will be a time jump at some point during the season. ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2022, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-of-the-dragon-an-hbo-prequel-series-to-game-of-thrones/941521/92 "2022-08-24T18:40:05Z")
> [@ISiddiqui](#): > > There will be a time jump at some point during the season. I need to stop reading these threads before I ruin the season for myself further. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2022, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-of-the-dragon-an-hbo-prequel-series-to-game-of-thrones/941521/93 "2022-08-24T19:28:07Z")
> [@alphaboi867](#): > > IIRC they have a mobile I think you’re thinking of an orrery. But I believe what is depicted in _Game of Thrones_ s an armillary sphere or an astrolabe. ---
**Author:** ![Yookeroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yookeroo/32/323_2.png) [@Yookeroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yookeroo)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2022, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-of-the-dragon-an-hbo-prequel-series-to-game-of-thrones/941521/94 "2022-08-24T21:22:10Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > Thanks. This was very poorly edited Seemed pretty clear to me. A shocking reveal. ---
**Author:** ![Wheelz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wheelz/32/5718_2.png) [@Wheelz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheelz)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2022, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-of-the-dragon-an-hbo-prequel-series-to-game-of-thrones/941521/95 "2022-08-24T23:18:01Z")
There was also a conversation between Rhaenyra and Daemon before the funeral in which she said something to the effect of “I wonder if my father was truly happy during the few short hours my brother lived.” But they were speaking in Valyrian (I think) and it was subtitled. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2022, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-of-the-dragon-an-hbo-prequel-series-to-game-of-thrones/941521/96 "2022-08-24T23:33:15Z")
> [@Yookeroo](#): > > Seemed pretty clear to me. A shocking reveal. I do see the body on the pyre in the re-viewing. It’s well done, but I guess we just missed it. Very sad. It’s a good episode, though. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2022, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-of-the-dragon-an-hbo-prequel-series-to-game-of-thrones/941521/97 "2022-08-24T23:41:50Z")
That conversation was the first time I understood that the baby died. ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2022, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-of-the-dragon-an-hbo-prequel-series-to-game-of-thrones/941521/98 "2022-08-25T02:02:48Z")
Apparently the death by childbirth wasn’t gory [enough](https://www.indiewire.com/2022/08/house-of-the-dragon-showrunners-birthing-scene-should-be-more-brutal-1234754640/) for women. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2022, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-of-the-dragon-an-hbo-prequel-series-to-game-of-thrones/941521/99 "2022-08-25T02:07:34Z")
> [@Yookeroo](#): > > Seemed pretty clear to me. A shocking reveal. I suspected something was up when the Maester was holding the baby and it was strangely silent. I think I might even have heard a choking sound. So I was on alert to look for signs that it hadn’t survived. ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2022, 6:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-of-the-dragon-an-hbo-prequel-series-to-game-of-thrones/941521/100 "2022-08-25T06:35:57Z")
> [@Wheelz](#): > > what the hell do you expect when you build a chair out of swords? Once again we get to see a bunch of people all fighting to sit in the world’s most uncomfortable chair. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-of-the-dragon-an-hbo-prequel-series-to-game-of-thrones/941521.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-of-the-dragon-an-hbo-prequel-series-to-game-of-thrones/941521.md?page=6)