House of the Dragon

:

Season 1
  • Network: HBO
  • Series Premiere Date: Aug 21, 2022
Season #: 3, 2, 1
User Score
5.2

Mixed or average reviews- based on 615 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 318 out of 615
  2. Mixed: 43 out of 615
  3. Negative: 254 out of 615

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User Reviews

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  1. Fixer84
    Mar 16, 2023
    7
    A first season that starts slowly but ends up growing in the long run. Curious to see how the plot will evolve and adapt in the second season. This, for now, is just a prologue to the Dance of Dragons.
  2. Bruterake
    Jan 2, 2023
    8
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Muitos cortes do material original que deixam a história um pouco desconexa e sem muita profundidade, até pq as próprias cenas de humanização de certos personagens são cortadas.… Expand
  3. SimboTheKing
    Dec 29, 2022
    9
    Waaaaaaay better than I expected the prequel to be and it reminds me of how much I missed peak GoT. The web it spins is so interesting and infuriating (in a good way) in equal measures. I love all the time skips in it and it really keeps the story moving and helps massively with the pacing.

    I also adore the characterisation in this, everyone feels three dimensional and their decisions    Waaaaaaay better than I expected the prequel to be and it reminds me of how much I missed peak GoT. The web it spins is so interesting and infuriating (in a good way) in equal measures. I love all the time skips in it and it really keeps the story moving and helps massively with the pacing.

    I also adore the characterisation in this, everyone feels three dimensional and their decisions don't feel cheap like later GoT. I think, like a lot of people, I was quite cynical about a GoT prequel given how it ended but it lives up to the hype for me. Excited for s2!    … Expand
  4. Jagen
    Dec 10, 2022
    9
    A real return to form. Avoids the cringy adolescence of early GoT, with an actual interesting focus on gender and power. Feels more compact in scope, but that's no bad thing.
  5. CKhound
    Oct 27, 2022
    10
    A great show that really does take some of the bad tastes out of the last season of Game of Thrones. This is a bit of a different beast though. I love Game of Thrones. And possibly love it slightly more than House of the Dragon, but this is a much different told story. Essentially, where it focuses on one family and one rather small group of main characters that are regularly in contactA great show that really does take some of the bad tastes out of the last season of Game of Thrones. This is a bit of a different beast though. I love Game of Thrones. And possibly love it slightly more than House of the Dragon, but this is a much different told story. Essentially, where it focuses on one family and one rather small group of main characters that are regularly in contact with one, it gives a much different vibe from the Game of Thrones storytelling that has characters that are much removed from one another for seasons, or maybe never met at all. Overall, this has a lot of very good storytelling through character development, and some truly great environment and CGI (the dragons look amazing!). Be careful though, if you are looking for nonstop action, this isn't that. I love action as much as the next person, but this is a season built primarily of story/world building. Be prepared for dialogue, intrigue, and yes, some action. Overall, a perfect show.… Expand
  6. Bramskoo
    Oct 26, 2022
    8
    I was curious what the user score was. Im shocked. The anti woke-police seem to have seen a black person in the show and a white person not portraying someone nice... and also the woman said something smart! How dare they!! Liberals!! Woke!!

    Joking aside and for the people who dont watch the world through TP-rolls, this was actually good. and im very invested in how the story continues.    I was curious what the user score was. Im shocked. The anti woke-police seem to have seen a black person in the show and a white person not portraying someone nice... and also the woman said something smart! How dare they!! Liberals!! Woke!!

    Joking aside and for the people who dont watch the world through TP-rolls, this was actually good. and im very invested in how the story continues. That last episode, omg! Dragons! raarrrrr!    … Expand
  7. Heart_Idealism
    Oct 26, 2022
    7
    House of The Dragon S1 presented the same amount of glorious carnage, unfiltered politics and repulsive elements that made the parent story; Game Of Throne so raw and beloved by many. It successfully recreated that atmosphere of the world of Westeros within this small, self-contained story, surprisingly without any grand adventure or any large-scale epic spectacle. But it goes really wellHouse of The Dragon S1 presented the same amount of glorious carnage, unfiltered politics and repulsive elements that made the parent story; Game Of Throne so raw and beloved by many. It successfully recreated that atmosphere of the world of Westeros within this small, self-contained story, surprisingly without any grand adventure or any large-scale epic spectacle. But it goes really well with the theme of restraint nobility, and serves solidly as a foundation of the overall lore of the main-story.

    But what its really lacking is in the patience and the build-up to make the actual climaxes feels rewarding. The plot of this season is the equivalent of 2 or maybe 3 season of regular Game of Throne, and i just don't feel we earned it yet

    The constant time skipping, while true it resulting in an interesting dynamic, it buries the character under this heavy flows of the plot-driven narrative. It's sacrifices all the character intrigue to be almost unrecognizable

    And to be honest, if in season 2 when the war finally ensue. And they suddenly slowing down the pacing to the point that we wouldn't get the same amount of length of time jumps each episode like in season 1, I'LL BE REALLY PISSED!    … Expand
  8. JU993RNAUT
    Oct 25, 2022
    9
    Had to come in and post a positive review for this first season. To much early review bombing going on. If you watch the whole season the characters are developing well and the stage is set for an action packed second season. I have not been this excited about this franchise since end of season 6 GOT.
  9. MarkoD
    Oct 25, 2022
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Definetly must see!!! After game of thrones we have new masterpiece. I agree that in some way there is too much time jumps but thats ok… Expand
  10. Dee-Jay_Deli
    Oct 24, 2022
    7
    With the first season now complete, I consider HotD to be a 7/10 in total. That said, there's a clear divide between the pre-time jump and post time-jump episodes, with the latter being much more engaging.
    Pre-time jump felt like it was mostly world-building and getting the characters where they needed to be, but without resolving much of the tension that was building up.
    Post time jump    With the first season now complete, I consider HotD to be a 7/10 in total. That said, there's a clear divide between the pre-time jump and post time-jump episodes, with the latter being much more engaging.
    Pre-time jump felt like it was mostly world-building and getting the characters where they needed to be, but without resolving much of the tension that was building up.
    Post time jump really accelerates the drama and builds towards the climax more stringently. Thus making it much more engaging.
    That said, for all its strengths in the latter half, HotD still lacks some of the more charming characters GoT offered us. Nothing comes close to the swagger and charm of Tyrion, Jamie or even Bron. It's mostly gloomy characters. A missed opportunity.    … Expand
  11. FelipePedro07
    Oct 23, 2022
    9
    Very good!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  12. MetacriticOnur
    Oct 21, 2022
    9
    perfect
    [ adjective, noun pur-fikt; verb per-fekt ]

    adjective
    conforming absolutely to the description or definition of an ideal type:
    a perfect sphere;
    a perfect gentleman.
  13. Yanni_
    Oct 17, 2022
    10
    Absolute joy and pleasure. Adapting Fire and Blood is extremely hard yet they managed to do it greatly. The casting is excellent, the costumes are somptuous, it needs a slow start to expose everything and understand the plot but the more this serie advances the more mindblowing it is. One of the greatest
  14. AndyJP
    Oct 12, 2022
    9
    Enthralling and a return to high standards, this adaptation of George R.R. Martin's "Fire and Blood" is a prequel to the "A Song of Ice and Fire" series of novels, brings with it familiarity for "Game of Thrones" fans but features a brand new cast of characters. Although the time skips can be jarring and there are many new names and faces to learn, the series brings with it the stellarEnthralling and a return to high standards, this adaptation of George R.R. Martin's "Fire and Blood" is a prequel to the "A Song of Ice and Fire" series of novels, brings with it familiarity for "Game of Thrones" fans but features a brand new cast of characters. Although the time skips can be jarring and there are many new names and faces to learn, the series brings with it the stellar acting, directing, and design fans have come to expect, along with the engaging storytelling you've missed ever since the earlier seasons of "Game of Thrones". Strong Recommend.… Expand
  15. JoA1973
    Oct 11, 2022
    7
    Yes they rewrote the race of a group of characters, but at least the original author was involved in that choice. That aside, this series seems to be better written than many other fantasy series nowadays and the performances are WAY better. Even knowing how it ends, this show is still a pleasure to watch, just like the first 7 seasons of its namesake.
  16. g0seigen
    Oct 4, 2022
    10
    I haven't written a review before but had to for this show. It is amazing. The quality of the writing and its fidelity to the world of the books is simply off the charts.

    I do worry about non-readers being able to follow the show through the time jumps and especially the casting for older characters, but I also feel that these jumps are fully justified by one of the main themes of the    I haven't written a review before but had to for this show. It is amazing. The quality of the writing and its fidelity to the world of the books is simply off the charts.

    I do worry about non-readers being able to follow the show through the time jumps and especially the casting for older characters, but I also feel that these jumps are fully justified by one of the main themes of the show - the way parents pass on their grudges and prejudices to their kids.

    I was also motivated to chime in because the negative reviews for this show are particularly annoying. The most justifiable kind I've seen say the show is boring, but in most cases they said so after only one or two episodes. If you watch the first season of GOT, there are some definite saggy spots where they had to film rather dry conversations in order to fill time. They were good for character, but still dry. This show by contrast executes conversational scenes much better. The show, in reality, is only boring if you expect every scene to be a battle or a murder. This world might have that reputation but it simply has never been that. The palace intrigue and tense conversations have always been the beating heart of it. If you don't like that, it might not be the show for you, but you probably should have known that coming in if you actually watched the previous series.

    Of course the other kind of negative review refers to the "politics" of the show in one or both of two categories - its feminism and its casting. As to the feminism, these themes are central to the story being told, even in the original text. They are also totally relevant to today. Alicent's character is driven by resentment that she has lived up to expectations placed on her based on her sex/gender. Rhaneyra is resentful and dismissive of those expectations. Rhaneyra's claim is only challenge-able because of her gender. That's just the story. It is not an imposition. In fact, it is exactly the dynamic of the historical source material - the Anarchy and the war between Stephen and Matilda. The decisions made by husbands about women going through pregnancy couldn't be more relevant to today. The sexual double standards still exist. So do the general moral ones - just look at the "scandal" around the Finnish prime minister recently. And by the way we still haven't had a female president in this country and many others. If these themes were not relevant or were not in the source material, you might have the ghost of a point, but otherwise you are really just review bombing and/or reacting based on your own imposed expectations that everything you see conform to your own political preference. Methinks the men doth protest too much.

    As for the casting, it actually enhanced one of the central plot points - the legitimacy of Rhaneyra's children "with" Laenor. I will admit it seemed awkward to me at first, but by just giving it a chance you get to see it fit really well into the dynamics of the plot. I myself have found it unfortunate that the tv shows haven't been able to fully embrace the fantasy-medieval setting of the books, but the reality is that a wider audience would balk at some of the ages involved because of changing beliefs about childhood/adulthood, sexual maturity, and the role of violence. The casting seems far less consequential by comparison to what they did to Tyrion's character in the original.

    And as for the production values, the CGI, and the overall look and feel of the show, there is simply nothing better on television or, frankly, in cinemas. The costumes, set designs, cinematography - everything creates such an organic whole that is totally immersive. The only fault I can find is that when they use "the volume" (the LED screen walls that have replaced blue screen) it occasionally creates a washed out look that is fine by itself but tends to get old when it appears so often. Also, one or two dragon shots have clearly not had as much attention as others. But beyond that, it's better than anyone has a right to expect on a tv show.

    And the acting is amazing too. I don't think any of the actors have hit a wrong note. I was skeptical of Matt Smith as Daemon at first but he has turned out to be perfect for the role.

    Overall, I have been more than pleased    … Expand
  17. turdlemckay
    Aug 24, 2022
    10
    I don't like more than I like about it but I'm willing to wait and see. Compared to the competition it is amazing, but still seems to be left wanting.
  18. TrickyRikke
    Sep 22, 2022
    10
    The good writing of Westeros is back and I am fully invested. While it’s hard to ignore the massive fumble of Game Of Thrones in the later seasons, this show shines on its own. Incredible cast, incredible actors, the writing, cgi, world building, setting and tone are all incredible and very familiar to the feeling the first few seasons of Thrones invoked.
  19. GrayWolf008
    Sep 12, 2022
    9
    House of Dragons, is turning out to be really good series. Still early in the season so I'm not going to praise it has the best series of all time.
    But the first 3 episodes I was invested. I just hope it doesn't turn out like GOT season 8 tragedy.
    Looking forward how the season 1 will end and how it will tie into season 2.
  20. Grinderman
    Sep 11, 2022
    8
    good cast, I'm very excited to see how it goes, can't understand the many negative reviews.
  21. moler
    Sep 11, 2022
    10
    Una gran serie a la altura de juego de tronos. Buenos actores. Buen guión. Quiero mas
  22. PaoloLobos
    Sep 10, 2022
    10
    A rich and well-developed story, interesting characters, full of medieval-style fantasy. respecting the legacy of the original sutor. There is a moment where Matt Smith "Daemon targaryen" develops a tense scene, where he doesn't even need to say a single word.
  23. Anonanonamous
    Sep 10, 2022
    9
    Interesting expansion on the TV universe. Have only read the original series so not sure how it's holding up to its source material. George said the actor playing the king added more nuance and tragedy to his character than he originally wrote. I've enjoyed the first three episodes.

    **** review bombers. If this is your life then get another one.
  24. NotTolkien
    Sep 9, 2022
    8
    Went into this not expecting much due to season 8 of GOT. I was pleasantly surprised. The plot moves along nicely and character development is very good. The dialog and acting is good across the board. I watched the first 3 episodes and I am looking forward to the next one.
  25. jonesy10
    Sep 9, 2022
    8
    I was cautious leading up to the premiere of watching more Game of Thrones after the failure of the original show in 2019. But the safe haven is found in the writers given the task of bringing this enormous epic to the screen. Out goes original hack writers D&D and into comes Ryan Condal, Miguel Sapochnik and creator R. R Martin and between them they shift focus back to characterI was cautious leading up to the premiere of watching more Game of Thrones after the failure of the original show in 2019. But the safe haven is found in the writers given the task of bringing this enormous epic to the screen. Out goes original hack writers D&D and into comes Ryan Condal, Miguel Sapochnik and creator R. R Martin and between them they shift focus back to character development instead of the massive set piece after set piece scenes. This first episode couldn't have been better, already full of betrayal, back stabbing and power mad council members. Looking forward to the next episodes and the whole season in general. As long as the lessons are learned from the final seasons of GoT, The House of the Dragon should be on solid ground.… Expand
  26. Bennyhill82
    Sep 9, 2022
    10
    Fantastic. Actors - Special effects - plot, all great.
    Made the forgive the got horrible finale
  27. D3NGZ
    Sep 9, 2022
    10
    3 Episodes in and it is just as good as Game of Thrones ever was.. King Viserys is a flawed "weak" king but with many qualities to him. Rhaenyra played by Milly Alcock is stealing almost every scene shes in and the supporting cast is incredible. Costume design and Dragon CGI is top notch, the Writing and Performance of the actors are very good and authentic, Music is once again flawless..3 Episodes in and it is just as good as Game of Thrones ever was.. King Viserys is a flawed "weak" king but with many qualities to him. Rhaenyra played by Milly Alcock is stealing almost every scene shes in and the supporting cast is incredible. Costume design and Dragon CGI is top notch, the Writing and Performance of the actors are very good and authentic, Music is once again flawless.. so far i cant put it at anything lower than a 10. i will change if it dips in quality but i dont think it will...

    reading some reviewers here it feels like alot of people are just carrying baggage from that all time disaster of season 8.. let it go.    … Expand
  28. ccpboy1
    Sep 8, 2022
    10
    I really had ZERO "0" hopes for this after the failure of season 8 of GOT....... but this series has proven me wrong, its so damn good, the acting and the plot really catch the esence of the fight for the throne.
  29. Click33
    Sep 7, 2022
    8
    3 episodes in, this is a very good series so far. Great acting, good dialogue, interesting plot, decent CGI and action scenes. Only a ridiculously violent birthing scene bothered me so far. Oh, and race swapping an entire family with terrible dreadlock wigs is annoying too. Not as woke as the showrunners and actors pretend the show is, which is a good thing. Too bad they're going to3 episodes in, this is a very good series so far. Great acting, good dialogue, interesting plot, decent CGI and action scenes. Only a ridiculously violent birthing scene bothered me so far. Oh, and race swapping an entire family with terrible dreadlock wigs is annoying too. Not as woke as the showrunners and actors pretend the show is, which is a good thing. Too bad they're going to replace 2 of the younger actresses with older actresses. Perfect casting besides the race swapping and replacing younger actresses who look old enough and act well enough for their roles. An oasis among an ocean of garbage TV shows.… Expand
  30. Daimonion
    Sep 7, 2022
    10
    A well made show, not as good as the original GoT but a masterpiece in comparison to Rings of Power
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Awards & Rankings

5
#5 Most Discussed TV Season of 2022

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
69

Generally favorable reviews - based on 43 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 29 out of 43
  2. Mixed: 13 out of 43
  3. Negative: 1 out of 43
  1. TV Guide Magazine
    Reviewed by: Matt Roush
    Sep 9, 2022
    70
    Though the acting is exemplary, this grim, glum prequel sorely lacks a Tyrion, an impish jester to puncture the portentousness. [12 - 25 Sep 2022, p.11]
    Read full review
  2. Sioux City Journal
    Reviewed by: Bruce Miller
    Aug 24, 2022
    70
    It’s mainstream fantasy, blessed with sumptuous costumes, compelling settings and those “Avatar”-like swooping dragons. Dragons, in fact, turn up just when the plot needs them most. When the house seems like it’s going to fall, they’re there to shore it up. ... It’s good; it still has time to be great.
    Read full review
  3. Salon
    Reviewed by: Melanie McFarland
    Aug 23, 2022
    60
    "House of the Dragon" takes about five episodes to warm up, which corresponds to the amount of time that we spend with the younger actors playing key roles before a time jump necessitates a casting change. ... Rhaenyra is not Daenerys. She doesn't have a hype squad cheering on her murderous inclinations – yet – or an unearned sense of destiny. She's learning the price of capability and lessons about what it means to be a Targaryen, and a woman, from noble sources and unseemly ones. That combination of influences makes her an enigmatic guide back to a land we haven't forgotten, yet aren't entirely sure we've missed very much.
    Read full review
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