Has there ever been a season of television quite like the final outing of HBO’s blockbuster Game of Thrones? After 73 episodes, it came to its conclusion in 2019 with a storyline that broke both the monopoly of praise from critics and, seemingly, the sanity of viewers. At the time of writing, a petition entitled “Remake Game of Thrones season eight with competent writers” has 1.8 million signatories, but while fans won’t be getting a do-over any time soon, they are getting a handsomely mounted, Targaryen-centric prequel, in the form of House of the Dragon.
Miguel Sapochnik, the British director who cut his teeth in Game of Thrones’ two biggest fight episodes, “Battle of the Bastards” and “The Long Night”, is handed the showrunning reins for House of the Dragon, alongside Westeros newcomer Ryan Condal. Sapochnik’s promotion should indicate the direction House of the Dragon is headed: bigger, bolder, bloodier. And it’s immediately clear that, even in the just over 11 years since Thrones first aired, the scale of the world on display has increased. Where its predecessor opened with an introspective, family-focused look at life in the dour North, House of the Dragon swoops onto our screens with beating wings, urban panoramas and, quite literally, fire and blood. And fans of breasts, bums and dismembered penises need not worry – for all the talk of toning down Thrones’ notorious nudity, there’s still plenty on display here.
