Fire and Blood: The Revival of the World of Westeros
- Lexie Vincenty
- Oct 26, 2022
- 3 min read
Updated: Oct 3, 2023
House of the Dragon helped in bringing together old and new fans of the original Game of Thrones series.
It is an understatement to say that Game of Thrones took the world by storm after its original airing in 2011. Since then, it is still one of the largest shows to date, with almost ten million viewers per episode when it reached its seventh season. Now, after a three-year-long drought, House of the Dragon brought in a fresh, new cast of characters, and a side of Westeros that fans have been dying to see since the original introduction of the characters.
The pilot roped in old fans like myself by showcasing one of the most important and entertaining elements of the show: the dragons. Within the first five minutes, Rhaenyra Targaryen is seen flying past the Red Keep and the rooftops of King's Landing on her dragon, Syrax. Hearing the beautiful music, provided by Mr. Ramin Djawadi himself yet again, made me feel like I was sitting in my friend's basement watching Game of Thrones for the first time again. This familiar nostalgia, at least for me, was enough of a promise to keep watching, and I am sure glad that I stuck around.
Throughout the show, there were many ups and downs, along with the time skips and actor changes, that moved the story in the right direction. At first, I was just as confused as everyone else, but as the season moved along, I became comfortable with this method, and even loved the actor changes. Everything we have seen this season so far is launching us into the story of the Dance of Dragons that will bring civil war and the downfall of House Targaryen as we know it.
Some New and Familiar Faces
Like many others, I was so thrilled to see Matt Smith taking on another large role (and yet another one where he is Prince Consort). His dynamic and wide range of acting abilities makes him perfect for the world of Game of Thrones. Other familiar faces such as Paddy Considine (Peaky Blinders) and Rhys Ifans (The Amazing Spider-Man, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1) went above and beyond to give some of the best performances on television so far this year. It was refreshing to see them in such a new role that allowed them to showcase their acting abilities as they did.
For future projects, I would be excited to see some of the younger cast get the roles they deserve. The entire cast did such an incredible job portraying the roles they landed, but the roles that stuck out to me the most were those of Rhaenyra Targaryen (Milly Alcock & Emma D'Arcy), Alicent Hightower (Emily Carey & Olivia Cooke), and Aemond Targaryen (Ewan Mitchell). If I could, I'd write a thousand pages on each and every actor and how well they embodied their roles, but for now, this shall suffice. I'm looking forward to not only future seasons of House of the Dragon but other projects they may be selected for. And, if we're lucky enough, we'll see them among the other nominees come the next award season.
Who Should Rule the Seven Kingdoms?
Many debates have started over the two main houses that rule over the majority of the show: House Targaryen and House Hightower. And now the question is posed: are you Team Black or Team green?
Which Team Do You Support?
0%Team Black
0%Team Green
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