House of the Dragon

I recently watched the first episode of the Game of Thrones prequel, House of the Dragon, and enjoyed it very much. Taking place some 200 years before the events of GOT, HOTD (or HOT D, as some people refer to it), focuses on Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen, well-played by Milly Alcock. She's with Emily Carey in the picture above, who plays her handmaiden, Alicent Hightower.

But it's Matt Smith (who played the eleventh Doctor on Doctor Who) who really shines here as Daemon Targaryen. Daemon looks like he's going to be the bad guy (maybe) of the piece--but, thankfully, HOTD is so well written that just about everybody in the royal court really needs to be watched very carefully. It's turning out to be just as sophisticated as GOT with its back-stabbing behind the scenes politics.

The first episode is a slow burn, but that's understandable, seeing how the new characters and situations have to be introduced. But starting off the story with Princess Rhaenyra riding her dragon through the skies over King's Landing is a great way to get the story rolling. Granted, this is only the first episode--but I really liked what I've seen so far. Bring on the rest of the season.