HBO’s “House of the Dragon” season finale is full of suspense, conflict and a whole lot of dragons. The series is a precursor to “Game of Thrones” as the events depicted take place hundreds of years before, centered around the Targaryen family who ruled the seven kingdoms before the same family eventually destroyed them. To no surprise, the show did well in ratings because “Game of Thrones” is the center of attention in the entertainment industry at the time it is airing.

One thing to note before watching the HBO hit, there are quite a few time jumps throughout, including a ten-year skip between episodes five and six. A few of the main characters are Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen who is portrayed by Milly Alcock (“Upright”), in the first five episodes, and Emma D’Arcy (“Truth Seekers”) for the remaining episodes. Alicent Hightower who is played by Emily Carey (“Wonder Woman”) and is replaced by Olivia Cooke (“Ready Player One”), with Matt Smith (“Morbius”) playing Daemon Targaryen. The time jumps have an effect on the viewer’s perception of the characters, making it hard to connect or begin to build a relationship with them.

Fans of “Game of Thrones” will certainly enjoy watching this series, as it portrays the history of the seven kingdoms in exciting and articulate ways. Many fans were disappointed with the final season of “Game of Thrones” and HBO did a great job of bouncing back and rekindling the love that those fans once had for the series. The secondary characters lack some details in regard to their backstory, which could be fixed as the show is being renewed for a second season. The series stayed true to the script by accurately portraying what happens in the “Game of Thrones” novels, with the finale being one of the most important episodes in both series. 

There are many characters throughout that viewers will have a tough time deciding  whether to like or not, as they have moments where they do something positive and then immediately do something negative in the next episode. People who have weak stomachs might not like this series too much, due to plenty of scenes that involve blood and vulgar death scenes. Many familiar names are brought up throughout the series and a treat for the fans of the Starks, Lannisters, Baratheons and even the Greyjoys are mentioned at times. The writing in the series is near perfect, once again backing how accurate the show is to what happens in the novels. The production is also done well, and the series brought back the famous intro music that is in the original series. In the finale, the show perfectly sets up the next season, a release date has not been announced but there are rumors that say filming will begin next year.

Overall, the series is enjoyable and an intriguing way to jump back into all of the fun that goes on in Westeros.

Image via HBO Max via YouTube