House of the Dragon is the new prequel Game of Thrones series on HBO Max. The Season 1 of House of the Dragon concluded last week, and the fans eagerly await the second season. We have witnessed ten dragons in Season 1 of House of the Dragon. The show will depict the storyline of Dance of the Dragons, i.e. the extinction of House Targaryen.
After the death of King Viserys I, Queen Alicent and Otto Hightower made Aegon II the King of the Seven Kingdoms without informing claim Rhaenyra and stealing her birthright, because of which Queen Rhaenyra declared war against the Greens.
The Targaryen House get divided into House Black, i.e. Princess Rhaenyra’s party and House Green Party of Queen Alicent and Aegon II. The conflict between these two houses is known as the Dance of the Dragons. As reported by MediaScrolls, the Dance of The Dragons was the end of the Targaryen empire; there were 21 dragons before the conflict, out of which 17 dragons died, and four managed to survive.
One of the most asked questions by the fans is whether House of the Dragon is better than Game of Thrones. We will give you five reasons for that so that you can decide whether to watch House of the Dragon or not. Why is House of the Dragon better than Game of Thrones? Below are the reasons why we think House of the Dragon is better than Game of Thrones. More Dragons compared to Game of Thrones.
The story of the House of the Dragon is based 200 years earlier on the storyline of Game of Thrones, and it is the story of the most powerful house in Westeros, The House of Targaryen.
As reported by MediaScrolls, House of the Dragon features 21 dragons compared to Game of Thrones’ 3 dragons.
The show also showcases one of the most legendary dragons from Aegon, the Conquerer’s time Vhagar.
Hence, as there is more screen presence of Dragons in the series and all of the dragons have their own different designs, personalities, and strengths, it looks more attractive on the screen; hence the fans will enjoy it more.
Big Budget and Great CGI
‘House of the Dragons Season 1’ has a considerable budget, i.e. almost 20 million USD per episode compared to the average Game of Thrones budget of 8 million USD per episode (approx).
Therefore as the budget is enormous, the CGI and the fight scenes are somewhat better than what we have seen in Game of Thrones.
For example, if you go through the designs of Vhagar, Caraxes, Meleys, and Syrax, you will understand the detailing the makers have put in so that the viewers can easily distinguish between them.
Plus, the scenes showcased, such as the fight between Corlys Velaryon and his army, Daemon, and Caraxes vs the Crabfeeder and his army, were a visual spectacle for fans.
Complete Storyline
When Game of Thrones Season 8 premiered, A Song of Ice and Fire was incomplete.
The finale was yet to be written by GRRM. Hence it was still a work in progress, so the Game of Thrones finale was not based on the complete storyline.
But House of the Dragon is based on the fifth novel of A Song of Ice and Fire, i.e. ‘A Dance with Dragons,’ which George R.R Martin already completed.
Hence, as far as the storyline is concerned, we are covered from that standpoint, and therefore there are fewer chances of redirecting the same errors from GOT Season 8. Strong female characters and their character development
One of the most exciting things about House of the Dragon is the development of its female characters; for example, the character growth of Rhaenyra Targaryen and Queen Alicent Hightower is one of the best examples.
Previously best friends and later how both started hating each other from the time Alicent married Rhaenyra’s father, Viserys I Targaryen, and they had the firstborn son Aegon II.
When Rhaenyra’s birthright was stolen, how Queen Alicent and his father, Otto Hightower, managed to keep Viserys’ death a secret and to forge an alliance in the court of Viserys and making Aegon II, the king, one of the best displays of politics that I have seen after GOT season 4.
Plus, the show doesn’t feature unnecessary nudity as Game of Thrones. Hence I like House of the Dragon better from that perspective. The Creative Choices in House of the Dragons did justice to their characters.
One of the things I liked about House of the Dragon is its creative choices. For example, if you have read the books, you would know that Lady Laena Velaryon died one day after giving birth to a malformed son. As reported by MediaScrolls, all of Laena’s strength was gone delivering the babe, and after coming to know that the babe had died, she further grieved over the loss of her child and then the childbed fever set in.
Laena’s fever drained all her strength, and even the Grand Maesters couldn’t heal her from her state. Just three days after losing her baby and the sickness, Laena died. It was said that Laena tried to reach her favourite dragon Vhagar just for the last time to fly, but before she could do that, she collapsed on the tower steps and died.
But her death scene was tweaked in House of the Dragon because George R R Martin wanted to give a proper send-off to her in a true Targaryen fashion.
In the series, it has been showcased that Laena was in unimaginable pain because of childbirth, and Maester had told Daemon that there was no other option but to open Laena’s belly and get the child. Still, Laena wanted an honourable death in true Targaryen fashion with Dragonfire. Hence she went to her favourite dragon, Vhagar, who asked her to burn her with Dragonfire.
The whole scene was executed beautifully, showcasing the bond between Laena and her dragon Vhagar. Vhagar didn’t want to kill her master, but later on, as she understood the pain Laena was in, she gave her an honourable death with the Dragonfire.
The same creative takes have also been taken in the case of Laenor Velaryon’s death.
In the books, Laenor died at the hands of Ser Qarl, but in the series, it has been showcased that Qarl, Daemon and Rheanyra staged it by burning a different body so that Laenor can run away with Qarl with a new identity so that they can live their own lives in peace in the place across the narrow sea.