House of the Dragon episode 1: 5 amazing can’t-miss moments
No spoilers, we promise.
It's almost time. The release of Game of Thrones prequel House of the Dragon is nearly upon us and Finder was lucky enough to attend the premiere of the event in Sydney, which also screened episode 1.
We know everyone is keen to see, so here are the top 5 moments from the episode to look out for. While some of you may be familiar with what might come because you have read the book that the series is based on, George R.R. Martin's Fire and Blood, there is still a lot to get excited about.
Intimate battles
Game of Thrones featured some epic battles over the course of the series. Episodes such as Hardhome and Battle of the Bastards set the bar in relation to on-screen battles. Yet in episode 1 of House of the Dragon, we get a good old-fashioned jousting battle between 2 combatants. After the scale of Game of Thrones, it feels intimate and medieval, even more so than Game of Thrones did.
However, be prepared for a shocking moment following one of these bouts. Maybe make sure you've eaten dinner before watching House of the Dragon episode 1 is all we'll say.
Familiar places and names
King's Landing. The Red Keep. The Small Council. A Weirwood tree. Targaryen. Stark. Hightower. It's all coming back to us now. Episode 1 of House of the Dragon includes plenty of locations that will be instantly familiar to Game of Thrones fans. There are names that we have known and loved (or hated, depending on which banner you fall under) as we get to see further back into the history of Westeros. They're like Easter eggs, but again not really as we've heard tales of previous dynasties before in this world. It's nice to see them again or even for the first time if things were only a passing reference.
Oh, and while dragons were mostly used for shock and awe in Games of Thrones, we see them in everyday situations in House of the Dragon episode 1 – with dragon wranglers!
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Scheming is afoot
You just know these people are acting with ulterior motives, which is what we loved about Game of Thrones. Even if not spoken aloud, you can sense seeds are being planted for grand plans that will reveal themselves in due course. The series is set almost 200 years before Game of Thrones, yet everyone's acting the same.
While no one's yet played a card in House of the Dragon episode 1 as obvious as the moves of Littlefinger or Varys from Game of Thrones, we were intrigued by a scene between Otto (Rhys Ifans, The King's Man) and Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke, Sound of Metal). Otto instructed his daughter to meet with the king after a major event, but it obviously wasn't just meant as an innocent check-in. Hmm...
The quieter moments
Much like the jousting, we were digging the quieter moments from House of the Dragon episode 1. Sure the sight of a dragon flying around and shooting fire out its mouth gives you chills.
But there was the scene between Alicent Hightower and King Viserys Targaryen (Paddy Considine, The Outsider). It took place right after the instructions from Otto mentioned above. We see a king taken back to just a human level, tooling about on some model, with Alicent trying to engage in conversation, not sure how to approach things. We expect big things to come from just this one scene.
War is coming
You could already guess from the trailer that a war will be brewing for who will rule in the Targaryen name. And the end of House of the Dragon episode 1 sets this up nicely. There's a disagreement between King Viserys and his brother Daemon (Matt Smith, Doctor Who). We have a public unveiling of Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen (Milly Alcock, Upright) as a nominated heir. This will no doubt propel things in motion for the wars to come.
I'm in – where can I watch House of the Dragon episode 1?
You can watch it in Australia on Foxtel, Foxtel Now and BINGE. All seasons of Game of Thrones are streaming on these platforms as well. It begins Monday 22 August at 11am.
You can follow House of the Dragon online with Foxtel Now. Fox Showcase is part of the basic Essentials channel pack. It costs $25 a month, though you can get every channel pack for just $25 monthly over 3 months. New users get a 10-day free trial, meaning you could watch House of the Dragon episode 1 at no cost.
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BINGE is another option to watch House of the Dragon. Sign up for the first time and enjoy a 14-day trial. That means you can check out House of the Dragon episode 1 online for free. BINGE plans start at only $10 a month after that.
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On the other hand, you can watch House of the Dragon with Foxtel iQ. Episodes air Mondays at 11am on Fox Showcase, with multiple replays scheduled throughout the day. You can also watch the show on demand.
House of the Dragon will be available in 4K video quality on Foxtel as long as you have an iQ4 or iQ5, a 4K TV and subscribe to Foxtel's HD pack. Foxtel plans start at $49 a month.
Watch House of the Dragon trailer before episode 1
While you're waiting, here's a House of the Dragon trailer to tide you over until episode 1 drops.
You can see what else is on Foxtel Now via our list of the best shows on the service.
Image source: HBO/BINGE/Foxtel