Game Of Thrones has come to an end, but HBO has announced that Westeros will be returning to the small screen in the upcoming prequel series House Of The Dragon. The show is set to feature the ancestors of Daenerys Targaryen and the devastating civil war known as the Dance of Dragons.
For some fans, this is great news as Game Of Thrones was beloved by fandom and more epic dragon battles seem promising. However, for others, the controversy of the series finale has turned them away from the franchise for good. Here are five reasons why we’re excited for House Of The Dragon and five why we’re over it.
Excited: Returning To Westeros
Any fan who fell in love with the complexities of Westeros will love the opportunity to return to the Seven Kingdoms. A sequel to the hit HBO drama seems unlikely to happen, and prequel shows might be the audience’s only chance to enjoy another series set in the same world.
Despite the controversial season finale, Game Of Thrones was a beloved show for many years and garnered dedicated and passionate fans. House Of The Dragon is a chance to relive the magic of the franchise.
Over It: The Targaryens Are Doomed
House Of The Dragon will feature the ancestors of Daenerys Targaryen and the infamous civil war known as the Dance of the Dragons that decimated their family. As it has already been recorded in the Targaryen history book Fire And Blood, fans know how the story ends and there is little suspense in the predictable.
Any attachment to the characters will be tentative for fans who know they are doomed. Even non-book readers will know the outcome as the Targaryens were near extinct at the beginning of Game Of Thrones.
Excited: Meeting The Targaryens
Fans only met a few members of House Targaryen in Game Of Thrones. House Of The Dragon will be a great opportunity to meet and learn about the other dragonlords and their dragons.
As the show will be centered around the Dance, set over a hundred years before Game Of Thrones, fans can expect to meet iconic characters such as Rhaenyra, Aegon III and Corlys Velaryon. Much has been said about Dany’s ancestors and it will be interesting to finally see them first-hand.
Over It: No White Walkers
Many fans found the conclusion of the Night King’s story in Game Of Thrones dissatisfying and were looking forward to more information being revealed in The Long Night prequel. Now that the show has been canceled, many questions will remain unanswered.
As House Of The Dragon is centered around the Targaryens, it seems highly unlikely that the Night King or the White Walkers will be mentioned. House Stark may make an appearance though, as they declared for Rhaenyra during the Dance.
Excited: More Dragon Scenes
The dragon sequences in Game Of Thrones were dazzling and Daenerys’ dragon Drogon was as popular a character as his human counterparts. Game Of Thrones featured three dragons but House Of The Dragon will have many more as it is set before the Targaryen dragons went extinct.
Considering that the show will be based on the Dance of Dragons, fans can expect to see several jaw-dropping action sequences that pit dragon against dragon.
Over It: More Dragon Deaths
The downside to House Of The Dragon centering on the Dance is that is was the fiery and bloody war for Targaryen succession that killed nearly all of the dragons. Vhagar, the mount of Visenya Targaryen, perished in the battle as well as other prominent Targaryen dragons such as Vermithor, Syrax, and Caraxes.
The deaths of Rhaegal and Viserion in Game Of Thrones was shocking enough, and some fans might not be inclined to watch more dragons die. If Robb Stark’s direwolf Grey Wind’s tragic Red Wedding death demonstrated anything, it was that all deaths in the GoT franchise can be heartbreaking.
Excited: Learning More About The Mythology
The positive of returning to Westeros for another series is that fans get to learn more about the magic and mythology in the fantasy world created by George RR Martin. The lore is extensive as the A Song Of Ice And Fire book series is an epic saga that has spawned an encyclopedia, and many elements that were left out of the show can be reintroduced.
As House Of The Dragon will predominately feature dragons, other fantasy elements from the books such as religion and prophecy could also be expanded upon.
Over It: It’s A Similar Story
Many fans were disappointed with Daenerys Targaryen’s ending in Game Of Thrones, which saw the Breaker of Chains murder thousands with dragonfire in King’s Landing before being killed by Jon Snow. Rhaenyra shares many similarities with Daenerys and the story could potentially just feel more of the same.
Like Dany, Rhaenyra was once a beloved princess known as the Realm’s Delight who slowly fell from grace. She was named the heir to the Iron Throne by her father Viserys I, before fighting her half-brother Aegon II and being fed to his dragon, Sunfyre.
Excited: A Different Writing Team
House Of The Dragon will have an entirely different writing team as opposed to Game Of Thrones duo David Benioff and D.B Weiss. This means that the show’s story has unlimited potential and could have a contrasting narrative vibe.
For fans who disliked the series finale of Game Of Thrones, this could be what attracts them to another series set in the same world. The writers could take House Of The Dragon in an entirely different and unexpected direction.
Over It: We Know How The Entire Story Ends
There is little mystery in a story with a guaranteed outcome, and knowing that the Dance is a pointless war that leads to Robert’s Rebellion and later King Bran could put some fans off from tuning in. With Game Of Thrones now done and over, the story as a whole is already written.
The divisiveness of the series finale may have done irreparable damage to the Game Of Thrones fandom. However, that is not to say that House Of The Dragon can’t surprise fans and become another cultural phenomenon.
