House Of The Dragon Episode 1 Review - 8 Ups & 2 Downs

While there a few teething issues evident and definitely areas of the new show that can be strengthened, the pilot does a superb job of demonstrating that all the things used to make Game of Thrones such a wildfire of success are still alive and well.

The stunningly beautiful sets coupled with intricately designed costumes and the usual raft of rich characters written with razor sharp dialogue are all still in evidence; House of the Dragon also has the added benefit of completed source material to avoid another calamitous instance of poetic license gone disastrously wrong.

The pilot doesn't drop a cliffhanger on the level of Jaime pushing Bran from the towers of Winterfell, but it doesn't have to. The first episode does such a phenomenal job of setting the scene and introducing the new characters that Rhaenyra being named as the new heir to the Iron Throne while Daemon and Caraxes leave in disgrace is a perfect conclusion; leaving viewers desperately wanting more of these exciting new characters, but not with a host of agonizingly unanswered questions.

It could be argued that House of the Dragon's opening episode actually surpasses Game of Thrones. Without having to devote the episode time to literally introducing a new universe from scratch, the show is allowed to begin delving into the characters immediately which provides a much richer story from the offset. From initial impressions, House of the Dragon looks like an absolute blockbuster of a show and one that could realistically surpass the original. No pressure.