House Of The Dragon Episode 1 Review - 8 Ups & 2 Downs
6. Up - Dragons return in all their glory
As promised in the build up to House of the Dragon, despite the fact that Drogon, Rhaegal and Viserion will not be born for nearly 200 years, the show is set during the age of the dragon and as such will feature a thrilling catalogue of new fire breathing mounts.
Two new dragons are introduced in the pilot; Rhaenyra swoops in on her colossal golden dragon Syrax in the early going to introduce fans to the notion that dragon riding Targaryens will be the norm as the series progresses.
The next is Daemon's mount Caraxes, the colossal scarlet dragon. Seen fleetingly towards the end of the episode, Daemon's inextricable bond with his dragon is in full evidence as he leans his head against Caraxes; there is also a sneak peek at a stunning war saddle adorning the dragon as Daemon flies away astride Caraxes.
House of the Dragon also introduces the Dragonpit, a huge structure used to house the Targaryen dragons. The concept of dragons, who are manageable enough that they won't rip any non Targaryens not named Tyrion to bloody shreds, is a concept that has been untouched by HBO to date; it will be fascinating to see how the dragons are housed and explore the ordinary people whose responsibility is the keep and maintenance of the dragons.
House of the Dragon looks to explore the fascinating history of the mysterious ancient creatures in depth and detail left untouched by Game of Thrones; the show looks to be doing an exemplary job to date.