Like any prequel series, “House of the Dragon” tries to exploit the audience already won by “Game of Thrones”. The first episode of the series, which arrived this Sunday (21), brought some references to the main series, which may have gone unnoticed by less attentive fans.
“House of the Dragon” features Westeros nearly 200 years before the events of “Game of Thrones” and focuses on the Targaryen family, who held the Iron Throne at the time. Despite taking place a couple hundred years earlier, the series found a way to reference its acclaimed predecessor.
In addition to the images of King’s Landing reminiscent of the city 200 years later, and the atmosphere of the series, with explicit violence, nudity and a lot of politics and intrigue in the royal court of King Viserys I. But when the king finds his daughter, Rhaenyra , not far from the end of the episode in a room with the great head of the dragon Balerion, the references to “Game of Thrones” become clearer.
Telling Rhaenyra that he will make her his heir, ignoring Westerosi’s succession precedent that would make Daemon Targaryen heir to the throne, he also revealed to her a prophecy, he said, passed down by the Targaryen kings to his heirs.
The prophecy, with the name of “Song of Ice and Fire”, name in English of the series of books by George RR Martin that gave rise to this universe (in Brazil “The Song of Ice and Fire”), refers to the events of the last season of “Game of Thrones”.
According to Viserys I, King Aegon the Conqueror, the first Targaryen king of Westeros, predicted the end of humanity, brought about by a terrible winter from the north. When that happened, according to Aegon, a Targaryen would have to sit on the Iron Throne to unite the kingdom against this threat.
Viserys not only begs her daughter to keep this secret and pass it on to her heir, but says in the words, “Promise me, Rhaenyra. Promise me.” If the line sounds familiar, it’s because it has to be for “Game of Thrones” fans. He echoes what Lyanna Stark says to her brother Ned Stark when he finds her shortly after giving birth to Jon Snow.
“Promise me, Ned. Promise me, “Lyanna said as she asked Ned to protect the baby and keep the boy’s origin a secret. As we know, Jon Snow’s real name was Aegon Targaryen, and he was the son of Rhaegar, Daenerys’ older brother.
In addition to these references and notes on the main series, an object, very important, also stands out in the scene. When Viserys tells Rhaenyra the prophecy, he raises a dagger that may seem familiar enough.
It is Valyrian’s steel dagger that was eventually used by Arya Stark to kill the Night King, ending the Long Night in Westeros. Additionally, the weapon is linked to the events leading up to the War of the Five Kings, after it was used in the attempted murder of Bran Stark.
Episode 1 of “House of the Dragon” is now available on HBO Max. The following episodes will always arrive on Sundays at 10pm on HBO and HBO Max.
The post “The House of the Dragon”: Episode 1 makes two major references to “Game of Thrones” first appeared on Digital Look.
Source: Olhar Digital
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