On August 21 on HBO and August 22 on Amediateka, the long-awaited prequel series to 'Game of Thrones' titled 'House of the Dragon' premiered. We break down the first episode, meet new characters, and admire the dragons.

3.5 years after the controversial yet grand finale of one of the 21st century's main series, 'Game of Thrones', HBO returns us to Westeros to follow new battles, court intrigues, and fire-breathing dragons. 'House of the Dragon' is an attempt to tell the backstory of Daenerys Targaryen's rise and fall, focusing on the family of the Mother of Dragons' ancestors. So, what surprised and delighted us in the debut episode of this ambitious new project?

Warning: Spoilers for Episode 1 of 'House of the Dragon' below

Transfer of Power

The mechanism for setting the chain of events in motion is the gathering of the royal council, where the longest-reigning king of the Seven Kingdoms, Jaehaerys Targaryen (Michael Carter), announces who will be his heir. There are two candidates: his granddaughter, Princess Rhaenys Velaryon (Eve Best), and her cousin, Prince Viserys Targaryen (Paddy Considine).

The lords of Westeros remind Jaehaerys that no woman has ever ascended the Iron Throne before, and now is not the time to break tradition. Therefore, Viserys becomes the new ruler of the Seven Kingdoms.

The scene is notable because, albeit briefly, we see the rulers of the main families of Westeros: from the Baratheons to the Starks. The ceremony itself takes place in Harrenhal, a location well-known to 'Game of Thrones' fans.

History Repeats

Just 9 years into his reign, Viserys faces a similar situation: he has no direct heir, his daughter Rhaenyra (Milly Alcock) is traditionally not supposed to ascend the throne (though that doesn't stop her from flying a dragon), and his health, despite his youth, is already raising questions (it's no coincidence that we are shown the suspicious wounds from the Iron Throne on Considine's character twice in the episode).

The situation could be remedied by the imminent birth of his wife Aemma's (Sian Brooke) child. To celebrate this event, Viserys announces a knightly tournament. For the lords (mostly sons of noble families), this is a chance to prove themselves, and for princesses and ladies, an opportunity to get a closer look at potential suitors.

Here, the show's creators employed an interesting parallel montage to rhyme the bloody episodes of knightly combat (not all participants, to put it mildly, survived) with the difficult childbirth of Viserys's wife. We haven't seen childbirth like this since 'The Handmaid's Tale'.

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From main characters and key locations to new showrunners and potential storylines — we tell you about the series 'House of the Dragon', approved by George R.R. Martin himself.

Open material

While Viserys's brother, Lord Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith), beats the nonsense out of his opponents (among whom is the son of the Hand of the King, Otto Hightower — noted and remembered for later), but unexpectedly loses to a certain Dornishman, the king himself is forced to make a brutal choice: try to save his wife or let his son be born.

When the queen breathes her last, Baelon Targaryen is born... but only for a few minutes, before once again leaving Viserys without an heir.

Heir for a Day and the Main Threat to the Seven Kingdoms

Queen Aemma and her child are cremated according to Targaryen traditions — Princess Rhaenyra gives one of the dragons the already familiar command 'Dracarys!' The scene is both touching and terrifying. It's already clear that 'House of the Dragon' will be a devilishly beautiful and equally brutal series.

No sooner have the bodies of the royal family cooled than the Hand, Otto Hightower (Rhys Ifans), convenes a small council and strongly advises the king to name his official heir to avoid the growing influence of Daemon Targaryen. For Daemon is arrogant and confident that the Iron Throne will soon be his. Lord Hightower is convinced that the king's brother is reckless and that there is no greater threat to power in all the Seven Kingdoms than Daemon.

Viserys defends his brother, saying he is his own blood and would never harm him. But deep down, he understands that Daemon is not king material, and there is truth in the Hand's words. Especially given his brother's popularity among the Kingsguard and other warriors.

The last straw for Viserys is the fact that Daemon throws a feast where he raises a toast 'to the heir for a day.' He summons Matt Smith's character, tells him exactly what he thinks, and then banishes him from King's Landing. Daemon obeys his king's order, but before leaving, he tells his brother that he is weak and his council exploits that weakness. It's obvious that we will soon see the truth in the young Targaryen's words. In this regard, 'House of the Dragon' will surely echo 'Game of Thrones', for which court intrigues were one of the main trump cards.

The New Heir

Another candidate for the throne was Viserys's previously mentioned cousin Rhaenys, but the ruler of King's Landing decides to take a different path and chooses Rhaenyra as his heir.

But even this is not the main news for the future queen. Viserys reveals to her the secret of 'A Song of Ice and Fire' and the threat that will come from the North.

He tells Rhaenyra that this information is passed from Targaryen to Targaryen, for only their family can save all Seven Kingdoms from the coming disaster. But we already know that this problem does not threaten the current heroes, and the disaster will be averted by no means by a fair-haired representative of the dragon-lord family.

What is far more interesting to us at the moment is what the Hand is plotting, having already sent his daughter, Lady Alicent, to the king, as well as the extremely ambiguous relationship between Rhaenyra and Daemon. As we know from George R.R. Martin's stories, incest is not a crime for Targaryens at all. Or will the characters end up on opposite sides of the barricades?

We'll learn a bit more from the second episode of 'House of the Dragon'. And then we'll continue building theories about the plot development from the perspective of someone unfamiliar with the source material.

Trailer for Episode 2: