It’s safe to say that this show is going to be winning a ton of awards. The first season of House of the Dragon took on the ambitious task of telling a story across a 19-year time span. In it, fans are introduced to the Targaryens at the peak of peace in Westeros, but all that goes on a gradual downhill slide when King Viserys names his daughter Rhaenyra as his heir. What follows is a two-decade escalation of tensions and conflict as she faces opposition on multiple fronts, all seeking to remove her as the Realm’s first ruling Queen of Westeros. She isn’t willing to go down without a fight, but, as seen in the season finale, war is now unavoidable.
The first season has come and gone, and it was chock-full of memorable moments, but critics and fans agree it’s a resounding hit. The first episode alone was enough to revive fan’s love for the Game of Thrones universe, and everyone is eagerly awaiting the second season. Unfortunately, it won’t be hitting anyone’s TV screens until 2024. Good thing HBO Max has all the episodes and every season of Game of Thrones for endless binging. In the meantime, this would be an excellent time to look back on all ten episodes of House of the Dragon’s spectacular first season, and how they rank according to their Rotten Tomatoes score.
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10 Episode 3: Second of His Name — 83%
Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution
Episode 3 of House of the Dragon, “Second of His Name,” may be the lowest-rated episode on this list, but it is by no means the worst. A lot happened in this episode to help mold the core characters into the people they are now. Viserys was forced to reconcile with his decision to name Rhaenyra heir, despite the conflict it would cause. Despite having wanted the role, Rhaenyra fought back against her duties as heir and her fear that her half-brother Aegon would replace her, ultimately emerging with a stronger resolve. And in The Stepstones, Daemon, whose war efforts were proving fruitless, made a desperate play to end the war and find a way to seize victory without his brother’s aid. House of the Dragon show runners described this episode as the key Targaryens leaving childhood behind, and it very much was.
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9 Episode 2: The Rogue Prince — 85%
HBO
Episode two, “The Rogue Prince,” takes place after House of the Dragon’s first time jump of the season, approximately six months after Rhaenyra was named Viserys’ heir. Unfortunately, she still struggles to find purpose in her new role when nothing really changes for her. The disparity between men and women is a huge theme in this episode as the lords of the Realm still look down on the princess and fail to see her worth, but she manages to prove herself by preventing what could have been a bloody situation when her uncle, Daemon, steals a dragon egg to goad Viserys into conflict. This episode serves for world and character-building for the most part, but it was by no means uneventful. If nothing else, it’s the start of what would turn into a nearly two-decades-long war of tension of escalation when Viserys makes a stunning choice regarding his future that sees Rhaenyra face betrayal from those closest to her.
8 Episode 1: The Heirs of the Dragon — 85%
The first episode of House of the Dragon, “The Heirs of the Dragon,” starts with a prologue years prior, and sees Viserys chosen to rule over his cousin Rhaenys. The reason is that a ruling queen would only divide The Realm and lead to war, a lesson that will haunt the series for the entirety of its run. In this first episode, we meet Rhaenyra, who struggles with her father seeing the value in her. Viserys desperately wants a male heir to continue the Targaryen line, but his hopes are dashed when a tragedy befalls the family. On the fringes of this is Daemon, whose methods of keeping the King’s peace are less than ideal. He sees himself as the only one who can truly protect Viserys, but his actions may prove him to be more trouble than he’s worth. This pilot brought fans back into the world of Game of Thrones with ease and reminded them of why they fell in love with the series many years ago. It also put all the pieces in place for what would eventually become a tense season.
7 Episode 5: We Light the Way — 85%
It wouldn’t be Game of Thrones without a wedding going up in flames. In episode 5, “We Light the Way,” we see Rhaenyra finally stepping into her responsibilities as heir to the throne. Unfortunately for her, it occurs at the same time as her irresponsible decisions are coming back to roost. Criston Cole and Alicent reconcile with the realities of their respective situations and are forced to choose sides, setting up the conflicts to come in the final five episodes. At the same time, Viserys comes to terms with his own mortality. While in The Vale, Daemon reunites with his wife. This episode served as the official start of the conflict between Alicent and Rhaenyra in the years to come, seeing the two sides finally take shape. But as said before, it would not be a Game of Thrones story without a wedding gone wrong, and it’s an interesting episode to see all the character dynamics play out and develop while also trying to find where the ceremony goes off the rails.
6 Episode 9: The Green Council — 85%
Astonishingly, episode 9, “The Green Council,” is only at number 6 on this list, but the Rotten Tomatoes scores don’t lie. Following King Viserys’ death, Alicent and the Greens spring into action their long-awaited desire to place Aegon on the Iron Throne. However, not everyone on team green is on the same page when Alicent discovers truths she was not ready for. As a rushed coronation is prepared, a desperate search for their missing would-be king is enacted, with two sides looking for him. Whoever finds him first has the chance to shape the next move against the Blacks, which will be the most important. This episode entirely focuses on The Greens and plays out much like a Hitchcockian thriller, with The Greens trying to act fast in performing their coup before Rhaenyra has the chance to learn of her father’s passing. These last two episodes of the season are the most important as they show both sides before their all-out war, and it becomes clear that both sides have a good deal of internal conflict. It also gives more depth to characters that will be of great importance, namely, Alicent’s sons, Aegon and Aemond.
5 Episode 6: The Princess and the Queen — 86%
In the first episode with Emma D’Arcy and Olivia Cooke as Rhaenyra and Alicent, “The Princess and the Queen,” the story picks up after a 10-year time jump. Tensions have been high between the two for a long time, as they’re essentially fighting a territory war for Viserys. Their animosity has also passed on to their children as they are pitted against each other, despite the conflict being their mothers. Also, across the Narrow Sea, Daemon has remarried and relocated away from Westerosi politics. However, tragedy soon befalls his family when he finds himself faced with a familiar choice. This episode was essentially a second series premiere, and it’s clear that a lot has changed in the intervening years. But despite the changes, the episode still managed to rip viewer’s hearts out by giving them two fan favorites before immediately killing them. These key character deaths are not for nothing, though, as they continue to force major characters to grow while also showing off the cruel cunning of a new player.
4 Episode 4: King of the Narrow Sea — 87%
Returning for the first time since his banishment in the first episode, Daemon appears to be a new man following the war in The Stepstones in episode four, “King of the Narrow Sea.” Viserys welcomes him back with open arms, but it’s not him that Daemon is there for. This time, it’s Rhaenyra. Meanwhile, Alicent continues struggling with being queen while her father, Otto, makes a dangerous move. This episode was highly praised by critics for its story progression as well as the directing. Fans love the dynamic between Daemon and Rhaenyra and were happy to see it explored further, but it benefited greatly from the decisions of Clare Kilner, who directed every character to find power in their standings. Viserys is the standout in this episode. For the first time, he acts as king rather than struggling to maintain peace with indecision.
3 Episode 8: The Lord of the Tides — 91%
Following the last time jump of the season, “The Lord of the Tides” sees Rhaenyra and her family returning to King;s Landing for the first time in six years to fight for her son Lucerys’ claim to Driftmark, the ancestral home of House Velaryon. However, upon returning, she finds her father deathly ill and bedridden, with Alicent in firm control of the Iron Throne. Alicent would love nothing more than to take power from her rival, but one man, in particular, may be the aid that Rhaenyra needs to secure her son’s birthright. This episode is a fan favorite for many reasons. It sees Rhaenyra fight back against heavy opposition, Daemon and Viserys find a modicum of peace, and it also showcases a heavily ailing Viserys in his final stand to keep his family together. The king has seen better days, but it was all worth it for him to be able to have one last dinner with his family being happy together. Luckily, he won’t have to see the Targaryen legacy rip itself apart irreparably.
2 Episode 10: The Black Queen — 93%
In the season one finale, “The Black Queen,” following The Green’s coup to place Aegon on The Iron Throne, Rhaenyra learns that not only has her former best friend stolen the throne from her, but that her father has also passed. It’s a tragic start to her reign as the first ruling Queen of Westeros, but she still tries to keep the Realm together. However, Daemon is eager to go to war, putting him at odds with his Queen. To help their mother, her sons Jacaerys and Lucerys go as messengers to rally lords to Rhaenyra’s cause. But for one of them, they may find a terrifying surprise waiting at the end of their journey. This shocking finale to the first season of House of the Dragon was both heartbreaking and pulse-pounding. Rhaenyra is every bit her father’s child as she struggles for peace, but by the episode’s end, she finds out the hard way that peace is no longer an option. The events of this episode, juxtaposed with the novel Fire and Blood, show that the events that led to the Dance of Dragons were more than black and white. Those involved were far more complex than fables would have people believe, but the consequences of their actions ultimately defined family legacies.
1 Episode 7: Driftmark — 94%
The number-one-rated episode, “Driftmark,” sees the entire Targaryen clan reunited once more as they attend a funeral on Driftmark. The event sees Westeros in a darker period than ever, and tensions are at risk of boiling over in ways that could shape the future drastically. The dragon lords try to find forgiveness at such a dark time, but past events are not easily forgotten. Meanwhile, Daemon and Rheanyra reconnect in their shared grief, while Aemond takes a deadly gamble that costs him dearly. In this episode, we see The Greens and The Blacks form most definitively in the growing family conflict. Before that, though, we get the true beginning of the children’s involvement in the Dance of Dragons in ways that will shape them for the seasons to come. The tension is palpable throughout the episode as seven episodes of growing conflict finally erupt. Oddly enough, it also features a rare happy ending in the Game of Thrones universe as one person, in particular, finds a new lease on life.
