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HBO’s House of the Dragon is the prequel of the popular fantasy show, Game of Thrones, and is partly based on George R. R. Martin’s novel, Fire and Blood. The events in the series take place a couple of hundred years before GOT, depicting the time when the seven kingdoms were ruled by the Targaryens.
It mainly focuses on the period when the Targaryens' power around the realm was declining, leading to the epic battle known as the Dance of the Dragons. With more dragons, political disagreements, and clashes for the Iron Throne, the series takes us back to Westeros, depicting a compelling and gripping story that we only heard in parts in GOT. The Golden Globe-winning series created intriguing narratives and well-rounded characters in just a handful of episodes. In this article, we have listed 7 of the best episodes of House of the Dragon.
Disclaimer: This entire article is based on the writer's opinion. Readers' discretion is advised.
7 best House of the Dragon episodes, ranked
7) We Light the Way (Season 1, Episode 5)
With halfway through season 1 of House of the Dragon, this episode marks the beginning of the rift between the black and the green as Alicent dons the colour of her house, depicting her stand in the fight that was to come.
Other than that, we also get to see Daemon’s ruthless craze to marry Rhaenyra, initially for the throne, combined with his affection, and he kills his then-wife, Lady Rhea, before going back to the wedding ceremony and trying to convince Rhaenyra to marry him.
This episode shows Alicent signalling the Green-Black split, while Daemon kills his wife and courts Rhaenyra.
6) The Red Sowing (Season 2, Episode 7)
In the episode, Rhaenyra’s plan of acquiring more riders for the dragons becomes successful as two of the characters, Hugh and Ulf, claim their dragons, while many of the Targaryen b*stards brought to Dragonstone became food for Vermithor.
Furthermore, in one of the coolest endings of the season, Aemond Targaryen manages to flee from Dragonstone and Rhaenyra’s new dragon-riding army, making it one of the best episodes of House of the Dragon Season 2.
Hence, in this episode, Rhaenyra gains new dragonriders as Hugh and Ulf bond with dragons, while Aemond escapes Dragonstone.
5) Second of His Name (Season 1, Episode 3)
The gritty war sequences at Stepstones in episode 3 of season 1 of House of the Dragon depicted early on the show how riding dragons doesn’t make the Velaryons and Targaryens invincible, as the Drahar and his corsairs proved to be difficult for the noble houses to fight.
Other than that, Otto Hightower tried to convince Alicent to make her son Aegon the future king, while Viserys also tried to convince Rhaenyra to find an influential husband to lay her strong claim on the throne, sowing the seeds of the epic clash between the greens and the blacks.
Hence, we see that Daemon wins a brutal Stepstones battle, while tensions grow as Otto and Viserys push rival heirs.
4) The Black Queen (Season 1, Episode 10)
The finale of season 1 of House of the Dragon ended the series on a high note, keeping the fans anticipating the second season. Beginning with Viserys’s death and Aegon taking the Iron Throne, the episode marks the onset of the war. Daemon proclaims Rhaenyra the queen of the seven kingdoms with Viserys’s crown that Erryk Caargyll brought from King’s Landing.
With this, both the opposing forces began to secure support from the other houses, with the Valaryons supporting Rhaenyra and the Baratheons supporting the Greens. The episode also depicted one of the popular plotlines from the book of Aemond killing Luke with his dragon Vhagar, foretelling his impending doom at the hands of Daemon.
With this, Season 1 ends with Rhaenyra being crowned, war looming, and Aemond killing Luke, sparking vengeance.
3) The Red Dragon and the Gold (Season 2, Episode 4)
The most exciting bit about House of the Dragon is the fights between dragons. In this episode of season 2, the fight between Rhaenys’s dragon Meleys with Aemond’s Vhagar, which eventually results in her death, is a crucial moment of the series.
As Rhaenys comes to help Rook's Rest against the Greens’ army, she is first attacked by Aegon on his dragon Sunfyre, which she easily tackles and sends him plummeting to the ground. Later, she is attacked by Aemond and his dragon, resulting in her death, making the Greens victorious at Rook's Rest.
Therefore, this episode ends with Rhaenys dying in a fierce dragon battle at Rook’s Rest, securing a major win for the Greens.
2) Driftmark (Season 1, Episode 7)
Driftmark brought forth the hatred that Alicent has been living with against Rhaenyra when she tries to attack her son, Luke, for slashing Aemond’s eye. The episode is also important in the narrative of the show as Aemond claims Vhagar, and Daemon and Rhaenyra finally get married in it.
The in-house rumors about Rhaenyra’s children’s legitimacy and Otto’s goal of having Alicent’s son claim the Iron Throne also become stronger after he is reinstated as the Hand of the King.
To summarize, tensions erupt as Aemond claims Vhagar, Alicent attacks Rhaenyra, and Daemon weds his niece.
1) The Lord of the Tides (Season 1, Episode 8)
One of the most important episodes in the House of the Dragon series, The Lord of the Tides, sees Rhaenyra’s son, Luke, becoming the heir to Driftmark after Corlys. Also, the episode laments the tension between Alicent and Rhaenyra’s families as we see King’s Landing being managed by the father-daughter duo.
The talk about the prince that was promised that we last heard in Game of Thrones is also mentioned in this episode by Rhaenyra while she tries to make her father support her claim to the throne. Furthermore, with Viserys’s death after muttering parts of Aegon the Conqueror's dream, the episode ends on a grim note, an indication of the upcoming war.
To sum up, Viserys backs Rhaenyra, Luke is named Driftmark heir, and the king’s death signals looming war.
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