House of the Dragon on Hotstar Review: Pilot episode has everything GoT fans expected, including nudity

Just a few years ago, Game of Thrones, what was considered TV’s biggest show, ended with TV’s most polarising finale. Now, as HBO tries to win back its disgruntled GoT fans by revisiting Westeros from 200 years earlier, House of the Dragon does seem to offer potential, but it will be worth seeing if it is able to climb above its source material. 

First impression; yes, we get it that it is a Game of Thrones show: House of the Dragon has everything to constantly remind you that you are watching a Game of Thrones prequel. There are constant name drops of House Targaryen, House Baratheon, and every other possible house except the Red, Yellow, Green and Blue in your Indian convent. Then, of course, the lust for the Iron Throne and the hints of Shakespearean betrayal and royal conspiracy are also obviously teased right from the first episode. 

And then, if it couldn’t be Game of Thrones enough, Matt Smith’s ruthless Prince Daemon indulges in excessive bouts of violence that includes mutilating, maiming, and even castrating the wrongdoers of King’s Landing. The very same character then goes on to indulge in lovemaking at a brothel where everyone’s bottoms are visible. Ah, yes we are finally back in Westeros!

The characters mirror some fan favourites: Not to give away any major plot points, the pilot establishes that the show is set two centuries before the original series and focuses on the reign of Daenerys Targaryen’s ancestors. A weak Targaryen king Viserys (after whom Danerys's dragon is Viserion is named) craves for a male heir like every ruler of the time but he is ultimately faced with only two choices: his sadistic brother Daemon (who definitely shows traits of characters like Ramsay Bolton), and his obedient yet seemingly ambitious daughter Rhaenyra (who seems to be well on her way to be the next Daenerys of the series). 

So far, themes of sexism in the royal court have obviously been hinted at just like how we have earlier witnessed with the character arcs of not just Daenerys but also Arya, Sansa, Cersei, and many others in the past. All of this is covered without too much preachiness, but unlike the early episodes of Game of Thrones, the grey areas have not been established so far. 

The binary between Rhaenyra being good and Daemon being…well…a ‘demon’ is too simplistic for now. 

Viserys's actor is the standout performance so far: Rhaenyra is played by Milly Alcock who simultaneously evokes naivety and confidence, almost like a blend of both Sansa and Arya’s personality traits. She pulls off a good job even though it is Paddy Considine and Matt Smith who get most of the runtime playing King Viserys and Daemon respectively. 

Considine, a regular in British movies and more popularly known as Father Hughes in Peaky Blinders, finally gets a more mainstream platform to shine. He gives off a very Ned Stark-ian vibe in the sense that even though his character is expected to be iron-hearted, he has a soft side too that can come out in moments of vulnerability. Considine’s eyes are tender even when he displays anger, adding a fine balance of multiple tones to his performance. 

Then, there is Matt Smith who seems to be playing just a brasher version of his portrayal of Prince Philip in the first two seasons of The Crown. From his chiseled jawline to his piercing snake-like gaze, the British actor is almost built to play a villain. But he doesn’t just depend on his charmingly vicious looks. His acting is supported by some melodramatic outbursts and sarcastic quips that he delivers with half-grins. 

Despite Smith bringing in his A-game, it would still be better if we get to explore his subtle sides in the future episodes. For instance, Game of Thrones’ early episodes established Jaimie Lannister as quite a hateable character only for Nikolaj Coster-Waldau to tap into some empathetic aspects of the character later. For now, Daemon seems like a stock villain whom we are geared to only hate and nothing else. 

A shocking yet unexpected callback to abortion rights: As a crucial plot point will be discussed here, those who haven't watched the show can skip to the next pointer. Towards the latter half of the episode, Queen Aemma's violent death definitely makes for the episode's most shocking moment. Already pressured by her husband King Viserys to bear a male heir, she undergoes such a childbirth complication that only one can survive: the mother or the child. Viserys ultimately decides to go for the child that can be saved only by painfully cutting through Aemma's womb, a surgical decision that would kill Aemma with the blood loss alone. 

Viserys's hunger for a male child and the fact that Aemma has no knowledge about what's happening to her body unexpectedly show how women lack autonomy over their own bodies, be it the archaic times of Westeros or the present-day reality of decisions like the upturning of Roe vs Wade. The particularly disturbing childbirth scene might just be the pilot's main highlight for some. 

Still remains in the shadow of Game of Thrones: George RR Martin is credited as creator and executive producer as the series does take inspiration from his 2018 fantasy book Fire & Blood. But this issue is right from the trailers to the pilot; it seems like an episode from either of the early seasons of Game of Thrones. The constant references to Martin’s original novel series (there’s a scene where Viserys literally name-drops A Song of Ice and Fire), the grandiose production design of King’s Landing,  and the fact that the series even ends with Ramin Djawadi’s original Game of Thrones theme music (which is still as orchestrally beautiful as it was) still makes House of the Dragon dwell in the shadow of its predecessor. 

For a pilot episode, the narrative will make you sit till the very end (for an all-too predictable end that is). It has enough ‘masala’ and good fan service to achieve that. But it will be worth seeing if House of the Dragon can stand on its own in the future episodes without constantly relying on Game of Thrones references to draw attention. Given that the ambitious Lord of the Rings series Rings of Power (which again is intended as a prequel to the original novel and film trilogy) drops on Prime this September, the HBO original will definitely have some competition to face.