'House of the Dragon' Season 1 Episode 1 Recap: A New Game Begins

The Heirs of the Dragon" sets up the board for the fall of House Targaryen.The Iron Throne is up for grabs. Again. Three-and-a-half years after the divisive finale of Game of Thrones, HBO takes us back to Westeros for a new battle of wits, swords, and fire-breathing dragons that might just renew the audience’s love for this former media juggernaut. Based on the George R. R. Martin prequel novel Fire & Blood, House of the Dragon takes place 172 years before the rebellion that kicked off the events of Game of Thrones and the Song of Ice and Fire book series. The new show focuses on the fall of the once powerful House Targaryen, giving viewers some insight into the long process that eventually led to Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke) going from a king’s daughter to a Khaleesi in exile. And, as is usually the case with such world-changing political crises, it’s hard to pinpoint the exact moment in which things took a turn for the south.