Things you may have missed from the first episode of House of the Dragon

House of the Dragon, the highly anticipated prequel to the Game of Thrones, released its first episode this week to universal acclaim. The episode became the highest-viewed premiere in HBO’s history which ended up crashing servers worldwide. So for today’s List hai toh hit hai podcast we take a look at things you may have missed from the first episode of House of the Dragon. Lets begin

Nymeria of Dorne

In a scene involving Milly Alcock’s Rhaenyra Targaryen and Emily Carey’s Alicent Hightower, they are seen talking about the warrior Queen Nymeria of Dorne, the legendary ruler who united House Martell and House Dayne in establishing a new empire in Dorne. Fans of Game of Thrones will recollect that Nymeria is the name of Arya Stark’s direwolf in Game of Thrones, and the more ardent fans of the franchise will also notice that it is the name of Prince Oberyn Martell’s daughter Nymeria Sand, a role essayed by The Gray Man star Jessica Henwick.

Death of an Arryn

Both pilot episodes of Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon feature the death of a character that sets the wheels in motion for the drama that will unfold. And in both cases it is the death of a member of House Arryn. In Game of Thrones, it is the Hand of the King, Jon Arryn, whereas in House of the Dragon it is Queen Aemma, wife of King Viserys.

A Feast for Crows

After the unfortunate deaths of Queen Aemma and her newborn son, a devastated King Viserys attends the Small Council meeting to decide on an heir. But as one would imagine the meeting creates a rift between the members of the council. An enraged Viserys screams at his council, “My wife and son are dead! I will not sit here and have crows feast on their corpses!”. This is in fact a reference to the original Game of Thrones book A Song of Ice and Fire saga titled, A Feast for Crows.

Valyrian steel

Maisie William’s Arya Stark in Game of Thrones is undoubtedly one of the most popular characters. The Faceless assassin, Arya, was given a Valyrian blade by the conniving Lord Petyr Baelish which she used to kill the Night King in the Battle of Winterfell. In House of the Dragon, King Viserys is seen with the exact same blade nearly 200 years before Arya used it to save the living world from the army of the dead.

Harrenhal

The series finale of the Game of Thrones featured all the remaining houses convening to decide on a new ruler, the pilot episode of House of the Dragon also starts in a similar fashion as King Jaehaerys Targaryen held a grand ceremony in the presence of all the noble houses to decide on an heir after he lost both his sons under tragic circumstances. It is important to note that this ceremony was held in the halls of the Targaryen stronghold Harrenhal. In Game of Thrones Harrenhal is in ruins and used only for strategic purposes during wartime. It has been used by the Lannisters, Boltons, and the Starks.

A Song of Ice and Fire

A Song of Ice and Fire, George RR Martin’s novels on which Game of Thrones is based is referenced throughout the series hinting at the true meaning of the name. However, House of the Dragon has all but confirmed that A Song of Ice and Fire is a premonition by Aegon Targaryen, the first Targaryen to cross the Narrow Sea from Valyria to conquer the Seven Kingdoms, about a long winter and war between the dead and the living. Interestingly, it is Jon Snow, whose real name is also Aegon Targaryen, who unites the Seven Kingdoms hundreds of years later against the White Walkers.

“Promise me”

In the iconic ‘Tower of Joy’ scene in Game of Thrones Lyanna Stark at her deathbed confides to her brother Ned of her newborn son’s name as Aegon Targaryen. Ned raises the boy as his own and names him Jon Snow. In this particular scene, Lyanna asks Ned to protect her son at all costs and never reveal his true identity to anyone, and she utters the words, “Promise me”, repeatedly to the young Lord Eddard ‘Ned’ Stark. In the pilot episode of House of the Dragon, the words “Promise me” are used yet again in a conversation about the other Aegon Targaryen. Paddy Considine’s King Viserys asks his daughter Rhaenyra to promise him that when the time comes that she will do everything in her power to be prepared for the war between the living and dead as seen in Aegon’s premonition.

Well thats the OTTplay List hai toh hit hai for today , until the next episode it's your host Nikhil signing out.

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• Written by Ryan Gomez