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#10: The View from Casterly Rock
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With the important Lannisters primarily in King’s Landing, we didn’t get to see much of Casterly Rock on “Game of Thrones.” But according to Jason Lannister, its scenic qualities aren’t to be underestimated. While trying to woo Princess Rhaenyra, the arrogant Jason tries to use Casterly Rock’s features as a way to prop himself up as a potential husband, calling it higher than the Wall and allowing one to see across the Sunset Sea. If the latter is true, then perhaps he could tell us what’s on the other side, something Arya sets off to find out in the “Thrones” finale. Coincidentally, the finale also shows the other location in the same sequence, as Jon Snow leads the wildlings past the Wall.
#9: The King & the Boar
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You wouldn't think it, but boars have proven to be a surprisingly lethal threat in Westeros. As you’ll remember, Season 1 of “Game of Thrones” sees King Robert get fatally wounded by one of the beasts while hunting in the Kingswood, though this was slightly preordained after Cersei had his drink spiked. Thankfully, King Viserys doesn’t have to contend with the creature, instead getting an easy kill courtesy of a restrained stag. But it is interesting to note that Viserys similarly spends much of his hunting expedition in the Kingswood drunk and vulnerable. We don’t know exactly who would have him killed in such a manner, but he should be considered thankful the boar found its way to Rhaenyra and Criston Cole instead.
#8: The Realm’s Delight
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Rhaenyra Targaryen is already proving to be a standout character. And the people of the Seven Kingdoms would be lucky to have her as a ruler. But we’re at least gratified to learn she’s at least held in some high regard. When Queen Alicent goes to comfort a drunken Viserys by the fire pit, he conflictingly recounts his decision to name Rhaenyra heir, calling her “the Realm’s delight.” We don’t know if this is a common descriptor or just an off-the-cuff remark, but this is often how Rhaenyra is referred to in the books. Of course, Rhaenyra being declared heir at the even younger age of eight in that version makes even more sense why people would see her as a delight.
#7: The White Book
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Though we don’t know him too well yet, another character that’s displayed a respectable amount of dignity is Ser Criston Cole of the Kingsguard. We’ll see where his character goes in future episodes, but so far he’s proved worthy of going in the annals of history. After tracking down Rhaenyra in the Kingswood, Ser Criston reminds her of her autonomy by recognizing her appointment of him to the Kingsguard and getting him in the White Book. Officially known as the Book of Brothers, the White Book has record of every knight in the service and has appeared a few times on “Game of Thrones,” most notably when Ser Brienne of Tarth completes the entry on the late Jaime Lannister.
#6: Greyscale Madness?
Though built up as a formidable enemy, the Crabfeeder’s time on “House of the Dragon” has already come to a brutal end at the hands of Daemon Targaryen, but that hasn’t stopped fans from theorizing on his backstory. Real name Craghas Drahar, the Crabfeeder definitely isn’t a looker, even adorning himself with a broken mask. But fans have noticed his damaged skin has features that look a lot like the infamous greyscale. It might be a moot point now that he’s dead and all, but it should be mentioned that greyscale does more than make your skin cracked - it also drives you mad. Indeed, had Drahar’s gotten to his brain, it might explain his more violent behavior.
#5: Battle of the Bastards Parallels
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We’re only three episodes in, and yet “House of the Dragon” has already given us its first big battle. While Caraxes scorching the Crabfeeder’s troops in the opening scene is glorious, it’s the big battle to end the episode we’ll be talking about here. No, we’re not saying the Battle of the Stepstones is as good as the Battle of the Bastards, “Game of Thrones’” best according to us, but it does draw from it in certain ways. For starters, Daemon, our ostensible protagonist, runs through a hail of arrows much like Rickon Stark, before being surrounded by the enemy, as does the Stark army. Both are then saved by a deus-ex-machina, before Daemon goes after Drahar personally as did Jon Snow with Ramsay Bolton.
#4: “The Laws of Gods & Men”
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Unless you know the name of every episode of “Game of Thrones,” you’re liable to miss a few references here and there. Case in point, Ser Otto Hightower’s conversation with Alicent. With Alicent reluctant to have her son Aegon usurp Rhaenyra as heir to the Iron Throne, Otto reminds her of Aegon’s birthright with a very familiar phrase. Indeed, “The Laws of Gods and Men” is the title of the sixth episode of “Thrones” Season 4, which is memorable for seeing Tyrion put on trial for Joffrey's murder. Honestly, we love any reference to that standout episode, but the only further connection we can think of is the “House of the Dragon” one also featuring the Lannisters, and often not in a becoming light.
#3: Jefferson Hall
Speaking of Jason Lannister, you might be thinking to yourself that he and his twin brother Tyland look awfully familiar. Both are played by the actor Jefferson Hall, who you might recognize for being in the 2018 “Halloween” reboot. However, you’d be forgiven for forgetting that Hall’s played a Westerosi character before. Back in “Game of Thrones” Season 1, Hall appeared as Ser Hugh of the Vale. He doesn’t last long, as he’s promptly killed in a joust with Gregor Clegane. Thankfully for Hall, his characters managed to survive their debut episode. And even if they don’t last long either, they likely won’t have to posthumously deal with false claims of killing the Hand of the King like Ser Hugh did.
#2: Nymeria’s Song
As you may recall, our recap video for the first episode noted the mention of Princess Nymeria, who is reportedly getting a prequel series of her own. Well, in another instance of brand synergy, her exploits are brought up once again, this time in song form. As Rhaenyra sits under the weirwood tree, she has her bard Samwell continuously sing about Nymeria and her ships, on repeat, if you will. The lyrics specifically recount Nymeria and the Rhoynar fleeing Essos with her “10,000 ships,” something we can’t wait to see in live-action. It’s also worth noting that both “House of the Dragon” scenes wherein Nymeria is mentioned features both Rhaenyra and Alicent under the weirwood, almost as a reflection of their lost friendship.
#1: Viserys’s Dragon Dream
The first episode hit us with the bombshell that is Viserys revealing Aegon the Conqueror’s prophetic dream, titled “The Song of Ice and Fire.” In this episode, Viserys recounts his own dream, wherein he saw his son ascend the Throne. It remains to be seen if this will come to pass, but these so-called “dragon dreams” have often led to huge changes. Of course, Aegon’s aforementioned dream prompted him to conquer Westeros. Another notable dream came from Daenys Targaryen, whose seeing of the Doom of Valyria prompted the Targaryens to move to Dragonstone. But of course, the dream most will know is Daenerys’s, who foresaw her dragons hatching upon being exposed to fire.
