Warning! SPOILERS about House of the Dragon episode 1 ahead.HBO’s House of the Dragon is set in a much different age than Game of Thrones, influencing how the Westeros capital, King’s Landing, differs from that shown in the parent series. House of the Dragon premiered on August 21 on HBO and featured King’s Landing in all its glory as the series kicked off with the capital celebrating the upcoming birth of King Viserys I Targaryen’s (Paddy Considine) new heir. One of House of the Dragon episode 1’s first scenes involved a dragon’s eye view of the seemingly opulent Westeros capital, as it appeared from higher up to the dragon Syrax and its dragonrider, Rhaenyra Targaryen (Milly Alcock), as they returned to King’s Landing.
As Queen Aemma’s (Sian Brooke) birth scene ended tragically, leaving Viserys I without a new heir and a wife, House of the Dragon episode 1 started setting up the main players who would contend for the throne at the time of the King’s death. Considering how episode 1 ended with Viserys ordering his brother and heir to the Iron Throne, Daemon (Matt Smith), to leave King’s Landing and naming his daughter Rhaenyra as heir, Daemon will likely be one of the contenders for the throne, opposing Viserys’ daughter, Rhaenyra. While Viserys mourned the death of his wife and son and set in motion the plans for his succession in order to avoid war after his death, the King’s Landing House of the Dragon viewers got to see was quite different from the one in Game of Thrones.
King’s Landing’s appearance differences in the prequel compared to Game of Thrones can be mainly ascribed to the different time period House of the Dragon is set. House of the Dragon’s King’s Landing is much more opulent than Game of Thrones', and its differences can be seen in the throne room, the city’s outlook, and even the costumes. While the parent series’ King’s Landing looked far richer than any other Westeros setting seen in Game of Thrones season 1, it pales in comparison to House of the Dragon’s Westeros capital. King’s Landing, as seen in the prequel, looks lavish and wealthier as Viserys I’s reign as the fifth Targaryen on the Iron Throne comes after his grandfather Jaehaerys I’s 55-year-long peaceful reign. This makes the period preceding the Targaryen civil war that will be explored in House of the Dragon the height of the Targaryen empire.
How King's Landing Will Change Between House Of The Dragon & GOT
Westeros’ history will also play a hand in Game of Thrones’ less resplendent King’s Landing. As House of the Dragon will show, following Viserys I’s death, a civil war amongst House Targaryen will start, with Rhaenyra opposing the claim to the throne of Viserys I’s son from his second marriage. While the civil war will have a considerable impact on the Targaryen’s influence, as it will lead to the disappearance of dragons from Westeros. When that war ends, the Targaryen rule will still be put to the test by the Blackfyre Rebellions, making the time between the age recounted in House of the Dragon and Game of Thrones’ Aerys II’s rule quite unstable. This instability can be seen in Game of Thrones’ King’s Landing, which is less lavish and has a destroyed Dragonpit and a much smaller Iron Throne that doesn’t impose as much fear as it does in House of the Dragon.
House of the Dragon’s King’s Landing might also seem different as the filming locations for the prequel differ from Game of Thrones. While locations in Malta first and Dubrovnik, Croatia, later stood in as King’s Landing in Game of Thrones, King’s Landing’s exteriors were filmed in Cáceres and Trujillo, Spain, for House of the Dragon. The perfectly preserved medieval town squares offer a different side to King’s Landing under the Targaryen golden age, which is a capital bent on reminding who rules and what the Targaryen name stands for. However, considering how the events House of the Dragon is bound to show will diminish the Targaryen influence and possibly devastate King’s Landing, a King’s Landing more similar to Game of Thrones’ may soon be seen by viewers.
New episodes of House of the Dragon release Sundays on HBO/HBO Max at 9 p.m. ET.