HBO’s House of the Dragon reaches a big turning point this weekend.
The Game of Thrones prequel will take viewers 10 years into the future, with Emma D’Arcy taking over from Milly Alcock, Olivia Cooke taking over from Emily Carey, and John Macmillan taking over for Theo Nate.
TV Fanatic got the chance to watch House of the Dragon Season 1 Episode 6, and it presents a big shift in the narrative, but it’s pretty seamless.
HBO dropped a sneak peek at the highly anticipated episode titled “The Princess and the Queen” on its social media channels this week.
It picks up with Rhaenyra following the birth of her son, and she’s been summoned to see the Queen.
“Where are you going?” Laenor wonders.
“She wants to see him,” Rhaenyra responds.
“Now? I’m coming with you,” her husband says.
“I should hope so,” says the princess.
“Let me take him,” Laenor offers.
“No, she’ll get no such satisfaction from that,” Rhaenyra shoots back. “
Just take my arm, at the least,” Laenor says, adding: “Was it terribly painful?”
It is a great scene to give viewers a glimpse at the imminent change ahead.
For 50 days leading up to the anniversary, @HBO will share sneak peeks from upcoming HBO Originals. The campaign kicks off today with an exclusive clip from the sixth episode of @HouseofDragon ahead of its September 25 debut. #HBO50 pic.twitter.com/Ge8DJOrdy6
— Inside HBO Max (@InsideHBOMax) September 20, 2022
House of the Dragon has emerged as a huge hit for HBO, with most recent averages putting the total viewership at 29 million per episode.
That number is huge, and highlights that the Game of Thrones franchise remains a big draw for HBO.
Many spinoffs are in development, and House of the Dragon has been renewed for Season 2.
“We are beyond proud of what the entire HOUSE OF THE DRAGON team has accomplished with season one,” HBO said in a statement last month.
“Our phenomenal cast and crew undertook a massive challenge and exceeded all expectations, delivering a show that has already established itself as must-see-TV.”
“A huge thank you to George, Ryan, and Miguel for leading us on this journey. We couldn’t be more excited to continue bringing to life the epic saga of House Targaryen with season two.”
Catch new episodes Sundays at 9 p.m. on HBO and HBO Max.
Paul Dailly is the Associate Editor for TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter.