Ever since the debacle of the last season of Game of Thrones and the first episode of House of Dragon, it’s been quite a rollercoaster for us fans. Thankfully, it seems to have paid off. The debut episode of the Game of Thrones prequel, which aired today has been getting pretty positive reviews. Even more so than the pilot episode of the original series, which premiered back in 2011.

Set 172 years before the birth of Daenerys Targaryen and the fall of the Mad King, HBO’s House of the Dragon is a prequel series based on George R. R Martin’s book Fire & Blood. Unlike the original series which had its focus on threats beyond the seven kingdoms, the prequel series deals with the House Targaryen civil war, which is referred to as the Dance of the Dragons.

As the name suggests, the first episode titled The Heirs of the Dragon, dwells straight into the complexities of succession, starting with the passing of the crown from King Jaehaerys to King Viserys (played by Paddy Considine). This theme is further continued when decades down the line, Viserys loses his wife and his newborn son and has to choose a successor between his brother Prince Daemon Targaryen (played by Matt Smith) and his daughter Princess Rhaenyra (played by Milly Alcock in the first few episodes). 

In between all of that though, we see plenty of dragons, a medieval-looking King’s Landing, and legendary characters which are only referenced in the original A Song of Ice and Fire series. While the first episode didn’t exactly have the action we’re all hoping to see, it did serve as a setup for what’s coming next. 

That said though, fans seem to have finally let go of the sour taste of the final season of Game of Thrones in the favour of the new series. Here’s what they are saying.