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HBO's 'House of the Dragon' Shows Where GoT's Daenerys May Have Got Her Spark
“Game of Thrones” had a chokehold on viewers for eight years. With twists and turns around every corner as families battled it out for control of the Iron Throne. Ned Stark’s fate was quickly sealed. The Red Wedding was anything but joyous. And who could forget King Joffrey? But even after all that, audiences had mixed feelings about the ending — leaving some completely dissatisfied. Think: Margaery Tyrell after marrying King Joffery.
Now, there might be a chance at redemption. Enter: HBO’s “House of the Dragon” — the prequel to "GoT." It drops on Sunday, Aug. 21 at 9 pm ET. And follows the rise (and fall) of the House Targaryen long before the days of Daenerys. Friendly reminder: don’t get too attached to any of the characters…because who knows how long they’ll last.
What should I know about “House of the Dragon”?
“House of the Dragon” hits the rewind button and takes us back about 200 years before the events in “Game of Thrones” take place. It follows the Targaryen family, who have held the Iron Throne for nearly a century by the start of the show (thanks to their little friends, the dragons). But this wouldn’t be Westeros without a battle for the Iron Throne.
In the trailer, King Viserys Targaryen ponders who should be the next heir: his brother Prince Daemon or his daughter Princess Rhaenyra. But there’s also Alicent Hightower, the king’s second wife…and she’s staking her claim to the throne as well. Their story will likely span decades across the show. Oh, and there will be almost 20 dragons.
If the name Targaryen has you picturing a certain blonde dragon queen, then you’re not far off. This is the same family that Daenerys descends from — which is why she spent all of "GoT" saying the Iron Throne is rightfully hers. But don’t expect to see her or hear any other familiar names like Lannister or Stark. The OG Targaryens are the stars of this show.
Let the games begin.
We’re ready. But it’s also a story of challenging the patriarchy. The main thing holding Princess Rhaenyra from being chosen as the heir is the fact that she’s a woman. But maybe this princess is where Daenerys inherited her spark from. Because it’s clear she’s going to make a strong play to take the throne. There are some folks who do think she should be the one to lead. You’ll just have to watch to find out how it plays out.
Miguel Sapochnik, one of the show’s creators, told the Hollywood Reporter a central theme kept surfacing as they worked the first season: a patriarchy that would rather destroy itself than see a woman lead. And the show will be pulling back on sexual violence against women — with Sapochnik saying we “can’t ignore the violence” but “it shouldn’t be glorified.”
It’s also no secret that the Targaryens are a largely white family. And "GoT" got some flack for its lack of representation. Co-creator Ryan Condal said they “knew from the outset” that they wanted to change that without it feeling like “pandering or tokenism.” Enter Lord Corlys Velaryon — aka the Sea Snake. Velaryon is originally white in George R. R. Martin’s books, but will be played by Steve Toussaint.
OK, but is it worth the watch? Remember the "GoT" finale?
That's up to you. But remember this is a prequel. Plus, there are some newcomers to the series. Condal and Sapochnik have taken over the show from the OGs David Benioff and D.B. Weiss. (Remember: The original creators were largely booed for how "GoT's" finale was written.) Martin signed off on bringing in the new co-creators — and he’s once again acting as a producer. Also keep in mind that this show is based on Martin’s 2018 book “Fire and Blood.” As for a sneak peek…
"GoT’s" final season left many feeling dissatisfied, but hungry for more. Now, HBO is taking a gamble with “House of the Dragon” and hoping it could fill the void that viewers were left with years ago.
注释：
Spin-off: n
表示“副产品”, means” a product made during the manufacture of something else”. 如：This new material is a spin-off from the space industry. 这种新材料是航天工业的副产品。
Chokehold：n
表示“压制,掐脖子 ”，means “complete power over a person or situation “，如：Israel’s system of proportional voting has given the settlers and zealots a chokehold over politics. 以色列的比例投票制使得定居者和狂热者在政治上打起割喉战。
Redemption：n
1. 表示“救赎，挽救 ”，means " repayment of the principal amount of a debt or security at or before maturity (as when a corporation repurchases its own stock)“，如：Creation and redemption belong together. 创造与救赎相连一起。
2. 表示“【宗】赎罪，救济 ”，means " (theology) the act of delivering from sin or saving from evil“，如：They visited the Shrine of Our Lady to pray for redemption. 他们参观了圣母马利亚的神龛, 为赎罪而祈祷。
Prequel：n
表示“ 前篇”，means "the previous chapter or story which had happened “，如：The dialogue has also been altered so that it makes more sense with the continuity established in the prequel trilogy. 对白也作了调整，因此和前三部曲中已建立起来的连续性一起看时，会有更多的深意。
ET: abbr.
1. 表示" 东部时间（=Eastern Time)
2.表示“ 外星人”， 如：They claimed that they had been in contact with extraterrestrial beings. 他们声称在同外星人保持联络。
Rewind:
表示“倒带；转回”，means" ", 如：I stopped the tape and pressed rewind button. 我停止了磁带播放，按下了倒回键。
Trailer: n
1. 表示“ 拖车 ”，means "a wheeled vehicle that can be pulled by a car or truck and is equipped for occupancy “，如：I connected the trailer to the car. 我把拖车接在汽车后。
2. 表示“预告片 ”，means "an advertisement consisting of short scenes from a motion picture that will appear in the near future “，如：I watched a trailer for the screenplay of his memoirs. 我看过以他的回忆录改编成电影的预告片。
Ponder：v
表示“考虑 ”，means " reflect deeply on a subject“，如：You should pause and ponder now. 你现在应该停下来仔细考虑一下。
stake: v
表示“下注”，means"risk money, one's hopes", 如：I have staked all my hopes on you. 我已经把我所有的希望都寄托在你身上了。
Patriarchy: n
表示“父系社会 ”，means "a form of social organization in which a male is the family head and title is traced through the male line “，如：hen there is the Middle East, where traditional patriarchy still holds sway.
接着便是中东，在这里传统的父系社会仍然占据着统治地位。
Flack: n
1. 表示“高射炮 ”，means "artillery designed to shoot upward at airplanes “，如：Behind us are two self-propelled flaks as reserve. 在我们身后有两辆自行高射炮作为预备队。
2. 表示“抨击 ”，means "intense adverse criticism “，如：He took a lot of flak for his stand against abortion. 他因坚持反对堕胎而饱受责难。
3. 表示“长颈瓶 ”，如：Once the cold water enters the flack, the vapor pressure falls quickly. 一旦冷水进入长颈瓶，水气压就迅速下降。
pander : v
表示“ 迎合；拉皮条 ”，means "yield (to); give satisfaction to “，如：The newspapers there pander to people's interest in crime and violence. 那儿的报纸迎合读者对犯罪和暴力的兴趣。
tokenism: n
表示“ 装点门面；表面文章 ”，如：Appointing one woman to the otherwise all-male staff could look like tokenism. 给原本清一色的男职员队伍增派一位女性会显得是装点门面。
sneak: adj
1. adj 表示“鬼鬼祟祟的，偷偷摸摸的 ”，means "marked by quiet and caution and secrecy; taking pains to avoid being observed “，如：This sneak raid was very successful. We took the enemy leader captive.这次偷袭非常成功，活捉了敌酋。
2. v表示“ 偷偷地走；偷偷地做 ”，means "to go stealthily or furtively “，如：The cat ate the food and sneaked off. 猫吃完食物就偷偷跑了
3. n 表示“鬼鬼祟祟的人 ”，means " a person who is regarded as underhanded and furtive and contemptible“，如：The sneak who took our lunch spoiled our picnic. 那个鬼鬼祟祟偷走了我们午饭的人，破坏了我们的野餐。
peek: n;v
v/n表示“ 偷看；窥视 ”，means "throw a glance at; take a brief look at “，如：Anyone who dared to peek was condemned to death. 任何敢偷看的人被定死罪。
Larry takes a peek out of the window.赖瑞往窗外偷看了一下。
boo：v
表示“ 发出嘘声”，means " show displeasure, as after a performance or speech“，如：Even if you don't like one of the players you should not boo and hiss at them. 即使是你不喜欢其中的一个球员，你不应该对他们发出嘘声。
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