It is admittedly a darkly erotic thrill to watch the unconventionally beautiful actors Milly Alcock and Matt Smith play their roles as Rhaenyra and Daemon, as these characters slowly warm to the idea of getting it on in a semi-public environment. It speaks to the complexities of Daemon’s character that he backs off before the deed can be done — and to the burgeoning desires of Rhaenyra herself when she seduces her Kingsguard knight Ser Criston Cole as a replacement for her uncle. Both scenes — Rhaenyra and Daemon making out and stripping down in the brothel, Rhaenyra studiously stripping Cole out of his armor so that they can fuck in the Red Keep — have genuine heat.

I reviewed tonight’s fantastic episode of House of the Dragon for Rolling Stone.

In what is somehow our third weekly episode in a row, Stefan and I tackle House of the Dragon episode 3 in the latest Boiled Leather Audio Hour podcast, available here or wherever podcasts are sold!

Once again I’ve fully updated my House of the Dragon character guide for Vulture to reflect the events of the latest episode. Several new faces in this one!

You were in the original Game of Thrones. What was it like to return to this world after all this time?

Very bizarre, to be honest. When I first did it, I was working with Alfie Allen [Thrones’ Theon Greyjoy] on another job, and he had this book with a dragon on the front. He roughly explained the premise, which just sounded nutty and implausible to me. I was like, “Good luck with that. It’s never going to work.” [Laughs.] Then I had an audition for it, and when you have an audition, you go, “It’s brilliant.” Your mind switches.

Arriving on set in Northern Ireland ten years ago or so, it was unknown. It still had that feeling of, “Shit, is this going to work?” I remember hanging out with Kit [Harington, a.k.a. Jon Snow] and those guys, and they’re all desperately doing press-ups and trying to figure things out. Walking to the studios at Warner Bros. for House of the Dragon and seeing carved statues 70 feet high or whatever in this incredible set … It was a very different energy: Wow, this is high pressure, and a lot to live up to.

I interviewed House of the Dragon‘s Jefferson Hall about the two(!) roles he plays on the show for Vulture.

Even the more minor characters stand out. Hall is a hoot as the slimy Jason Lannister and as his anxious twin brother Tyland, who’s replaced Corlys as Master of Ships on the Small Council. And Gavin Spokes has a winning presence as Lord Lyonel Strong, seemingly the only member of the Council willing to give Viserys advice that doesn’t directly benefit himself or his house. (He rejects his own son as a suitor for Rhaenyra in favor of Laenor.)

I reviewed tonight’s episode of House of the Dragon for Rolling Stone.

Once again, I’ve updated my House of the Dragon character guide for Vulture to reflect the events of the most recent episode. If you’re confused, this will set you straight!

Were you a “Game of Thrones” guy before you got this part?

Yes, I was. It had been going for about three or four seasons before I actually watched it because fantasy is not really my genre. I was staying with a friend in L.A., and he said to me, “Have you seen this ‘Game of Thrones’?” And I was like: “No. It’s got dragons, why the hell would I watch that?” [Laughs.] He said, “Just watch one episode.” And it was so much more gritty and, for want of a better word, realistic than I was expecting. I was hooked.

I interviewed House of the Dragon‘s Steve Toussaint for the New York Times.

Which brings us to the heart of the story: family drama. At this point, underneath all the dragon-riding and crab-feeding, this is ultimately a show about a dad, a daughter, and the demands that are pulling them apart.

Paddy Considine and Milly Alcock, the performers in question, root this material in vivid, empathetic acting. Considine constantly wears a hangdog expression on his instantly likeable face; his Viserys is a guy who wants to be happy, and is deeply frustrated to find that he can’t be. No wonder he selects Alicent, who’s become his closest friend, to rule the realm with him.

Alcock, meanwhile, projects a blend of precociousness and vulnerability, enhanced by the show’s blocking choices. She may insist on selecting the next Kingsguard knight, but she has to stand on a stepstool to see the candidates; she convinces Uncle Daemon to back down, but he towers over her in much the same way that his dragon dwarfs her own.

I reviewed last night’s episode of House of the Dragon for Rolling Stone.

Kicking off what we hope will be the start of a weekly series, Stefan Sasse and I review the premiere of House of the Dragon in the new episode of the Boiled Leather Audio Hour podcast! Available at the link or wherever you get your podcasts!

My guide to the characters of House of the Dragon for Vulture has been updated to cover the events of the premiere. Have a quick brush-up before tonight’s second episode!

Prince Daemon Targaryen is a man of action, and that suits the man who portrays him on “House of the Dragon” just fine.

“On an acting level, I was always quite pleased that I wasn’t in loads of the big table scenes,” said Matt Smith, who shares his royal character’s distaste for the minutiae of sitting down and running the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros. “They’re often the ones that are hardest to shoot — the ones that can drive you bonkers. I preferred being on a horse with a sword in the hand.”

Of course, starring in “House of the Dragon” — the prequel series to HBO’s blockbuster “Game of Thrones,” based on the fantasy novel “Fire & Blood” by the author George R.R. Martin — means riding far more exotic mounts than mere horses. As the potential heir to the Targaryen dynasty and its royal seat, the Iron Throne, Daemon is a dragon-rider, and a dangerous one at that.

Created by Martin and Ryan Condal, who serves as a showrunner along with the director Miguel Sapochnik, “Dragon” chronicles a turbulent time in the history of the Targaryens and their fiery steeds, when a crisis of succession threatens to tear the family, and the realm they rule, apart. As the younger brother of the ruling King Viserys (played by Paddy Considine), Daemon is at the heart of the conflict, and emerged in Sunday night’s series premiere as one of the show’s most charismatic characters.

And if you found him fascinating, you’re not alone. In a phone conversation last week, a pensive Smith, who has had earlier star turns in other major franchises like “Doctor Who” and “The Crown,” openly wrestled with Daemon’s duality — agent of chaos one moment, ferociously loyal and loving the next.

“There’s a sort of folklore among ‘Fire & Blood’ fans and ‘Game of Thrones’ fans that when a Targaryen is born, you flip a coin,” he said “One side is greatness and the other side is madness, and you don’t know which side it’s going to land on.”

“With Daemon,” he continued, “the coin is still in the air.”

I interviewed House of the Dragon star Matt Smith for the New York Times.

For now, there’s already plenty to marvel at — the uniformly excellent cast, for starters. Considine is marvelous as Viserys, a man who simply wants to be liked by everyone, an impossibility for someone in his position. Alcock is similarly impressive as the young Rhaenyra, caught in limbo between the freedom she enjoys and the power she’s beginning to realize she desires. Toussaint and Ifans make strong impressions as the king’s most powerful counselors, ever at odds. And Smith is a revelation as Daemon — both a brute and a sensualist, who’s able to privately smile at his rival’s insults even as he plots to defeat them.

I’m back at my old Game of Thrones stomping grounds, Rolling Stone, for my review of the House of the Dragon premiere.

Seven kingdoms, one Iron Throne, and a whole lot of people with odd names to keep track of: That was the formula for Game of Thrones. Now House of the Dragon, HBO’s would-be blockbuster prequel to its most successful series of all time, is set to follow suit.

The good news for fans of the world created by novelist George R.R. Martin is that Dragon features way fewer houses to keep track of; it tells the tale of a budding conflict and eventual civil war within the ruling family of House Targaryen. The bad news is that everyone is someone else’s aunt or uncle or brother or cousin or spouse — often more than one at once — and most of them share the same surname.

But don’t worry! With the help of the new show’s source material, Martin’s faux-historical novel Fire & Blood, we’ve put together a quick-and-easy guide to all the main characters you’ll meet during the premiere. Sit back, relax, and brush up on the history of House Targaryen before the Dance of the Dragons begins.

These are the people in your neighborhood: I wrote a House of the Dragon character guide for Vulture. This will be updated throughout the season, so stay tuned!

In the final episodes of HBO’s “Game of Thrones,” the mad queen Daenerys Targaryen incinerated most of the capital city of King’s Landing. But what was it like when it was all still standing, and the Targaryen dynasty ruled with an iron fist — er, throne?

That’s the question explored by “House of the Dragon,” the new series set in author George R.R. Martin’s revisionist epic-fantasy world. Created by Martin along with Ryan Condal, who serves as showrunner with the veteran “Thrones” director Miguel Sapochnik, “Dragon” takes place far back into the ancestral line of the “Thrones” protagonists Daenerys and Jon Snow, whose own Targaryen identity was revealed late in the original show’s run.

As their forebears battle for control of Westeros’s Iron Throne, what do you need to know about the new series, and its connection to what has gone before — or, more accurately, after? Our cheat sheet has you covered. Read on and prepare to dance with dragons.

I wrote a handy primer on House of the Dragon for the New York Times.

In the latest episode of the Boiled Leather Audio Hour, part of our series on the Best of A Song of Ice and Fire, Stefan Sasse and I discuss the fateful meeting of Jaime and Bran in the tower—available here or wherever you get your podcasts!

The Boiled Leather Audio Hour returns with the latest installment in our series on ASoIaF’s “greatest hits”! This time, Stefan Sasse and I discuss the story of the Knight of the Laughing Tree—available here or wherever you get your podcasts!

Very exciting news: Stefan Sasse and I are starting a new Boiled Leather Audio Hour podcast series called “Best of ASOIAF”! Our first installment is on the Tower of Joy, and you can find it here or wherever you get your podcasts!

Come celebrate the tenth freaking anniversary of the Boiled Leather Audio Hour podcast with me, my co-host Stefan Sasse, and a whole gang of special guests!

Gretchen Felker-Martin and I discuss the role of the smallfolk—peasants, soldiers, slaves—in Game of Thrones in the latest episode of our TV podcast, available here, here, or wherever you get your podcasts!

In our two most recent Patreon-exclusive mini-podcasts, Stefan Sasse and I discuss how shows with bad first seasons sometimes wind up with great second seasons, and everything we didn’t like about Game of Thrones! Go subscribe and listen!