Will you understand anything if you just skip to the part with cool dragons, Emma D’Arcy, and Olivia Cooke?

Game of Thrones used to be a massive pop-culture phenomenon, and rightfully so. Its overwhelming success guaranteed it would get spin-offs, and indeed, they followed shortly after. The first one, House of the Dragon, quickly became its own hit TV show, and there are folks out there who’d prefer to get right into the dragon fights.

The original show famously only has three dragons — and not a lot of dragon action, so it’s an understandable gist. But the question is, will you understand anything in House of the Dragon if you haven’t watched Game of Thrones first?

House of the Dragon Is a Standalone Story

Long story short, the answers are yes and yes — you can watch House of the Dragon before Game of Thrones and you will understand what’s going on. Most likely. You see, these two shows tell entirely different stories: while set in the same world and following the fight for the same Iron Throne, they are separated by two centuries of history. There are next to no interconnections between them.

The cast is different, the era is different, and even the two shows’ approach to storytelling is different. While Game of Thrones might be harder to keep track of due to the overwhelming number of characters and plotlines, House of the Dragon is a lot more straightforward as in its essence, it boils down to one Great House and one main story: the struggle for power between the two branches of said House.

You May Benefit From Watching HotD First

Not only will you not lose anything by watching House of the Dragon before Game of Thrones, but you might even benefit from it. Chronologically, HotD takes place earlier, allowing you to see the rule of House Targaryen — the dynasty that barely clings to its existence in the Game of Thrones era, and learn a lot about Westeros’ past while you’re at it.

Also, it’s not like dynasties change too often in the Seven Kingdoms. In House of the Dragon, you’ll meet not only the Targaryens but also Starks, Lannisters, and many others — and after that, you’ll be intrigued to see how their Houses had changed over the two centuries separating the two shows. In fact, we’re almost positive that if you’re only now beginning your journey to Westeros, you should start with HotD.

Plus, it has many more dragons and dragon battles. And, though it goes without saying, Emma D’Arcy and Olivia Cooke. There’s little to no reason not to watch it.