House of the Dragon’ Review :

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HBO’s ‘Game of Thrones’ Prequel Delivers Dragons Aplenty but Overloads on Targaryens in Bad Wigs

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HBO's first 'Game of Thrones' spinoff/prequel goes back nearly 200 years before the original series to focus on a power struggle in the dragon-loving Targaryen family.

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For the better part of a decade, Breaking Bad and Game of Thrones dominated the drama series Emmy races and delivered big enough ratings for their respective networks that it’s no surprise they wanted more.

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In a nice piece of kismet, HBO’s Game of Thrones prequel is arriving the same week that AMC’s Breaking Bad prequel concluded.

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Better Call Saul was a show that was hailed for maintaining fidelity and continuity with the Breaking Bad universe, while immediately carving out a tone and aesthetic all its own.

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Game of Thrones was a bigger hit than Breaking Bad, plus the notable decrease in quality of its final season (or final seasons) may make the inherent affection for the brand more precarious.

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So it probably isn’t surprising that after an elaborate bake-off process to develop a prequel, HBO has ended up with a show that feels reverse-engineered to give devoted

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Game of Thrones fans a facsimile of what they liked about the original series, while casual Game of Thrones fans get … ummm … lots and lots of dragons.

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