House of the Dragon sets new series record for dragon screentime with “The Red Sowing”

House of the Dragon sets new series record for dragon screentime with "The Red Sowing"

As a long-time fan of George R.R. Martin’s epic fantasy series “A Song of Ice and Fire,” I have eagerly anticipated the arrival of its prequel, “House of the Dragon.” Having grown up with the original saga, I remember the thrill of watching Daenerys Targaryen’s dragons take flight for the first time in “Game of Thrones,” and it is safe to say that the dragon footage in “House of the Dragon” has far surpassed even those early moments.


1. In a significant turn of events, the second last episode of ‘House of the Dragon’ season 2 dramatically shifted the political landscape of the Seven Kingdoms. Following the tragic loss of her first dragonrider, Rhaenys Targaryen (Eve Best) and her dragon Meleys, Queen Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy), in a desperate move, decided to recruit Targaryen bastards to ride the dragons sleeping beneath Dragonmont volcano on Dragonstone. After the chaos subsided, Rhaenyra had three new dragonriders: Addam of Hull (Clinton Liberty) with Seasmoke, Hugh Hammer (Kieran Bew) on Vermithor, and Ulf the White (Tom Bennett) on Silverwing. “The Red Sowing” delivered on its promise as a ‘Game of Thrones’ prequel, offering dragons that had never been seen on television before.

To put it differently, “The Red Sowing” surpassed the previous record for dragon screen time in this series. Previously, the fourth episode, “The Red Dragon and the Gold,” held the title. However, “The Red Sowing” went beyond that, showcasing five distinct dragons for approximately 10 minutes of total dragon footage onscreen.

Here are the stats for the top four episodes with the most dragon screentime on the show so far:

House of the Dragon episodeDragon screentime
207: “The Red Sowing”9:20
204: “The Red Dragon and the Gold”8:26
110: “The Black Queen”6:39
107: “Driftmark”5:10

1. Apart from “The Red Dragon and the Gold” and “The Red Sowing,” two other significant dragon episodes featuring Vhagar are the season 1 finale, “The Black Queen,” in which she devoured both Arrax and Lucerys Velaryon, and “Driftmark,” where Aemond first rode her as a child for the first time. Interestingly, Vhagar is present in all four episodes with the most dragon screen-time, almost like she’s some sort of good luck charm.

1) Here’s how we arrived at our numbers, as they were calculated independently: We included only instances where any part of a dragon was visible on-screen, such as shots of riders on their dragons since dragons are often partially seen even in the background. Additionally, we focused on the actual seconds the dragons appeared, not the entire duration of the scenes themselves. Despite allowing for some minor discrepancies, “The Red Sowing” emerges as the top contender with the most dragon screen time.

It’s no wonder, then, that Vermithor, Silverwing, Seasmoke, Syrax, and Vhagar shone brilliantly in “House of the Dragon”‘s latest episode. While this series is primarily a family saga chronicling the downfall of a royal lineage, it also pushes the boundaries as the most daring TV production to date in depicting dragons. The fact that these magnificent creatures took center stage in the penultimate episode seems only fitting!

House of the Dragon sets new series record for dragon screentime with "The Red Sowing"

House of the Dragon has far more dragon footage than Game of Thrones

The number of dragons depicted in “House of the Dragon” surpasses that of “Game of Thrones” significantly. In contrast, episodes like “Battle of the Bastards,” “The Spoils of War,” and “The Iron Throne” from “Game of Thrones” featured fewer dragon scenes than the most dragon-intensive episodes in “House of the Dragon.”

1. In “The Red Sowing,” Dany’s dragons made their first appearance in battle as they destroyed the blockade around Meereen, accounting for about a fourth of the total dragon screen time in that episode (approximately 2 minutes and 21 seconds). The Loot Train Attack from “The Spoils of War” featured more dragon action, with approximately 2 minutes and 57 seconds. In the series finale, “The Iron Throne,” Drogon had the most screen time at around 3 minutes and 26 seconds. The death of Viserion in “Beyond the Wall” was depicted for about 4 minutes and 30 seconds. There are other dragon-centric episodes like “The Long Night” and “The Bells,” but because they were intercut with other battle scenes, they don’t have as much screen time as one might think. In comparison, the latest episode of “House of the Dragon” has significantly more dragon runtime and detail than any scene in “Thrones.”

House of the Dragon sets new series record for dragon screentime with "The Red Sowing"

Adaptation study: House of the Dragon turned four sentences into some of the most ambitious dragon scenes ever filmed

As a devoted fan of George R.R. Martin’s “A Song of Ice and Fire” series, I was initially intrigued but also apprehensive when I heard about the upcoming “House of the Dragon.” Having immersed myself in the richly layered world of Westeros for years, I couldn’t help but wonder how a prequel focusing on the Targaryen dynasty would compare.

As a dedicated gamer, I can tell you that nothing beats the excitement of claiming your very own dragon in the game world. And let me tell you, the way Hugh, Ulf, and Addam of Hull did it in the story is something truly special. Although the book description only spans over four short sentences, those lines leave a lasting impression. Here’s how it goes:

Yet Seasmoke, Vermithor, and Silverwing were accustomed to men and tolerant of their presence. Having once been ridden, they were more accepting of new riders. Vermithor, the Old King’s own dragon, bent his neck to a blacksmith’s bastard, a towering man called Hugh the Hammer or Hard Hugh, whilst a pale-haired man-at-arms named Ulf the White (for his hair) or Ulf the Sot (for his drinking) mounted Silverwing, beloved of Good Queen Alysanne. And Seasmoke, who had once borne Laenor Velaryon, took onto his back a boy of ten-and-five known as Addam of Hull, whose origins remain a matter of dispute amongst historians to this day.

Fire & Blood by George R.R. Martin

As someone who has been an avid fan of dragon stories since my childhood, I can’t help but appreciate the creative liberties taken by the showrunners in portraying the stunning dragon scenes involving Hugh, Ulf, and their dragons, Vermithor and Silverwing, in “The Dragon Prince.”

With numerous large-scale dragon scenes left in the Dance of the Dragons civil war, I’m confident that House of the Dragon will surpass the current dragon screen time record once more. At present, just the season 2 finale remains, which is set to air on HBO and Max this coming Sunday.

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2024-07-30 17:41

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