Will the New Game of Thrones Prequel Ruin House of the Dragon's Finale?
There’s a good chance some of you don’t want to watch the upcoming TV show before HotD ends.
Game of Thrones was bound to spawn several spin-offs, but so far, HBO has been extremely picky with them. We have House of the Dragon on Season 2 already, The Hedge Knight entering production, and 10,000 Ships being actively scripted… But one of the upcoming TV shows doesn’t work too well with HotD, and when it premieres, it’s bound to create slight inconveniences for some viewers.
The Hedge Knight Knows All Too Much
Of course, it’s The Hedge Knight that somewhat clashes with House of the Dragon. While 10,000 Ships follows the Warrior-Queen Nymeria, is set in a different time, and overall has little to do with the Targaryens (or so it may seem), one of The Hedge Knight’s two lead characters is a Targaryen. Why is that an issue, you may wonder?
See, in Tales of Dunk and Egg, the hedge knight’s squire Egg is young Aegon V Targaryen, and the duo will encounter several of his relatives on their adventures. Seeing how The Hedge Knight is set 100 years after House of the Dragon, we’re bound to run into some spoilers to the first prequel’s finale, revealing who wins in the Dance of the Dragons, which can take a lot from your first-time HotD experience.
HotD Spoilers Aren’t That Big of a Deal
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For avid George Martin fans, nothing changes, really: Fire & Blood has been out for years, and it’s no one’s secret which branch of the Targaryen family wins in the end. While we won’t spell it out here to avoid actively spoiling the experience for TV fans, this information isn’t exactly difficult to come by, so it’s a minor inconvenience.
Of course, if you’re a TV show-only HotD fan, you might want to steer clear of The Hedge Knight until the House of the Dragon finale is released just so you aren’t affected by the incoming spoilers. Alternatively, you can embrace the inevitable and read the original books, beating the Dunk and Egg spin-off to spoiling the finale and learning what happens in the end of the Dance of the Dragons firsthand on your terms.
The choice is yours, but if you go with the second option, be prepared for the far more graphic and unhinged world of George Martin’s writing. It’s not like the show.