Season 2 of “House of the Dragon” is finally here, and fans have started to watch the infamous battle known as the ‘Dance of the Dragons’ unfold. However, to some viewers, there’s still confusion surrounding the timeline of the prequel regarding the original show, “Games of Thrones.”
“House of the Dragon” centers on the civil war within House Targaryen after the death of King Viserys I Targaryen (Paddy Considine). The two sides are the Blacks, who support Viserys only daughter, Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D’Arcy), as his rightful successor, while the Greens support Aegon II (Tom Glynn-Carney), who is also child of Lady Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke).
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One thing that made the first season’s timeline quite confusing were the several time jumps. However, Season 2, confirmed by showrunner Ryan Condal, won’t have any time jumps and viewers will follow a straightforward narrative. So, here’s everything you need to understand about the timeline in the series.
How Long Before Game of Thrones’ Timeline House of the Dragon Is Set
The timeline in Westeros, as depicted in “Game of Thrones” and “House of the Dragon,” revolves around Aegon Targaryen’s Conquest, which unified the Seven Kingdoms. Events are marked as AC (After the Conquest) or BC (Before the Conquest). “House of the Dragon” starts around 100 years AC, with the Dance of the Dragons occurring between 129-131 AC.
The first season of “House of the Dragon” covers 30 years, leading up to the Dance of the Dragons, with significant time jumps. The series begins in 101 AC and ends in 129 AC. “Game of Thrones” starts in 298 AC, about 197 years after “House of the Dragon” begins, and 167 years after the Dance of the Dragons ends.
HBO plans to expand the “Game of Thrones” universe with more spinoffs, which would create more continuity between shows as “GOT” remains the primary narrative in George R.R. Martin’s universe.
Ryan Condal explains decisions regarding characters and timeline in the series
Speaking to Collider, Condal explained that adapting the book was “challenging” because it was “a history book” and not a novel. So, regarding changes, especially when it comes to the importance of some characters, he says that he got to “take it on a case-by-case basis. Sort of, like, what story were you trying to tell? What characters are necessary in that story, who helps us move this tale forward?”
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He also says that the show explores the “idea that this is a story about this very complicated family, and a lot of the POV characters that you will find us following are members of the family.” So, when it comes to showing who is doing what, he considers “who’s the member of the Targaryen family that we’re following in this particular storyline? And how does this impact them, and the larger tale of this war for succession that we’re following?”
Season 2 of House of the Dragon is airing on Max and HBO.
