The Mother of Dragons is the first reference to House Targaryen as the first episode opens with the title screen that reads “173 years before Daenerys Targaryen”.

Viewers have noticed a lot of similarities between Daenerys and Rhaenyra Targaryen, and it’s not just the physical resemblance.

Both women are confident dragon riders fueled with a strong desire to rule, and Rhaenyra’s claim that she’ll “create a new order” as queen is reminiscent of Daenerys’s iconic quote, “I’m not going to stop the wheel, I’m going to break the wheel.”

The Iron Throne has to be one of the most iconic symbols of Game of Thrones so bringing it back for this series was a no-brainer. Fans soon noticed the throne looked different, but George R.R. Martin approved and said it fits his original vision.

HOTD co-showrunner Ryan J. Condal felt the change was necessary since HOTD depicts a different time.

“What we wanted to do is honor that, but also tell the story of a more decadent time, and also communicate that 200 years has passed. If you look very closely, you’ll see that the original throne is there,” he told Vanity Fair.

House of the Dragon has a moment where King Viserys holds his hand over the candles for a long period of time. This scene sparked a debate about Targaryens’ fireproof nature, paying a subtle tribute to Game of Thrones.

Remember Daenerys’ iconic quote “fire cannot kill a dragon”?

She literally walked out of the funeral pyre unburnt. Fans believed this proves that she’s fireproof, like all Targaryens, but it’s probably thanks to the blood magic.

Daemon Targaryens treats many others with disdain, but he does have a soft spot for Rhaenyra. It became obvious when he gifted her a Valyrian steel necklace, made from one of the most precious materials in the kingdom.

Rhaenyra says it’s made from Valyrian steel “like Dark Sister”, and it’s not the first time fans have heard this name.

Dark Sister is a famous sword held by the Targaryen family for generations. It was even mentioned by Arya in Game of Thrones, but never did make a physical appearance.

Rhaenyra and Arya both had a love for old tales from the rich history of Westeros. The tale of Nymeria seems to be a favorite. When Alicent calls Rhaenyra out for not focusing on her studies, she recites the tale of the brave warrior queen effortlessly.

Arya Stark shared Rhaenyra’s appreciation for Nymeria, naming her direwolf after the brave queen who fled from Essos to Dorne with 10,000 ships, burning them all down so not a single one could return home.

Daemon’s gold cloak is a stroke of genius from costume designers for HOTD. It’s not there by coincidence either. He serves as a Commander of the City’s Watch, known as the Gold Cloaks.

Daemon rules over them with an iron fist, using them for his own gain, but this group wasn’t expected to become a dangerous force before he took charge.

He was sent to the City Watch in a plan that was meant to stop him from playing a major role in the King’s council, but this plan backfired big time.

It’s easy to see that many in Westeros aren’t keen on Prince Daemon and his violent nature. Otto Hightower is one of his bitter rivals with one of his comments making it clear that the Hand of the King only sees the worst in him.

Hightower remarked that Daemon “would be a second Maegor” if he were to sit on the Iron Throne.

A clear reference to Maegor the Cruel, who’s remembered as one of the most cruel kings in Westerosi history. He killed everyone who stood in his way as he ascended to the Iron Throne.

Queen Aemma’s childbirth scene was one of the most controversial parts of the pilot episodes. Her pregnancy came to a bitter end though it did include one subtle GOT reference.

During a bath, Queen Aemma told King Viserys, “After this miserable pregnancy, I wouldn’t be surprised if I hatch an actual dragon.”

Another clear reference to Daenerys, who was known as the “Mother of Dragons” when she emerged from the fire with baby dragons she’s hatched.

House of the Dragon does have more dragons than Game of Thrones, with the beasts kept within the large domed castle known as Dragonpit. Fans only got to see its ruins in the original series, but since HOTD takes place two centuries earlier, Dragonpit is shown in its full glory.

There’s no guarantee that it stayed in its current shape since it was largely destroyed during the storming of the Dragonpit, one of the pivotal events of the Dance of the Dragons.

When King Viserys refused to form an alliance with Lord Corlys Velaryon by marrying his daughter, he then went to form a pact with his brother Daemon instead. He says they should unite because they’re “the realm’s second sons”.

The phrase rings the bell because it serves as the name of a Game of Thrones episode. One where Sansa Stark marries Tyrion Lannister, another famous second son.

This was the same name of a mercenary group the Second Sons with Daario Naharis as one of its members.

Belonging to Aegon the Conqueror, Balerion was the greatest Targaryen dragon in history, a beast with the nickname the Black Dread. Its gigantic head was displayed in the Red Keep during one of the show’s scenes.

It’s not the first time he is seen, since the dragon has been repeatedly mentioned and shown in Game of Thrones, especially when Cersei and Jaime tried to escape the Red Keep during the Battle of King’s Landing.

Balerion’s skull wasn’t the only object viewers noticed in both shows. There is King Viserys’ Valyrian steel dagger, one of the most important weapons in the Seven Kingdoms.

The dagger changed owners over the years. It was once Aegon the Conqueror’s, before staying in House Stark for years. Arya Stark soon became its owner, using it to kill the Night King during the Battle of Winterfell.

These epic fantasy shows will always feature spectacular costumes so naturally, House of the Dragon is no different. The colors characters wear can tell you which house they belong to simply because their clothes express their allegiance.

“It’s such a time of high decadence and peace and wealth and prosperity for the realm. Everybody would really festoon themselves in their house colors and be proud of them as they marched into the tournament,” showrunner Ryan Condal shared.

Alicent Hightower has arguably become one of the show’s most hated characters, but the writers tried to make her a little more sympathetic by showing viewers that her father pushed her to get close to King Viserys, eventually becoming his wife.

What viewers don’t know is that Viserys isn’t the first Targaryen king she was close to.

Alicent was also a constant companion of Jaehaerys I Targaryen, who passed away while she was reading to him. The true nature of that relationship remains a mystery, but he did often mistake her for his daughters, especially Princess Saera.

The names of Westerosi houses mentioned in the series sound familiar, but how about House Hightower? Despite being one of the more powerful houses, it seems their influence weakened in the years to come.

In Game of Thrones, this house is mentioned with its seat located in the great city of Oldtown. Leyton Hightower serves as the head of the house, while other members of the family mentioned were Ser Jorah Mormont’s estranged wife Lynesse Hightower and Mace Tyrell’s wife Alerie Hightower.

Dragons are one of the many aspects that Game of Thrones is remembered for, though it only featured three of them. The prequel series being called House of the Dragon features a total of 17 dragons.

You won’t see them all in Season 1, since co-showrunner Miguel Sapochnik said it would only feature nine dragons, but fans are ready for more.

“Dracarys” is one of the most iconic words Game of Thrones introduced viewers to. The word means “dragonfire” in Valyrian. Daenerys uses this command on many occasions, even to deadly consequences.

Turns out her ancestors did the same thing.

One of the most notable parallels from the pilot episode had Rhaenyra utter this command to Syrax. But unlike Daenerys, she uses it in a tragic matter, as the dragon sets fire on her mother and brother’s funeral pyre.

Costumes play a crucial role in House of the Dragon and the factions of House Targaryen would even be called by the colors of their clothing. Costume designer Jany Temime paid attention to what each character wore, most especially Rhaenyra.

There comes a point when she wears black and red, the colors of her house, but Temime first wanted to show Rhaenyra’s youth and innocence by dressing her in lighter shades in earlier episodes, like light yellow and beige.

Women in Westeros don’t have it easy, especially those with an ambition to sit on the Iron Throne. The first few scenes of HOTD reveal that Rhaenys Targaryen hoped to do so, but was only remembered as “the Queen Who Never Was” after Viserys was named the king.

She then warns Rhaenyra that “men would sooner put the realm to the torch than see a woman ascend the Iron Throne”, foreshadowing the tragic events to come for generations of women hoping to rule the Seven Kingdoms.

Westeros would’ve been better off with Rhaenys Targaryen on the Iron Throne. House of the Dragon makes it a point of showing that Viserys is unfit for the role of king again and again.

He is politically inept, constantly relying on others to make decisions for him, plus the physical signs that Viserys wasn’t meant to be king. It may be iconic, but the Iron Throne is uncomfortable because “a king should never sit easy.”

The belief is that the throne rejects anyone unworthy of sitting on it, and Viserys’ scars reflect his unworthiness.

Ryam Redwyne was a minor character and his death served as a plot point for Sir Criston Cole to replace him as Lord Commander of the Kingsguard.

It may have been a small role, but Redwyne left an impact as one of the greatest knights of his day. Bran Stark dreamed of becoming a Kingsguard like Ryam.

Jon Snow pretended to be him while playing with Rob Stark as a child.

King Viserys is surrounded by people acting in their own self-interest instead of giving him good advice. Lyonel Strong, however, is one of the rare expectations.

The third episode has Strong suggesting that Rhaenyra should marry Laenor Velaryon in order to form an alliance between the two feuding houses.

He foreshadows that marriage in the next episodes, which is ironic since his son, Harwin, becomes Rhaenyra’s rumored lover and the true father of her sons with Laenor Velaryon.

Balerion isn’t the only legendary dragon mentioned since viewers learn about the story of Vhagar, ridden by Visenya Targaryen during the War of Conquest, but later vanished from the Dragonpit.

Vhagar was believed to be nesting along the coast of the Narrow Sea, and that traders could still hear her sad song at times. Vhagar’s name was mentioned by several GOT characters, especially Arya Stark.

Battle of the Bastards is one of the most iconic GOT episodes and scenes of all time. It was directed by HOTD co-showrunner Miguel Sapochnik, so Daemon’s face-off with Crabfeeder mirrored the fight between Jon Snow and Ramsay Bolton.

Daemon avoided the arrows shot at him, bravely running into the fight while surrounded by enemies with no chance of victory. He received last-minute help from one of his allies, emerging victorious but covered in blood, like Jon Snow.

House of the Dragon exists thanks to George R.R. Martin, the author of the books it’s based on. He gave the show his seal of approval, even serving as one of the creators and executive producers of the new series.

Martin’s input helped shape HOTD into the show it is today.

Showrunners Miguel Sapochnik and Ryan Condal shared that the author had three major requests. He wanted colorful dragons, an emphasis on bright heraldry, and for them to explore the story of King Jaehaerys Targaryen II.

House of the Dragon wouldn’t be the hit show it is without its dragons. The GOT dragons did look bleak, but Martin wanted this show to fully embrace the colors of its 17 dragons.

“I’m also hoping to see a different interpretation of the dragons than we saw in Game of Thrones, particularly in their colors. I often describe the dragons by their colors – red, blue, green, and their crests and the bones of their wings are often different colors, too,” Martin said.

A scene from Episode 3 has Rhaenyra commanding a bard named Samwell to play the same song over and over again. The lyrics go, “she fled with her ship and her people under the dragon’s eye”.

But can you guess who they’re referring to?

It is another reference to Nymeria, who led her people across the Narrow Sea on 10,000 ships hoping to flee their Valyrian pursuers. HBO dropped many hints about her, seemingly in preparation for 10,000 Ships, another spinoff they’re plotting.

House of the Dragon introduced fans to new characters, but they also noticed one familiar face. Jefferson Hall, who played the role of twins Jason and Tyland Lannister, as well as Hugh of the Vale on Game of Thrones.

His role was small making it easy to slip into a new one.

“Fundamentally, realistically, they’re so far removed. And this is really about the genesis of this house, before it came to the power they were in on Game of Thrones,” Hall shared.

A way to impress a girl is to promise her the world beyond her wildest dreams. Jason Lannister tried this strategy when he tried convincing Rhaenyra Targaryen that he would make a perfect husband, as he name-dropped Westeros locations along the way.

One of the places is Casterly Rock, the seat of House Lannister in Game of Thrones. He paints a vivid picture describing the place, saying you can see clear across the Sunset Sea on a perfect day.