House Of The Dragon Is Thematically Different From Game Of Thrones In A Major Way

While it can be argued that a lot went wrong with "Game of Thrones" toward the end, the HBO series remains wildly popular and held in high regard by fans and critics alike. Still, there might be some folks who feel apprehensive about the upcoming spin-off "House of the Dragon," a prequel saga that takes place 300 years before the events depicted on "Game of Thrones." 

Will the spin-off series suffer the same misfortunes that befell the latter seasons of "Game of Thrones," or will co-showrunners Ryan Condal and Miguel Sapochnik get the fantasy franchise back on track? These answers can't be answered until August 21, when "House of the Dragon" finally arrives on screens (per Deadline). However, the cast and crew have been doing the rounds to promote the show in recent times, and they've revealed some interesting information about what fans can expect from the series. But how exactly does it differ from "Game of Thrones?"

From the outset, "Game of Thrones" made it clear that Westeros is a predominantly male-dominated society. Most of the women who rose to positions of power had to fight for their status and deal with some drama in the process. As the University of Notre Dame highlights, the story boasts some ideas about overcoming the patriarchy, but it isn't the main thematic focus of the series. But that's all set to change with "House of the Dragon."

During a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Miguel Sapochnik revealed that anti-patriarchal themes will inform the prequel series, though it wasn't a conscious decision early on. Basically, the creators realized that these ideas were present and decided to make them a focal point of the story. "It wasn't something where we said, 'We must make the show about this. But rather it's something where we realized that's what we had in front of us."

This sentiment was echoed by Olivia Cooke, who's set to play Lady Alicent Hightower on the series. The performer noted some telling scenes between her character and Emma D'Arcy's Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen, both of whom will be central to the story. "There are times where Emma is on one stage and I'm on the other and we're both surrounded by [male characters] being idiotic. And we know if all these men just f***ed off, and it was just us two, the realm would be fine."