The second episode of House of the Dragon finally has an opening sequence.

Is it on par with the epic, non-stop scale of Game of Thrones’ title sequence?

 

What would Game of Thrones be like if it didn’t have a theme song? The song, composed by Ramin Djawadi, has become so indelible that you could play it on almost anything and the vibe would still be there. Djawadi was told to avoid using flutes, pianos, and violins (due to their frequent use in fantasy themes), so he created an absolute banger out of cellos playing in a minor key, making an animated map feel totally epic and surprisingly versatile.

 

As a result, it stands to reason that House of the Dragon would not reinvent the wheel with their own title sequence. While co-creators Ryan Condal and Miguel Sapochnik stated that they did not want a title sequence in the pilot, the official House of the Dragon opening sequence makes its debut in episode 2.

 

The title sequence reintroduces Game of Thrones’ original theme, but changes the visuals to reflect the show’s emphasis on House Targaryen. Meanwhile, the new title sequence’s visuals take viewers on a soaring view of the show’s characters, represented by various trinkets and symbols, using the same cogs and gears that turned the Westeros map for the original show’s opening sequence. Meanwhile, a bright red stream of blood runs down the walls of a castle, eventually covering each of these symbols as the camera pans across them.

 

Djawadi is back with the cellos, which he described to Entertainment Weekly as the “big sound of Game of Thrones.” Djawadi says he focused on taking the themes from the original show that he thought would be most useful in developing a new sound for House of the Dragon.

 

“This is all about the Targaryens, so the most important thing was to keep their sound and themes,” Djawadi explained to EW. “The sound Daenerys had was definitely related to the Targaryens.” The sound is identical. However, I believe it is important to note that Daenerys has a separate theme from the Dragon theme. So they’re two distinct themes, but sonically they’re similar.”