Why House of the Dragon has new opening credits

Season Two of House of the Dragon kicked off yesterday with brand new opening credits.

As showrunner Ryan Condal recounted, the first season focused on the bloodlines of House Targaryen coming from Old Valyria but now the series is falling more in line with his medieval inspirations.

“So we decided to go with radical change. Now that the page has turned and we’re at war, this is a living history and we want to depict that history in a visual way and give the fans new things to take apart and dive into,” he said.

“This really great titles company, called yU+co, came in and I pitched them the Bayeux Tapestry, which is this famous work of art that is both a piece of art and also the story of a very particular period in medieval history. A lot of what we know about medieval combat, about medieval dress and customs, comes from that sort of visual history.”

He came up with an idea of a medieval tapestry, which not only served as art but as a historical document as well: “It gives us a lot of places to go. The story obviously starts on Valeria… and you see how we’ve moved from Aegon the Conqueror’s time and pass through all the kings, and now we’re telling the story as we’re seeing it unfold and also seeing it literally being stitched into this tapestry.”

The tapestry of the opening titles begins with an image of the huge Freehold of Old Valyria – familiar from the first season’s opening titles and the model built by King Viserys I Targaryen.

Blood spurts out of the Freehold, representing House Targaryen and spreads out of frame – seemingly reflecting their movement from Essos to Westeros.

The tapestry will continue to evolve throughout Season 2, too, Condal hints, to include new moments from the series as they air.

If the music gets changed there will really be blood.

Here is Season One in case you’d forgotten.

Source: Radio Times, Hollywood Reporter