What's Up - Your guide to what's happening in Fayetteville, AR this week!
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T2 WHATS UP! August 21 - 27, 2022 TV FEATURE BY DANA SIMPSON TV Media W hile winter may be coming (though hopeful- ly not for a while yet), it isn't the Starks who are currently top of mind for "Game of Thrones" fans. More than three years since author George R.R. Martin's original TV series ended, and nearly as long since a spinoff was an- nounced (October 2019), the newest addition to the GOT franchise begins. "House of the Dragon" pre- mieres Sunday, Aug. 21, on HBO and HBO Max. Set approximately 200 years before the events of "Game of Thrones" take place, "House of the Dragon" — hereby short- ened to "HOTD" for the sake of brevity — is classified as a pre- quel. That said, it doesn't stray too far from the original mate- rial as fans of Martin's book se- ries might be able to attest. "HOTD," which centers on House Targaryen and its lengthy rule over Westeros, is based on Martin's novellas "The Princess and the Queen" and "The Rogue Prince," as well as his full-length (736- page) historical novel "Fire & Blood," all of which stand sepa- rate from (but are related to) his "A Song of Ice and Fire" se- ries that inspired HBO's "GOT." Martin is once again behind the adaptation of his story for television, as is Ryan Condal ("Colony"), who serves as showrunner on the production. While working together on the new series, Martin took to his blog to praise Condal and his decisions regarding "HOTD." "I've now watched rough cuts of nine of the 10 episodes and I continue to be im- pressed," Martin wrote. "The acting, the directing and the writing are first-rate. ... I think Ryan Condal and his writers made good choices. Even some improvements." (Jokingly, Martin added, "Heresy, I know, but being the author, I am allowed to say so.") As for the plot of the series, fans can expect a lot more than just dragons — although, yes, there will be many of those on- screen, as is evidenced by the official HBO trailer. "HOTD" kicks off around 103 AC (the "AC" stands for "After Conquest," the time when Aegon the Conqueror flew across the ocean with his wives/sisters to take Westeros by the force of his dragons). In 103 AC, the Seven Kingdoms are united under one ruling faction, House Targaryen, for the very first time and have been this way for just over a century. Of course, diehard Martin fans will know that House Targaryen's reign only lasts for another 177 years or so at this point. Thus the story begins. The new HBO series aims to cover the events leading from 103 AC to the iconic Dance of the Dragons, a battle between members of the Targaryen family that tore the dynasty and the Seven Kingdoms apart and led to the extinction of the dragon species as a whole — until Daenerys (Emilia Clarke, Bentonville Acupuncture 5 x 5 continued on page T10 Emma D'Arcy and Matt Smith in "House of the Dragon" Fire & Blood www.nwaonline.com Did you know those images are available for purchase? IT'S EASY! Just go to nwaonline.com, click on "Photos" in the top menu bar and use the search to fi nd the photo you want. Then just click "Purchase" for sizing options. You can also have the image put on a coff ee mug, mouse pad, key tag, holiday ornament and more! Did you see a photo in our newspaper or on our website that you would love a copy of? Check it out!