Full spoilers ahead ahead House of the Dragon season 1.
Game of Thrones (Got) is back – in more ways than one. Thanks to ThronesThe disappointing final season, HBO’s live-action retelling of George RR Martin’s compelling and brutal fantasy world, is not remembered fondly by viewers as a whole.
At least that was the case, until House of the Dragon redeemed Thrones‘ TV universe in the eyes of many people. With its juicy soap opera stories that harked back to Thrones‘captivating early seasons, revenge-fueled barbarism and a compelling period in which dragons roamed the skies, the Got The prequel’s wildly popular first season marked a return to form for the serialized fantasy series. Rumors of Thrones‘The demise was therefore greatly exaggerated.
Now with House of the Dragon Season 2 debuts on June 16 (US) and June 17 (UK and Australia), but the spinoff may prove it wasn’t a one-hit wonder. Four episodes later, I can say that the latest entry in the hit Max show proves beyond a shadow of a doubt – if further proof were needed – that one of HBO’s most successful franchises is back to its volatile, merciless and masterful best.
Reign of Fire
Set in the days after the death of Rhaenyra Targaryen’s (Emma D’Arcy) second-born Lucerys ‘Luke’ Velaryon, Season 2 finds Westeros on the brink of civil war. King Aegon II (Tom Glynn-Carney) sits on The Iron Throne following the usurpation of Queen Dowager Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke), while the warring families are enveloped by the fallout of Luke’s death at the hands of Aemond Targaryen (Ewan Mitchell). – Alicent and the eldest child of the recently deceased Viserys. So a new false and/or emotionally charged move will certainly cause a cataclysmic, history-defining conflict from which there is no way out.
Unless Rhaenyra and Alicent, Westeros’ two most powerful women and friends turned enemies, can prevent an all-out war before it begins. However, the couple’s desperate attempts to individually control the bloodthirsty and hot-headed male relatives of their camp seem doomed to failure.
The supporting cast of House of the Dragon – especially the younger members – gets more to do this season
Alicent – played with a wonderfully Machiavellian quality by Cooke – has numerous, stress-inducing problems to deal with, but it’s Rhaenyra who has the tougher job of the two. The AWOL queen of House Targaryen is understandably sad for Luke, leaving her clan leaderless and directionless; a fateful decision that not only leads her uncle and husband Daemon (Matt Smith) to take matters into her own hands, but also leads to her command being undermined by conspiratorial forces within her own restless council.
With her middle child murdered, her birthright stolen by her former best friend, mutterings of a coup, and an unwillingness to start an outright war, Rhaenyra’s emotions are pushed to the limit in the first half of Season 2. The show’s second outing will last just eight episodes — a creative decision that co-creator Ryan Condal has defended. Nevertheless, D’Arcy delivers a powerfully majestic performance that traverses the emotional spectrum. Whether it’s a poignant scene with few or no words, like Rhaenyra’s discovery of Luke’s torn cloak or the lump in the throat reunion with her firstborn Jacaerys (Harry Collett) after Luke’s death, or her ironclad command of Team Black as hostilities with Team Green reach their peak, D’Arcy is a multi-dimensional acting pleasure.
Speaking of the escalating conflict, it’s the impulsive and evil Daemon – once again played with mischievous relish by the ever-charismatic Smith – who, spoilers notwithstanding, pours cold water on the dying embers of the Targaryen-Hightower peace talks.
Emma D’Arcy is a multi-dimensional acting delight
The problematic, powerless Prince of Dragonstone’s hasty quest for retribution for Luke’s death (on Rhaenyra’s behalf, he claims) is a powder keg moment that adds to the endless spiral of tragedies facing every House. It’s a covert operation that accentuates the series of political schemes and family power struggles that… Thrones and its prequel are known for the slow-burn season 2 premiere. Certainly, it’s necessary to methodically ramp up the tension to make shocking episodic events more effective. Stage-wise, however, Episode 1 would be a somewhat monotonous return if it weren’t for Daemon’s proactive, if incredibly misguided, behavior.
House of the DragonThe supporting cast – especially the younger members – gets more to do this season. Aegon II, the new royal family of Westeros, is the biggest beneficiary of expanded screen time, with Glynn-Carney bringing some much-needed levity – plus youthful impatience and reckless naivety – in episode 1 and, in later entries, deep humanization to a character , that we are supposed to despise, in the only way that a Got series can. The roles of Jacaerys, Baela (Bethany Antonio) and Halaena (Phia Saban) are also pleasantly expanded; the former act as fascinating enemies to each other in their devotion to Rhaenyra, while the eccentric and cryptic Halaena takes center stage in the main storylines leading up to this season’s breathtaking fourth episode.
Everyone has to choose
House of the Dragon However, season 2 does not retread the same story as its predecessor by focusing only on Houses Targaryen and Hightower. The latest chapter of one of the best Max shows also zooms out to explore the impact of growing inter-familial conflict on all of Westeros. Opening with a nostalgia-fueled return trip to Winterfell – a fleeting visit that reminds us of the ever-looming threat behind The Wall – in its very first scene, Season 2 slowly lays bare the wider effects of the increasingly bitter Targaryen-Hightower feud on Thrones‘famous continent.
Season 2 zooms out to explore the impact of growing inter-family conflict on all of Westeros
It even inadvertently acts as a catalyst for the outbreak of small-scale battles between long-warring families, such as Houses Blackwood and Bracken. We don’t see said action spectacle happening, which may disappoint viewers hoping for more than the odd one-on-one fight we see in the first three episodes. After all, Season 2 marks the official start of the devastating, years-long civil war known as The Dance of the Dragons, so I was definitely hoping for more action. Nevertheless, observing the blood-curdling, silent, horror-infused aftermath of the battle between Blackwood and Bracken set my imagination free as to how this barbaric battle played out.
House of the Dragon delivers on its promise to deliver explosive, dragon-centric action in the middle of Season 2, mind you. I can’t go into it any further for spoiler reasons, but it is certainly another heartbreaking and poignant example of the Thrones the franchise’s ability to deliver crushing story beats at every turn.
Broadening the scope of the series also provides the opportunity to introduce new characters with complexity and love-hate natures typical of the series. Thrones the versatile ensemble of the universe. It’s impossible to cover them all here, but I was most intrigued by the additions of the steadfast Alyn van Hull (Abubakar Salim), the curious Hugh Hammer (Kieran Bew) and the enigmatic Alys Rivers (Gayle Rankin). The last of that trio, whose mysterious arrival was teased in the final Season 2 trailer, was particularly fascinating to me, not least because of her involvement in Daemon’s Harrenhal-set Season 2 arc; a personal subplot with the disturbing, almost Macbethian atmosphere and twisting story of a psychological horror film.
My verdict
Like the new drapery-based title sequence, House of the Dragon season 2 weaves another exciting and epic chapter full of political paranoia and machinations, intriguing familial melodrama and monstrous violence. A masterclass in gripping storytelling, it depicts an increasingly dire continental crisis, snowballing with each new shot fired across the Targaryen and Hightower arcs, with great aplomb and emotional whiplash.
This may be a bold statement without having seen the last four episodes, but I truly believe this is one of the best seasons of the series. Game of Thrones. As good as House of the Dragon Season 1 was, it had to take a lot of prep work to set up the shocking events in future episodes. Max also didn’t know how to make good use of it House of the Dragon‘s rising popularity in late 2022 as well. I suspect that with the show’s tense, hyper-violent, and increasingly melodramatic sophomore entry, the streaming titan won’t make the same mistake this time around.
Regardless, I feel justified in my decision to select House of the Dragon season 2 as one of the 10 must-watch, epic shows worth watching in mid-2024. It’s the sign of a triumphantly compelling series, and I’m desperately longing for the final four episodes of season 2. House of the Dragon‘ is the third season already in writing, and a fittingly thoughtful ending to the show (whenever that will be) that speaks to the futility of war. And hey, if you’re not too worried about it House of the Dragon‘s thematic resonance or topical exploration, it’s still wonderfully entertaining to watch some dragons beat each other up.
The first episode of House of the Dragon season 2 debuts on Max (in the US) on Sunday 16 June and on Monday 17 June on Sky/Now TV (UK) and Foxtel/Binge (Australia). New episodes are broadcast weekly.
